Official Colorado HAM and cheese thread

last time I took a test was in 1986.

 

Not really sure, @Lars would be a better person to ask. I figure if I got half right without even seeing a General practice test/ question before it won't take much for me to pass, and while the Tech stuff is till in my brain (who am I kidding, it's already gone) I'd try testing for it again with some studying.

but who knows, I don't think we'll be using anything but 2m for offroad... but I'd like to have access to those bands just in case. I'm a preper at heart and so having access to those frequencies really is enticing.

 

there ya go. thanks @Lars really gonna pick your brain at Rock Therapy about the Ham world. I'm an auditory/tactile learner so reading it does me little good. hence the audio books lol

 

There are four major types of APRS stations.

1. Beacons - these transmit telemetry data from the station. (Lat/Lon, Altitude, Heading, speed, and maybe a message)
2. APRS Receiver - This receives transmissions from Beacons, and plots the telemetry data, with a callsign on a map for you.
3. APRS DigiRepeater - These receive Beacon transmissions, and then re-transmit them from a "likely" much taller antenna, and at "likely" much higher transmitter power thus increasing the range of APRS Beacons.
4. APRS iGates - These receive Beacon transmissions, and insert the data into the APRS-IS (Internet Service) -- This is what feeds the data presented on http://aprs.fi

It's possible for one station to be any combination of the above four types. A transceiver with a two way cable to an Android tablet running APRS Droid, will usually be at least a Beacon, and Receiver. If that tablet also has internet service it can also function as an iGate.

I run a dedicated APRS Beacon in my truck (a Byonics MicroTrak-RTG).
I have also run an APRS iGate at home using some software on a laptop, and a $9 RTL-SDR usb receiver.

APRS requires the following bits.

1. A Transmitter/Receiver (depending on which type of station you're building) -- This is typically 2m FM, but could be any VHF/UHF band.
2. A TNC (think dialup modem, but special) to encode/decode APRS to/from NEMA data (NEMA is what GPSs output)
   1. APRS Droid does this,
   2. Byonics Builds several versions.
3. A Ham Radio License - Because transmitting on the bands requires a license. You could build a receiver without a license and that's perfectly legal.
4. A GPS - this is only important if you're building a Beacon station.
   1. APRS Droid does this,
   2. Any RS-232 (Serial) GPS that outputs NEMA or NEMA2 format data.

 

I imagine I'll have quite a bit of time each evening the week before Rock Therapy as well. If any of y'all want to do dinner one night just let me know

 

Thats what I was able to do when I first tested it at my apartment. It pushed out my location just using the 3.5mm cable between the radio and tablet. Although wifi was probably on when that happened.

When I hooked it up in the truck yesterday, I started it here before leaving, and it would plot the location on the map but wouldn't send it out. It looked fine and was tracking on my end on the tablet, but it never pushed out. So I am not sure if there are just no towers in the area to do it without wifi? I ran it from 6th/I-70 up to pickle gulch and to the middle of Yankee Hill but then realized that it rendered the radio inoperable to talk to others. It still was mapping on my end, but nothing ever showed up on aprs.fi map.

I am also running the extended antenna on the baofeng, so maybe a magnetic antenna would help some? And/or the CB antenna was also up so maybe that interfered, but I didnt have that on for the first 4 or 5 plotted points.

 

what days are you going to be in Denver? I'm leaving the 26th after work for Moab. I have to come back to Denver on the 30th to work a 12hr shift, then I'll be back in Moab. I have a sinking suspicion that they're going to call me on the 29th and say... don't worry about coming in tomorrow... but I can't plan on it.

 

So does anyone have a setup that will send and receive the location data to a tablet/phone running APRSDroid with a baofeng or is it all "this should work" at this point?

I have the headset that came with the Baofeng that has the two prong side of this plug, as well as a few 3.5mm plugs that I could scavenge to build the wire... like this one, or just order this.
https://store.mobilinkd.com/products/kenwood-wouxun-baofeng-tnc-cable

But I want to make sure that'll actually work before donating more money for another cable that doesn't do it.

 

I think @odomandr has a setup that works. that's how I was gonna set mine up.

 

Gotcha, just saw his post where he said thats what he used. Thought @odomandr was running an actual unit, not a handheld?

 

he runs both. think the HT is just for APRS (and out of the vehicle stuff) then he's got a Kenwood for communication.

 

Gotcha, I just want to make sure the handheld still works as a radio if I grab this cable, or if it makes it aprs only, and doesnt work for talking while connected to aprs.

Since as soon as I unplugged the cable on mine and turned the vox off (video said to set it to 10) i could hear and talk to people again.

 

Ok, so APRS only works on the APRS frequency of 144.390?

I connected everything back right now, tried to send out a single shot while the tablet had location on, wifi off, VOX on 10 and on a different frequency. It posted the point on the tablet map, but nothing on aprs.fi

Turned wifi on with same other settings, same result.

Turned it to 144.390, vox 10, location on, wifi on/off and it'll push the location out to aprs.fi

So to talk to others on another frequency do I have to have two radios or is there a way to set the 144.390 to do its aprs stuff while I am using the radio on another frequency.

 

I believe that is why people get dual band, I am guessing a second radio.

 

so it can work as both... just not at the same time. that's why several people were talking about grabbing a few of these and setting them as APRS to loan out or whatever. I'll use the Baofeng for APRS only if I get the Yaesu 2900 like I plan (doubt I'll get it before Moab) for communication

 

you have to have two radios, or a dual band I believe. don't know for sure.

 

19/35.

 

Yeah, you're not going to be able to use the baofeng for anything else as you've plugged something into the mic input although you can listen to your second tuned frequency.
I haven't been able to hit an aprs repeater with the stock antenna. The only way I was able to do it was through the mag mount on my truck.
Looking at the aprs.fi map, it didn't seem like there was terrific aprs coverage in Colorado so that's why I'm reluctant to shell out for any additional equipment to make it work beyond what I already have.

 

Practice test?

 

yeah. The sight won't even let me create an account. Says my e-mail is already in use. I guarantee this is the first time I've even been to a HAM sight.