Amateur (Ham) Radio BS and Callsign Thread!

Thanks, now just have to convince the wife to let me buy it.

Sent from my Oneplus One

 

It's a bit more complicated. You send a message within aprs droid or isce (windows) to SMSGTE, which will receive the message as long as you can reach an igate either directly or through digipeaters. SMSGTE then sends the actual text message. Within the message you have to use specific nomenclature to tell the service where to send the texts. You'll have to look it up for the specifics.

50 watts! WIDE1-1,WIDE2-1. Yep, 71a with a Larsen 2/70. I need to check the swr with an actual vhf/uhf meter because I tested it roughly using the Cb meter and got over 3 reflected power.

Yep, some pretty interesting pathways!

 

i decided to go the other direction with aprs. no igate.

The reasoning is, i don't really care to be dependent on someone else's infrastructure unless it's something i built and/or control. Originally I was going to do a FT-2900R (for the 75W transmit) with APRSDroid via mobilinkd. However, I didn't really want to spend the time yet into creating a vox circuit to make mobilinkd work with the 2900R. I went w/ the TM-V71A for its ease of use instead.

Dual Receive, two speakers, dedicated data port, works out of the box w/ Mobilinkd. 50W of power. The whole setup is pretty reasonable and easy to implement.

Though APRS w/ this thing costs nearly $500 bucks for my setup.

**edit**

I also took a long look at the FTM-100DR, and while it's great, having a second transmitter is pretty awesome for crossband repeat. I like the idea of having a lot of digital functions built into the radio, but honestly, I don't like the direction the big three are headed. Everything is based inside the radio when I have my mobile phone with me at all times. I want to see a solution that can give me the ability to directly access my radio through my phone for digital modes for full SDR capability. The interfaces of the FTM-100DR and even the Icom 5100A (which is lauded for its interface) is total 1990s technology.

I honestly think that with the capability that D*STAR and System Fusion, it makes a lot of sense to be developing this into an application on the phones.

Imagine if your phone hooked up to your mobile transceiver, paired to your Tacoma's Bluetooth system worked with VOX and allowed you to use digital voice to talk to people, use your phone's internal GPS receiver to transmit GPS location via DPRS and APRS, and send text messages and images leveraging the radio you already own.

I think that's pretty powerful and Icom and Yaesu are avoiding it like the plague because they won't have any new features to release except on the software side.

 

Is mobilinked about the cheapest compact and mobile TNC? Do they make anything smaller?

 

The digipeter in

I use the Argent Data Systems OpenTrackerUSB. It's only $45. No complaits so far, I looked at the Moblinkd when I wanted to buy a tracker but it wasn't as mature as it is now.

I'd probably go with the Moblinked now that APRSdroid is more mature. With bluetooth you'll be able to send text messages and use the entire functionality of APRS.

However the one downside to the Moblinked is that it does require a smart phone to work. The opentracker is a stand alone TNC and doesn't require a phone at all. My setup is totally "set it and forget it". I turn the truck on and APRS packets start broadcasting automatically.

https://www.argentdata.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=148

 

Technically mobilinkd is not a TNC. By definition, a terminal node controller has all the electronics, software, and interfaces required to make it work standalone. Instead the mobilinkd unit is an interconnect between your android and your radio.

this is the the cheapest reliable way of connecting your phone to a radio.

 

so do you need a external gps? It would be nice to have a system not dependent on a cell phone. I need it all mobile too since I will be using a handheld for now.

can this still be used with APRSdroid?

 

I think a better question to ask is, what features are you looking for?

Usually sane people tailor a solution to a problem they're trying to solve.

 

mobilinked has bluetooth ability correct? is this just wired? where can i get that

 

Yes it needs an external GPS puck. You can source your own as long as it uses the same NEMA version as the Opentracker or you can buy their all in one kit for $100 which is what I did.

No it cannot be used with APRSdroid.

 

Can you rephrase your question? I have no idea what you're trying to accomplish.

