WELCOME NEW REGISTERED USER!   YOUR VALIDATION NUMBER IS: ___________________


1.  BE SURE TO USE PKUNZIP -d TO UNZIP APRS! 
2.  Within the program hit F1 to select from a number of HELP screens
3.  Look at the index below of README files for detail on many APRS subjects
4.  All APRS commands are single KEY commands.  Some bring up additional menus
    on the bottom of the screen.  Only hit the first letter of a given command.

SUMMARY:  APRS can be summed up with two concepts, REAL-TIME PACKET TACTICAL
COMMUNICATIONS and MAPS.  Probably 98 % of APRS potential does not need GPS or
any tracking devices.  Think of APRS as just a multi-user distributed packet
network with a MAP display for many exciting amateur applications:

    Network topology monitoring         Direction Finding
    weather reporting                   DX cluster monitoring
    AMSAT ground station tracker        Satellite tracker (future)
    boat/mobile/RV tracker              Special event tracker/organizer
    Local area CHAT mode                HF DX plotter

Although APRS nets are springing up nation wide on the experimental two-meter
frequency of 145.79 MHz and on the HF frequency of 10.151 LSB for vehicle
tracking and SKYwarn applications, there is no reason why APRS cannot be used
as a monitoring tool on any frequency.  If all NODES, BBS's, DIGI's and other
full time packet stations simply included their position in their beacons,
then any APRS user could see a network map of all assets on any frequency. 
Now that version 5.05 has a very powerful DX cluster monitoring feature, you
may find many APRS users over on the cluster channels.

DEMONSTRATIONS:  To get familiar with APRS, there are two important commands
for seeing past events.  First, you can load from a selection of BACKUP files
a snapshot of previous events.  These files are loaded using the FILES-LOAD
command and reload all the APRS pages at the time the file was saved.  Nothing
moves, but you can see all the APRS screens that show the position, status,
and latest packet from each station.  The more powerful demonstration tool of
APRS is the FILE-REPLAY feature which lets you replay the track history file
of a previous event.  All position reports are replayed to see station move-
ments on the map.  Many major APRS events are included on the distro disk. 
You should replay them all and use the PgUP/DN keys and HOME key to zoom in
or out as the file is replayed.

DOCUMENTATION:  Since APRS is a generalized packet tool with application in
almost all facets of amateur radio, it is hard to write a simple description.
For this reason all of the documentation so far is separated into README files,
each focused on a particular subject as follows:

README.1st  -  This file
README.NOW  -  Tells you how to unzip the APRS distribution disk
README.NEW  -  Tells of important changes in the latest versions

README.APR  -  General description and overview of APRS
README.BBS  -  Suggestions to BBS SYSOPS on how to use APRS
README.CD   -  Using MAPFIX to generate 64 mile maps from USGS CD ROM
README.COM  -  COMMERCIAL APRS to interface with other DELORME/STREETS prgms
README.DF   -  Information on DFing and AUTOMATIC Doppler interfaces!
README.DIG  -  Using DIGITIZERS to draw your own maps with MAPFIX.bas prgm!
README.DUM  -  Info on APRS formats so you can use DUMb terminals and TNCs
README.DX   -  Info for DXcluster users on how to use APRS on a DX cluster
README.GPS  -  Interfacing GPS or LORAN to APRS or stand-alone TNC's
README.HF   -  Notes on the APRS HF tracking network
README.HLP  -  Describes each of the APRS commands in detail
README.MAP  -  Detailed information on how to build your own maps
README.MCM  -  Lessons learned at the Marine Corps Marathon
README.OPS  -  Suggestions on routine APRS operations
README.QIK  -  A quick summary of demonstrations and replays to impress you.
README.RPT  -  A discussion on ways to use digipeaters to extend an APRS net
README.SAT  -  Suggested use of APRS for plotting satellite packet stationns
README.SYM  -  A table of APRS symbols and the symbol designators
README.WX   -  Info on using APRS for displaying weather information
README.WWN  -  Suggested use of APRS to support the WaterWay Net


SETUP:  You should customize APRS to automatically come up centered on your
favorite map screen by zooming the map to your center of activity.  Either
your home, or a WIDE area APRS digipeater.  Next set your desired digipeater
path using the UNPROTO command.  Finally, use the ALT-SETUP menu to SAVE your
config file.  You will be prompted for your validation number and then asked
for a CONFIG file extension.  Normally just select the default of APRS unless
you want to be able to invoke several different CONFIG files...  Once you
have saved a config file, APRS will always come up ready to go on your area.

