[aprssig] New Orleans, Operating Freqs and spam

[Robert Bruninga]

> The sad reality is... This is why not a single solitary 
> APRS message was sent from Downtown New Orleans over 
> the sole surviving Digi during the Aftermath of 
> Hurricane Katrina.  And that Digi was up at like 550ft!

Yes, I was so very impressed that in the aftermath, there was a
digi, covering the entire area with a PHG at 550 feet right in
the middle of New Orleans, but I don't think APRS was used to
its full potential.  When I made suggestions as to a few simple
efforts that would improve the situation on this SIG, I was told
to butt-out.  Ideas were:

1) It was a WIDE only digi.  Get word out to use WIDE
2) From Mobile or other areas with internet, point a BEAM
towards new orleans and put a temp digi with WIDE to link Bew
Orleans back to the internet
3) Tell all mobiles to activate their mobile TNC's as digis...

I think after a few days we did begin to see a few mobiles, but
I don't think I saw more than 3 or so.  But then I could only
watch via the internet from 1500 miles away.  I wonder if there
was ever an overall assessment published?

But one initiative that came out of that was my focus on getting
EVERYONE to include their operating voice frequency in their
beacons, and for voice repeater frequencies to be beaconed
locally by digis so that visiting mobiles could be informed as
to operating frequencies.  I wanted FINDU to begin parsing
Frequency so that anyone at any time could see not only where
HAM asssets were but how to contact them as well.

Llittle progress has been made.  I drove from MD to PA, last
week and only 2 voice repeatere receommendations showed up on my
screen.  A third was there, but it has been there for years and
is a UHF repeater that is sent out via 2 or 3 hops to 4 states,
but cannot be worked except within 10 miles.  So not only do we
have to get the local direct beacons on the air, but we have to
get these 90% useless SPAM frequencies off the air.

So much to do..

WB4APR, Bob