You're correct, I have only ever used it or seen it used for vehicle tracking... I've got an old ... GPS ... but what current reasonably priced mobile radio (preferably dual band) would you suggest...
There are many ways: 1) The KWD D7 or Yaesu VX8R HT's have built in APRS and are dual band and great for handheld satellite communications.
2) The D700 and new D710 mobiles have larger displays and are 50W dual bands.
3) Or you can add an APRS display to any radio using either the HAMHUD or the RC-D710 Display unit (this is simply the D710 APRS control head (sold separately) so that it can be connected to any radio (all APRS functions and TNC are built into the head. See www.aprs.org/D710-HT.html which shows the display head connected to an old $88 HT.
4) Or you can always connect any old radio/tnc/PC combo, or these days, many programs can use sound card TNC's so no hardware other than a radio and PC are needed.
Once the kenwood radio integrated everything back in 1998, I have not used a mobile laptop since, but can still see all surrounding APRS activity... And information.
Good luck!
Robert Bruninga wrote:
I guess your idea must have some merit but I've never seen/known anybody to drive around monitoring APRS beacons.
Interesting... but that is what APRS was designed to do. To
be
an information exchange, distribution and display system for mobiles.
Unfortunately, I fear you have been missled into the
incorrect
view of APRS as a "vehicle tracking system" which has
nothing to
do with what it was designed for. APRS was around since the 1980's and GPS was only folded in in the 90's when they
became
cheap enough. But tracking GPS modiles is only a small side benefit of having full tactical situational awareness, Local Frequency recommendations, Satellite's-in-view/frequencys/doppler, global messaging by callsign and global email text messaging from the front
panel of
your APRS radio.
Its because of the proliferation of tracking devices that
has
misslead most casual observers into only seeing maps of vehicles. If that's all they see, they are not seeing the
local
info displays that the APRS radios present to the mobile operator.
Kenwood has been abismal in their full page ads, because
they
never show any of the local info displays! They only show a dual band radio, mention APRS and GPS in the text, and leave
the
missinterpretation up to the 98% of readers who have never experienced APRS...
Another local NET that should be advertised to mobiles is whenever an AMSAT net is in progress. Just send out the
beacon
and do not be surprised if your fishing brings in some
mobiles
from other frequenceis checking into the net...
Please see the web page on these misconceptions: www.aprs.org/APRS-tactical.html
Bob, WB4APR
Robert Bruninga wrote:
Therefore, a TNC should be connected to the Retransmitter that activates an APRS beacon on the local APRS channel whenever it is keyed. This APRS beacon will alert all mobiles on the front panel of their APRS radios in range that the retransmission is in progress.
-- <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> <><><><><><> Nigel A. Gunn. G8IFF W8IFF (was KC8NHF) 1865 El Camino Drive, Xenia, OH 45385-1115, USA 937 825 5032 e-mail nigel@ngunn.net www http://www.ngunn.net Member of ARRL, GQRP #11396, QRPARCI #11644, SOC #548, Flying Pig #385, Dayton ARA #2128, AMSAT-NA LM-1691, AMSAT-UK, MKARS, ALC <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> <><><><><><>