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VK7AX > APRS 31.12.07 00:18l 219 Lines 8324 Bytes #999 (0) @ VKNET
BID : VK7AX-2312MN
Read: GUEST
Subj: [APRS] Digest Number 1441
Path: IZ3LSV<IW2OAZ<F4BWT<I0TVL<HG8LXL<VE2PKT<ZL2BAU<VK7NW
Sent: 071223/0116Z @:VK7NW.#ULV.TAS.AUS.OC #:33456 [NWTARIG] FBB7.00g $:VK7AX-2
From: VK7AX@VK7NW.#ULV.TAS.AUS.OC
To : APRS@VKNET
There are 4 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1a. Re: Looking at getting started
From: Andy Vuong
1b. Re: Looking at getting started
From: Scott Miller
1c. Re: Looking at getting started
From: Greg Clark
1d. Re: Looking at getting started
From: Rahn Abbott
Messages
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1a. Re: Looking at getting started
Posted by: "Andy Vuong" mvuong1@yahoo.com mvuong1
Date: Fri Dec 21, 2007 1:35 pm ((PST))
Hi,
I'm a newbie to APRS as well. You said that you had multiple
trackers running for different vehicle. Can you tell me how you
differentiate between them? Do you have multiple call signs? or did
you use the comment field?
Thanks.
--- In APRS@yahoogroups.com, "Curt, WE7U" <archer@...> wrote:
> >
> > On Mon, 17 Dec 2007, Gordon Arnold wrote:
> >
>> > > #2 What do you want to do with APRS? My car has an Opentracker (
>> > > http://n1vg.net/opentracker) transmit-only device that takes
position
>> > > information from an attached GPS, formats it as an APRS packet,
and squirts
>> > > it out to the network through the aforementioned V7A. My wife's
car on the
>> > > other hand has a Kenwood TM-D700A which shows distance and
bearing to
>> > > received stations on the display, and my base has a Kantronics
TNC that
>> > > receives APRS packets and plots station locations on a map.
Messages in this topic (8)
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1b. Re: Looking at getting started
Posted by: "Scott Miller" scott@opentrac.org n1vg
Date: Fri Dec 21, 2007 1:41 pm ((PST))
You use a secondary station identifier (SSID) - that's the part after
the dash in the callsign. For example, I use N1VG-6 for my car, N1VG-2
for my weather station, N1VG-11 for a high-altitude balloon, and N1VG-1
for my home station.
The SSID was built into the AX.25 protocol. It's only a 4-bit field, so
valid values are 0 (which is the default and usually isn't displayed) to 15.
Scott
N1VG
Andy Vuong wrote:
> >
> >
> > Hi,
> > I'm a newbie to APRS as well. You said that you had multiple
> > trackers running for different vehicle. Can you tell me how you
> > differentiate between them? Do you have multiple call signs? or did
> > you use the comment field?
> >
> > Thanks.
> >
> > --- In APRS@yahoogroups.com <mailto:APRS%40yahoogroups.com>, "Curt,
> > WE7U" <archer@...> wrote:
> > >
> > > On Mon, 17 Dec 2007, Gordon Arnold wrote:
> > >
> > > > #2 What do you want to do with APRS? My car has an Opentracker (
> > > > http://n1vg.net/opentracker <http://n1vg.net/opentracker>)
> > transmit-only device that takes
> > position
> > > > information from an attached GPS, formats it as an APRS packet,
> > and squirts
> > > > it out to the network through the aforementioned V7A. My wife's
> > car on the
> > > > other hand has a Kenwood TM-D700A which shows distance and
> > bearing to
> > > > received stations on the display, and my base has a Kantronics
> > TNC that
> > > > receives APRS packets and plots station locations on a map.
> >
> >
Messages in this topic (8)
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1c. Re: Looking at getting started
Posted by: "Greg Clark" k7rkt@bigredbee.com k7rkt
Date: Fri Dec 21, 2007 1:45 pm ((PST))
You can use the SSID field to differentiate between multiple
transmitters using the same callsign.
