Packet & Digital Communication Modes

• The Nittany Amateur Radio Club operates and maintains a digital repeater (W3YA digipeater) for APRS (144.390 MHz) located five miles south of State College, PA. Situated at 2100 feet elevation, the digipeater serves the entire State College region.
   
  
• Each Christmas eve, the NARC provides APRS tracking for Santa Claus as he rides through the streets of State College on an Alpha Fire Company fire truck. Children can watch Santa Claus on the internet as he progresses through the streets of State College. Mom and dad know ahead of time when Santa will be arriving on their street, so the children can be ready to go outdoors and get their candy from Santa's helper elves. Santa appears as a fire truck moving along a street map of State College.
   
  
• Every year the NARC provides communications, coordination, and vehicle tracking for the Keystone Country Multiple Sclerosis MS-150 bicycle ride. NARC and the ARES work closely with the Holidaysburg chapter of the MS Society. During the 150 mile ride, each support vehicle and repair truck is radio dispatched with a ham volunteer utilizing one of several regional repeaters. Of particular note, each support/repair vehicle is equipped with an APRS tracking unit. The entire bicycle ride is coordinated through a command center, where every mobile unit is tracked on an electronic map display. Should an emergency occur, emergency response personal can be vectored directly to the accident site in the shortest possible time without any ambiguity. The MS ride director and the tail-end follow vehicle are also equipped with APRS tracking units.
   
  
• NARC volunteers have ready access to county provided grab-and-go handy-talkie and mobile radio emergency response kits. Each kit is equipped with APRS capability. The NARC also maintains rapidly deployable portable digipeaters to quickly establish APRS coverage in areas normally lacking APRS coverage.