How to Enter an APRS Omni-DF Signal Report in UI-VIEW          12 May 2006
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> From: "Robert Bruninga" bruninga@usna.edu 
> Date: Fri May 12, 2006 9:27am(PDT)
> Subject: Making Omni-DF reports in UIview
>
> APRS as a tactical situational awareness system with maps anticipated 
> that Direction finding and localizing signals would be equal in 
> application to GPS  and Weather tracking.  We are disappointed in how 
> this capability has atrophied recently since many APRS clones didn't
> implement this fundamental APRS technique.
>
> Although the very powerful APRS omni-direction finding signal strength 
> plotting was not included in UIview, the UIview operators can still 
> contribute very significantly when a signal needs to be localized.
>
> To see how APRS plots singal strength data, see an example going on 
> right now in Washington DC:
>
> http://www.ew.usna.edu/~bruninga/dfing.html 
>
> To enter a signal report in UIview, simply do the same that you do to 
> enter your PHG data.  But change the "power" digit to a subjective 
> signal report between 0 and 9 and enter that digit instead.  Example, 
> for an S1 report:
>
> Your present PHG data is  PHG7132
> Your DF report would be   DFS1132
>
> That is all there is to it.  In PHG, the "7" means 50 watts and the 
> "132" means your antenna is at 20' with a gain of 3 dB and your favored 
> direction is East.
>
> The only thing that changes when you make a DF signal report is the 
> signal strength.  Your location, and your antenna characteristics 
> are already known in your PHG and so this now makes it possible for 
> software to overlay these signal strength reports on the map to quickly
> localize a signal.
>
> We need to get all hams to be aware that when they listen for an 
> inteferrring signal, that they have much to contribute by a simple 
> signal report.  And a ZERO report is just as valuable as hearing
> it.  This is for several reasons:
>
> 1) 100% of everyone can give a valuable report
> 2) Most people will have a zero report.
>
> But the zero reports quickly show all the areas where the signal cannot 
> be!  And their rejection of those areas, quickly constrains the omni
> reports from the few that do hear it.  Usually using this technique, 
> the signal can be localized to a few mile area as soon as enough
> reports come in.
>
> Just remember, that to make a report, just change PHGxxxx to DFSsxxx..    
> And dont forget to change it back after the signal is found!
>
> Thanks
> de Wb4APR