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APRS and SAR
APRS was developed by Bob Bruninga, WB4APR, to track mobile GPS
stations with two-way radio. The Naval Academy uses APRS in a number of
applications for data, communications and telemetry as shown below. The Live
displays will show current activity being monitored off the air in the area of
the link you select..
This is a quick shot of
WinAPRS. In it you will notice Adam was just in time to copy it, the Sattalite
U014 was passing over New York at the time.
APRS has proven to be a useful and effective
tool in Search and Rescue applications. Knowing the exact position of search
teams and victims can be critical to saving lives and team coordination. After a
search or drill is completed, the exact history of teams can be displayed, maps
can be reviewed and a search report can be written.
Placing trackers on search dogs can also prove to be an effective tool. By
setting the beacon on the TNC to a minute or less, the dog's immediate progress
can be viewed on the maps with frequent updates. By watching the dog's movements
at the operations center, you will have a good idea if the dog has found a
victim. If the dog remains stationary in an area, you will have a good idea that
the dog has come across a person. With having the position of the search dog, a
team can punch the coordinates into their GPS units and follow it to the
location.
Urban operations using APRS have proved to be very successful. Detailed road
maps such as Delormie display streets, water features, buildings, and other
points of interest. During an MCI or large search operations, detailed
information (road closings, downed power lines, hospitals, shelters etc.) can be
placed on maps, which can then be printed and distributed among search members
and public officials.
Wilderness applications still need some work, but they are proving to become
more and more useful over time as new maps and technology become available. The
best idea would be to use topographic maps with the APRS software. The
topographic maps available now aren't very accurate. New maps from Delormie will
most likely become useful with APRS over time. Trackers used in portable
operations need to be light, pack and have a good battery life. The Kenwood
TH-D7 and GPS combination is desirable, but the pricing may run a bit high. Some
other problem with portable APRS are antenna issues with both the GPS and the
radio. An external GPS antenna mounted on the top of a backpack would be most
desired. I have been able to prop the unit inside one of my backpack pockets.
This didn't prove to be entirely useless, but I did have a few satellite
lock-outs due to body shielding and forest canopy. For the radio, the rubber
duck won't always cut it. A 19 inch antenna for 2 meters with a ground plain
tail wire has worked well for me. In large areas, with hills and valleys, the
use of portable digipeaters may be desired. Any TNC can be used as a digipeater,
The best bet would be to park a car somewhere high on hill with portable
capabilities.
Currently the Wilderness SAR Team operates a digipeater on Pompey Hill with
the call sign of K2AMB-3. Adam was a pioneer in our county with APRS and worked
with the team to get this system online. Originally this was a little radio on a
fencepost, and has transformed onto a 25' tower in a new shelter.
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