Charlie - Ham Radio Power Trail Traditional Cache

This cache has been archived.

CaneMaster: After a ten year run, it is time to archive this series to make room for a new one.

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Hidden : 2/21/2011
Difficulty:
1.5 out of 5
Terrain:
2 out of 5

Size: Size: not chosen (not chosen)

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Geocache Description:


INTRODUCING THE HAM RADIO POWER TRAIL SERIES

This cache is the third (3rd) of over twenty six (26) caches hidden approximately one tenth of a mile (or so) apart along an 11 mile paved jogging/cycling trail.

PURPOSE:

In hiding and maintaining this series of geocaches we have the following purposes in mind:

1. Health & Fitness: To help folks get fit and healthy by giving them a fun reason to get out hiking, walking, jogging, or cycling on a wonderful 11 mile paved fitness trail which goes around the Pelahatchie Bay portion of the Ross Barnett Reservoir.

2. HAM Radio: To help folks learn about another fun hobby which many Mississippi Geocachers, including the CaneMaster Family, are into, called Amateur Radio or HAM Radio. Each cache page in this series will introduce a different aspect of Ham Radio.

3. Power Trail Challenge: To give geocachers a new Challenge to complete. Once you have found all of the HAM Radio Power Trail caches you qualify to receive the coordinates to the HAM Radio Power Trail Challenge cache, which contains a congratulatory certificate suitable for framing.

5. Alphanumerical Challenge Assistance: To give assistance to geocachers who need fresh letters and/or numbers to complete the various Alphabet and Number Challenges in Mississippi.

THE CACHES:

The Plan:

To hide a large number of the caches in this series with-in a tenth of a mile of each other all the way around the entire trail. Due to logistic problems (a few other caches nearby, poor hiding spots, high water, etc) some of the caches in this series will be up to a third of a mile apart.

We are hoping that you will park your car at the small parking spot near the first cache in this series (Alpha - HAM Radio Power Trail) and hunt for each cache in its alphanumeric order. We are also hoping that you will use this series to get in shape by cycling, jogging, hiking, or simply walking through the entire series or as much of it as your current level of health and fitness allows.

The first 26 geocaches in this series are named using the standard Phonetic Alphabet used by Amateur Radio operators: Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, Foxtrot, Golf, Hotel, India, Juliet, Kilo, Lima, Mike, November, Oscar, Papa, Quebec, Romeo, Sierra, Tango, Uniform, Victor, Whiskey, Xray, Yankee, and Zulu. The rest are named after special types of Ham Radio usage, or the call signs of Mississippi geocachers who are also licensed Amateur Radio Operators (HAMs).

Each cache page will introduce a different aspect of HAM Radio.

Locations:

Some of these caches are hidden very close to the trail and even right on the small bridges which take the trail over various small streams. Some are also hidden a short distance inside the tree line and others are a little deeper into the woods. We have attempted to place all of these above the reservoir flood plain, but in a few places you might want to wear rubber boots during the rainy season. A few are also hidden on the railing of the larger street bridges.

Containers:

Primarily we used bison tubes, magnetic key safes. However, we also made good use of a few fake utility plates and a few of those infinitesimally small magnetic nanos. You will need to bring your own pen for all of the caches in this series.

Tip:

The hardest part of bison tubes is putting the small rolled up log back in them after signing. If you place the rolled up log inside the tube first then the cap wont fit! This is because the inside of the tube is a bit wider than the inside of the cap. When you put the log in the tube it unrolls slightly and the cap wont fit. The SECRET to making it fit is to roll the log up tightly and place one end of it inside the cap first. That holds it tight enough for you to slip the tube over the other end of the log and then screw the two parts together.

Additionally, most our bison tubes’ caps are permanently strapped to a tree or tree limb which means that you will have to unscrew the tube from cap and not the other way around.

LOGISTICS:

The Trail:

The entire trail is paved and is used by a good many people for cycling, jogging, hiking, walking, and now Geocaching! A very small part of it runs along side of a few businesses and nice neighborhoods.. However, most of it runs along side a scenic woodland area and a good portion provides a scenic view of the Ross Barnet Reservoir.

