KCGR Quick Start -- File Your First Report

1

Pick Mode

Step 1 — Confirm how you'll file

Your radio setup determines your intake path. Pick whichever you have available:

Not sure yet? Answer a couple of quick questions:

Do you have a ham radio ready to transmit right now?

No radio, but I have internet or a phone → Use Web / Phone

Yes — can you reach a Winlink RMS gateway (HF or VHF packet)?

Yes → Use Winlink (Step 5, then the "Read First" note on the Send To: field)

No Winlink gateway — is your radio APRS-capable (Graywolf, a TNC, or similar)?

Yes → Use APRS Object Beacon (Step 5, then 5B if you're on Graywolf)

No APRS — do you have a Meshtastic mesh node nearby?

Yes → Use Meshtastic

No, and no internet either → hold your report and try again once you reach one of the above, or relay it verbally to an operator who can file it for you.

Winlink (HF/VHF)

Best for full detail, no character limit. Works when internet is down.

APRS Object Beacon

Fast, compressed, 43-character comment field. Requires an APRS-capable radio.

Meshtastic

Mesh-relayed text, 255-character limit. Good where a mesh node network exists.

Web / Phone

No radio needed. Secondary channel only -- requires internet, reviewed before posting.

2

ID Object

Step 2 — Identify what you're observing

Match your observation to the closest of the ten standard OBJECT NAME categories and SPEC- Specifier Codes. ST Status Codes are placed between OBJECT NAME & SPEC––See Step 3. –– Step 4 shows the layout.

Object Name	Meaning	Specifier Codes(SPEC)
KCGR-SHLT	Emergency shelter	CA capacity available NP no pets PP pets ok MO medical only
KCGR-MED	Medical facility	ER emergency room UC urgent care PH pharmacy OP open CL closed
KCGR-ROAD	Road / bridge status	OP passable CL closed CA caution BR bridge FL flooding TR trees/debris
KCGR-H2O	Potable water	DP distribution point BO boil order UK unknown quality
KCGR-FOOD	Food / restaurant / grocery	HF hot food GR grocery BT both
KCGR-FUEL	Fuel availability	GS gasoline DS diesel PP propane GD gas+diesel AL all three
KCGR-PWR	Power / charging / generator	GN generator CH device charging UT utility restored
KCGR-CELL	Cell signal location	AT AT&T VZ Verizon TM T-Mobile AL all carriers
KCGR-ATM	ATM / financial access	OP operational CL closed LM cash limited
KCGR-HW	Health & welfare relay	OP relay available HR hours follow NM no message limit

Not sure which fits? File to the nearest category and clarify in the comment or notes field. KCGR-SHLT and KCGR-FOOD are the broadest containers.

Why can't I find a code for power outages? The power companies supply quick and accurate updates. An embedded interactive map from poweroutages.us is included on the kcgr page in the lower right.

3

Marker Color

Step 3 — Choose the marker color

ST - STATUS CHOICES work like a traffic light -- green means open, yellow means limited, red means closed -- plus two more for the cases in between: amber for caution, gray for unknown.

ST - STATUS CHOICES are listed in the report between the OBJECT NAME and SPECIFIER CODES

OP Open / operational

CL Closed

LM Limited (hours, supply, capacity)

UK Unknown / not verified

CA Caution -- accessible but hazardous

4

Build It

Step 4 — Build your report

Every KCGR report follows the same structure, regardless of platform:

ST SPEC LOCATION DDHHMM

⚠Example: OP GS CAMDEN SUNOCO DEKALB 262130 — fuel open, gasoline, Sunoco on DeKalb St, observed on the 26th at 9:30 PM (21:30) local.

Filing via Winlink instead? Its structured form asks for exact coordinates rather than a text location -- find your GPS coordinates here if you need them.

5

Send It

Step 5 — Send it on your platform

Winlink

File a KCGR Resource Status form.
TO: KCGR-OPS Subject: auto-filled by the form as KCGR-RS - [your callsign] - [date]
⚠ The form's own "Send To" field is a reminder only -- it cannot set your compose window's address for you. Why, and what to do instead.

APRS

Beacon a named object with the KCGR- prefix and your 43-character comment string (STEP 2 & 3)· Repeat every 10-15 minutes for up to about an hour, or until confirmed on aprs.fi -- then stop (see Step 5B).
Some computer-based apps (Graywolf, DigiPi, APRStac,...) have separate message features in lieu of the beacon

Meshtastic

Send the KCGR prefix and codes, then expand to plain English for the rest of the message

Web / Phone

Contact AA4TE @ KC4RC directly. Your submission is reviewed before it's posted to the map.

