Curious why the Spots not sufficient.? I've had one for years to give
people at home the ability to track me in the backcountry and to have a
basic SAR SOS should I need it. In other words, they are intended to do
exactly what the race organizer is doing with them. I got mine
originally since it was required for some long distance mountain bike
events I was doing.
Is it a cost issue?? I understand that for sure.
Do you intend to have every runner wear one?? Wouldn't every runner have
to be a ham or do you intend one call sign for every transmitter with
hundreds of individual SSIDs or tactical call signs?? LoRa using
unlicensed ISM spectrum might solve the licensing question.? You could
position or fly balloons with lots of receivers along the course.
I have an Argent Tracker inside a 5W data radio that I can carry with me
mountain biking and hiking.? This is essentially a MicroTrak, maybe a
little bigger but not really much.? It still requires a GPS puck,
antenna and battery.? So it's considerably more unwieldy than a Spot
just hung on my backpack strap.
Seems like it would be hard to convince all the runners, especially
non-hams, to carry such a thing during a race.? In my experience these
competitors won't even carry a real first aid kit or one stitch of extra
clothes.? Asking them to carry anything more complex or heavy than a
Spot seems like a recipe for complaints.
David
AC0VH
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On 11/20/21 4:55 PM, Liz wrote:
Has anyone any suggestions for tracking of runners using APRS where
light weight is a priority?
Our amateur radio club provides long distance communications for an
ultramarathon through rugged country, where the track is impassable to
mountain bikes over some sections.
100 mile participants have been carrying Spot satellite trackers in
past events.
Has anyone had any experience with MicroTrak trackers for this purpose?
Liz VK2XSE
