To enter a score, the HT user presses the MSG key and then selects LIST from the MSG Menu above. This displays the last message. He can use this message as a template and press the MSG key again to edit the troop number and score as a new message. . Then he hits the OK button and the message is sent to HQ. When the score is ACKed by HQ, then the message shows the * on the MSG screen.

D700 CLIPBOARD DISPLAY: . When a score comes into HQ on the D700, the message instantly captures the radio front panel display for 10 seconds as shown below. . This screen shows incoming message number 1 from STN7 reporting troop number 874 with a score of 42.

If the operator wants to read it later he can press the MSG button and select up to 15 messages from the inbox.

Each message in the list has an envelope icon that shows if the message has been read or not. Once the data is entered into the data program, then the HQ operator can delete that message.

It should be noted that since the D7 HT is dual band, his scoring via APRS is done independently of what he is doing on the other channel. In addition, the APRS stations can talk briefly on the data channel for back-door coordination as needed without bothering the primary voice channel. Unlike shown here, it is better to operate the APRS channel on a different band than the main event channel to minimize QRM.

GOUGE SHEET: To help operators unfamiliar with the D7 HT, we have also prepared a gouge sheet to help those operators. It steps them through the process of entering a score. Get the ENTRY Gouge Sheet and the NETCON Gouge Sheet. . Also download station lat/longs for Kinder Farm Klondike Derby 2008.

OTHER APRS SUPPORT: Of course, all those D7 operators and NETCOM can also see the usual APRS displays and position information for knowledge about where where other operators are (although 121 miles shown is not typical of a local event!). . And please do not think that you need GPS for keeping track of these radios! . GPS's and their wires and cables are just a nuisance at most events. . Instead, just use a table of positions for stations, or a map with a grid on it, and the operators can easily place their position at any time. See this map we used in 2008:

Just estimating a position to 10% within a grid shown above, and your position is reported to the nearest 60 feet! . Anyone should be able to do this. . Now if the other stations do have GPS connected, then their course and speed and altitude can also be observed on the D7 as shown to the right:

APRS MAP: Or anyone running APRS can see all this live on their map displays. . The display below is of an old APRSdos laptop being used for the event. The stations are shown with their Tactical Callsigns of CS4 or BS3, etc depending on their station number of whether they were Boy Scouts of CubScouts:

WORKS AS-IS! . Notice that this application required no software, no setup, no special hardware, no GPS units, no Laptops, and no computers. . Participating APRS operators simply bring along their D7 or D700 equipment and it is ready to go. It might appear that this is a lot of hardware to do a simple voice report, but when there are 20 people making reports on a single voice channel, even if only 5 of them can use APRS, it is much easier for them and HQ not to have to wait for their voice turn to report. And HQ can offload the incoming message data at their convenience, and not at the crunch demands of the Voice net.

Statistically, we found that an APRS station could enter four separate scores in about a minute (4 scores per event period) whereas a voice station could report all 4 scores in about the same time including call-up and sign-offs. But what is not obvious here, is that the voice method has a very high overhead:

Also, the non-data-savy operators at net control turned out to be positive about the experience, because it removed the stress of having to be responsive to voice traffic on call, whereas they could view the APRS scores at any time at their convenience. In fact, they could turn the D700 front panel over to a non-licensed volunteer to take the data. Thus conserving our voice operators for other tasks. Do NOT plan on using the same D700 for messages and other voice tasks, however, since the PTT interrrupts the message screen, and you cannot see the message screen while talking.

KLONDIKE DERBY 2008: The photos below show the overall map plan. The Boy Scout troops went around the red path and the Weblos Dens went around the Green trail. . Net control this year was in a warm house on the grounds just south of this picture.

WB4APR was stationed at Cub Scout station 4 with his Communications Trailer and 10 KW High-power Emergency Power System. . The van comes with a half dozen signs depending on the occasion. . In this case, the Naval Academy Radio Club callsign was on display. . The solar panels on the roof of the Prius provide about 200 Watts of solar power. . Only the bottom of the 55' push up mast is shown.

National Jamboree? . We can do this at the National Jamboree too. APRS can be used to track the locations of all the troops, and also all the official vehicles and assets. APRS radios can communicate bulletins, announcements and scores and can be the universal communications system there. We can ask all troops to bring FRS radios and use those for data input, then APRS for assemillation and distribution and display. . Here are the Jamboree mapsof FT AP Hill in Virginia:

APRS TOUCHTONE or APRS-DTMF: This all boils down to what I wanted to do with APRStt back in the year 2000 when I introduced the APRS-TouchTone program. It let ANY HT be used as an APRS posit/message/data entry device just like the D7 HT. The only difference is that ANY HT sends the keystrokes using DTMF to the central APRStt program where it converts the key presses into the exact same messages that a D7 does itself. This turns any HT into a D7 for data and message entry. . but with the expense of only one DTMF-to-APRS laptop doing the work for the whole event.

Please See: . APRStt web page which describes this APRStt program and system.

VOICE RESPONSE: Since the APRStt user does not have the advanteage of the D7 HT's display to verify the correctness of his data, the APRStt main engine at net control speaks back the response for verification. This ANY-HT-TTpad data entry and ANY-HT-Voice-Response, was intended to turn APRS into a system that could be used at EVERY event, because anyone with any HT could participate.

SOUND CARD SOFTWARE NEEDED: . The problem is that I wrote APRStt in DOS and so it needed an external $5 DTMF chip hooked to the parallel port and an 8 resistor voice synthesizer. Although the parts count was under $10 total and hooked to the parallel port of any PC, such circuits implemented in DOS were dead ended. The whole purpose of my APRStt project was to inspire the new generation of APRS authors to implement the entire APRStt process in a Windows PC using nothing but a soundcard. The soundcard would decode the DTMF codes from the users and speak back the repsonses. A complete APRS system for ANY HT. But now, 7 years later, we are still waiting... for someone to be inspired to dupilcate the functionality of APRStt into Windows and sound cards...

Bob Bruninga, WB4APR

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WA8LMF Mirror of WB4APR Website - 21 July 2008