5B

Greywolf/PI

Step 5B — Send APRS using GRAYWOLF

GRAYWOLF GUI: Settings>Beacons, then press + Add Beaconbutton.

New Beacon settings:

✅Enabled
Type: 🔘 Object Your nine character prefix (ie.KCGR-SHLT) will be entered in the Object namefield.
Send to: 🔘 RF + APRS-IS
Check: Channelfor correct frequency
❗Blank: Transmitting Station via will not accept text in this mode. (Your call will automatically be chosen.)
Symbol: TapChoose... Possibilites include red-X, Bullseye(2 choices), yellow ambulance, gas pump(see Alternate tab)... then tapUse Symbol
Commentfield: Here is where your 43 character message will be entered in the Commentfield. If the default "Graywolf/{{version}}" message is there, replace it.
Position source (column two): 🔘 Use fixed coordinatesFill LatitudeandLongitude fields to 4+ decimal places. Not sure how to find these? Jump to GPS coordinate help.
Intervalfield default of 600 means every 10 minutes (10x60). For a KCGR report -- not a repeater beacon -- keep it short only briefly: repeat every 10–15 minutes for up to about an hour, or until you've confirmed it posted on aprs.fi, whichever comes first. Frequent resends waste airtime on 144.390, especially when the channel matters most. After confirming on aprs.fi: ❗delete or disable the object. ❗Please do not leave it running indefinitely.

Sending the information in the Comment field (column one bottom):

Clear/Erase field
Use format: ST SPEC LOCATION DDHHMM

a) ST - OPen(OP), CLosed(CL), LiMited(LM), UnKnown(UK), CAution(CA)
b) SPEC 2-letter SPECIFIER CODES from step #2 above
c) LOCATION City (address if you have enough of the limit: 43 characters left)
c) +NOTES+ insert extra information before DDHHMM if character limit warrants

c) DDHHMM DD (day of the month), HHMM ()24-hour local time)
No need to fill in month, we have 30 days to figure it our on our own 😅
If you have only two characters left, just the DD at the end allows processor to post and understand all necessary information has been sent.

6

Follow Up

Step 6 — Update or close it out

First, confirm it actually reached the map -- aprs.fi only confirms your beacon transmitted, not that it made it onto the public map. Check the live KCGR map within about an hour of sending. No channel in this system gives positive delivery confirmation, so this quick check is the one thing that catches a report that quietly didn't make it.

Conditions change -- file a follow-up report if status shifts. When the condition is resolved (road reopens, fuel runs out, shelter closes), send a follow-up report with the updated status -- the same way you filed the original. (An APRS kill message only stops the beacon from showing on aprs.fi; it does not update or remove the report from the KCGR map.)

Remember: KCGR-RS reports observed conditions only, not a real-time feed. If you also observed infrastructure status (power, water, cell, internet), file a Field Situation Report to SC ARES/SCEMD as well.

TO:

Read First

Why You Must Set the To: Address Yourself

The KCGR Resource Status entry form displays "Send To: KCGR-OPS" as a reminder -- but Winlink's Standard Forms can only fill in a message's Subject and body. There is no mechanism for any form to set the compose window's To: address for you, on any client.

Before or right after filling out the form: type or select KCGR-OPS in your compose window's own To: field yourself. A message sent without doing this will bounce.

In Pat: start a new message and set the To: field first, then open the form. In Winlink Express: same idea -- confirm the To: field at the top of the compose window before sending, regardless of what the form itself displays.

One more thing that trips people up: submitting the form doesn't send your message. It fills in the Subject and body, then drops you back at your compose window -- from there it looks like email, but it isn't quite. You still need to confirm your To: address, move the message to your Outbox, then connect to actually transmit it. When you connect, incoming mail usually arrives first -- don't mistake that for your own message going out. Check that your Outbox is empty afterward; that's your real confirmation it sent, not the form's Submit button.

GPS

Tap Here

Use web and phone apps to find GPS Coordinates

Follow the directions below to find latitude/longitutde headings in degree/decimal format on various web pages and apps

Phone or Web App	Tap Here	Extra Steps, if needed
Phone: Google Maps	Long-press (touch and hold) on location	Find coordinates in the card at the bottom of the screen
Web: maps.google.com	Right–Click on location	Find lat/lon coordinates on top line of pop-up window
Web: openstreetmap.org	Right–Click on location	Tap Show addressin pop-up window GPS Coordinates should show up in navigation bar to the left
Web: aprs.fi	Place cursor on location	Lat/Lon is seen in upper right corner

aprs.fi one-time setup, if needed: if coordinates show as degrees/minutes/seconds instead of decimal, tap "Preferences" under "Other views:" → "Units and time" tab → "Coordinate format" pull-down → choose Decimal degrees → tap SAVE. You'll only need to do this once.