 

I've had success with a one way link from the phone to a boefeng with just a simple audio cable connecting the headphone jack on the phone to the mic input on the radio.
Of course, this is only useful for sending out your location.
I have yet to try it, but supposedly you can create a Frankenstein cable with both connectors on the radio side for two way communication but you have to add some resistors and a capacitor to make it work. Some guy sells tiny little circuit boards (3 for $1.70) to make it easier.

 

If you're serious into DIY, you can get this kit that he sells too.

I mean, I could dedicate the 30 minutes it would take to assemble the kit and another hour to encase the thing in epoxy, but put together, there's not much to think about and it all just works.

That said, APRSDroid is a little clunky. But then again, I can't say that any software for Windows or Mac is lightyears ahead.

If you're looking for a good user experience, goTenna might be a better choice. The power is really dismal though, 2w iirc.

 

Sorry. Im all new to this and learning as we speak. I was planning on getting a yaesu ft-270r and now that I looked into APRS I would like to use it. Most importantly I would like to use it to send text via SMSGTE where I have no cell coverage. Mostly for emergency or help. I feel like it could be a very useful aid if I was to get hurt or in trouble/stuck while hunting somewhere with no cell coverage. I could have location data ready for my family or emergency personal. As well as directly contact with family or friend for help.
After doing some research It seems I can accomplish everything I need by using APRSdroid and mobilinked. And all this can be carried with me, hunting or say going on a motorcycle ride. I can also do this without a phone, but I would need not only a TNC but also a gps, since my phone is acting as a gps using APRSdroid. Having no phone would be nice, especially since phone battery doesn't exactly last all that long.

I realize something like spot can probably do all this for me. But I have my ham license, and was planning on carrying the radio anyway. And I can use it for comms alone in a emergency.

 

So a couple of things here.

SMSGTE would only work if there's a repeater nearby that's connected to the internet. ARPS, while wide spread, might not catch everything especially if you're in a valley somewhere. Death Valley is pretty sh*tty for signal for any Ham. Missouri, if I'm not mistaken, is more flatland, so you should have better coverage over there. But again, if you find yourself in a place without an IGATE or cell phone reception, you're still basically f*****.

If you're looking for location awareness, SPOT already makes a great brainless solution for that that allows you to text back home. If you're looking for emergency coverage, you should simply get an iridium/cospos-sarsat based PLB and replace the CR123 battery every 5 years.

If you are in range of an ARPS IGATE, having to carry a phone seems to be extremely trivial especially since you can carry a solar panel and a usb battery to keep it charged. And also, you would only have your phone on when you want to transmit, so leave it in airplane mode, connect it to your radio every hour when you want to transmit and it'll last several days.

If you're looking for a standalone transmitter to transmit only your location, then byonics sells a solution that includes the radio, tnc, gps receiver, and a battery. It's a transmit only unit.

Again, you're looking for an all in one and an easy to use solution. ARPSDroid is not super intuitive, you should look into the paid services from SPOT instead if you're looking for something easy, slick, and usable.

 

It doesn't necessary have to be easily to use, and I get it SPOT makes what I need, but if we are talking about practicallity.... will ham radio isnt exact all that practically now a days. its more of a hobbie. I'm going to get into ham radio and it has a function with APRS to do what the spot does ....in a way....so I thought I would utilize it.

 

I just want to make sure you understand the limitations because honestly the expectations I have interpreted are difficult, at best, to realize. I mean it's totally cool to use it for fun, but I wouldn't depend on APRS if my life depended on it.

PLB beacons, making sure people know where I am before I leave a trip, and an HF radio makes the most sense. APRS is a cool digital mode, but only when it works.

 

The benefits of APRS can be more easily gained from other products like spot. There is a certain "nerd" factor in running a APRS rig in your truck and most HAMS are at least a little nerdy.

I like it because it's free to use and I have had several contacts from other HAMS on the road who saw my location head of them or whatever. My APRS beacons have a standard message saying "listening on 520".

 

520mhz??

 

146.520Mhz