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 Previous: Tornado Strikes Oklahoma City Area; FCC Declares Communications Emergency |  Next: From Inspiration to Service |
By Stan Horzepa, WA1LOU
Contributing Editor
May 9, 2003
This week, check out a Web site where you can follow the progress of a record-breaking attempt to row down the Mighty Mississippi.
Last week, Steve Dimse, K4HG, put out a call on the APRSSIG (Automatic Position Reporting System Special Interest Group) looking for anyone in the Waterbury, Connecticut area, who could help another ham having problems setting up his Kenwood TH-D7 handheld on APRS. Since Waterbury is a suburb of my hometown Wolcott (or vice versa) and I have been using a TH-D7 on APRS forever, I volunteered.
 The Mississippi River Challenge for Rett Syndrome and Leukodystrophy web site documents WB0OLY's attempt to row down the Mississippi River. |
K4HG gave me the fellow's phone number and I called him that evening. Clark Eid, WB0OLY, answered the phone and seemed very anxious to resolve the problem, so despite the lateness of the hour, I gave him directions to my house and he arrived 40 minutes later. I found the problem immediately and had him on the APRS map one transmission later.
Then he explained why he was so anxious.
On May 10, Clark and Bob Bradford of Lapeer, MI, will begin their attempt to paddle the length of the Mississippi River in record time. The current record is 23 days, 9 hours, and 51 minutes. Using a specially designed racing canoe, they will launch their boat and in the still waters of a northern Minnesotan lake and emerge ten states, 2348 miles and three weeks later in the Gulf of Mexico. APRS will be on board to track this epic adventure.
Although a love of paddling and the spirit of competition motivate them, it is also a deep personal undertaking for both men. Clark's daughter has Rett Syndrome and Adrenoleukodystrophy has affected Bob's family, so they are taking on this challenge to raise awareness and research funds to combat these two life-threatening diseases.
The Mississippi River Challenge for Rett Syndrome and Leukodystrophy Web site documents their adventure and the "Where Are They Now?" link on the home page displays their current position thanks to APRS and its network of Internet gateways. You can also follow their progress at the findu.com Web site.
Until next time, keep on surfin'.
Editor's note:
Stan Horzepa, WA1LOU, resides in downtown Wolcott, Connecticut, and is a member
of the QQCC (QST quarter century club), i.e., he has been a QST writer for 25
years. Since getting his ticket in 1969, Stan has sampled nearly every entrée
in the Amateur Radio menu (including a stint as Connecticut Section Manager),
but he keeps coming back to his favorite preoccupations: VHF and packet radio.
As a result, he runs a 2-meter APRS digipeater and weather station (WA1LOU-15)
from his mountaintop location in central Connecticut. Stan has been a long time
advocate of using computers with Amateur Radio and wrote programs to dupe
contests and calculate antenna bearings way back in 1978. Today, he is on the
board of directors of the Tucson Amateur Packet Radio (TAPR) and uses his Mac
to surf the Internet searching for that perfect ham radio web page. To contact
Stan, send e-mail to wa1lou@arrl.net.
| Previous: Tornado Strikes Oklahoma City Area; FCC Declares Communications Emergency | Next: From Inspiration to Service |
