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--></style></head><body lang="EN-US" link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div class="WordSection1"><p class="MsoNormal">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 3<sup>rd</sup> 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.. </p><p class="MsoNormal">See - <a href="http://aprs.org/at-golden-packet.html">http://aprs.org/at-golden-packet.html</a></p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal">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. </p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal">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:</p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://aprs.org/pct-golden-packet.html">http://aprs.org/pct-golden-packet.html</a></p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal">Another thing. We think the West coast link could be made in 10 hops, not the 14 needed back east.</p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal">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.</p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal">Bob, Wb4APR</p></div></body></html>