Amateur (Ham) Radio BS and Callsign Thread!

The FTM350/400 have bluetooth modules to do the data transfer to smart devices. There's a setting on my 350 that lets you select which data you're transmitting over bluetooth, but I can't remember the options off the top of my head. That should do the same thing as the data cable. I'll look into the data cable though because the module is at least $100.

APRSdroid has a data input option which will pull packets from the radio onto the device and plot stations on a map view. I have seen this work using the FTM400 and bluetooth to a samsung tablet, so that's proven. I just haven't heard of interfacing a yaesu to APRSdroid via anything other than bluetooth. Future research will be to determine if you could use different map sources like topos, or if you can definitely download maps for offline use.

All of this is not to say there isn't another options besides APRSdroid...or....there might be other options too. I had previously been able to hook up a garmin foretrex via USB to google earth and it would track live on the map, maybe there's an option to be explored there.


Reference for APRSdroid connection protocols
https://github.com/ge0rg/aprsdroid/wiki/Settings

 

I've been doing some research on APRS and I'm very interested. I'm curious if there is a way to track yourself, send location info, and view a map with APRS data/ position without the use of any Internet?

And so if I just had a handheld, and all I would need is a APRS TNC and a GPS to get location data and have it on the APRS network? Can I somehow hook my phone up to use as a GPS? And then can I have it hooked up to a laptop to view where I am on a map without any Internet?


Or do you even need a ham radio to be on the APRS map? It look like you can get a APRS tracker and a GPS and a antenna to track anything.... But you still need the internet to view that info on a map or no?

 

Thanks a lot for your post. I like APRS Droid. I paid George years ago for it and I hope he keeps on developing it.

I too did the laptop / Garmin / Google Earth experiment years ago and it was fun.

Something you said made go back and look at the manual. The com port output can be configured for "WAYPOINT" default setting is NMEA9, and it's clear to me now there is also a Waypoint Filter that can be applied in the radio, for example to cull out weather stations and stuff you don't want to see... But the point is, that would appear to be what I'm looking for.

I'll try and get some authoritative answers, but that looks quite promising.

Thank you for the dialog.

 

I use a SPOT trace device for that. Family can track my whereabouts anywhere and it's satellite based. I pay $99 a year and I never have to mess with it. It's fed +5v USB power constantly and has lithium battery backup power. It's been running for two years with zero maintenance from me.

Satellite tracking device <--Post in my build thread about it.

Almost anything in the Amateur radio field will be in public domain, so no privacy.

 

I figured there was already something out there for this.... That's pretty cool.

 

Is there really any practical use of APRS

 

Ha, sorta not really, it's more of a hobby like most of the HAM world.

SPOT is better at tracking, in pretty much every way. Because APRS will only track if you either get to an Igate (which is difficult when you're in the middle of nowhere), or if you have it hooked up to a device, which is kinda a power user mode.

Keeping track of a group you are with is probably the best way to use it. Tracking the lead/tail of the group, or if you split up for some reason. So far, because I'm the only one with APRS around here for offroading, I just use it as a periodic update for location, a 'poor' man's SPOT. At the very least if I haven't checked in for a while and I'm in need of rescue they'd be able to narrow down the search area.

 

Yeah I was thinking it as a fail safe for emergency's. At least your location has been reported somewhere. But then again the spot does the same thing. And a simple GPS will give you location data. I guess the only thing about the APRS that your location can be seen by the public.

 

APRS works awesomely if you split up and need to re-convene. I.e. finding a camp site.

You can also send texts through APRS via SMSGTE (as long as you have an Igate connection) if you don't have cell service.

You can find other hams nearby if you need help or they need help and can message them or go over the air if they broadcast a frequency that they're monitoring.

Plenty of practical uses...

 

Can you send text to a buddys cell phone with APRS via smsgte? Or just to another ham?

And igate is through a digi repeater correct? Which is a repeater connected to the internet? Sorry I learning! Lol

Edit: I googled the smsgte and it does look like I could technically send a text to a friend through APRS via smsgte.....very cool especially if I have no cell service

 

Yeah you can text anyone and they can text back as long as everyone follows the appropriate protocol (probably limited to the US, but I'd need to look that up to confirm). The messenger service within APRS, aside from SMSGTE, works only between other APRS users.

