Amateur (Ham) Radio BS and Callsign Thread!

Nice install. I've got my Kenwood setup the same way except I've got a rig runner under the seat so I can distribute power to other devices as needed.

 

Thanks Jim, I may still add a Rig Runner but for now this works perfectly. If I add an HF rig later on I will cut in the runner.

 

Opinions needed please..

Would a 5w HT connected to a permanent roof mounted antenna have enough power to be effective for APRS?

 

Yes it will work. I have used it and was not crazy about the results, but your mileage may vary.
I have read that in some areas where there is heavy APRS traffic, consider more than 5 watts.
When I am in SmartBeacon mode I run at 10 watts on a FT-1900r connected to a Comet Dual band antenna. I only use this radio because it's the only radio i can dedicate to APRS right now.
I am using Mobilinkd APRS with the APRSDroid app connected via bluetooth.

I will probably change the radio out to a Baofeng UV-82HP or something else cheep and compact.

 

Thanks for the reply!

I figured 5w wouldn't push out far enough but had to ask anyways. I have a Wouxon HT sitting around that I'm willing to dedicate solely to APRS via Mobilnkd and their APP, and I have a FT-2800 installed in my crawler that I didn't want to commit to APRS but maybe I will. I know what APRS does but I don't know much about it..yet.

 

I don't know enough about APRS to know what power requirements it needs, but I can say that I notice the limits of 5-8watts on my handheld hooked to an external antenna- seems I am very intermittently hitting repeaters - almost always getting a tone back... But only gotten a response a couple times. Most have said they couldn't make it out or it was faint. Best luck I had was from ocean beach SF up to Mt Tam in Marin and was told I was loud and clear....

Don't know if my issue is line of site, not enough power , or equipment ie coax or swr issues. Seems to receive pretty well most the time, but not have much outgoing luck

Unfortunately I think it's time to do it right and get a proper mobile unit

 

Where you are, it will work flawlessly. Going out to the middle of nowhere it may work and it might work just fine. Or it might work just OK. It all depends where you are at when you're using it. I suggest you hook it up and try it out at 5 watts. I'm not too far away, I'd be more than happy to work with you to get what you want accomplished. It took me pulling a few hairs out to get it working right.
That FT-2800 is a great radio and was designed for talking, not just putting a blip on a map.

 

A lot of it depends on your antenna. A quality antenna that's properly tuned makes a world of difference.
if you're looking for a 2 meter mobile take a look at Kenwood TM-281a or a Yaesu Ft-2900r. Both are solid radios that won't break the bank. If you want a dual band 2m/70cm, I love the TM-v71a. There are others, some better, some not so good.

 

I'm looking at the icom 880h ; Kenwood v71; and yaesu 100dr...

Kenwood is dual receive
Yaesu has GPS in it
Icom is GPS adaptable and digital; also has a magnetic detach for the faceplate

Like the look of icom best but I think I really want dual receive so I can leave one channel on the simplex and flip the other through repeaters as I drive ... Or keep the two repeaters that I catch mostly one on each.... Idk

Gotta save some cash first ...

 

I've been eyeing that 100dr myself

 

So the Yaesu 100dr looks like a decent choice for an entry level ham radio with built in APRS?

 

The FTM-100DR is a couple steps above entry level. The drawback is you can't talk and do APRS simultaneously. If APRS is active in your "A" frequency and you want to talk on 2 meters or 70cm you have to toggle to the A/B button on the mic. Then while your talking on "B" frequency you're not sending or receiving APRS packets till you toggle back.
I think with the built in features its a good radio for a dedicated APRS base station application.
Im biased though, the idea of a radio dedicated to aprs always sounds better than any alternative ive read about.
Try out APRS with a 5 watt HT. Lots of mountains, valleys and canyons in the areas i venture out to, so your milage may vary. Im going on a trip in early March so im going to test APRS on the Baofeng with a battety eliminator and on my yaesu with 5 watts just to see how well it will work on the route I'm taking.

 

Can the 100DR send/receive APRS data while also receiving voice? Or does the single receiver in the description mean it can only receive what is on the currently selected frequency?

 

you are correct. You can put it in dual watch mode where it will switch to the other frequency to check for activity and then back every second or so. I use the 100DR in my house as a base and the 400XDR in the Taco. Yes it is not inexpensive but it is a true dual recieve with GPS and APRS built in.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zatu1hOYFu8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

Watched the video and the 100dr might be at the top of the list-

Seems like for occasional aprs use it could be fine. And the dual watch is decent enough allow easy monitoring of two channels.

Also one of the more interesting aspects of aprs at least to me right now is the text message and it looks like this unit will send and receive short text messages - I don't know if the Kenwood v71 will

The one thing I need to read up more on is how aprs transmits. Ie can you set it to go every 10-15-30 minutes or just manually key it every so often

Wish the 100dr had a colored screen... White is so bright at night

 

So if I understood that video properly you could set the radio home channel to transmit/receive APRS and set the dual watch to another voice frequency at a fast scan rate? That would allow APRS to be active at all times unless a transmission is received on the watched frequency?

I'm interested in the APRS features in order to give my wife a way to somewhat track where I'm at and have limited text communications if needed.

 

Put the Icom 2730A in my truck. It will dual receive. My first HAM after getting licensed the last summer.

 

From what ive read, the dual watch mode doesn't work to well with APRS operation.
You can definitly operate APRS with the kenwood V71a. Ive used it with a Mobilinkd TNC and APRSdroid. The V71a is a true dual vfo receiver so monitoring 2 frequencies simultaneously is possible. You can also simultaneously TX ON 2 meters while RX on 70cm or vice versa.
When Purchased the Mobilinked, i went a little crazy and bought a cable for each radio i have...

Yes you can control how often you Transmit packets, but depends on the mode you are using and what you are using it for.

APRS is used in a variety of applications, weather data collection, special events, emergency ops etc..
The best resource that explains just about all you would to know about APRS is the manual for the Kenwood TH-D72A.
This manual tells you everything you would want to know about APRS and more. It's a nice radio as well. Here is the link to the PDF. https://tinyurl.com/h72wq9q

 

I think the 100DR and the Mobilinkd Blue-Tooth TNC and their APP would make a killer combo.

 

Researching units, and don't even have my license yet. lol