John, OD5RW is sailing in the eastern mediterranean and can be tracked at:

http://aprs.od5.org/tracking-od5rw-5.htm

the trip will last from the 23rd of July till the 1st of August 2008 

As promised, the MAAD digipeater, OD5RW-3 is online again. 
This Digi -the oldest in Lebanon- that has been hit by lightning in February has been refurbished with a new radio, new TNC and new cable. MAAD digi has a direct contact with OD5SX-3 in Ehden, 5B8BE-11 in Cyprus as well as the APRS Server in Tabarja. Maad makes the APRS link to the north 2 hops faster than the previous path (OD5KU-3,OD5RW-7)

OD5SX, Nabil, installed a tracker in his car and did his first tests on the 25th of March. The Tracker's call is OD5SX-9

OD5SB finally installed the long awaited Ehden Country Club's digipeater. This Digipeater OD5SX-3 finally linked Tripoli's DIGI (OD5SB-3) with the rest of the ALOHA circle. Some reports, especially that of OD5KU-10 -who was wandering Lebanon on his bike on monday- said that the coverage of OD5SX-3 throughout the north is simply : amazing
Moreover, some packets from OD5RW-7 in Jabal Safi were digipeated by Ehden's digi directly !

Nabil OD5SX has installed the first iGATE in the north of Lebanon: OD5SX-5
This Station is not only gating stations from Cyprus too but a few from Turkey as well...

The Forum for APRS in Lebanon has been transferred to ral.org.lb where all the forums of the hams in Lebanon are centralized.  click here to visit the APRS forum

Jabal Safi Digipeater is finally online thanks to the efforts of OD5TR, OD5RW and OD5KU. The coverage is amazing ranging from TYR, Western Bekaa, Faraya, Ballouneh, Ras Beirut.

The Bteddine Digipeater that stopped during the last storm was repaired by changing the final power module of the radio. The digi's test were completed.  Awaiting OD5KM to install it back in Bteddine once he has the time.

The first SATGATE in the region is finally up. Now we can extend the coverage by digipeating packets from the international space station (ISS) whenever it is over Lebanon.

The APRS clinic held on the 2nd of February was a success. Those who attended took a real bite in the APRS field. For those who missed it, they can still contact us for private "APRS coffee breaks" 
Click here for some photos of this event.

The Photo Gallery of this site has been updated. 
Just click on "Pictures and Videos" in the Left Menu to access it

COVERAGE NEEDED

Bekaa Digipeater is packed-up and ready to be sent to the town of KAMED in the western Bekaa with a line of sight to Zahlé. We are waiting for OD5UT to come back from JY land to install it. 

MANPOWER NEEDED

OD5UT will be needing some help to install an antenna for the new digipeater in the western Bekaa town of Kamed very soon

OD5KU will be needing a ham support team to track, text and monitor him in his trip on a motorcycle from Lebanon to France. His new APRS setup OD5KU-10 is under excessive tests to see if it will endure the Bi-continental trip.

FUTURE PROJECTS

                              
           Balloon: OD5RW is preparing his first APRS high altitude balloon, the payload, power, tracker and telemetry are ready, but any help on controlling a timer controlled digital photo camera inside the balloon would be appreciated.

          Hamraft:  Coming soon

AIM

Our main AIM was, and still is, to cover the whole OD5 land with APRS.