This paved trail forms a complete 11 mile circle (more like a square) around the Pelahatchie Bay portion of the Ross Barnett Reservoir. The trail runs in a generally eastward direction along side of Spillway Rd (from Old Fannin Rd/Northshore Parkway to Hwy 471), then it turns left and runs in a generally northern direction along side of Hwy 471 (from Spillway Rd to Northshore Parkway), then it turns left and runs in a generally westward direction along Northshore Parkway (from 471 to the Northshore Parkway bridge), then it curves toward the left and runs in a generally southwestern direction as it crosses over the Northshore Parkway bridge and eventually reaches the starting point back at the intersection of Old Fannin Rd/Northshore Parkway and Spillway Rd (near McDonalds).

Parking:

The following coordinates give the location of the parking spot closest to the first cache in this series (Alpha - HAM Radio) N 32°22.7479 ' W089°58.8211 '

There are only a few legal parking locations along this trail! This forces you to cycle, jog, hike, or walk along the trail from one cache to the next (and thus get in shape, which is one of the main purposes of this series). Do not park in front of any houses, or along the side of the roads, or along the side of the trail (except in the designated trail parking locations). If you do your car will get towed off fairly quickly in this area. Only use the Trail’s Parking locations and nearby recreational or business parking lots near the trail.

ETIQUETTE:

As always please put everything back exactly as you found it.

Please pick up and take out any trash you find during your hunt so that we can give back to the community and earn their respect for our hobby.

Since this trail gets a good bit of use by cyclists, joggers, and walkers, please use the utmost stealth to insure that muggles don’t discover our caches. Its always a bummer hunting for a cache for a long time only to discover its been muggled. So please do your part to insure that this series remains fun for those who come hunting after you.

SUGGESTIONS:

As always when hiking, jogging, cycling, or walking long distances, dress appropriately for the weather, activity and length of time you will be spending on the activity.

If you plan to hunt for a large number of these all in one hike/jog/cycle session then you might want to bring a cell phone (or HAM Radio) with you in case you need to contact someone in the event of an emergency.

During hot weather you might want to bring along with you adequate water, sunscreen, and mosquito repellant.

During the rainy season you might want to wear rubber boots for some of these caches.

You might want to bring a camera for some of the more scenic portions of the trail.

Don’t forget to bring a pen to sign the logs with.

There are several other older caches located either along this trail or in close proximity to it. While you are in the area you might want to give them a try too.

THIS CACHE:

Charlie - Ham Radio Power Trail

The majority of the hides in this series are either located right on the paved trail or a very short distance into the woods. This cache is the only exception to that pattern and is hidden a good bit deeper into the woods. There is a trail of sorts leading to it. However, during the rainy season you can take higher ground to get to it. The type of container used for this specific cache can be discovered by reading the following “Digital Modes of Ham Radio Communication.”

DIGITAL MODES OF HAM RADIO COMMUNICATION

The wide spread ownership of Personal Computers having digital sound cards allowed radio amateurs to develop new modes of digital communication. Ham Radio Operators can send e-mails, faxes, images, and even video completely over the air waves without a phone line and without the Internet.

Radioteletype (RTTY) - was originally a telecommunications system consisting of two or more electromechanical teleprinters in different locations. Ham Radio Operators can send each other teletype messages and mass bulliteens by connecting a personal computer running software which emulates a teleprinter to their Ham Radios. .

Detailed Information: (visit link)

Packet Radio - In 1980, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) granted authorization for U.S. amateurs to transmit ASCII codes via amateur radio. Ham Radio Operators use Packet to send and receive e-mail over the air waves without using the internet or phone connections. Many of us old timers remember the popularity of computer BBSs (Bulletin Board Systems) prior to the advent of the World Wide Web. We used our computers to dial up and log into local and distant computers running BBS where we could perform functions such as uploading and downloading software and data, reading news and bulletins, and exchanging messages with other users, either through electronic mail or in public message boards. Many BBSes also offered on-line games, in which users could compete with each other, and BBSes with multiple phone lines often provide chat rooms, allowing users to interact with each other. Using Packet Ham Radio Operators are able to set up, run, and access modern BBSs via the air waves using a Ham Radio connected to a computer.. Again this is all accomplished with out phones or internet, simply through the air waves via the radio..

