[OZAPRS] Ballina area pretty dead for APRS

[Ray Wells]

Shaun,

It takes a lot more than some bits from junk boxes to get a reliable 
digi to air.

If it only required some hardware - radio, TNC, antenna, coax and power 
supply - there'd be lots more digis. Hardware is the easy part.

The difficult part about getting a digi to air is finding a site that has;
1. affordable rent at a respectable location
2. decent access to that location, both in terms of vehicular access and 
no time restrictions.
3. security of installed equipment
4. power
5. building or other suitable housing

Garry, vk2uni, has access to a commercial site at the "right" price and 
I'm fortunate to have vk2rmc-1 installed on private property that meets 
conditions 1 to 5 above. The rent is free, the licence is not at $63 
(from memory) per year. A pair of crystals for an FM828 is about $60 
(for reliable crystals - read Hy-Q).

I look at an aprs map every day that is set to show from Forster to 
Grafton and out to Gunnedah. I'm probably more aware than anybody else 
on this list about the gaps in coverage and, there's hardly a day goes 
by that I don't ponder over how I can fill them, or at least some of 
them. One day, Shaun, one day.

Ray vk2tv


On 07/11/10 10:09, Shaun wrote:
> Even simply things can help.  I was able to get Garry some spare UV stabilised
> cable ties for the antenna coax for his Digi. The least I could do as it
> services Gloucester where I spend a bit of time.
>
> It was even an adventure getting them to him.  After speaking to a guy on the
> local repeater I found he knew Garry and was a grader driver.  So I drove to
> where the grader was parked and left the cable ties on one of the wheels.  He
> then passed them onto Garry.
>
> I am sure there are bits in peoples junk box or spares from work that can
> possibly get a few more digis on the air.
>
> Shaun VK2XPP
>
> On Sat, 6 Nov 2010 16:47:42 Ray Wells wrote:
>    
>> Gerard,
>>
>> No surprise, really. A look at an aprs map of the north coast reveals all.
>>
>> With the exception of the new digi on Mt Nardi, which is supported by
>> the Summerland ARC in Lismore, the other north coast digis are privately
>> funded. vk2uni-1 is funded by Garry vk2uni and vk2rmc-1 is funded by me.
>> When funds and time permit I will look at a way to better cover my
>> little patch of the north coast. Perhaps, in time, other individuals, or
>> clubs, may feel inclined to do the same for their area.
>>
>> Ray vk2tv
>>
>>      
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