[aprssig] Voice Alert while traveling!

[Robert Bruninga]

Don’t forget on your APRS thanksgiving travels to listen on Voice Alert.



This simply means running CTCSS100 on your APRS radio’s band (144.39 in
USA).  You will hear any other APRS station in simplex range and he will
hear you if you make a quick Voice Call on 144.39 and suggest QSY to “52”.
But with CTCSS y ou wont hear anything else.



Its like a free radar detector for nearby APRS mobiles in simplex  range.
Why waste a perfectly good always-on-channel by having the volume turned
down!  Set CTCSS100 and be available for a local call.



The best way to operate APRS is to program several APRS channels in your
radio:



1)      “APRS raw” – 144.39 simplex no tone squelch

2)      “APRS VA”  - 144.39 simplex CTCSS 100  ç normal operations with
Voice Alert

3)      “APRS mute” – 144.39 simplex CTCSS xxx ç when you want quiet &
another VA is nearby

4)      “APRS evnt” – 144.99TX, 144.39RX ç for special events with an
ALT-DIGI

5)      “APRS ALT” -144.39TX, 144.99RX ç when acting as an ALT digi



This way you can change between all of these modes without ever having to
touch a menu.  Just change channels on the APRS band of the radio.



The point is to never turn the volume down on the APRSband.  Why waste a
perfectly good radio channel that you are monitoring 100% of the time
anyway.



APRS Voice Alert is an order of magnitude better than monitoring “52” while
mobile, because unless you are calling CQ on 52 every minute, and so is
everyone else, you wont even hear each other in a crossing situation.  In
contrast, APRS Voice Alert is “calling  CQ” every minute for you.



That’s why I like proportional pathing.  Im calling CQ on Voice Alert every
minute, but only beaconing via the local digi once every 2 minutes and only
via 2 hops once every 4 minutes.  But at the 1 minute local rate, crossing
drivers get good warning of the others presence.



See:  http://aprs.org/VoiceAlert3.html



Bob, WB4APR
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