[aprssig] APRS, AM radio and the solar Eclipse (Cloud Reporting)

[Robert Bruninga]

*Subject:* APRS, AM radio and the solar Eclipse (Cloud Reporting)



If you are portable on ECLIPSE day, keep your APRS object updated.



If you are in the Totality band , please use the SUNNY (\U) symbol to make
it easy to identify special Eclipse stations, and update your STATUS text
frequently as to your CLOUD cover.   NWS says some 65% ? of us will be
blocked by clouds and so a last minute race to a clear area might be
important.  (if you can move at all).



A Status like “Clouds 25% at 1015.” fits nicely on the 10x10 line popup
display on APRS HT’s.



There may be lots of APRS Balloons that day too on 144.39 or 144.34.  After
the eclipse, use your HT and go chase one down (and meet others)!



The QIKCOM1 APRS module deployment from ISS is delayed (unknown) but other
events are listed on the HamSCI web page, below.



Bob, WB4APR



*From:* Robert Bruninga [mailto:bruninga at usna.edu]
*Sent:* Monday, July 10, 2017 9:15 AM
*Subject:* APRS, AM and the solar Eclipse



There will be several Ham Radio experiments during the eclipse.  Please
see: http://HamSCI.org

Anyone can do the AM radio experiment by listening for the 13 clear channel
AM radio stations that are along the path of totality.  As the D layer is
darkened these stations should come up out of the noise. Check the web page
for times and frequencies.  The eclipse traverses the USA over about an
hour with any one observer seeing totality for about 2 minutes.

Also, APRS will be used during the day of the eclipse (21 Aug) for locating
those hams involved in eclipse observations to be able to see where other
nearby ham observers are located.  Imagine the APRS map that day showing a
clustering of mobile and portable positions all along the totality line.
Please use the station symbol SUNNY (\U) for this event so these stations
will stand out among all others on the national tracking page http://aprs.fi
and report Cloud cover %.

In addition to position reporting, APRS real-time messaging can be
used for direct
station-to-station texting plus the announcement server will give national
connectivity for announcements. To use it, just send an APRS message to
ANSRVR and begin the message with CQ ECLIPSE… Such a message will be sent
to every other station in the event that has also sent a similar message.
Due to the load, limit transmissions to no more often than once every half
hour.

Bob Bruninga, WB4APR at amsat.org
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