Detailed Information: (visit link)

PSK31 - or "Phase Shift Keying, 31 Baud" is a digital radio modulation mode, used primarily in the amateur radio field to conduct real-time keyboard-to-keyboard informal text chat between amateur radio operators.

Detailed Information: (visit link)

Automatic Packet Reporting System (APRS) - is an amateur radio-based system for real time tactical digital communications of information of immediate value in the local area. In addition, all such data is ingested into the APRS Internet system (APRS-IS) and distributed globally for ubiquitous and immediate access. Along with messages, alerts, announcements and bulletins, the most visible aspect of APRS is its map display. Anyone may place any object or information on his or her map, and it is distributed to all maps of all users in the local RF network or monitoring the area via the Internet. Any station, radio or object that has an attached GPS is automatically tracked. Other prominent map features are weather stations, alerts and objects and other map-related amateur radio volunteer activities including Search and Rescue and signal direction finding.
Detailed Information: (visit link)

Radiofax - also known as HF fax is an analogue mode for transmitting monochrome images. It was the predecessor to slow-scan television (SSTV). Prior to the advent of the commercial telephone line "fax" machine, it was known, more traditionally, by the term "radiofacsimile". Facsmile machines were used in the 1950's to transmit weather charts across the United States via land-lines first and then internationally via HF radio. Radio transmission of weather charts provides an enormous amount of flexibility to marine and aviation users for they now have the latest weather information and forecasts at their fingertips to use in the planning of voyages. Today, radiofax is primarily used worldwide for the dissemination of weather charts, satellite weather images, and forecasts to ships at sea. The oceans are covered by coastal stations in various countries. In the United States, fax weather products are prepared by a number of offices, branches, and agencies within the National Weather Service (NWS) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Slow-scan television (SSTV) is a picture transmission method used mainly by amateur radio operators, to transmit and receive static pictures via radio in monochrome or color. Much slower than broadcast television SSTV transmission of still pictures usually takes from about eight seconds to a couple of minutes, depending on the mode used, to transmit one image frame.

Detailed Information: (visit link)

Amateur television (ATV) - is the transmission of broadcast-quality video and audio over the wide range of frequencies of (radio waves) allocated for Radio amateur (Ham) use. Various transmission standards are used, these include the broadcast transmission standards of NTSC in North America utilizing its full refresh rates. Camouflaged bison tube. ATV includes the study of building of such transmitters and receivers, and the study of propagation of signals travelling between transmitting and receiving stations. It is also called HAM TV or Fast Scan TV (FSTV) (as opposed to slow-scan television (SSTV), which can be transmitted on shortwave ham bands due to its narrowband structure, but is not decodable by a commercially available television receiver).

Detailed Information: (visit link)

More Information about Ham Radio Modes (including Digital Modes): (visit link)

Please check out the next cache in this series for more information about Ham Radio.

Delta - Ham Radio Power Trail

-----

Congratulations to Eagle700 and his son Lucky52 for being the First to Find (FTF) this and a total of twelve (12) of our twenty six (26) plus Ham Radio Power Trail caches. The rest of the caches in this series extend all the way around the trail and across the old railroad trestle. We expect them to be approved very soon, so keep an eye out for them.

Congratulations to KD5TXX, a fellow Amateur Radio Operator (call-sign: KD5TXX) for being the First Ham to Find (FHTF) this and a total of four (4) of our twenty six Ham Radio Power Trail caches.

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Gur glcr bs pbagnvare hfrq sbe guvf fcrpvsvp pnpur pna or qvfpbirerq ol ernqvat gur sbyybjvat “Qvtvgny Zbqrf bs Unz Enqvb Pbzzhavpngvba” ba guvf jrocntr.

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)


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