[amsat-bb] Re: The future of amateur radio adoption... (was:Re: XO\APRS)

Wed Jan 9 08:59:09 PST 2008

> I own an OLPC/XO but have never used APRS, 
> although I'd like to participate in this 
> mapping. I notice that the west coast is  
> conspicuously empty.

Sorry, the APRS web page for XO's on this web page 
http://www.ew.usna.edu/~bruninga/APRS-OLPC.html 
Is only beginning and the map with the black background (showing
all east coast) is totally fictitious.  It was placed there as a
"representative" map that we would like to get for XO's.  It was
actually a map from my Meteorscatter web page which only shows
MS packets (usually limited to 500 to 1000 miles).

Now that we have the real map links developing, I suppose I
should remove that suggested one.  But we still need someone to
write a tiny routine to send the once-every 10 minute
position/activity report into the APRS-Internet system from each
ham XO that is on line.  Thanks Bob, WB4APR

> -----Original Message-----
> From: amsat-bb-bounces at amsat.org 
> [mailto:amsat-bb-bounces at amsat.org] On Behalf Of Alex Perez
> Sent: Tuesday, January 08, 2008 10:46 PM
> To: amsat-bb at amsat.org
> Subject: [amsat-bb] The future of amateur radio adoption... 
> (was:Re: XO\APRS)
> 
> Hi folks, I'm new to the list (KD7OFR) and thought I'd
introduce  
> myself now, even though this is somewhat off-topic. I've been 
> trolling  
> for a week or so now on the list.
> 
> I own an OLPC/XO but have never used APRS, although I'd like
to  
> participate in this mapping. I notice that the west coast is  
> conspicuously empty. I live in Oakland and work in San 
> Francisco, and  
> two of my friends/coworkers own OLPCs as well (one of them is

> scheduled to become a ham soon).
> 
> Are there really just that many more active hams on the east 
> coast? It  
> seems hard to believe. I'm in my mid-20s and have been 
> licensed since  
> I was 19. Is this indicative of a larger social trend within
the  
> amateur radio community? I work in the tech sector and while 
> there are  
> plenty of very technical folks in their mid-20s through their 
> mid-40s,  
> none in the software engineering group I work in are licensed 
> amateur  
> radio operators, sans one other guy (on a team of over 20),
even  
> though there seems to be at least a casual interest in it by
many  
> members of my team. I am of course encouraging them to get
licensed  
> and emphasizing that getting one's technician ticket isn't
exactly  
> difficult ;-)
> 
> I'm concerned there's not much outreach going on by the most
active  
> sector of the amateur radio community. Can anyone speak to
that?  
> Perhaps I'm completely off-base, but from my perspective, 
> there seems  
> to be a slight bit of reserved apathy. I myself would love to
teach  
> teenagers about amateur radio.
> 
> I live a few blocks from Oakland Technical High School 
> (http://www.oaklandtech.com 
> ) and think introducing disadvantaged kids to amateur radio 
> would be a  
> great way to emphasize that there's a world outside of the
city of  
> oakland borders via a very real and tangible activity, while
at the  
> same time teaching some basic technical skills in the process.

> Communicating with people and objects zooming through space is
not  
> something one would normally otherwise ever do ;-)
> 
> I myself am attempting to start a social event/group which is 
> intended  
> to bring together some of t
> 
> I hope you will all forgive my meandering first message to the
list,  
> but I'd love to hear all your thoughts on the matter. Feel
free to  
> reply off-list if you are uncomfortable with the level of
off-topic- 
> ness. This subject may even deserve its own mailing list. 
> Anyone else  
> interested in the subject? I can host an ML. Are there any  
> organizations who teach kids/teenagers/young adults about
amateur  
> radio in a holistic manner? if so, I'd love to hear about
them!
> 
> Send me your thoughts,
> Alex Perez (KD7OFR)
> 
> On Jan 8, 2008, at 8:53 AM, Robert Bruninga wrote:
> 
> > OK, the first XO laptops are starting to show on the APRS
> > system.  I have added a link to Steve Dimse's FINDU.COM that
can
> > selectively display them.
> >
> > http://www.ew.usna.edu/~bruninga/APRS-OLPC.html
> >
> > Bob, Wb4APR
> >
> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> From: Bob Bruninga [mailto:bruninga at usna.edu]
> >> Sent: Sunday, January 06, 2008 10:21 PM
> >> To: bruninga at usna.edu; TAPR APRS Mailing List; 'Paul
> > Kronenwetter'
> >> Cc: amsat-bb at amsat.org
> >> Subject: OLPC positions and MESH-ing
> >>
> >>> In the DC area, I think we have several
> >>> Hams with XO's.  Maybe we should schedule
> >>> a meeting and show-and-tell so that everyone
> >>> can benefit from the fruits of our efforts?
> >>
> >> Actually, I would like to build a map of all HAMS with
OLPC's
> >> to help us play and possibly MESH together..  The map will
> >> include both your home and work locations which are two
> >> places where you might have your OLPC laptop for meshing.
If
> >> you are retired, then include any other place you may
> > frequent.
> >>
> >> Just email me your CALL, and LAT/LONGs for both of your
> >> locations.   If you have other daily locations you may add
> >> them too. ALso indicate how many OLPC's you have.  Here is
> >> the preferred format:
> >>
> >> WB4APR:3909.12N/07629.34Wl Home, with access to 3 OLPC's
> >>
> >> The LAT/LONG is in DEG and decimal minutes.  The two spaces
> >> after the decimal points are for hundredths of minutes.  If
> >> you replace them with two spaces, then your position can
> >> remain ambiguous to the nearest mile, if you like.  The "l"
> >> (lower case L) after the W is the laptop symbol.
Everything
> >> after that is free text to describe your OLPC.
> >>
> >> Those that are into APRS can go ahead and just change your
> >> normal APRS station to the LAPTOP symbol for the next week
or
> >> so, and I can capture your posit that way electronically.
> >>
> >>> TO make it easy to compute the centroid
> >>> of local OLPC's, everyone could beacon
> >>> their position on APRS using the LAPTOP
> >>> symbol with a note about their OLPC.
> >>> Then we can pick the centroid to plan a meeting...
> >>
> >> Thanks!
> >> Bob, WB4APR
> >>
> >
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