APRS at NWS-ILX Weather Reporting using Automatic Position Reporting System Larry M. Keeran K9ORP This is the portion of multifaceted APRS used for assisting coordination in your county and at the National Weather Service office during weather watches. You may K9ORP at:

What APRS is 4 Software 4 Hardware 4 Protocols 4 Systems 4 Computers 4 Networks 4 People

What APRS is NOT? APRS is NOT 4 Magic 4 Lifeless 4 Only for Gurus 4 Only for people with lots of money 4 Only for people with GPS receivers

APRS Features 4 Maps 4 Weather Station Reporting 4 DX Cluster Reporting 4 Internet Access 4 Messages 4 Bulletins and Announcements 4 Traffic 4 All-Packet Log 4 Heard Log 4 Digipeater List 4 Fixed Station Tracking 4 Objects 4 ACARS

Types of APRS 4 Base Stations With computer, TNC, Radio and maybe Internet access 4 Mobile Units GPS, TNC and Radio 4 Repeaters TNC and Radio

Software 4 DOS 4 Win95/98/NT 4 Mac 4 Win98/Win2K 4 Linuxr 4 Linux 4 Perl 4 Palm Pilot 4 Internet Gateway 4 APRSdos 4 WinAPRS 4 UIView 4 MacAPRS 4 APRS+SA 4 X-APRS 4 APRSd 4 perlAPRS 4 PalmAPRS 4 APRServ

APRS Software

What is a Tracker?

Using a RELAY to Digi

WIDE area Digipeaters

WIDE versus RELAY 4 RELAY’s are mostly home stations 4 The are used to fill in areas with no WIDE coverage 4 WIDE’s are permament Digis 4 They have good coverage Generally RELAY’s should be the first callsign in the path, such as RELAY,WIDE,WIDE Relays are used to fill in the gaps. Wides do most of the work.

Packet rebroadcast to Wide Operation of the NWS-ILX Backbone Packet sent to Relay,Wide,MCL Packet received by Relay Packet received by 4 Wide Digi’s Packet Transmitted to Wide, MCL MCL Packet rec’d by MCL (gate to UHF) Packet transmitted to NWS-ILX WX3 is in range of ILX so no WX# is needed. ILX Relay Wide

APRS WX backbone details 4 APRS backbone is on baud 4 The GATE alias of MCL digipeats local APRS to the backbone 4 The Kantronics KPC-9612 GATEs using two transceivers 4 The 2 meter unit should only pick up local APRS stations. 4 If it is too high, the delay waiting for dead air will slow WX Objects 4 The PATH to ILX ends with “,MCL” + “your WX# UHF 9600 path” 4 The # in WX# for the backbone is the tens of miles radius from ILX. 4 WX Objects are entered by one emergency powered base in each county or net. Having the internet would be a plus. That station should be familiar twith his county roads and be able to enter that on his version of APRS while he is listening to the local voice weather net. 4 WX Objects REMARKS MUST include: YOURcall Confirmed (or Reported) by REAL NAME 4 Damage reports MUST include: YOURcall then the REAL AC PHONE# of the person knowing the location of the damage.

Space Operations

Beacon Text on Fixed Stations

Weather Stations Weather Stations may also be placed onto the APRS network allowing automated weather reporting

Manually Added Stations

APRS Messaging - Person to Person

APRS Announcements and Bulletins

APRS work station at NWS-ILX

Visual Aid - NWS PUP Display

Visual Aid - APRS field units

Internet Gateways

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