My World Page Message Community: APRS information and local activity

APRS information and local activity

Posted by Mike D on 7/30/2006, 5:22 pm

You can find information on APRS at: http://www.myworldpage.net/aprs
What does APRS offer?
* Live, simple single line text messaging with minimal bandwidth usage and the ability to support more than two people in the same conversation
* An on screen map showing the location (and if appropriate) the speed and direction of amateur stations in an area. The area could be be very local and show individual streets, or zoomed out to show the whole world.
* Weather information is available from local stations often via automated uploading
* Non-radio station objects of general interest can be placed on everyone s map by any station
* DX conditions make APRS more exciting (whereas regular packet become less efficient if signals propagate well)
* For mobile stations APRS offers an interesting add-on that need not (!) distract the driver but can create a point of interest for other users, and a talking point for new people to the hobby.
Internet gating makes long distance messaging possible from handheld radios and lets you watch the activity over the internet.
Radio direction finding improves the use of APRS in emergency network co-ordination.

APRS has the ability to provide an emergency beacon that can be used when a person is in trouble.
The emergency beacon is similar to a PAN or SOS voice call. When an emergency beacon is received by other APRS station, it alerts the operator and provide the station with the location information associated with the transmission of the beacon.
If the receiving station is running an APRS enabled Kenwood hand held or mobile radio the radio will produce an audible alarm and display the bearing of the station sending the emergency beacon. If an emergency beacon is received by an APRS home station the station display may automatically zoom into the emergency beacons location and sound a alarm.
As the APRS system is linked international it is possible that a local emergency beacon will trigger thousands of APRS station alarms around the globe.