FJ Cruisers of Northern California

APRS

So I've have started to get heavy into APRS (Automatic Packet Reporting System) after a lull of about 12 years I started to get intrigued by this particular mode of operation again as equipment costs have come down and the fact people are using google maps now to do tracking online in real time.

APRS at a high level can provide real time information such a messaging, bulletins, position tracking, weather information. It integrates the Global Positioning System(GPS) with packet radio which allows for real time tracking. Sure your saying my smart phone can do all this and in most cases your correct, but your cell phone would not be doing this if it wasn't for APRS and packet radio which lead the way to this. Look at it this way in a disaster which network is going to work HAM radio or the cellphone / PSTN networks.

One of the uses of APRS that really intrigues me is incorporating it on trail runs. How cool would it be to have a number of Rigs outfitted with a APRS transmitter and we could see where people are in real time. It would make it easier for the lead rig and the tail-gunner to keep an eye on each other, or see is someone made a wrong turn. If someone breaks down it would show right where they are at so it would be easier to dispatch help to them. When convoying to a trail run you could see where people are on the highway on the way to or from event. This is just scratching the surface of what can be done.

APRS has a fairly low cost barrier. Almost any 2 meter radio can be used. So a older handheld or mobile radio can be picked up used for sometime under 100 bucks. A TNC (Terminal Node Controller) can be picked up for build yourself for 33 bucks like the TinyTrak 3 from Byonics, and most of us already own GPS unites that can output NMEA-183 if not you can get GPS pucks from about 60 bucks.

Or you can get radios that are specifically built this purpose but it can come at a premium cost but you just add GPS and you good to go. Only Yaesu makes a specific GPS module for their radios all the others you need to add your own.

Mobile APRS ready radios

Kenwood TM-700D
Kenwood TM-710D
Yeasu FT-350 (GPS module optional)
Alinco DR-135

Handheld APRS ready radios

Yeasu VX-8r (GPS module optional)
Yeasu VX-8DR (GPS module optional)
Yeasu VX-8GR (GPS module Installed)
Kenwood TH-D7 (there are a few different variations)
Kenwood TH-D72(future)

APRS Trackers - Require a radio and GPS

Byonics TinyTrak 3
Byonics TinyTrak 4 (I'm currently testing this one)
Argent Data Systems - OpenTracker+
Argent Data Systems - Tracker 2

APRS Trackers Radio intergraded just add GPS.

Byonics - MicroTrak RTG
Byonics - MicroTrak AIO GPS is embeded (As easy as it gets)

This list is nowhere near complete just the top models I've researched thus far.

Cables-

Now here is where it gets interesting and potentially expensive. It's very easy to build cables as well as to buy them. Building cables just takes a little understanding of reading the schematics how your going to connect to your radio. Are you using a dedicated data port or do you need to connect into your mic jack and external speaker?

Yeasu for example sells a mini DIN 6 cable with one connector and loose pig tails (CT-39) for around 12 bucks or you can pick up a male to male mini DIN 6pin extension cable at most electronics stores for about 5 bucks and cut it in half and have 2 cables. You can easily tone the cable. Use a continuity meter and test the continuity from pin to pigtale wire. When looking at the connector. make sure the plastic key inside is up. Going clockwise you have pins 6,4,2,1,3,5

The other key to making cables a good soldering iron with a clean pencil tip.

Software-

Most of the software is Windows based, but cheap Windows laptops are easy to come by these days.

The one piece of software I'm looking into is Overland Navagator by Spatical Minds. Craig the developer is a Overlander based in the Northwest and also a HAM operator has been developing this intreguing piece of software. He has added in some basic APRS functions to his 2.0 version and I really hope he continues to add additional features such as APRS messaging in the future.

I will be adding more to this post about operations at a later date.

But if you want to see it work now APRS.fi or openaprs.net are great places to see the realtime use in Northern California and the world. You can find me at KD6WJX-7 (my VX-8r) and KD6WJX-9 ( my FJ)

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by manoweb on September 29, 2010 at 12:06pm

When I go hiking in remote areas I use my TH-D7 to send out the position so people at home can see how well I am doing on aprs.fi. One important note, generally APRS works where there is no phone coverage (the majority of our runs?)

I want to say that the APRS network is great in California.

Permalink Reply by opg4759 on September 29, 2010 at 12:17pm

Yeah the APRS network here is amazing. You really have to try to not hit a digital node. I'm looking at using it instead of buying a SPOT device.

