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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>Just completed our annual Klondike Derby with APRS HT messaging support. Every hour, 20 stations reported scores from 20 scout outposts for up to 5 troops at a time. We used APRS HT’s for messaging the data to HQ, and a D700 mobile display head on a clip-board at Headquarters for accumulating the scores that were then passed on to the computer data base operator.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Lessons learned:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>1) Over the many years, we have gone from 20 ops and 3 APRS Ht’s to 5 HT’s to 8 Ht’s and this time to 100% APRS Hts for all stations. The problem is we no longer can find 20 hams. As APRS has increased, the number of volunteers has dwindled to having only about 10 hams. Had to use MURS license free voice radios at the other stations. (We had enough spare APRS HT’s, but what’s the use training a one-time operator?) Each APRS operator walked back and forth and reported on at least 2 stations each to cover most sites.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>2) Net control needs a voice radio independent of the APRS radio so that he can use voice without having to abandon the APRS message window if he needs to make a quick transmission. Wastes the dual-band of the D700, but is essential so that operator can read messages independently of radio voice use.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>3) On a lightly used net frequency, the Net control operator could alert those in the field when he is idle and can take trivial or routine queries from the field. In the field, we cannot tell when he is up to his eyeballs in headquarters issues and hate to interrupt with a trivial question. Therefore we suggest:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>ON a voice net, when the voice channel is idle AND net-control operator is "idle" and between tasks, he could simply make a voice transmission "This is net, standing by". This alerts all of the rest of us out in the field, that NOW he is happy to handle any low-priority traffic. Thus preventing us from interrupting him when he -IS- busy.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>4) With the new D72 and VX8G HT's with built-in GPS it was trivial to track the Scout’s VIP golf cart. I just flagged him down, and took 1 minute duck-taping my GPS-HT to one of this window posts, and we were able to track him all day.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>5) My D72 battery lasted all day. 7:30 AM to 3:30 PM running the dual band, and TNC and internal GPS! All operations were done on low power (not EL power). I was amazed.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>6) We used 445 MHz for APRS so that APRS worked full duplex with voice at all stations including net control. It was cute to hear our “incoming message” on his D700 in the background when he was talking (on 146 MHz).<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>For more background on this annual event see www.aprs.org/aprsevent.html<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Bob, Wb4aPR<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p></div></body></html>