LongPac Transponders & Web Tracking

[admin]

I have in my possession the 25 transponders that were used in the OYC Costal Cup for creating a web site tracking page for the competition. You can visit the Costal Cup tracking pages at: http://www.encinal.org/pageResource/...oastalCup.html. These transponders worked well for the EYC event and we are going to try them out for the 2009 SSS LongPac.

Today, I will be receiving the cable and programming kit needed to setup the transponders. I will bring these transponders to the LongPac meeting Wend. night and will assign them to boats competing in this race.

Since this is a relatively new technology that we are trying out there are NO GUARANTEES that the transponders will work for our application reliably. The technology uses the same global star satellite network as the SPOT for GPS location. Unlike the SPOT, these transponders are self contained units with a sealed hard plastic watertight shell and a 7-1/2 year Li battery life designed to be attached to containers for global tracking. The continuous feed GPS location from the transponders can be used to setup web pages for tracking the competition.

The use of these transponders is not intended as a replacement for EPIRB or other safety equipment but may add a level of interest on the web for our race as well as help the Coast Guard and our families with another means of monitoring the race.

The SSS Board has decided not to charge competitors for the use of the transponders but would like to get a check for a $200 deposit just in case we lose the equipment. We will return the checks without depositing them after the race when the transponders are returned.

Sincerely,

Matt Beall
SSS Web Admin

 

[Ergo]

Transponders

As Matt posted, we are testing the units and our ability to set up and run the system. If you choose to take a transponder, please tell everyone that may be tracking you on-line that if your signal stops or disappears it dosen't mean that your boat has sunk or that you've been abducted by aliens. It means that your transponder has stopped sending a signal.

We think this technology will increase interest in our races. We don't want it to become an opportunity for spectators to call the CG and demand the start of a SAR OPERATION. This has happened in past TransPacs when SSBs have broken.

We can't control the general public but we can, with the racers' help, alert families and friends not to panic if a transponder stops working.

Thanks,

Bill Merrick
SSS Commodore