I'm currently working on setting up a APRS to Twitter client.

Permalink Reply by potatomutato on September 30, 2010 at 12:33pm

i followed another FJer's APRS track from Texas to Moab and it was pretty sweet. this also gives me an idea that i need to simmer.

Permalink Reply by opg4759 on September 30, 2010 at 12:35pm

You can check out the setup I have tomorrow.

Permalink Reply by techie on October 1, 2010 at 6:34pm

Don't forget the Byonics MicroTrak, which has an integrated transmitter.. just add a GPS and antenna..

Permalink Reply by gringo on October 2, 2010 at 8:31pm

I have a Yaesu FT-7900R working flawlessly, running Craig's Overland Navigator (love it) on a tablet pc and I recently got my hands on an argent tracker II

I've been trying to configure the tracker for the last several weeks and haven't had much luck

I have the tracker talking to my tablet pc and can configure the firmware, Overland Navagator accepts the NMEA port where tracker is running, so all of that seems fine.

My problem seems to be in the FT-7900R data port/ ct-39 pig tail cable connection to aprs, the tracker has a D-sub connector for the radio

I run the ct-39 (6pin) cable from radio to tracker:d-sub connector, since the ct-39 cable is pig tailed out, going into the aprs tracker, I can't seem to get the correct wire configuration working

I've spent hours on end searching the net/forums/groups looking for someone with a blueprint who has set up this hardware combo, haven't found one good definitve source yet, some say the ct-39 cable wires may have incorrect color coding on the package and on and on

http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/fm_txvrs/CT390890.html

I've read the manual 3-4 times
http://www.argentdata.com/support/tracker2_manual.pdf

I've tried mutiple wire pin combinations that were suggested by some other hams on forums, I've played with several configs in the tracker firmware using path WIDE1-1, 2-1 on 144.39 MHz

I thought maybe if I learn and config UI-View, I can get some additional packet testing tools to help me further troubleshoot the connectivety or configuration setup

I'm not even sure which pin connections I need to use from the ct39 radio cable into the d-sub aprs device

data input (tx audio)
data ground
ptt
rx data (9600 bps)
rx data (1200 bps)
squelch status

I'll keep at it unless someone knows something that I am overlooking or missing

Permalink Reply by opg4759 on October 2, 2010 at 9:27pm

the initial configuration can be a bit of a challenge. I'm running a FT-7800 so the data port confiuration is the same what I ended up doing is buying a male to male 6pin min din cable and cutting it in half and then toning out all the cables.

Permalink Reply by gringo on October 3, 2010 at 6:24am

thanks, I won't ever give up :-) just hate screwing with pig tails/connections/soldering on d-sub when I have to do it in the truck (vs. a desk) unless I pulled the radio out of the truck which I ain't gonna do

I just have to match up the correct pins from the ct-39 data packet cable (pig tail) to the d-sub connector on the tracker

Permalink Reply by opg4759 on October 4, 2010 at 10:42am

this should work I looked at the documentation for the Tracker2
It also looks to be the same as the m96c by Byonics which is the schematic(see below) I used to build my cable.

You can easily tone the cable. Use a continuity meter and test the continuity from pin to pigtale wire. When looking at the connector. make sure the plastic key inside is up. Going clockwise you have pins 6,4,2,1,3,5

Yeasu CT-39 to Tracker DB-9

Yeasu Pin 1(brown) to DB9 Pin 1
Yeasu Pin 2(red) to DB9 Pin 6
Yeasu Pin 3(Orange) to DB9 Pin 3
Yeasu Pin 4(Yellow)to DB9 Pin 5
Yeasu Pin 5(Green) to not used
Yeasu Pin 6(Blue)to DB9 Pin 2

If it's not working you can use CT-39 pin 5 instead of Pin 4

Separate cable
12vdc DB9 Pin 7
ground DB9 Pin 6

Permalink Reply by gringo on October 5, 2010 at 9:54am

thanks very much opg4759 for digging up that info, sometime this week or this weekend, when I get the time, I will give that a try and let you know the results, it looks much more straight forward than the schematics I've looked at before.

Permalink Reply by opg4759 on October 17, 2010 at 3:57pm

did you ever get your APRS setup going gringo?

Permalink Reply by Sonof40 on October 17, 2010 at 4:22pm