[aprssig] APRS Simulated Emergency Test (SET ENgine?)

Bob Bruninga bruninga at usna.edu
Sun Aug 16 23:52:49 EDT 2009


We Need a dedicated APRS "Operations" type volunteer.
(Or maybe a new special engine)...

What we need for SET's ( Simulated Emergecny Tests) is an automated Message Server that simply acknowledges or receipt of incoming messages and then is able to SUMMARIZE statistics on such emails probably on a web page.

IE:  We should be able to ask ALL hams during any COMMS test to try to send an SET test message from his radio.  Of course, that can be done by anyone by sending an APRS email by himself, but then we have no way of collecting the degree of success of that evolution, either locally, SECTION wide or globally.

Actually, it would not even need a human.  The SET-TEST ENGINE would simply have a web page that reports incoming statistics (and could even list all incoming traffic).

It would show emails per hour over the last 24 hours?  Or it could be something like Pete's CQ server, that can GROUP emails by some metric.  Maybe everyone could send a message to the TEST engine with a marker for their SECTION!


EXAMPLE:  An APRS message to "SET-MDC" would add this message to the Maryland DC section list on the SET message engine.  ANyone could check the page for counts or even read the messages.

Remember when we had PCSAT-1, th eISS, and GO-32 all operating APRS, I set up a special web page to encourage all AMSAT people to learn how to send an APRS message to EMAIL.
I want to do that again this year, but there are no workign reliable satelites anymore for APRS.  But we could tell ALL hams to learn how to send an APRS message for such an exercise.

PART-TWO!  I began this email thinking this should be an EMAIL address, something like SET at ARRL.NET because to be universal messaging, we do not want to restrict it to just APRS devices in the field (since we can all send an APRS ==> to EMAIL message already)... but encourage hams to learn to use whatever device they have to communicate text messages (see articl in this months QST or www.aprs.org/aprs-messaging.html

But then it has to be universally recognized and remembered, so it wouild involve gettting ARRL involved and it would probably be a SPAM magnet...  and it does not have a way to send back APRS Acks.  (unless it simultaneously watched the APRS-IS directly too)..

ANyway. I think there is a need.

Having a few Hams show up at a SImulated EMergency Test and check in with their 25 year old HT is kinda lame...  We need to demonstrate our integration into all text-messageing capabilities.

Actually, it does not really have to be a TEST only system.  If it supported the NAMES Of all 71 ARRL SECTIONS, then it could simply be a central clearing house for ALL emergent messages.  And in a real emergency, anyone could check there on the page for emergency (public) traffic in a given section..  COuld be part of the EOC procedures...

ANyone looking for a project?

Some sections probalby already have a designeated email address or EOC message address, but without a generic naming system, no one is going to remmeber it when they need it...

?
Bob, WB4APR


---- Original message ----
>Date: Sun, 16 Aug 2009 22:23:43 -0400 (EDT)
>From: aprssig-bounces at tapr.org (on behalf of "Bob Bruninga " <bruninga at usna.edu>)
>Subject: [aprssig] APRS Simulated Emergency Test  
>To: aprssig at tapr.org
>
>THis months QST mentions the October Simulated Emergency Test.  Lets get APRS involved!  
>
>IF anyone wants to draft up an APRS SET document please do.. I am not an ARES/RACES/RED CROSS/FEMA trained person and would hope someone with better persepective could do a better job.  My thoughts are that it might include these elements:
>
>EOC:  
>a) Sends an exercise Bulletin once every 10 minutes or so.
>B) Maintains a FREQ object with the local NET check-in freq.
>C) Solicits checkins via A and B
>D) Demonstrates APRS display at ALL EOC consoles (probably via APRS-IS)....
>
>MOBILES:  
>1) Observe above on their Mobile screens.  
>2) Be sure their GPS's are enabled.  
>3) Update their posit text with their FREQ
>4) Send a CKIN message to the EOC
>
>CHALLENGE:  Attempts to communicate to all moving and active APRS mobiles via above processes.  Figure of merit is how many APRS mobiles checkin and how many trackers the EOC is able to make contact with.
>
>Is there anything else that would be a good part of this exercise?
>
>Here in my county EOC, the first thing I will have to do is install an APRS RF system.  I think all they do now (if any) is go to the APRS-IS...
>
>Bob, WB4APR
>
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