[aprssig] Broadcasting?

[VE7GDH]

Anthony AJ3U wrote on 02/08/2005

> Shortly after the Air France crash today, a station sent out an APRS
> message addressed to "ALL" that said (paraphrasing from memory)
> ...
> While I thought this was an interesting thing to know, it had me
> wondering if the message was breaking the rules.

Hams don't broadcast. I don't think an APRS message would ever be considered 
broadcasting, but I do think the message (if it was as you recall it) was 
very irresponsible. I hadn't heard a thing about it until viewing your 
message. It took me all of a minute or so to read that the Air France plane 
ran off the runway upon landing at Toronto ON in severe weather and burst 
into flames, but miraculously, of the 300 or so passengers and 12 crew, 
there were only 24 minor injuries. Like Amber alerts, emergency messages, 
"I'll be late for supper" and "club meeting tonight" messages and so on, I 
think there is a place for bulletins of interest. In the event of a major 
plane disaster, or a natural disaster, sending an APRS message would be just 
one more way to alert people that may be in a position to provide assistance 
with communications. With a plane crash confined to the airport itself, hams 
probably would not be of assistance unless there was a large "registration & 
health and welfare" type of operation, but in the case of wide-spread 
disasters like tornadoes, hurricanes, ice storms, etc. it would be very 
likely that hams would be involved.

I presume that it wasn't, but I don't think that a message about a plane 
crash should be tagged as an emergency unless that station sending the 
message required assistance. If it was a general announcement, a bulletin 
would be more suitable.

73 es cul - Keith VE7GDH
--
"I may be lost, but I know exactly where I am!"