QRP-Lers,
2 very interesting web sites;
http://tiger.census.gov/instruct.html
The first URL will allow You to build (CGI or GIF) a map into Your' Web
page. There is enough FAQ sheets there to show You how this is
accomplished. Also, it will allow You to build a very detailed map,
provided You know where You are going. Why the 2nd URL ? I have Delorme's
"Street Atlas", ver. 4.0. With this, and a Garmin 12XL GPS receiver, plus
a laptop computer, I can navigate fairly well, in remote areas. I am
repeatly asked " why do I have Lat./Long. in most of my messages ?" Now,
before You sailors in the crowd start chuckling, most of the Southwest &
Rocky Mountain part of the USA don't have 4 & 6 lane freeways, to every
City, as KI6DS & K5FO will attest to, last QRPTTF ('96), enroute to
Riley, NM (Ghost Town). In fact, if I had told Doug & Chuck to take the
first right, just past the 300 lbs. rose quartz boulder, at a heading of
240 degrees magnetic, down this cow path, then turn left, just after
crossing the Rio Salado (at night), they would have tried to drown me in
the sand (There's no water) or would turn back.
Most used 8 channel (they are dropping in price very rapidly) GPS
receivers sell for around $120.00. I have seen new Garmin GPS-38's for
$140.00. A part of our Hobby is into APRS, using GPS receivers.
Once, in a snow storm, I had navigated to a vehicle, when the
visibility, was down to less than 10 feet in front of me, with a GPS
receiver. Some don't work very well in forests (Garmin 12XL does). There
are enough GPS FAQ sheets on the Web (alta vista search engine will take
You there.)
So, what does this have to do with QRP ? A number of us, on the QRP-L,
tend to head into very unpopulated areas for FYBO (Az. scQRPions), QRP To
The Field (NorCal), QRP AField (New England) and the ARRL Field Day.
Speaking of which, our ARRL Field Day site resides on top of a 9,600 feet
(Lat. 36 degrees 01 minutes 36.1 seconds N, Long. 106 degrees 50
minutes 10.0 seconds W) peak, with 100+ feet Ponderosa Pine trees. There
are no roads to this site, and You must have 17" of ground clearance, on
the vehicle, to get there. If You plot this site on a map, You will see
it is 1 mile SE of the San Gregorio Reservoir. You will billy goat (crawl
over) rocks & in 4 wheel drive, up the side of a mountain, in a dried out
stream bed, over fallen logs. You can disappear in this part of the
Country for months, and not see another Human. The lack of water could
kill You, out here, just as well as snake, or a scorpion bite. This group
(QRP-L) tends to be outdoor types. Small radios, in the great outdoors.
(Don't forget to view the Hale-Bopp Comet this weekend, NW part of the
sky, just after sunset).
How many of You have ever been on horse back, enroute to a remote
radio site ? One of the most scenic trails, that I like to operate from,
is the Trigo Canyon trail, starting at Lat. 34 degrees 40 minutes 12.9
seconds N, Long. 106 degrees 27 minutes 49.2 seconds W. A very
beautiful 3.5 hour hike with waterfalls, vistas that I can not describe,
and hidden lagunas (Lagoons).
The VHF/UHF/SHF types have been using Maidenhead Grid Squares for many
years. I just happen to be in Grid Square DM65qd. So, there is a natural
marriage of these 2 technologies within the hobby. Mainly for beam
heading & distance measurements.
So, the next time we give You a Lat./Long. of our location, You can
think, those Fools are out in the middle of nowhere again, but they are
NOT lost. ;-)
Can anyone tell me what is at the following Lat./Long.; ?? A very
famous landmark.
35 degrees 02 minutes 00.0 seconds N
111 degrees 01 minutes 00.0 seconds W
72...Jay, WA5WHN
PS I have no financial interest in Garmin, or in either of these web
sites (Delorme & the US Gov. (other than a US Taxpayer)).
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