USNA Sea Trials, 2004

USNA Radio Club W3ADO

The USNA Radio Club provides communications for the annual Sea Trials event where the brigade runs its latest construction (the PLEBE class of 2007) through final checkout and readiness testing. The plebe class will move in 5 groups (ALPHA through ECHO) through dozens of "trials" spread over the 5 square mile Naval Academy area:

  • ALPHA: Companies 1-6
  • BRAVO: Companies 7-12
  • CHARLIE: Companies 13-18
  • DELTA: Companies 19-24
  • ECHO: Companies 24-30

    The map below is a LIVE tactical plot of the location of all objects being tracked by the radio club in this area. The main communications points are Headquarters, Alumni Hall, Hospital Point, NEX Parking lot, and Rifle range. The tactical assets being tracked besides the platoons above, were the buses, boats, and communicators.

    APRSdos map: (this map is no longer live, but shows positions at the end of the event.)

    UIview map:

    For clarity, here is a non-automated map on which we have added a grid overlay so that users in-doors and without GPS can locate themselves anywhere on the map. With paper copies of this map, communicators could update their positions on all displays by just by entering the lowest 2 digits of LAT/LONG into their Kenwood TH-D7 walkie talkies:

    See the Draft COMM Plan for the event.

    USNA Tactical Tracking Mission: This event is just one example of Combat Systems tactical situational displays for prodviding real-time digital in-the-field communications. This mission weaves through many of our projects including 5 of our Naval Academy Satellites. These satelites provide global connectivity to this mission:

  • PCsat was our first satellite
  • PCSAT2 is a follow-on for flight on the Space Station
  • ANDE will fly in 2005
  • RAFT are our smallest satelites to fly in 2006

    Also, we use this tactical digital communications system during the annual Army/Navy game running of the football from Annapolis to Philadelphia.

    You are visitor: Was over 5000 on day of event. But lost due to massive power failure next day. .

    The Naval Academy is a registered user of APRS and WinAPRS. The purpose of this web page is to show several applications currently in use at this site and should not be considered as an advertisement or an endorsement of any commercial product.