Once you have zoomed into your neighborhood, non-registered users can use the
FILE-SAVE command to SAVE a backup file of their current situation.  When they
start up APRS, after logging on, they simply use FILE-LOAD to LOAD that backup
file to bring up the neighborhood map.  Then they move the cursor and place
themselves on the map in the right place.  Europeans, or non US hams may want
to change the default map from the initial USA map, to something closer to
home.   The initial map is determined by the default LAT/LONG and RANGE given
in the first three lines of the MAPLIST.APR file.  Without a config file, APRS
always starts up at this location and scale.  Obviously the locataion in Kansas
was chosen so that the whole US came up first.

MAPS! - By now (June 94) there are large area maps for most of the USA that
will get you down to the 32 or 64 mile VHF range in your area.  You can make
your own maps from the directions in README.MAP or I may be persuaded to do
custom maps for anywhere from $90 to $195 depending on complexity and my
wife's honey-do list.  It is really quite simple to draw a map.  Using just
a state Highway map, it should only take you an evening to enter all of the
interstate roads and the important four-lanes; and another evening if you
have to do a lot of detail coastlines or rivers.  Fortunately, everyone in
the state can use the results of your efforts!  I find that with just the
interstate highways and the important four-lane roads, you have a perfectly
useable map for most VHF packet operations.  You only need to draw more
detail maps for special events or applications.

APRS PROTOCOL:  APRS uses Unnumbered Information (UI) frames which are trans-
mitted without ACKS to avoid the problems, complexities and in-efficiencies of
a normal fully connected network.  To be a good APRS operator, you need to
understand DIGIPEATING and the use of the MY ALIAS and UNPROTO commands, since
you are responsible for your own best path within the network.  If you are
unfamiliar with these UI terms, consult your TNC user manual.  Although the
APRS documents speak frequently about BEACONS, it is important to note that
these are NOT the TNC BText beacons.  While APRS is on-line, it suppresses the
TNC BText and generates its own Status and Position reporting UI frames. 

PACKET POSITIONS ON ALL FREQS:  Finally, encourage all BBS's, NODES, Servers,
and stations in your area, to place their LAT/LONG in their beacon text using
the format: BT !DDMM.xxN/DDDMM.xxW/....comments.  (For TheNET ID beacons, APRS
will accept this position format anywhere in the ID text.  APRS will also plot
the positions of stations reporting by Grid Square surrounded by brackets
[FM19xy].  If all packet assets get in that habit, then APRS will automatically
plot a map of packet activity on any frequency!

STAND-ALONE-GPS-TRACKERS:  All PACCOM TNC's with version 3.2 firmware include
a GPS command that tells the TNC to accept GPS data (NMEA-0183 format) on the
serial port and place it in the TNC LOCATION TEXT.  Then the TNC will transmit
that Position at a rate set by the user!   Note that this is a dedicated
stand-alone application, and while the TNC is in this mode, it no longer
operates as a normal TNC for two-way communications.  But, this is
the simplest method to build a stand-alone-tracker.  If you are running the
APRS software mobile on a laptop, then see README.GPS for ways to use ANY TNC
or ANY GPS while still operating on the air with APRS.

MORE READING:  For more info on APRS, see page 92 of July and page 11 of the
August QST and the Dec issue of CQ.  Also get the February 1994 issue of QEX
for the article on Interfacing GPS to packet.  Also see the front page of the
May 1993 issue of the AMSAT journal (but the registration information is
incorrect there).

BBS ADDRESS:  My BBS address is WB4APR @ WB3V.MD.  I cannot respond to tons of
traffic, but will try to keep up...  Do feel free to send me any comments or
suggestions, but avoid any traffic in which I may have a pecuniary interest!
Hi Hi!  Look for a local APRS point of contact for your state.  Some states
have dedicated APRS phone line BBS's for distributing local APRS maps.  Ohio
is up to 40 maps as of June 94.