Greg K7RKT
On Dec 21, 2007 1:34 PM, Andy Vuong <mvuong1@yahoo.com> wrote:
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Hi,
> > I'm a newbie to APRS as well. You said that you had multiple
> > trackers running for different vehicle. Can you tell me how you
> > differentiate between them? Do you have multiple call signs? or did
> > you use the comment field?
> >
> > Thanks.
Messages in this topic (8)
________________________________________________________________________
1d. Re: Looking at getting started
Posted by: "Rahn Abbott" whiskey7doa@gmail.com lomfs24
Date: Fri Dec 21, 2007 11:27 pm ((PST))
I am fairly new to this whole APRS thing but I am learning quickly too.
Here's a question that will make a huge difference in your setup. Do you
just want to track yourself? ie. your wife can look at a website and see
where you are. Or do you want to be able to track other stations as well?
Here's the basics of how it works. And when I say basics, there is a lot
more going on but it will give you an idea. Someone sends out an APRS
packet. It goes either directly to an I-gate or it goes to a digi-peater
that makes it to an I-gate and the packet eventually gets routed to the
internet where you can look up the call sign at www.findu.com
Now if you were to listen to that packet on the air it would sound like a
combination of static and that high-pitched screeching sound your dial-up
modem used to make. So your radio receives that horrible sound and passes it
to your audio output. If it just goes to the speakers it sounds horrible.
However, you could use your external speaker jack and route that horrible
noise to a TNC. The TNC makes sense of the horrible noise and turns it into
characters that are then output to a computer and eventually a computer
screen with the aid of a program like UI-View. I am not sure of the 8900 but
I have an older 8500 and the data jack is not a built in TNC like the
Kenwood TM-D700A but rather it is a high quality audio output that still
needs a TNC to make sense of the noise.
Then if you want to send out a data packet the exact opposite of that
happens. A GPS supplies the TNC with positioning data. The TNC takes that
data and appends some other data on it like routing information and your
call sign etc... turns it into a horrible sound and sends it to your radio
to transmit. In theory, you should be able to use your handheld by having
the TNC connected to the same jack you would normally put a headset in. The
headset jack(s) would send and receive audio from the TNC just the same as
if it has speakers and a mic on a headset. The data jack on the mobile radio
would also have the same audio input and output. Consult your manual for
which pins do what.
If you leave the stock antenna on the handheld you will have limited range
in both send and receive capabilities. If you use a better antenna, for
instance the same antenna you would use on a car with an adapter to make it
fit the handheld, you will probably not notice much difference between the
two as far as receive goes, You make still notice a bit of a lack in the
sending department. However, on my mobile I am only running 5 watts on APRS
and am hitting an I-gate close to 40 miles away. So you will probably do
just fine with the handheld.
I think that addresses most of the questions, and I am sure you will have
more. And I am sure there are people here more qualified than I who will
jump in and correct me. But hey, that's how the life works.
Rahn
W7DOA
73
P.S. I downloaded the manual for the VX-170 and on page 11 of your user
manual it has the set up for making a TNC connection to the handheld radio.
On Dec 17, 2007 12:46 PM, joejulie1 <joeyjulie@rogers.com> wrote:
> > Well, let me see if I can answer your questions......
> >
> > There is a data jack in the back of the radio (ft8900) and the manual
> > for the VX170 says it will interface with a packet TNC. I have the
> > cable for the FT8900 as I use it to load frequencies in from my laptop.
> >
> > I would rather use the VX170 if I can, but if there is only a minor
> > interruption when the packet it sent then I could likely use the
> > FT8900 (How often is the packet sent)?
> >
> > I guess I'm so green at this that I'm not sure what I want. I would
> > like to see the most data possible. I have a Garmin 60CSx gps so I'm
> > hoping that I could use that to send the gps data. All of which in my
> > vehicle. Would be nice for it to be displayed on a web site
> > somewhere. I know that's possible, but not sure on the set up.
> >
> > Also, what am I looking at for costs (I'm in Canada if that helps).
> >
> > 73
> >
> > Joe
Messages in this topic (8)
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