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- DEMOS.txt 6.0 QUICK DEMOS OF APRS
-
- So you wanna know what this program does without reading all the README files..
- The following steps give the maximum exposure with the minimum of reading.
- You may read the various .TXT files in the README sub-directory using the
- F1(HELP)-FILES command while on-line in APRS.
-
- MARATHON EVENT: First, run APRS and use FILE-LOAD to load the MARATHON.BK file.
- Hit SPACE to show the position of APRS packet stations at our marathon event.
- Next do a FILE-REPLAY. Select the File MARATHON.HST. You will see
- the LEADER and TAIL Vehicles which were GPS equipped. Turn off CALLSIGNS
- with the C command during REPLAY to keep the screen cleaner. Redraw the
- screen at any time during REPLAY with the SPACE BAR. Also RUNNERS.BK/HST.
-
- FOOTBALL RUN: To see the Army/Navy game football run from Annapolis to Philly,
- load FBALL.BK, and then REPLAY the FBALL.hst file. During replay, you can
- Re-center the screen with the HOME key and zoom in/out with Pg keys. To speed
- up replay, hit (F)ast. FBALL93.hst is this years run.
-
- AUTOMATIC DOPPLER DF: To see a great demonstration of the N7LUE automatic
- Doppler DF interface to APRS, zoom into Phoenix Arizona, and replay the
- AUTODF.HST file. It shows what the APRS screen looks like as the DF radio
- is tuned to each of three on the air signals in Phoenix AZ. To see a manual
- DFing event, load FOXDF.BK and then REPLAY FOXDF.HST.
-
- OMNI-DFing: To see the potential of the APRS OMNI-DF technique, load the
- DF-OMNI.BK file. Next press the MAPS=PLOTS-DF command to see APRS draw the
- overlapping signal strength contours from each of the omni-df reporting
- stations. Notice that I was the only APRS station, and all of the other
- reports were voice reports that I quickly added to the map with the INPUT-
- ADD command. All of this could be done automatically if there had been
- more APRS stations on that day. (This was the day after I finished the new
- OMNI-DF technique, so no one had the latest version of APRS at the time!)
-
- HF TRACKING: To see the capability of APRS for tracking mobile units, replay
- the Naval Academy boats ACADEMY.HST file. Or replay my trip to Alabama over
- XMAS93.HST. To see the number of stations on our HF tracking frequency, use
- FILE-LOAD to load the HF10151.BK file.
-
- SPACE AX.25 DIGI's: See SPACE.txt for info on using APRS for plotting
- satellite DX contacts and how to replay the SHUTTLE.HST demonstration.
-
- CHANNEL MONITORNG: Zero memory with FILE-ZERO command. Tune your radio to
- an active packet channel and monitor for 10 minutes. Select the LATEST
- display, and you will see all UI frames (BEACONS) on the channel. If you know
- where these stations are, insert them onto the map and save the file. Rename
- the file to include the frequency for later recall. If no one is beaconing,
- and you get impatient, you can turn off the beacon-Only filter by hitting the
- CONTROLS-OTHER command. Then ALL packets will be collected.
-
- LOCAL AREA: To see our local APRS net, load the FREQ579.BK file. Zoom in to
- my location and see my neighborhood streets. I drew that map using 1200 pixels
- per degree. To see if your area is covered by an existing detail map, PgUp to
- the USA map and select the MAP-BORDERS command. The outlines of all existing
- maps will be shown. Move cursor to your area and zoom in (PgDwn) to within
- one of these maps. To move long distances, CTRL-PgUp to large scale map, move
- to your area and then Ctrl-PgDn. Have a friend place his LAT/LONG in his TNC
- BText as follows: BText !DDMM.xxN/DDDmm.xxW/Comments... You will see him
- appear on your map! He can also just use his Grid Square enclosed in Brackets
- [GRidsq] at the start of his BText. Better yet, give him a copy of APRS and
- Add objects locations to your screens by moving the cursor and using the INPUT-
- ADD command. Similarly you may broadcast text back and forth by altering your
- BText using the B command or Send individual messages using S. Registered
- (validated) users can save a CONFIG file so that the program starts up on their
- preferred map each time. If you are Un-registered, you can save a backup file
- of your screen and reload this backup file each time you start up to restore
- your screen and location. Better yet, register your copy of APRS and get a
- validation number so you can save a config file.
-
- OTHER IDEAS AND APPLICATIONS: See WX.txt for using APRS in a weather
- reporting net. APRS supports an optional home weather station serial
- input to make your station automatically include WX conditions in your position
- report. See DF.txt for triangulation in fox hunting, and SPACE.txt
- for displaying satellite beacons. Or HF.txt and come join us on the APRS
- HF Boater and RV tracking net. Finally, read the full system documentation
- in ALLABOUT.txt, and start drawing local maps as described in MAPS.txt. There
- is a chess board map in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico at 25N 90W (below 64
- mile scale) to show the flexibility of APRS to use any maps for any purpose.
- Play chess on the air using APRS!
-
- NOW WHAT?! APRS is a human communications tool. Try APRS during weekly
- emergency exercises or events when humans are at their stations. Find a two
- meter freq that is not saturated with BBS's and start an APRS network. In the
- Wash/Balto area we are using 145.79. Please consider using this freq in your
- area to help us build a nationwide mobile tracking network. Encourage periodic
- reporting weather nodes (not the store-and-dump kind) and keyboard QSO's to
- also join your frequency. Anyone with low duty cycle data is welcome, but
- BBS's, file forwarding, TheNET and databases should operate elsewhere! This
- is NOT meant to be discriminatory, it just optimizes the frequency for the
- maximum number of individual real-time users. This is best for all HAMS if
- there is a frequency where human operators can communicate in real-time and not
- only exchange text, but also see the instantaneous network topology.
-
-