[aprssig] Hamfest and APRS

[Robert Bruninga]

Is your HAMFEST on APRS?

Just saw an Email announcing VA Beach Hamfest.
I went to the site, and it has little useful info (that I can
find).
SO I wrote them this email:

Your web page has nothing to offer the hundreds of APRS mobiles
in the area:

1) Check http://map.findu.com/hfest* and no one is putting out a
VaBeach hamfest ICON or bulletin to advertise the event on the
front panel of all APRS radios in the Tidewater area...  See how
on www.aprs.org/hamfest.html

2) There is no link on your web page to an APRS map of the area
so people can SEE the event and all APRS mobiles there.  See how
easy it is:
http://aprs.fi/?addr=va%20beach&mt=roadmap&z=11&timerange=3600

3) Your web page has no talk in freq.

4) No one is putting out an HFEST21VB object for this hamfest so
that all mobiles in the region are alerted to the Hamfest...

5) The HFEST21VB object on APRS should have talkin freq so that
mobiles with APRS radios can AUTO-TUNE to that freq/tone with
the push of a button

6) No indication that talk-in operators will have APRS map
display (or the above live intenet acccess) so they can see
approaching (lost) mobiles.

7) No indication that talk-in operators will be monitoring APRS
for incoming messages, etc...

8) Basically, no indication that VA Beach hamfest is in the 21st
centry, other than a nice web page but without any reference to
the technologies we use in the 21st century and ham radio.

I was pleased to see that map.findu.com/HFEST* shows three
hamtests.  But none of them include the TALK-IN frequency in the
correct APRS format so that those with APRS radios can auto-tune
to them.  Format requires that FFF.FFFMHz Tnnn must be the first
10 or 15 bytes in the comment.

Hamfests are a place where APRS can have true value to not only
the mobiles going there, but also the Talkin and organizers.
But someone has to do the legwork to make sure it is in place
and advertised.  KUDOS to Huntsville and Danville Ill!

Bob, WB4APR