Fill the Gap

UPDATED BELOW

Bob Bruninga, WB4APR, sent out a call for help to fill the gaps in the Appalachian Mountain chain of APRS stations attempting to achieve the coveted Golden Packet on Saturday, July 20.

Here is the text of WB4APR’s e-mail:

We have an urgent need for Ham Packet Ops on mountain tops in New Hampshire, Mount Greylock, MA, Sams Point, NY, Clingmans Dome in the Smokie Mountains and Roan Mountain NC.

This is a 4 hour event making our annual attempt at the Golden Packet, an APRS packet message from Maine to Georgia along the Appalachian Mountain Chain on Saturday 20 July.

All  you need is an APRS radio that can digipeat (D72, D700, D710) and a power source and antenna. (and Know how to operate it!)  All of these sites are “drive  up” except Sam’s point in New York.  The attempt is from noon to 4 PM.  Remember, Tim, KA1YBS has to begin in the dark to climb a full MILE straight up to get to the top of Mt Katahdin in Main and then get back down before sunset.  Hence, the 4 hour window.

This is our 4^th annual attempt and last year we were successful except for only one broken link in NH.  Will you be available to help make history?  The Golden Packet was proposed back in the early 80’s. It has never been claimed since the rise of the Internet that has eclipsed all DX packet attempts.  We will do this every year even beyond success.  It is a good test of emergency long distance packet techniques.

If you can activate one of the above 5 sites, please see detail links on this page for each site and learn all you can:

http://aprs.org/at-golden-packet.html

Think of this as Packet Radio FIELD DAY!  These 14 sites have been well surveyed and we know the links will work, if everyone can get in place and KNOW how to operate their radio.

Other secondary sites are also invited on Stone Mountain, GA, Lookout Mountain TN, and Huntsville Mountain.

Update: Bob indicated this morning that there are only two mountains remaining to be covered for this event: Killington, Vermont, and Clingmans Dome in the Great Smoky Mountains.