APRS, ok, now what?

[Happy_Hamer]

I mean really?

What is the purpose, what is it doing for me?

Using the D710 with a GPS and now everyone can see me on a map.

I have UIVIEW installed and running, and I see people using APRS.

So now what?

Can someone justify the added expense?

It sure makes the D710 or VX-8R Price itself up $$$$$$$$

 

[W5LZ]

'H.H.',
I can't justify 'playing' with radios to most people, much less justifying a particular aspect of that 'playing with radios'. I can say that I enjoy the talking with people part of it, but not necessarily the doing it with a radio. Especially one that costs so much more than something like a cell phone, for instance. I think it has a lot to do with a person's "frame of reference", their experience, likes/dislikes, abilities, their willingness to try something 'new', and who knows what else. Just because I like it? I think it's a 'neat' idea, and wanted to see if I could do it, and what it was like? That just doesn't 'cut' it for some people. But then, 'they' think I'm crazy anyway. 'Ho-hum', so what?

But then there's another side of it. I happen to be part of a group that does some things that makes knowing their exact (almost exact) position sort of important. APRS is very handy for that. And since it's just a form of packet radio, and you really can 'talk' to people with that, it also means it can be used for trading other information while doing that position telling thingy. This 'group' isn't just a bunch of local people, it also has connections with other similar groups on a much larger than 'local' area. Starting to sound very 'mysterious', one'a them 'black' operation kind'a thingys? (I hope so! I'm doing my best to make it sound that way. ) I think we both know that isn't exactly what it seems like, right? That group I happen to be associated with is the 'bottom rung' of the weather news you see/hear on TV/radio. Where do you think they get all that information, anyway? (Such a 'let down', right?)

Tracking with APRS comes in handy for a lot of things, use your imagination! Not necessarily just with an expensive radio and computer, there are other ways of doing it that aren't quite so expensive, sort of. Ain't 'free', but much less than thousands of dollars per 'trackee'/tracker. "Hey, where's the nearest toilet to where I am?"... "Where are you?"... "Uh, I ain't exactly sure."... "Well, tell me when you're sure, and I'll tell you."... "Uh-oh, never mind.", ever been in one'a them situations?? Substitute anything you can think of for that "toilet", same sort of thingy. Don't wanna be tracked? Okay, turn it off, and you're 'gone'.

Then again, how do you justify your playing with CB radio? ... ANY radio?
- 'Doc

 

[Moleculo]

Free text messaging? Try sending me an email from your radio using one of the APRS to mail interfaces. I haven't tried that one yet.

 

[rfoverlord]

I mean really?

What is the purpose, what is it doing for me?

Using the D710 with a GPS and now everyone can see me on a map.

I have UIVIEW installed and running, and I see people using APRS.

So now what?

Can someone justify the added expense?

It sure makes the D710 or VX-8R Price itself up $$$$$$$$

HH, well i ask myself the same thing. but now that the XYL got her ticket and iv'e shown her how to use findu she knows when to fire up the grill when i leave work and when to add the ice to my glass so it's ready when i get home. Iv'e been using it for hunting spots up north and since i hunt alone quite a bit up inda nord country she can keep track of the truck as i hop around around from stand to stand or different woods through out the day. And yes basic messaging does work for field updates from other hams out in da bush.

 

[Happy_Hamer]

Free text messaging? Try sending me an email from your radio using one of the APRS to mail interfaces. I haven't tried that one yet.

Said APRS radios have been sold, could not figure out what else to do with APRS

 

[ShitePoke]

APRS needs more organization and support...

APRS needs:

2m/440 links in urban areas to reduce traffic on 144.39 and provide more bandwith
440 picture messaging (weather radar anyone?)
message store/forward
real radio firmware to make things like email and text entry easy (the VX-8 really does not help, you have to type email address every time)
Automatic beacon status text pointers (like if your dual-band is on band A on * frequency so other APRS users can call you)
Localized weather reports and alerts (sort of already does this?)
Winlink link!

APRS works for:
basic text messaging, but both radios need to be in range of each other or a Digi/IGate
Local WX (although trend graphs and rudimentary radar/sat images would be way cool)
basic email (in range of iGate only)
tracking (see Digi/Igate limitation)

LET'S GET WITH THE TIMES!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Cajun Invader]

HH, well i ask myself the same thing. but now that the XYL got her ticket and iv'e shown her how to use findu she knows when to fire up the grill when i leave work and when to add the ice to my glass so it's ready when i get home. Iv'e been using it for hunting spots up north and since i hunt alone quite a bit up inda nord country she can keep track of the truck as i hop around around from stand to stand or different woods through out the day. And yes basic messaging does work for field updates from other hams out in da bush.

With all that said I'm interested in getting set up with it now.

