Good one Jim lol, back in the good old days we just did like George M and AJ and climbed into the Cu's and held our mouth open for a drink

As to APRS as you, but many others, might not know, the system is dependant upon the operational ability of the various amateur radio repeaters in a given area. Some places the system works great, others there is spotty coverage. The system however is great to use to get site specific wx info utilizing the various personal wx stations that many hams (amateur radio operators) have tied into the system. For those running the east coast ridges, it might be helpfull to locate stations along the intended course. The web page map for the aprs system shows them all in real time.

Being a proponent for non-dependance on modern tec does not mean anti tec nor does it mean the "good ole days" were the best. There's many a day back then when i wished for a 50/1 L/d and an actively updating flight computer with wind info while trying to scrape home on a final glide. One advantage however was I did loose a good deal of weight sweating