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Thread: APRS?

  1. #1
    Master Navigator K9CCH's Avatar
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    APRS?

    I know what it stands for, and I kinda know what it does. I know it can provide location information, weather information, frequency information, and I know you can send short messages with it.

    But let's say that I travel to an area that I've never been to. If I tune to 144.390, will my radio tell me who's in the area and what frequency they are on automatically? Or do the distant stations have to be TX'ing on 144.390 as well?


    ...and since we're on the subject, how many of you use APRS and what's your favorite feature of it?


  2. #2
    Island Dog Bubba's Avatar
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    Dont know, but are you on HF yet ?

  3. #3
    Orca Whisperer
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    Quote Originally Posted by K9CCH View Post
    I know what it stands for, and I kinda know what it does. I know it can provide location information, weather information, frequency information, and I know you can send short messages with it.

    But let's say that I travel to an area that I've never been to. If I tune to 144.390, will my radio tell me who's in the area and what frequency they are on automatically? Or do the distant stations have to be TX'ing on 144.390 as well?


    ...and since we're on the subject, how many of you use APRS and what's your favorite feature of it?
    All APRS stations need to be on the same frequency (144.390 for 2M), or on a frequency that has an iGate listening (A station that hears packets, and relays them to other iGates, which allows all stations to be viewed on the internet).

    So, yes: If you are on 144.390, and drive into a new area, you will see new stations pop up as you hear them. You can only tell they are on 144.390 (Because you heard them), unless they provide more information in the info field. Example: I put mode of operation (Bicycle mobile, mobile, ped, or base) and Simplex Frequency/Repeater Name that I may be monitoring.
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  4. #4
    Master Navigator wa6mhz's Avatar
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    I have been using APRS since it was first conceived back in the 80s or 90s. The Town Car has a Tracker in it and many have followed me to Dayton and back the past 4 years.

    This year I had a HARD failure, and I stopped beaconing at Tulsa. I use a Byonics Tiny Trak 3 module which works great, but for some reason, the uP locked the transmitter ON for 8 hours and just about blew it. Imagine transmitting in a sealed box for that long at full power! The radio was just WHITE HOT!!! But, God Bless Kenwood! The TM-261A somehow survived!!! I didn't get it all fixed until I got back to San Diego. The TinyTrak3 IC had failed, and cost me $18 to replace!!!

    I use APRS as a Ham Radio lojack! In fact, I even built a Wakeup timer that wakes up every 2 or so hours and gets a fix. Then it beacons out the location a few times and goes back to sleep. Works great, and the car stays on the map 24/7.

    The nice thing about it is that I can look with my Smartphone and see where the car is at all times.
    http://www.findu.com/cgi-bin/find.cgi?call=WA6MHZ-9

    The car CAN'T be stolen, unless they cram it into a metalized Shipping container and even then, it would show WHERE that is (or was). So if the car ever does get stolen, I just show the police where the car is within 10 feet or so.

    I don't use the Receive function very often. I had a APRS computer in the Radio shack, but it flaked out. I used WINAPRS, and everytime there is a power failure, U have to reload Zillions of parameter! And, I can't get the APRSDOS to work right on it.

    SO I just use the Cellphone for APRS RX. Works wonderfullly.

  5. #5
    Istanbul Expert N2NH's Avatar
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    I've used APRS off and on. It is a great tool and usually I put in my call followed by a "-15" (as per guidelines). APRS-fi is a great tool on the Internet for worldwide APRS watching. It's a Google map based APRS mapper on the web. Of course like anything on the 2 Meter band, APRS transmissions are line-of-sight.

    This is a link to the APRS-fi site (centered on zipcode 10001, New York City.)
    Last edited by N2NH; 08-05-2013 at 10:26 AM.
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  6. #6
    Conch Master W7XF's Avatar
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    APRSdroid is your friend ...thats what I use. Yeah its on my cell phone, but while I was OTR, cell towers had MUCH more coverage than APRS gateways.
    Encrypt everything. Even if you have nothing to hide. It increases the noise floor.

  7. #7
    Master Navigator KU0DM's Avatar
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    Forget what these cats are saying, UI-View for your computer is the way to go!

  8. #8
    Master Navigator K9CCH's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by wa6mhz View Post
    I use APRS as a Ham Radio lojack! In fact, I even built a Wakeup timer that wakes up every 2 or so hours and gets a fix. Then it beacons out the location a few times and goes back to sleep. Works great, and the car stays on the map 24/7.

    The nice thing about it is that I can look with my Smartphone and see where the car is at all times.
    http://www.findu.com/cgi-bin/find.cgi?call=WA6MHZ-9

    The car CAN'T be stolen, unless they cram it into a metalized Shipping container and even then, it would show WHERE that is (or was). So if the car ever does get stolen, I just show the police where the car is within 10 feet or so.
    .


    So you work across the street from the homo depot? That'd be extremely dangerous for me. I nearly go broke every time I walk into that store.


  9. #9
    Pope Carlo l NQ6U's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by K9CCH View Post
    [...] the homo depot?
    Wouldn't "Homo Depot" be a great name for a gay bar?
    All the world’s a stage, but obviously the play is unrehearsed and everybody is ad-libbing his lines. Maybe that’s why it’s hard to tell if we’re living in a tragedy or a farce.

  10. #10
    Master Navigator K9CCH's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by KJ6BSO View Post
    Wouldn't "Homo Depot" be a great name for a gay bar?

    Yeah, but this one takes the cake every time!

    http://www.mablepeabodys.com/


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