Hi Peter,
We too used Xastir this past weekend for our MS-150 Bike Tour in
central Virginia. It worked quite well, though we did not deploy it
nearly as extensively as you did. I primarily used it as a vehicle
tracking system, though I did create objects for each rest stop. Next
year, I think I will take many of your suggestions and use APRS to
track fallen riders and other situations on the course - and perhaps
we can convince our club members to get a TNC and a laptop setup for
their rest stops.
Thanks to the Xastir team for a great program!
Best regards,
Mike Benonis
Heritage Theatre Festival Sound Engineer
Elec. Engr. '09, The University of Virginia
[email protected]
KI4RIX
On Jun 16, 2009, at 08:20, [email protected] wrote:
Hello, this is KC0TFB, Peter Gamache. I coordinated APRS operations
for the
Minnesota Multiple Sclerosis Society's MS-150 fundraising bicycle
tour this
year, last Friday, Saturday and Sunday. As part of the safety team
(dozens
of dedicated and skilled ham operators), we ensured the safety of
thousands
of event participants during their 150-mile ride from Duluth,
Minnesota to
the Twin Cities. It was an exciting event and I'm glad that Xastir
helped
make it happen. Here's how it worked:
Planning and preparation for APRS use during the event started about
5-6
weeks ago. In Sun VirtualBox (http://virtualbox.org/), I installed
Xubuntu
GNU/Linux 9.04, then stripped out the non-essential packages. I
then added
the Xastir package and the TigerLine 2006 maps (from ftp://aprs.tamu.edu
)
for all the MN counties that the event passed through. This laid the
foundation for our APRS operations.
Since this VM image would be used by all the Rest Stop operators on
whatever
laptop they provided, I wanted an easy-to-use interface. On the
desktop, I
added a icon for my "Get Updates" script. This script "phoned home"
to a
server that could run commands on each system to cover my tracks,
had I
forgot anything.
Jason, N0RPM (also our Net Control APRS op), contributed an
excellent tool,
in the form of the other desktop script. It configured Xastir for
each
station, inserting the appropriate callsign, coordinates, comment
and symbol
for each rest stop in the configuration file, then launched Xastir.
Prior to the event, we distributed the VM image to all the Rest Stop
radio
operators. In VirtualBox, you can "Export" a VM. This compresses the
filesystem and gives you two files as output: one that describes the
VM
settings and another that represents the disk image. For us, this
totalled
about 600Mb, which fit perfectly on a CD-R.
Several revisions occurred after the CD-Rs were distributed, however
the
"Get Update" script took care of this. Various updates added the
GNIS file
for MN (ftp://aprs.tamu.edu) to support street address location
searches,
re-configured the map selector and removed the .xastir/config/
object.log, so
all our stations wouldn't try to beacon the same objects.
Most importantly, we had a training meeting for all the Rest Stop APRS
operators. In training, we discussed the important features we'd
need to
use: Messaging, locating map features, the basics of zooming,
panning and
how to configure Xastir for whatever TNC each operator had available.
At the event, cyclists had each been issued a wristband which
identified
their rider number, as well as listed a "Rider Helpline" telephone
number.
That number went to our net control telephone op, the person
responsible for
providing the "end-user interface" to our support radio network.
If a rider needed assistance, the telephone op would pass the
message to our
APRS operator, who would place an object (using the rider number as an
object name) on the map. The Net Control voice operator would then
contact
the nearest rest stop, "Rest Stop X, pick up rider #1234 at Fourth
Ave and
Main Street."
The voice operator at the specified rest stop would confirm receipt
of the
request, and the rest stop APRS operator would adopt the rider
object on the
map. The rest stop communicators would then dispatch the nearest SAG
(support and gear) van to pick up the rider along the route. The
SAGs all
had tracking beacons installed (see http://map.findu.com/mssag*)
prior to
the event, so finding the nearest one was easy.
When the SAG reported back via 2m simplex to the rest stop,
informing them
that the rider was picked up, the rest stop would then delete the
object for
the rider, removing it from everyone's map. The rest stop would
then inform
Net Control via either our 70cm repeater or APRS messaging that
"Rider #1234
was picked up".
The event ended with all the thousands (around 4000, if my estimates
are
correct) of riders making it safely home. Once again, Xastir helped
make
this possible. Thanks to all the developers and users who make up the
Xastir community - we couldn't have done this without you!
73,
Peter / KC0TFB
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