Amateur (Ham) Radio BS and Callsign Thread!

Anyone know where I can find some good info on components needed and configuration to send/receive SSTV with android and a Boafeng? I see a few videos showing end result on the receiving end. But that is it...

 

Don't know about the 3rd gens ... but the second gens have airbags all though there and I would be hesitant to drill anything without removing the panel.

I know a lot of people have run ram mounts on the grab handle for second gens

To keep mine in a heads up view area I used a scan gauge mount to mount it above the mirror and then pulled the head unit wire from under the seat, under the running board behind the dash and up under the a pillar closest to the windshield away from the airbag, then under the edge of the headliner

Assuming 3rd gens are the same you could do the same

I've seen some people mount them using a clip under the headliner at the edge.

 

My setup is for the iPhone but I am sure there is some sort of interface out there for the Android as the APP is the same that you use to do SSTV with. I use the Black Cat Systems SSTV APP with the interface. Now you can just hold the radio up to the phone speaker and this works too, just not hard wired. Transmitting or receiving the "hold the phone to the radio" does work. I use a USB Signalink device at the receiving side to input data to the MMSSTV computer program.

Here is my interface, might contact this guy to see if he has an Android wired version. Basically I take a pix with my iPhone through the Black Cat Systems SSTV App and use that image as my send image. The APP will overlay your call sign for legality to the image when it sends it. Hit send and the iPhone spits out the tones and the radio VOX hears it and starts transmitting. Once the tones stop the transmission stops. Don't forget to set your TOT on the HT to at least 135 seconds so it doesn't stop transmitting in the middle of an image.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/EASY-DIGI-UV-5R-INTERFACE-for-IPhone-IPad-IPod-Touch/321221531105?_trkparms=aid=222007&algo=SIM.MBE&ao=2&asc=41375&meid=852cc256de634a8d8f7441fae2aa83b0&pid=100623&rk=1&rkt=6&mehot=pp&sd=221630366943&_trksid=p2047675.c100623.m-1


I have a buddy who lives about 8 miles away and he has an Android phone. We setup to call and listen on a certain VHF Simplex frequency and I sent him an image and he just held the phone up to the radio to receive my image. He received it just fine. He never went looking for an interface, all it is really is just an isolation circuit that passes the audio but doesn't pass the ground from one device to another. The link above the guy does sell kits that are cheaper and I am sure he includes instructions for Android use. Contact him and ask. The Signalink can be ordered with the correct Baofeng cable too. You can bypass the Signalink if you tell the MMSSTV program to use your regular microphone input and just hold the radio and microphone together. Not as convenient but it will work. Hope this helps some, it is fun to see the images come across line by line. On 14.230 HF there can be some borderline type images sent across the airwaves.

 

KM6GWZ here.

The Black Cat applications look great! I've been wondering about APRS and how to tx data such as images, sms, email etc

Not sure if you're only asking about the puck, or the head unit as well, but these look good.

http://www.proclipusa.com/vehicle/dashboard-mounts/3856-toyota-tacoma/2017

 

Signed up for my HAM tech class and exam for next Saturday. Can't wait.

Taco truck is gonna get some ham filling in it now!

 

Check out hamwhisperer.com on You Tube. Go to You Tube then do a search for Ham Whisperer Technician. It will get you to his videos to watch, answer a quiz after each section then go to his web page to check your answers. Me and a buddy used these videos only to get our Tech and General tickets, never cracked a book on either. I missed (2) on each one but passed just fine. Had to watch Dave Casler's videos on the Extra ticket. His videos are longer. I did use an APP on my phone too to take practice exams. Missed (2) on the Extra exam too, so at least I am consistent! N5WOI.

 

Just passed my technician license, so now I’ll read through these 140+ pages to catch up!

 

Congrats!

 

Congratulations Paul !

 

Can anyone advise me on APRS .

Yeasue FTM 400 DXR
Windows 10 laptop.

I have the equipment , but do I need to Download a program or app to the pc ? ..... I'm standing here saying " Now What " ?
im new to this aspect , any advice on where to get started would be a big help.
73's , John

 

The FTM 400 has a built in TNC and will beacon from the radio itself. If you are trying to connect with an external TNC to use additional aftermarkt software I would suggest searching FTM-400XDR via youtube. There are several great videos out there, trust me on that because I spent some time comparing that radio to the Kenwood TM-D710 when I was deciding between the two.

 

What tipped the scale in favor of the FTM400? I'm considering these two (D710) myself...

 

The FTM 400 is a pretty badass radio but I ended up with the D710, it was hard to choose between the 2 but ultimatly the D710 won because it seems to be a better APRS radio. I've only had it for a week now and pretty impressed with how easy it is to program everything without software.

 

I understand that it has the built in TNC . I'm concerned with being able to see my location and others using aprs location on a map on the pc , then being able to send messages from pc to radio and vise versa.

Thanks for the help

There are plenty of videos on YouTube, deciding which to watch is the confusing part for me. I don't want to put the cart before the horse.

The software you mention is Great ! Allows me to program the radio without being connected to it. I sit at my dining room table type in repeaters and the program automatically sets tones and offsets. Very easygoing. I then remove the SD card and plug it into the radio. All info is stored on the pc as a backup.

 

Type in aprs.fi into your browser in then search your call sign with the prefix when you are beaconing.

 

APRSISCE is a great aprs mapping program for Windows. I use it on my Windows 10 tablet in the truck connected to the Bluetooth mobilinkd, which is plugged into the data port on my Kenwood tmv71a.

http://aprsisce.wikidot.com

As far as I can tell you should be able to plug your computer into the data port of your yaesu, set up the communications ports for GPS and the radio in APRSISCE and be good to go. Lots of documentation out there about how to get set up.

 

Thanks for the Help Guys ! ( Gals )
Gave me pretty much what I was looking for ..... a place to Start

A Learning process for sure

 

hamwhisperer is good stuff. Cleared the first 5 lessons last night.

 

I played around with Robot36 and DroidSSTV over the weekend. I didn't have to find another station to test receiving, I just held the Phone up to the computer speakers while watching a YouTube video of someone demonstrating SSTV. I was able to decode the image with decent quality.

 

So...passed my tech about a year ago. Picked up a handheld, but haven't done anything with it. One of the reasons I am interested in this hobby is the idea of being able to see the radio spectrum around me and being able to interact with it. I would like to have the ability to hook up any radio I pick up to my computer and be able to see on the computer what spectrum is around me via a waterfall.

On the scanner side, an IF discriminator provides the functionality to interface with a computer. I have been looking for similar functionality in a mobile rig, but I might not be using the correct terms. There are comments about adding an IF discriminator to some mobile rigs, but the radios tend to be in the $600+ range, and I am not sure I am quite ready to buy something at that price point and immediately take a soldering iron to it (though I do like my soldering iron).

I do have fun with SDR# and have aspirations to play around with GNU Radio, and I would love to pick up a rig that would interface with either or both of those applications.