[aprssig] APRS at JOTA and other SCOUT events

[Robert Bruninga]

New for JOTA 2007!

Consider taking APRS to your JOTA scout event this year.  We
have enabled a global CQ function that will allow any APRS
station out in the field, to call CQ to all other similar
stations all over the world.

APRS is a two-way tactical real-time communications system.  It
is an excellent demo that can be interesting to scouts while
they are waiting their turn to operate one of the regular HF
JOTA stations.

This year, a system called CQSRVR has been written by Pete,
AE5PL, which
will receive logons from field stations and turn around and send
out those CQ's to all other SCOUTS stations.  When they see
these, then they can do the normal APRS messaging between
individual stations anwhere on the globe that is in range of an
Igate.

See the web page:
http://www.ew.usna.edu/~bruninga/aprsjota.html

It is operational now so you can practice.  Just send an APRS
message to CQSRVR and include the two keywords CQ SCOUTS as the
first two words at the start of your message.  Remember the
limitation that a SPACE character must follow the two words to
separate them from the rest of the text of that message.  And
example might be to send this message to CQSRVR:

CQ SCOUTS CQ from Annapolis, Maryland, USA

Hopefully, all other SCOUT stations will see your message and
will respond to your actual call to make the contact.

I have sent this message to scoutradio at yahoogroups already...
But if you know of any other scout and ham radio distribution
points, you might consider mentioning it.

Good luck!
Bob, Wb4APR