Advertising Shuttle Retransmission Faclities on APRS
To Shuttle rebroadcasters:
Many people do not monitor your Shuttle Retransmission frequencey all the time, and so, may not remember that the Shuttle is in orbit. 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.
We need to get this info out to all volunteer rebroadcasters... This web page shows how to use just an old TNC and no special software to format the beacon so that it shows all the relevant information right there on the front panel of the mobile APRS radios:
http://www.aprs.org/On-Air-beacons.html
This technique also applies to all re-broadcasters of the Newsline, RAIN report, ARRL Audio file, and any other general info nets that need to be heard by all radio amateurs.
APRS is your universal real-time ham radio information channel. If you have info to share, beacon it on APRS live. Monitor APRS and see what is happening in your area.
Bob, WB4APR
I guess your idea must have some merit but I've never seen/known anybody to drive around monitoring APRS beacons.
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.
I do.
73, Eric Christensen, W4OTN AMSAT Area Coordinator - Southeastern Virginia USA AMSAT Member 35360 http://www.ericsatcom.net GPG Key Fingerprint: 4395 EF8D DDFF E681 26CB 7165 2F95 7CC9 D749 08ED
Nigel Gunn G8IFF/W8IFF wrote:
I guess your idea must have some merit but I've never seen/known anybody to drive around monitoring APRS beacons.
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.
Sent via [email protected]. Opinions expressed are those of the author. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
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.
Thanks Bob.
You're correct, I have only ever used it or seen it used for vehicle tracking and whilst I was vaguely aware that it could send messages, believed that the messages were too short to be of any use.
So, on to equipment. I've used an old handheld radio, tinytrack, laptop and GPS for vehicle tracking. I guess for base station/home use I can use any 2M FM radio, 1200BD TNC and PC with some, unknown to me software. Please advise on the software.
I've got an old spare GPS for mobile use but what current reasonably priced mobile radio (preferably dual band) would you suggest if I'm to buy a new one. I guess the ability to plug a laptop into the radio as well as the GPS would be a bonus for messaging.
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.
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 [email protected] 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 <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> <><><><><><>
Unfortunately, I fear you have been misled... APRS...[gives] full tactical situational awareness... Satellite's-in-view/frequencies/doppler...
Ah, I found the old web page on the APRSdata engine that puts out the local satellites-in-view to all mobile APRS radios in the area showing the satellite in view, updated every minute on the front panel of the radio: 1) Direction and distance to the bird 2) Downlink and uplink frequency 3) Current doppler for your location 4) Direction of movement in the sky
And if you have the D700 voice unit, the radio will speak OSCAR-X HIGH, or OSCAR-X LOW as it moves across the sky... So you don't even have to look at the display.
See the web page: http://www.ew.usna.edu/~bruninga/APRSdata.html
Only one person per region needs to run this, and it updates all mobiles for the surrounding hundred miles. You never have to do satellite tracking again, yet you will be alerted to any satellite in view while you are mobile.
This program is over 10 years old, and someone should update this for Windows... And with a slight change in format, the new D710 will automatically tune it. I cannot make the changes, since I lost the source code years ago.
Bob WB4APR
Bob,
Can the old Caller ID boxes still decode this as you used to have posted on one of your MANY webpages? I haven't had any luck relocating that page again. I don't have a need for a new Kenwood yet so that is the reason I am asking.
James W8ISS ===== On Mon, 2008-09-29 at 22:25 -0400, Robert Bruninga wrote:
Unfortunately, I fear you have been misled... APRS...[gives] full tactical situational awareness... Satellite's-in-view/frequencies/doppler...
Ah, I found the old web page on the APRSdata engine that puts out the local satellites-in-view to all mobile APRS radios in the area showing the satellite in view, updated every minute on the front panel of the radio:
- Direction and distance to the bird
- Downlink and uplink frequency
- Current doppler for your location
- Direction of movement in the sky
And if you have the D700 voice unit, the radio will speak OSCAR-X HIGH, or OSCAR-X LOW as it moves across the sky... So you don't even have to look at the display.
See the web page: http://www.ew.usna.edu/~bruninga/APRSdata.html
Only one person per region needs to run this, and it updates all mobiles for the surrounding hundred miles. You never have to do satellite tracking again, yet you will be alerted to any satellite in view while you are mobile.
This program is over 10 years old, and someone should update this for Windows... And with a slight change in format, the new D710 will automatically tune it. I cannot make the changes, since I lost the source code years ago.
Bob WB4APR
Sent via [email protected]. Opinions expressed are those of the author. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
Can the old Caller ID boxes still decode this as you used to have posted on one of your MANY webpages? I haven't had any luck relocating that page again.
Wow, I hardly remember that. I think they were 1200 baud straight ascii and not AX.25 packets. I cant find any such page either...
I don't have a need for a new Kenwood yet so that is the reason I am asking.
Any old TNC going back 20 years can be used to TX these announcements when your Retransmission is on the air. They can also be used to receive it if you are running any APRS software. But few people run full APRS mobile with a PC anymore, since the Kenwoods, Yaesu, and HAMHUD radios/devices make nice small displays...
Bob, WB4APR
===== On Mon, 2008-09-29 at 22:25 -0400, Bob wrote:
Unfortunately, I fear you have been misled... APRS...[gives] full tactical situational awareness... Satellite's-in-view/frequencies/doppler...
Ah, I found the old web page on the APRSdata engine that puts out the local satellites-in- view to all mobile APRS radios in the area showing the satellite in view, updated every minute on the front panel of the radio:
- Direction and distance to the bird
- Downlink and uplink frequency
- Current doppler for your location
- Direction of movement in the sky
And if you have the D700 voice unit, the radio will speak OSCAR-X HIGH, or OSCAR-X LOW as it moves across the sky... So you don't even have to look at the display.
See the web page:
http://www.ew.usna.edu/~bruninga/APRSdata.html
Only one person per region needs to run this, and it updates all mobiles for the surrounding hundred miles. You never have to do satellite tracking again, yet you will be alerted to any satellite in view while you are mobile.
This program is over 10 years old, and someone should update this for Windows... And with a slight change in format, the new Kenwood D710 will automatically tune it. I cannot make the changes, since I lost the source code years ago.
Bob WB4APR
At 08:11 PM 10/1/2008, Robert Bruninga wrote:
Can the old Caller ID boxes still decode this as you used to have posted on one of your MANY webpages? I haven't had any luck relocating that page again.
Wow, I hardly remember that. I think they were 1200 baud straight ascii and not AX.25 packets. I cant find any such page either...
...
Hi Bob and James,
Caller ID uses asynch so although the modem tones are the same, you cannot use a caller ID box to decode packet (which is synchronous.)
73, Tony AA2TX
participants (5)
-
Anthony Monteiro -
Eric Christensen -
James French -
Nigel Gunn G8IFF/W8IFF -
Robert Bruninga