Sorta, not really. The igate is a receiver that uploads your packet (digital transmission with your info) to the internet. A digital repeater, or digipeater, just receives and re-transmits your packet. Usually digipeaters are higher powered or at least have better range if they're higher up and have bigger antennas, so they can usually reach an igate so your information is forwarded along to the internet. You can set your preference for number of "hops" between digipeaters before they stop re-transmitting your packet so that you avoid clogging the system up with packets that have been re-transmitted by other digipeaters.

 

Oh ok. So I would send a text with the APRS via smsgte and it will get bounce from digipeater to digipeater tell it finds an igate so it can get on the internet?

Edit: Just looked into this APRSdroid. So i can get the app, plug into a handheld and im on APRS and can send messages with no cell service?

 

@92shawman when you ran APRS in Death Valley back in March, do you recall how much power you ran on your transmitter? You're running through your TM-V71A, yes? Thanks.

 

@92shawman I obscured your call sign and I calculated the distances of some of your beacons. 133.62 miles is impressive. Your elevation here was about 5,200'


And look at this, beacon was repeated by the digi in the White Mountains and igated in Las Vegas. Cool

 

So does this mean that it can't just do APRS in the background, but only if you switch to the second receiver? That seems kind of lame...

 

The FTM-100DR has only one receiver. Most radios are this way.

Some radios are dual band and still have only one receiver.

And then there are radios that are dual band with two independent receivers. The Yaesu FTM-400 is one of them, and the Kenwood TM-V71A as well.

I can only fathom that the reason that Yaesu didn't put a second receiver in the box was to lower the overall cost and try to create a mufti-tiered product for sales.

So to work around this limitation of one receiver, there is a feature called dual watch. What you do is set your "Home" to your repeater of choice for example. Then activate dual watch. The radio will do APRS and every 5 seconds or so (it's programmable), it will very quickly check for traffic on the repeater, if it hears a modulated signal it will stop and you hear voice traffic. When traffic is gone it will go back to APRS and the cycle will continue. Dual watch works... but it's a pretty big compromise if APRS is your thing and you want to talk or scan the band. lol

 

Makes sense, thanks for the explanation! It sounds like you could miss up to 5 seconds of whatever's being said on the home channel though, which I agree is a pretty big compromise.

That said, I've really only used ham for simplex communication while on the trail (and didn't even get my own truck until last month), so I'm still trying to look into everything before buying a transceiver. Do you think the FTM-100DR would be a good one to start out on, since I'll mostly be using simplex and then maybe checking out APRS and other stuff as I get into it?

I wouldn't even consider one so expensive (yes I know it's still cheap compared to the big players), but I really want to get something with a remote-mountable head, and the FTM-100DR appears to still be on the cheaper end of mobile transceivers that fit that condition. Or is there some cheap 2m-band radio with remote head that I'm totally missing somehow? (Please?)

 

Yes I think the FTM-100DR would be great to start out on.

2M/400, wide band receive, GPS with SSD Card for logging / data out the back port, APRS, Digial voice with Fusion, remote head and cable already included. Lots to have fun with.

Check Youtube for some videos of the radio in action. I watched about a dozen so far.

What's great about the hobby is you can damn near sell everything you bought later for almost what you initially paid for it.

 

Hey guys, another HAM checking in here. Just got a new to me 2006 TRD Access cab, one of the first things on my growing list to do it install all my gear in the new truck.

This is what I ran in my last rig as far as HAM gear

Yeasu 7800 2m/70cm

$104 Larsen NMO2/70B Pulse Larsen 144-148/440-450 MHz Dual Band 37.25" Antenna - Black

Larsen NMO2/70B on a through roof NMO mount. (Haven't decided if I want to do that again because I might put a roof rack on this truck, any suggestion for the dual band antenna location that's not on the roof? Probably just do a fender mount.)

Home brew APRS rig using:

Beofeng UVB5
Radio shack 30W amp
Argentdata's OpenTracker USB
Tram window mount 2m antenna.

I'll be installing it all in the new Tacoma over the next few weeks once I get power distribution figured out and installed. I'll make sure to post pictures of the final product.

 

I'm using the Relentless Fab hood bracket and a Comet SBB5 antenna. I like it so far as an alternative to a roof mount.