[aprssig] Golden Packet Event 15 July 2017 (out west too?)

[Robert Bruninga]

For 8 years since 2009 a dedicated bunch of 15 APRS operator teams drive or
hike to 15 mountaintops  from Maine to Georgia to attempt to pass a Golden
Packet (GP) message from one end to the other. And during only a 4 hour
event window on the 3rd Saturday in July, the challenges of setting up,
communicating and taking down are exciting.  I think we have now finally
been mostly successful for at least 4 years..  The east coast teams are
pretty well established..

See - http://aprs.org/at-golden-packet.html



Now, maybe it is time for the central and west coast APRS operators to
consider getting out of their shacks and bringing their APRS radios out
into the real world.  The western states not only have a big advantage with
their clear skies and high mountains.  But more importantly,  there is
already western SCOUT planning in place for all those mountain tops on that
day doing their annual Flashing-Mirror Operation On-Target (OT).  Most
scout teams have hams along to coordinate, but all the hams that go along,
never seem to be APRS folks.



If the hams with all these scout OT expeditions simply carried a
digipeating APRS radio, then they would have an instant Golden packet
network!  Passing the western golden packet would be trivial.  Here is a
page to start any 2017 West coast effort:

http://aprs.org/pct-golden-packet.html



Another thing.  We think the West coast link could be made in 10 hops, not
the 14 needed back east.



CONVERSLY BACK EAST we have never found any east-coast OT scout
operations.  Maybe the les reliable sun and the tree covered mountains make
long distance optical comms too difficult.  But if the HAMS on the Golden
Packet carried along a bright car headlamp, I bet we could send flashing
light to scouts out to 50 mile east coast ranges.



Bob, Wb4APR
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