[aprssig] VARA & PacketAPRS Tests During Eclipse

Sat Apr 6 18:54:55 EDT 2024

*30 & 60M APRS Test During Eclipse *

I will be experimenting with 30 and 60 meters APRS during the solar eclipse on 
Monday 8 Apr.   I will be operating from Yorkshire, Ohio (directly on the 
center line of totality), arriving around 8:30 AM EDT.

This will be a continuation of my testing of APRS over both standard AX.25 
300-baud HF packet, and APRS over the new VARA high-performance HF modem.  
Details are on my website at:

<http://WA8LMF.net/APRSoverVARA/index.htm>

My experiments over the last year and a half have shown VARA to be 
spectacularly more effective than traditional packet APRS on HF -- sometimes 
yielding over TEN TIMES as many successful position reports than classic 
300-baud packet.

Further, I have been testing VARA-vs-packet on 60-meters as well as 30meters.  
   30-meters has a 200-250 mile "skip zone" most of the time -- you won't 
normally hear stations closer to you than this distance.  (Typically, my 30M 
APRS mobile will not be heard or igated by my home station in East Lansing 
(central MI) until I get to Chicago going west, or Dayton/Cincinnati going south.)

On the other hand, 60-meters has excellent close-in NVIS (Near Vertical 
Incidence Skywave) propagation that produces nearly constant coverage 0-300 
miles.   The coverage of the two bands complement each other perfectly!

Here is a comparative plot of the 60M APRS performance on a trip from my home 
in East Lansing to a swapmeet in Traverse City in February of this year:

<http://WA8LMF.net/APRS-FX.25-vs-VARA-10feb-2024/index.htm>

Note A) how consistent the coverage was over the entire 200 miles drive,  and 
B) how many more points were received on VARA. (I had the two modes beaconing 
alternately from the same mobile laptop, radio and antenna.)

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I will be operating both bands simultaneously.  Two FT-857s will be used:  One 
on 60M "Channel 5" (5.403.50 USB), and one on 10.147.60 USB (standard "dial 
frequency" for 30M APRS).   The 30M transmissions will use an MFJ magloop.  The 
60M operation will be from an NVIS mini-dipole made from two Quicksilver Radio 
"Quickstick" 60M mobile whips and the MFJ mini-dipole mount about 10 feet off 
the ground for best NVIS propagation.   On each band I will be alternately 
beaconing AX.25 packet and VARA.

Of course, 30M is non-voice-only.  60M is unique in the HF spectrum in that one 
can operate voice AND data on the same frequencies. If anyone hears me, give 
WA8LMF a call on 60M USB "Channel 5".

All this will be operated from "Studio B", my 12-foot Aliner folding camper, 
outfitted as my combination Mobile Ham Shack, micro-EOC, Radio Test Lab, and 
QRP AM-Stereo/FM-Stereo broadcast station.

<http://WA8LMF.net/Aliner>

This setup appears at numerous ham fests in Michigan during the summer season, 
and will be in the "Emergency Comms Vehicles Expo" at Dayton again this year.

If the cellular network doesn't collapse under the flood of eclipse tourists, I 
will be using a "Remote Rig" control setup to operate my Kenwood  TS-2000 back 
home to listen to (and read the signal strength) of my transmissions from the 
trailer.  I hope to be doing this starting at about 11 AM.  At this location, 
eclipse "first contact" (where the moon first starts touching the sun's disk) 
will happen at about 2 PM EDT.  Second contact (totality) will start a little 
after 3:00 PM EDT.

The Remote Rig control system in the trailer is connected to a mini-router 
tethered to my iPhone 6s+ running on T-Mobile data. The mini router gives me a 
home-style Internet setup with dual-band  2.4 & 5 WiFi and hard-wire Ethernet 
connections for the Remote Rig and three laptops in the trailer.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stephen H. Smith    wa8lmf (at) aol.com
Skype:        WA8LMF
EchoLink:  Node #  14400  [Think bottom of the 2-meter band]
Home Page: http://wa8lmf.net

*30 & 60 meter  APRS-over-VARA  test coming during 8 April Solar Eclipse*

APRS-over-VARA igates now operating on 30 & 60 meters
<http://WA8LMF.net/map>

-- APRS over VARA  --
<http://wa8lmf.net/APRSoverVARA.>

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