Improving APRS Coverage in North Wales

I received an email about a an amateur radio project that is trying to improve APRS coverage around North Wales. We are looking for donations of any unwanted TNCs or other packet equipment. Please contact either myself or any of the calls in the email if you like me have anything that has been gathering dust for ten years or can help by setting up a station at your home or works QTH. My details are correct on QRZ.com. The email is below...

Hi Steve,

I am working on a project with John GW4BVE and many others (including John MW1FGQ) to try and improve APRS coverage around North Wales, especially around the Snowdonia area.

At the moment we are short of hardware and I was hoping you might be willing to circulate an email around the club members asking for donations of old packet radio equipment. Right now we are in need of one or more packet TNCs. Age or condition are unimportant and I'm sure that there are one or two lying unused and unwanted as mainstream packet radio is rarely used these days.

As you may know, in it's simplest form, APRS enables real-time display of a station's position on a map - for example John BVE's activation of Cadair Berwyn today:

http://aprs.fi/?call=gw4bve-7&mt=roadmap&z=11&timerange=3600

(In the drop-down box near the top right, change from map to terrain)

There can be much more to it than that, from simply adding the frequency being used at the time, to full-blown inter-station real-time text messaging (great for Raynet).

The SOTA community is currently taking a lot of interest in APRS, but a lot depends on having a decent network with good coverage and it is this we are aiming to help achieve.

Of course, the APRS network is available to all amateurs, so everyone could potentially benefit.

Many Thanks,

Ian GW8OGI et. al.