[aprssig] whatever happened to....

[Ray McKnight]

I hesitate to enter a shameless plug for my eBay item, but...

I've monitored the barcode thread for some time, it's been
Debated for a year or more now.  So how can it be accomplished easily?
Try this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320086341448

A handheld PC PDT(personal data terminal, with integrated barcode
Scanner.  It can run APRSDOS!!  *Maybe* even run one of the Windows
APRS clients if you can get Win 3.1s up and running.  The main limitation
Would be the graphics drivers.  But being able to run APRS under DOS
And have integrated barcode capability, PLUS you can turn it into
A wireless device with a PCMCIA Wi-Fi NIC card or add an Ethernet card.

These are fully programmable so it doesn't seem too far fetched
That integrating barcode and UI-Packets would be all too difficult.
And having a handheld PC with LCD display running on a rechargeable battery
For APRS is just way too cool.  Not simply a PDA which has always seemed
Very limited IMHO.  This is the closest thing to adding a barcode scanner
To a D7.

Comments?

Ray - WB3ABN
Kingston, WA


-----Original Message-----
From: aprssig-bounces at lists.tapr.org [mailto:aprssig-bounces at lists.tapr.org]
On Behalf Of kc9umr at freqradio.com
Sent: Tuesday, February 27, 2007 11:24
To: TAPR APRS Mailing List
Subject: Re: [aprssig] whatever happened to....

OK -

I worked the 100 Acre Wood Rally (www.100aw.org) down in Salem, MO this
weekend.  oftentimes, net control would ask how many vehicles have
entered/exited a stage, and more than once, we lost a vehicle either in
service, or in transit.

APRS seems like a logical tool to help aleviate this problem a bit...

since it is impossible to expect every entrant to have an APRS rig in
their car (or be licensed for that matter) and we already have radio
people at the start and finish lines....

IF the entrant's scorecards could be barcoded, they could be scanned on
the way IN to a stage and on the way OUT of a stage.

they could also be scanned IN to service and OUT of service.

With a GUI of some form that could display data received (tabulated....so
maybe in columns with respect to which callsign has checked in, and totals
for each station...  so under KC9UMR would be all cars checked into stage
X, and under K9FRT would be all cars checked OUT of stage X, with similar
arrangements for service and all other stages)

The only "issue" might be coming up with a single digi that could cover
the entire race area, though if one or two stations could digipeat for the
event, that might fix tat as well, since only STARTS FINISHES and SERVICE
need to be on the network....

at this point, it would probably be cut off from the APRS world, (most
stages are well away from APRS coverage anyway), but the main part is to
get the info from point A to point B....


> seems to me it would be entirely up to you as to whether or not it is
> useful.
>
> If the barcode scanner had an RS232 output and the bar code was long
> enough, you could print a complete APRS packet on the barcode and
> connect the scanner straight to a TNC.  Not sure if barcodes can be
> that long...
>
> A bit of glue logic on a microcontroller or a laptop could map some
> sort of code to APRS and assist with generating packets.
>
> Want to tell us about your application?
>
> -Jason
> kg4wsv
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> aprssig mailing list
> aprssig at lists.tapr.org
> https://lists.tapr.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/aprssig
>



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