 

[W5LZ]

Cajun Invader,
There's more than one way of going about it. It depends a lot on what equipment you already have or are willing to get.
There are two basic ways of going about this APRS. One way is by having a radio that's capable of doing all of the required stuff because it's built-in. Or, having a few separate pieces of equipment that does what's required and hooking it up to a radio. The first way is nice, typically compact, has a 'learning curve' to understand how to set up, and is usually expensive. The second way is not quite as compact, has it's own set up individual problems to 'cure', is usually less expensive, and is still nice. (That 'learning curve' is there no matter how you decide to go about it. When you're at the bottom of that 'curve' is seems impossible. When you get at least part way up that 'curve', it turns into a no big deal thingy (sort of). The first few steps are a pure 'beach'.)
What do you really need?
A radio that you can get signals from and feed information back to.
A means of doing that information exchange, a TNC. (or one built in)
A means of converting that information to something that makes sense, the built for it kind of doohicky, or a computer.
A GPS that you can get information from to feed to that doohicky or a computer.
If you don't have one of the 'built to do that' dookickies, a couple of computer programs.

For instance, this is how I do it. It certainly is not -THE- best, or only way of doing it, and it isn't all free, but it just happens to be what I happened to have (or convinced myself I just had to have [excuse to get what I wanted]).

In the house I use this computer, a TNC program that uses the soundcard, a couple of cables to connect the computer to the radio (or scanner). I don't use a GPS, the house doesn't move and I know what the GPS coordinates are so just fed them to the display program to tell it where I am. Since this computer has an internet connection, I could do away with the radio and still get a reasonable display. The 'catch' to the internet thingy is that it is NOT 'real time'. There's always a delay depending on how busy the internet and APRS sites are. Sometimes a really long delay.
In the truck, I have two ways of going about it. Using a laptop and the same programs used on the house computer, a scanner, plus a GPS and a separate transmitter for APRS, gives me a way of showing the truck's position. If I just want to, I can connect the radio in the truck and do it that way. I'd rather use the scanner and that APRS transmitter so I don't tie up the radio. I've tried it both ways, I like the separate transmitter way best, and it does the same as with the radio. Of course that requires an antenna for the scanner and transmitter, but an extra antenna or two doesn't bother me. If that extra antenna bothers you, use the radio instead of what I'm doing.

There's always a 'catch' no matter how much you want to do something. The big 'catch' with doing all this is the mapping program required for displaying all this stuff on a computer. Depending on how good'a scrounger you are, it doesn't have to be real expensive. If you want things to work RIGHT NOW, get ready to spend about $50 for a good mapping program (I thought it was worth the price. But then, I thought a new laptop would be nice too! Sometimes I ain't real frugal, you know?).

There are a few programs that do the displaying thingy and that have a few other features you might find interesting. About the 'simplest' is called "UI-View". It's an older program, is not current, but has a number of 'patches' people have made for it to keep it sort of up to date. I learned on it so I like it. It does what I want it to do and that's all I'm really interested in. I would suggest 'googling' APRS and seeing what's available. You may find something that just really 'grabs' you.
In fact, that's probably the best thing you can do about APRS in general. See what's around, what things 'look like', and what advice is given about all this stuff.

Do the 'googling' thingy! "UI-View", "Byonics", and "Precision Mapping" are a few suggestions. there are several APRS 'forums' on 'Yahoo' and other places, give them a look too. I think this stuff is fun. My fingers are also getting tired of typing so now it's your turn.
- 'Doc

 

[C2]

ham radio has been quite a bargan.

I've paid for about 8 years of cell phone service, @ $40/month, that is $3840!

not including any additional i paid for the hardware and per minute charges.

i've met more people through ham radio too.

and the intercontinental contacts...priceless!

APRS seems to require a specific application. it was shits and grins using the gps aspect of aprs. it is also nice to be able to relay messages, creating a broad communication network; it works good in a populated area.

 

[SR385]

It's really nice for 'support' events where hams provide communications relays for mass walkathons, bicycle rides, marathons, things like that for charity.

You can set up a net control station with a laptop and know which unit is where along the race route.

APRS' feature set hasn't even been fully adopted yet. There are a bunch of intended abstractions and extensions to it that none of the radios support natively and have limited computer linked software support so far.

I predict it will continue to catch on as it is appearing in more and more radios lately. If the price drop hits where the more entry level radios can support it, it would have a lot higher adoption.

 

[WX2MIG]

I think economics, and an over saturation of too many different technologies has held back all the latest new VHF / UHF modes.
Icom comes out with and supports D-Star....
Yaesu comes out with and supports WIRES II....
Kenwood adopts and supports APRS....

All three major manufacturers of ham rado equipment compeating for a niche market within a niche market with three different forms of digital communications, each one has it's attractors, and each has it's detractors, in the end nobody wins....

What they should have done was work with each other in developing one digital mode that incorperated GPS tracking, digital voice, internet connectability, and all the other possitive aspects of each system into one, then all three market radios capable of utilizing this technology in a way that it works the same between each brand. This way the new technology would have been more palletable to all, the Icom guys could use it with their icoms, Yaesu guys with their Yaesu's, and the hard core Kenwood customers could play with all their Icom and Yaesu friends on their Kenwood's....everybody is happy, more amateur's are using the technology, the technology prospers and grows, and the three leading manufacturers get to maintain their core customer base, and sell them all new upgraded radios with the new technology installed...

Kinda the same way Dell, HP, and Gateway all sell PC computers that all use the same technology, can share software and programs with each other....