VX-8r APRS + garmin

[VA3xxx]

Hi Folks,
first of all: passed the exam, still waiting for the callsign thus my nick here.

APRS without Mapping sucks, after all.

I have a Garmin GPS, and an opentracker. Now i know ho to hook up the opentracker to the VX-8, and use the OT as a TNC.

But, i'd really love to hook up the Garmin to the VX directly. I personally doubt the TNC sits in the MIC, the VX-GPS works with the strange GPS-Adapter as well. Also, almost all of the cheap GPS chipsets just issue standard NMEA on their interface. Thirdly, how would the HT communicate all the special settings and messages etc. to the GPS-Unit, if it were to commnicate via modulated audio? I think it's a marketing quip to make us buy their stuff.

So, what really was needed is a pinout of the 7-pin-mic plug. And maybe some adventurous ham to disseminate the pinout of the GPS unit. I don't have the means here, and i don't own a yaesu GPS unit for obvious reasons.

So, who's got the pinout? Please post!

cheers

Thomas

 

[Hutch]

Yes it is a marketing ploy, it's called making money to pay for the deveolpement, further develop and employ people. Everybody wants something for nothing, except when it's what they are selling.

 

[C2]

You can probably easily figure out the NMEA from the Yahoo GPS unit to the VX-8R and swap in the Garmin,

BUT

you might find out that position data is not sent back out of the VX-8R, so you still only get 1/2 of the AP(osition)RS.

So you might as well just attach the Yahoo GPS and use your garmin for navigation. It will not display other's positions.

The same sort of deal likely exists with the BlueTooth module. It probably just ties into the auido section, so you will never be able to use it for wireless radio control/programming.

Look at it as the first evolution in the next generation HTs.

 

[ShitePoke]

Yaesu sucks everyone in with this HT, first the battery sux, then you can't use the 10 lat/lon memory UNLESS a GPS is attached...

No program cable?

Soon, you have a $700 HT, I AM NOT KIDDING!

(I have a $500 one so far with the GPS and extended battery, LOL)

OK, for "the Mother of all HT's" It ain't worth it. For $500 we should have a camera-phone like device with a better and color screen. Hell, Yaesu, charge us $500 up front, include a real battery and the damn GPS. Let people add speaker mics and bluetooth and other crap like a real duckie-load.

APRS on 2m is useful, but on 440, pic messages with GPS coords would be freakin awesome. Imagine APRS.FI on SEROIDS. And message store/forward would put the icing on the cake.

Ham technology has always been at the forefront, until shortly after hams invented the cell phone network. Now 8 year olds are sending GPS-tagged video over iPhones without a ticket...



Now that rant is over,

The Yaesu GPS is really small, unobtrusive and pretty darn accurate. Mi Mio can't even see a single satellite indoors, my VX-8 picks up 6...

For under $100, you get more...

BTW, I am really having fun with this toy!

 

[VA3xxx]

So, quick update:

- the TNC is built into the radio, everybody talking other is talking bollocks. You can do APRS without the GPS unit. Updating position manually, AND NOT BEING ALLOWED TO USE THE POS MEOMRIES SUCKS. EXTREMELY.

- CT-M 11 cable will fit the magic plug

- the software ist still buggy, lots of inconsistencies in usage patterns, radio won't turn off sometimes, weird behaviours sometimes

- why on earth can't you delete a memory? are you serious? really?

- APRS Path: to delete, set each digit to empty FROM LAST TO FIRST! Took a while to figure that one out...

- why the heck can't you type in settings numbers as on every other yaesu radio? This makes setting things so awkward, and some settings you just know the number

- The fact that the two up/down buttons are always doing the same as the rotating dial is just silly. Why put them keys in in the first place, we don't need redundancy here. Better: use the keysfor freq./channel and the dial for vol. Press the vol. key, switch it round for both dial and keys.

- why is the GPS inout NOT NMEA compatible, although the official brochure claims so?

- why can't you tie the mic-in to the secondary band, so you have a handheld 1stband for phone and decent APRS + GPS-Mapping via external Tracker on Band 2? This is a request for a function to make up for the GPS drama.

- yaesu won't give me the documentation for the gps port - so please hams whip out your oscilloscope/protocol analyzers and do what hams are supposed to do.

- how to set the ARS upper/lower frequencies for other regions?

I like the Radio, it's great. It's just these few things that need to be fixed to be such a good radio that i personally would tell people to switch to this. I do honesly think, that the GPS-add-on has its market, but so does the link to mapping devices. By embracing this, yaesu might even sell more units rather than pushing people off to other brands (who have implemented an appropriate interface long time ago) Yaesu need to step up to the plate here.

Imagine the combination for emerg/sar use: a rugged mobile with ARTS and a rugged waterproof mapping gps on every helper! Yet, it's just not possible...
So, until proven otherwise: everybody wanting to do APRS+Mapping should consider buying another radio.

 

[VA3xxx]

Hutch:
On buying another radio / raking in the money for development:

I do honestly think, that people will spend lots of money on a good product! SO, if the integration is done well, and one can set up that connection with ease, i think people will likely spend some extra dollars to have the stuff in one good-looking weatherproof hasslefree package.

But, if i have to whip out my soldering iron, build another piece of hardware, put that in between, have headache on waterproofing that etc. - not even talking about having to buy the stuff, i'd rather buy and carry 2 cheap HTs. Heck, You could even put an opentracker SMT into a small cheap 2m HT.

So, how's that contribute to the development costs?

Also, if you look at the pricing, i think the GPS offered by yaseu is too cheap to rake these GPS costs in - that objective is factored into the VX-8 price.

Did i mention the Brochure?
http://www.yaesu.com/downloadFile.c... Brochure.pdf&FileContentType=application/pdf
Look at Page 4, the small Box on the FGPS-2 clearly says "Output-Format: NMEA-0183".
I don't know how i should feel about that...

 

[VA3xxx]

Further investigations using google translation show, that some japanese hams have got a japanese GPS unit running;

Google Translate

I now can connect and send something in with 9600 baud, but i guess the 3.3.V TTL with mosfet interface i have is still kind of crappy, so all i get is gobbled. Sadly, though - the Garmins actually adhere to NMEA and spew 4800 baud...

And, i guess, the HT doesn't output $GPWPL...