On Thu, 19 Oct 2000, rad0 wrote:

> You might want to check with the ham radio folks and see if
> it's possible to use an hf radio to hook into some
> sort of relay system or program.

Bingo!  You could have the boat send its location via CW (Morse code).
With a pretty simple antenna and very low power, just a couple of Watts
RF, you could make yourself heard almost anywhere.  A suitable transmitter
could be built for a couple of dollars and could, under PIC control,
transmit however often you wanted.  The transmitter could be built to draw
zero power while not keyed.

What you need is a Ham friend who'd like a "maritime mobile QRP beacon"
project, or get a license yourself.  Possible problem: Once your boat
reaches another country, it may be operating illegally!  Each country has
its own rules and license requirements.  You may want to find some hams
who operate MM (maritime mobile) and ask them how to go about it.  The
technical end is really easy, the regulatory part might be stickier.

Dale
---
The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new
discoveries, is not "Eureka!" (I found it!) but "That's funny ..."
                -- Isaac Asimov

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