APRS for the
EMERGENCY
The Illinois ARES may use APRS in the emergency to send bulletins
statewide.
The use of Automatic Packet Reporting System
as developed by Bob Bruninga WB4APR has many potential uses for the
emergency. Use of this tactical display of APRS equipped stations
and mobiles, and the objects and their positions is a powerful tool for
the emergency, and is encouraged in ARES® mobiles and bases.
A well developed and growing network exitst in the Illinois Section.
USES:
Tactical mapping of fixed and mobile stations in
your locality.
One-line text messages may be sent and
received by APRS stations;
Local or Statewide bulletins
addressed to BLN#IL
by APRS can advise all APRS monitoring responders to any emergency or
need.
Responding APRS equipped units can "home in" on
objects, stations or trackers
using locations given.
Outgoing email addressed one line to EMAIL, with the
message line containing email address and short text message
Two way email for mobiles using APRSLink via APRS
messaging via WinLink that allows brief by multi-line text in a
formatted message.
The APRS networks are dependent on the local APRS
users
and their good sense in using this single national frequency
of 144.390 MHz
in the best possible way. Users must avoid sending our regular packets
beyond
two digipeater wide hops (ALOHA system) except in the emergency, and we
must take a
proactive
stance in this effort as good APRS users.
In the Illinois Section, to prepare our APRS network
for
the emergency, we shall follow the latest recommended APRS techniques
and adopt the method
proposed for wide area digipeaters on this National APRS frequency of
144.390
MHz. Much discussion of this has appeared on the APRS special interest
group
reflector, and is summarized in the WB4APR web pages titled Fixing
the 144.39 APRS Network
Henceforth, using these suggested ALOHA procedures
and guidelines by WB9APR and others supporting best use of APRS,
all Illinois
APRS digipeaters are strongly encouraged to consider and implement a
primary alias of WideN-n
Further,add an alternate state alias for the
emergency in the SSn-N format (e.g. ILn-N ).
Set UIFLOOD IL,30,ID
from WIDEn-N to use the SSn-N state format of ILn-N, and
none
of the other State SSn-N constructs or WIDEn-N abuses enter our network
or can
QRM our users.
Of more importance, local emergency traffic nets can
hit every
digi in the state (or our ARRL section) if needed with NO DUPES, no
extra
beacons and NO QRM to other section LANS. And again, this new STATE
NETWORK on APRS limits
the propogation of abuse and does NOT depend on user settings!
Some specific recommendations encouraged are:
- Local R-W-T
digis may support this concept by adding IL2-2 and IL2-1
to their UIDIGI alias list.
- Also change UIFLOOD
SS,30,ID to ILn-N so we
have an Illinois state network which reliably covers our state
independent of N, but no further.
- During
phase-out of WIDEn-N, just move WIDEn-N to the UITRACE
parameter. Our Illinois digis that wish to remain
WIDEn-N are encouraged
to move that path to the UITRACE parameter for full path tracing and
point
of origin.
Once conversion throughout the Illinois
Section is complete, here are some suggested APRS paths to
be seen in this section.
USER:
DIGIPATH suggestions
HOME STATIONS:...........
WIDE1-1, IL2-2
LOCAL MOBILES:............
WIDE1-1, WIDE2-2
RANGING MOBILES:.......
WIDE1-1,WIDE2-2, IL2-2
INTERSTATE MOBILES:.
WIDE1-1, WIDE3-3
ARES, RACES, EOC's:.....
IL3-3 or as needed for coverage within Illinois only
ARES® Notes on APRS:
APRS ALT
All Illinois
ARES® stations using APRS for local operations, including Search
and Rescue, are strongly
encouraged to consider the alternate frequency method to temporarily
improve
local reliability in the presence of QRM at the local digi by having
their
own input channel, such as 144.99 (+600 KHz from 144.39 MHz).
ARES users during
any emergency may need to set their APRS radio on 144.390 from
simplex to a plus (+) offset. Especially useful for weak station and
mobile or portable trackers.
Then a local emergency APRS digipeater may be
set to the corresponding 144.990 with a minus (-) offset .
When this temporary local digipeater hears a local unit
packet on the APRS ALT,, it will cross digipeat back to 144.390 where
everyone in the APRS network receives, and can fit the packets between
the many packets on the regular frequency of the APRS network.
This simple APRS ALT solution can improve APRS
reliability! See how to double local reliability using this
ALT-channel
input on your digi at APRS
ALT channel and TEMPn-N
APRS ALERT
Mobile users of the Kenwood TH-D7 or TM-D700 have a means
to be alerted to other Kenwood mobiles active in their direct radio
range. See APRS ALERT
ARES-IL units, Hospitals, EOC and other EmComm fixed
location users with these particular amateur radio models needing an
APRS ALERT method to activate local responders should contact Illinois
ARESat
the email address below for suggestions on this subject.
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