Long trip with APRS

Davepar · #1 05-01-2008, 09:59 PM

A few weeks back, I took a long trip down to Tucson. Look on aprs.fi for KE7SNS. Pull up the tracks from April 5/6 for the trip down and April 11/12 for the return trip. My family was very happy to be able to follow my progress in real time. Many thanks to Pete and Sam for bringing APRS into the limelight.

An overview of the trip down:

And return:

Some pics and write-up of the trip are on my builder's log: http://www.dualrudder.com/rv7

Dave

kevinh · #2 05-01-2008, 10:31 PM

Wow - coverage was _great_. What sort of antenna an radio? (a microtrak 300 and wingtip?)

Davepar · #3 05-02-2008, 08:52 AM

Oh, sorry. I meant to mention that. I have one of Ryan Howell's antennas in the wing tip with a Microtrak 8000. I'm not sure exactly how high I have the output set, but it's not at the top of the range as I'm not getting hits while I'm on the ground like others are.

I was really impressed with the coverage through the barren areas of Arizona. The reports got pretty sparse through the middle of California, but still acceptable.

We would land and then about 5 minutes later my wife would call. She loves the tracking so much, I could probably call it an early birthday present for her and get away with it.

sakhurst · #4 05-02-2008, 12:34 PM

Hi Dave,
Up until now, I have been a "lurker" on this forum, as I am neither a kit builder nor a pilot, although I plan to do both as soon as I have a) room and b) money! Your trip, however, is interesting to me, as my in-laws reside in Tucson, and we live in Vancouver, BC. I could definitely see making almost the exact same trip as you somewhere down the road.

I was wondering, could you let me know how much the round trip cost you in fuel? I don't mean to be nosy, but I'm curious how flying yourself compares in cost to just buying a couple tickets on a commercial flight. If that information is private, no worries - just thought I'd ask. Thanks!

Sam Buchanan · #5 05-02-2008, 01:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Davepar

Oh, sorry. I meant to mention that. I have one of Ryan Howell's antennas in the wing tip with a Microtrak 8000. I'm not sure exactly how high I have the output set, but it's not at the top of the range as I'm not getting hits while I'm on the ground like others are.

I was really impressed with the coverage through the barren areas of Arizona. The reports got pretty sparse through the middle of California, but still acceptable.

We would land and then about 5 minutes later my wife would call. She loves the tracking so much, I could probably call it an early birthday present for her and get away with it.

Great trip Dave! I too was surprised to see how much better coverage was in the boonies than in Owens Valley. Maybe the digipeaters in the wilderness are on top of those big hills.

Your comment about the spouse is in my opinion one of the biggest reasons for APRS in our planes. I don't know of anything that should relieve anxiety about us being airborne in our little planes (especially with children onboard) more than the family being able to watch the progress of the flight unfold real time.

It seems as more and more trackers are installed in planes the coverage worries are being put to rest. Thanks for sharing your trip track. Tucson-Seattle was a looong day!

Davepar · #6 05-02-2008, 03:37 PM

Tucson-Seattle was a long day, but it's amazing how the boring hours are soon forgotten. It certainly wasn't challenging flying. The memory that sticks in my mind is having a pleasant lunch break with my daughter at the grassy picnic table in Lancaster watching planes come and go with the RV-7A parked a few feet away. Really wished I would have gotten a picture, but the image is tucked away in my brain.

sakhurst- I haven't added up the costs yet, but since you asked I looked up my Visa charges. Getting there was $409 (fuel was expensive at all 3 fuel stops, but sometimes other factors override fuel prices) and $353 on the way back. Plus a night in a hotel in Bakersfield. Roundtrip on Alaska Air is currently going for $317/person including taxes. Didn't come out ahead on cost at all. But it was nice being able to pack fingernail clippers, a multi-tool, and the uber-dangerous shampoo in my carry-on luggage.

You could fly a more direct route, but I decided to play it safe on this trip. There's not a lot of civilization along the interior route, while our route was within a few minutes of an airport almost the entire distance.

sakhurst · #7 05-02-2008, 05:19 PM

Thanks for the info Dave! I figured it would be more expensive to fly yourself, but I was surprised to see how close the figures actually were. A memorable experience vs a boring commercial flight is definitely worth $128 + hotel in my book.

Stephen

grantcarruthers · #8 05-02-2008, 05:36 PM

I plan on getting into the APRS soon as I forgot to call on a gas stop like I promised and was just into the air when I realised my mistake. KNEW the wife was already worried as I was taking a decent sized trip for the 1st time in the -4. Got off a text message but didn't REALLY know for the next 1.5 hours if she got, if she was PO'd, if I was in trouble, or worse if she was REALLY scared. She's a great supporter of all the things I do that could get me hurt because she wants me to be happy and knows what they mean to me. The least I can do is try to help her feel secure.