[OZAPRS] What's Happened to HF APRS in VK?

[Noel Rowe]

Hi to those on this group,

Over here in ZL we are at present debating the merits of setting up some
receiving stations so that mobile APRS users can use HF transmitters.  Of
course the question of what band(s) to use gets tossed about.

There is a good opportunity here to coordinate the establishment of
several
VK and ZL receiving stations so that propagation at any given time will be
of less inportance.  Then there would be no need to worry that the mobile
in
say the ZL Nth Island would not be heard locally, if it was being heard in
say Melbourne or Perth, as long as it was being fed into an i-gate -
somewhere!

Our ZL network is setup at least in my area (ZL1, ignore my callsign!) so
that any ZL call heard anywhere there is an i-gate will be fed out to VHF
on
a local frequency, so where the HF signal is received is not an issue.

And we are talking here strictly of HF to be digi'd to VHF, absolutely not
VHF out to HF.

I myself am an advocate of using 30 metres, an under utilised band here as
our band plan prohibits us using it on SSB for voice, but data is OK.
However I am willing to listen to arguements for or against.  But I dont
think that 40 metres is a good choice - in my opinion it is better to site
receiving stations to make use of propagation rather than say change bands
while mobile to suit the propagation at the time, trying to reach a fixed
location.

By utilising our i-gate servers, in conjunction with HF and VHF, ET doesnt
need to phone home by the most direct path!

Cheers all,
Noel, ZL3GR.

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