Real Toughbook Adventures

Had a call the other day for a medical aid in a remote area. Threw the Toughbook with internal GPS in and set out.
I ended up being the radio relay for firefighters/medics working off H.T. sets below line of sight from the repeaters.
Used the TB to verify my location and direct the helicopter first of all to me and then I was able to give him radio directions to find the medics as I could see where they were. I was at 4500 foot elevation and the medics at 1500 just two airline miles away.
It verified to me the use of the Toughbook in this kind of scenario.
I have the four local 7 1/2 minute topo's on touch screen and they were useful. But what I needed and installed yesterday was a topo program that gives the GPS co-ordinates for the cursor. That would have given me the capability of centering the cursor on the medics location and cut out a short dog-leg in the helicopters flight.
So yesterday I loaded USAPhotomaps via Wine and it works very well. The maps are on the hard-drive and access is very quick. It takes some time to download the maps but the end result is great.
Of course the map downloads need to be done when near wireless or wire. A department could have their response area and the adjacent areas preloaded and wireless access would not be an issue.
I also copied the entire program maps and all via thumb drive to my second GPS Toughbook. In other words you only have to do the download bit once.

Just another example of the Toughbook as a tool.

Ubuntu 10.04 CF-29 Mark 3

GO TOUGHBOOKS.

 

I think you will find this site interesting:

Kim's Notes for USAPhotoMaps

 

Oziexplorer will run in Ubuntu using wine. I like the topo maps better that the photos and they are also free. Ozi has a lot of good real time moving map stuff going on.
CAP

 

Thank you both. Ozziexplorer looks interesting and we have discussed it before. The information TC sent is "mostly" covered in the Photomaps text files. Some new stuff. Again thank you.
When you get to a certain age you like what you are used to and that is my primary reason for using what I have going now. Also when in an emergency or when in a hurry the less hunting around the better.
What I am used to is 7 1/2 minute topos by USGS. I've mapped on them afoot, in vehicles and in aircraft. You will see folks turning a map to orient themselves to north say or to a landmark. My two seasons in directing aerial tankers and mapping at the same time enables me to look at a map from any direction and read or use it. Maybe I'm still going in circles.
Anyway thank you. Here's the home place and my downloaded response area.

Jeff
Edit: USAPhotoMaps does have aerial photos (old black and white)but also has these nice topos as an option.

 

Interesting story and a great example of why we so value these PC's for the tough tools that they are, and have no interest in their lack of performance in "Dirt3" or whatever is the flavor of the month with the players.

 

That's why I have resisted converting to vector charts for marine use. I can read the raster charts from any angle and much faster than the vector "video game" charts. When on the road out west I always split the screen and use Streets and Trips and Delorme Topo. I hope its not as hot out your way as it was last year, we saw 107 on the Hummer thermometer in Garberville. Probably not accurate but it was hot. We'll honk if we see a topless red Jeep full of CF-29s.
CAP

 

We Ham Radio nerds use a system called A.P.R.S. which allows for position reporting directly from an H.T. or any other equiped radio to relay the position data to any other radio.

In the field I can use a radio or internet linked machine to view location of all who are transmitting and see the overall scenario on one screen.

Maps of many types can be underlayed with the position data to do the same thing.

We use it all the time during event support and emergency ops and I even broadcast positions from my truck which can be interesting.

Any Ham can also use Digipeters to relay this data all over the country to make this data work all over and there are sites on the internet providing easy access to it in real time too.

www.findu.co is the main site and has links to the APRS system info as well.

Ed
KC0UKR-5

 

Good job and thank you for your service.

 

The Pentium III or greater 1 MB HDD space requirement games are still fun to me. I still have working Gameboy(no letters after) and Nintendo 64 I randomly pull out of hiding to play. Once I find it i'll upload the original Police quest that used the bios speaker as a siren.

 

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Several days ago I was a Comm Unit Leader (that means you tell other people what the incident needs and get out of the way)
BIFC had an incredible amount of goodies including Bendix King HTs set up as repeaters in their own waterproof suitcase. Pop a radio tech in a helicopter with a suitcase and stick it on a mountain top. Turn it on and change the batteries every couple of days.
I also worked with a crew on a Commo Van (bus/motorhome) built in dispatch office and new for then satellite telephone. They had hel! getting a signal until there instructor/mentor asked them what elevation they were at. 5000 feet so they dropped the antenna a couple degrees and bingo.
One problem being the leader is you don't get to play with the toys. USFS has some very talented radio techs.
The same incident had a mule packer but didn't use his mules because the diapers for his animals hadn't shown up. A dozer strayed into the "wilderness area" and the packer was supposed to go fix the damage.
High tech v.s. low tech.
Jeff