[aprssig] APRS data for Scout Events

[Robert Bruninga]

* I prepared a WEB page to show how to use the D7 and D700
* for data reporting of troop scores at a scout event.
http://www.ew.usna.edu/~bruninga/aprsevent.html


> -----Original Message-----
> Sent: Sunday, January 07, 2007 11:30 PM
> Subject: [aprssig] APRS data for Scout Events
> 
> Remember APRS is not just position reporting.  Here is how we 
> plan on using APRS TH-D7 HTs at the winter camporee to send 
> event data:
> 
> Those of us with D7's can enter our station number, troops 
> and scores as an APRS message addressed to the netcontrol at 
> HQ using only the HT's keypad.  I will provide a Tm-D700 
> mobile rig at the HQ staff tent where they are presently 
> taking voice reports, and these messages will appear on the 
> front panel for the HQ staff to transcribe into their system. 
> 
> If I entered STN14 as my MYCALL and then used a format 
> something like: 
> 
> T995 47 
> T887 56 
> T4557 66 
> 
> Then that could mean from station #14, the reports for troops 
> 995, 887 and 4557 are 47,56 and 66 respectively. 
> 
> The TM-D700 can capture and hold up to 16 of these until the 
> HQ staff looks at them and deletes them to make room for the 
> next round.  The beauty of this is that it offloads these 
> reports from the voice channel and the HQ staff can take them 
> at -their convenience-, not at the demands of the voice 
> channel.   The voice channel is very busy, but the score data 
> comes in bursts when the whistle blows for everyone to change 
> stations.  
> 
> This backchannel transmission of scores from D7 users helps 
> mitigate the peak backlog of all the voice reports.
> 
> In years past, I had proposed a special ARPS program to take 
> the data directly to a data base, but then never found time 
> to do it, and not enough D7 users to make it worthwhile.  But 
> this method above, and just using a D700 display at the data 
> entry persons operating position means it is trivial to set 
> up and operate and takes no special effort.
> 
> There is no risk in this expreiment.  If it is not found 
> advantageous for any reason, the HT holders can still make 
> the normal voice report too. 
> 
> I just wish someone would implement my APRS-DTMF program, and 
> then everyone with an HT could key in their data, not just 
> those with D7's.
> 
> see http://www.ew.usna.edu/~bruninga/aprstt.html
> 
> Bob, WB4APR