APRS on bicycle

[KC2UGV]

Does any of our cycling folk use APRS on their bikes? If so, what kinds of setups work? I was thinking of getting a Byonics AIO 10W unit, but the price seems to be a bit steep for nothing more than a tracker + 10W radio.

Also, do you worry about some sort of on-board charging, or just charge the batteries off the bike as needed?

[N8YX]

Let's discuss this more at length...is there an all-in-one HT/TNC available?

As far as charging goes, I'm looking at putting together something which will derive power from a 6V dynohub. It'll source 5VDC at 300ma and if a voltage doubler is employed ahead of the rectifier/regulator I should be able to get at least 8.4VDC at 150ma - sufficient to charge a VX6 or VX7 battery.

What did you have in mind for a design?

[KC2UGV]

This is the closest to an all-in-one I've found:
http://www.byonics.com/mt-aio

I don't think I'll be looking to play radio while riding (But, I plan on carrying an HT with me), so I was hoping for just a fire-and-forget type solution.

[KU0DM]

These are a little pricier than the Byonics, but we use the Big Red Bee tracker for public service events, including placing them on bikes during rides. You can drill holes in the red case very easily to make custom mounting solutions (mine has an HT-style clip), and overall it's a very small, self-contained package. All you need to add is an antenna, mine has a hole that the SMA connector sticks through for a short rubber ducky.

http://www.bigredbee.com/blgps_2mhp.htm

[KC9SQR]

Do you have an android? I'm sure more than a few of you here do..
If you haven't heard about APRSDroid I use it from time to time and it works GREAT..
It can report through tcp/ip (two way messaging and all), or you can build an interface cable and use VOX on the HT and use it to report your packets over FSK RF packets...


The "Google Market" will try to charge you like 5 or 6 bucks last I knew..
www.aprsdroid.org has it for free...


Edit: I forgot to add, it does eat your battery alive though....

[KC2UGV]

Do you have an android? I'm sure more than a few of you here do..
If you haven't heard about APRSDroid I use it from time to time and it works GREAT..
It can report through tcp/ip (two way messaging and all), or you can build an interface cable and use VOX on the HT and use it to report your packets over FSK RF packets...


The "Google Market" will try to charge you like 5 or 6 bucks last I knew..
www.aprsdroid.org has it for free...


Edit: I forgot to add, it does eat your battery alive though....

I've been using that, but you're right: It kills the battery. I mean, it's workable, should I end up going that way. I do use my phone as a cycle computer, and navigator. One more function isn't a big stretch at this point.

I figured if I could get an APRS tracker that lasts a few days on battery just pinging all day, that would be better, but it is more weight to add in.

[KC2UGV]

These are a little pricier than the Byonics, but we use the Big Red Bee tracker for public service events, including placing them on bikes during rides. You can drill holes in the red case very easily to make custom mounting solutions (mine has an HT-style clip), and overall it's a very small, self-contained package. All you need to add is an antenna, mine has a hole that the SMA connector sticks through for a short rubber ducky.

http://www.bigredbee.com/blgps_2mhp.htm

I'll have to keep it in mind. It does look a bit smaller than the Byonics unit...

[N8YX]

A Yaesu VX-8 will do APRS out of the box, won't it?

[X-Rated]

yuppers.

[KC2UGV]

A Yaesu VX-8 will do APRS out of the box, won't it?

I just saw that... I was browsing for more solutions, and saw it. I think I've got the solution right there. It only gets 4-5 hours while running APRS, but a solar panel can lengthen that a bit.