If the TNC outputs the APRS data, are thinking about building this? If so, sign me up!
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Yaesu FTM-350 APRS Review
- Thread starter Moleculo
- Start date
If the TNC outputs the APRS data, are thinking about building this? If so, sign me up!
You mentioned the TX of the APRS could happen on either band or a combination. Could I bother you in sharing how that can be done so I can hopefully understand how to undo what I think might be my current problem. 
For some strange reason my APRS coming in on the left side of the radio and transmitting on the right and if I try to swap them it doesn't change. So I've had to keep it off since the local repeater folks will be hunting me down with a shotgun. Fortunately I caught what was happening before driving all over town with it on. I've only changed the smart beacon mode and the popup times. I think it worked normal until I made those changes.
Thanks in advance for any advice.
Bryant
W7BDB
For some strange reason my APRS coming in on the left side of the radio and transmitting on the right and if I try to swap them it doesn't change. So I've had to keep it off since the local repeater folks will be hunting me down with a shotgun. Fortunately I caught what was happening before driving all over town with it on. I've only changed the smart beacon mode and the popup times. I think it worked normal until I made those changes.Thanks in advance for any advice.
Bryant
W7BDB
Moleculo
Looks like you had the answer, it was the E16 Data Band Select. The default is the sub band for transmitting the APRS signal. So if you have 144.390 on the right band and push the dial knob to make it the main band the APRS will be sent out on whatever freq is programmed in on the sub band. So I've set mine to R-Band Fix and it'll stop my problem.
Thanks
Looks like you had the answer, it was the E16 Data Band Select. The default is the sub band for transmitting the APRS signal. So if you have 144.390 on the right band and push the dial knob to make it the main band the APRS will be sent out on whatever freq is programmed in on the sub band. So I've set mine to R-Band Fix and it'll stop my problem.
Thanks
Odd, I saw the rest of your post in the thread alert RE: your display question but not here...guess you edited it out. In case you missed it, look here:
http://www.worldwidedx.com/vhf-uhf-...-review-new-yaesu-ftm-350-a-5.html#post172579
Thanks! I got it today and hooked it up to my PC. Under the APRS setup menu, you have to choose menu "E15 - COM Port Settings" where you can choose to either output the Packet or GPS data to the serial port. I set it to output packet data and Presto! it worked! Here is a sample of the APRS data output to the serial port that I captured:
Code:
K6TZ>APTW01,W6SCE-10* [01/23/10 23:46:05] <UI>:
_01240759c283s000g000t044r000p009P001h00b10185tU2k
KA6DAC-11>APN383,N6OEI-10,N6EX-1* [01/23/10 23:46:14] <UI>:
_01240739c083s000g000t031P000r000h39b09310e1w
KN6DB-14>GPSLK,N6EX-1* [01/23/10 23:46:19] <UI>:
$GPRMC,074617,A,3347.4954,N,11805.7304,W,000.0,140.2,240110,013.4,E*62
AE6MP-9>ST0RYR-2,WIDE2-2 [01/23/10 23:46:22] <UI>:
`-RXl y>/"57}
AE6MP-9>ST0RYR-2,N6EX-1* [01/23/10 23:46:23] <UI>:
`-RXl y>/"57}
AE6MP-9>ST0RYR-1,N6EX-5* [01/23/10 23:46:23] <UI>:
`-RXl y>/"57}
KD6ZLZ>P0PPP0,N6EX-4* [01/23/10 23:46:43] <UI>:
'vXl v/"3r}
KD6ZLZ>P0PPP0,K6OCS-10,WIDE1*,WIDE2-1 [01/23/10 23:46:44] <UI>:
'vXl v/"3r}
KD6ZLZ>P0PPP0,N6EX-1* [01/23/10 23:46:44] <UI>:
'vXl v/"3r}
N6PGA>APOTC1,N6EX-1* [01/23/10 23:46:49] <UI>:
> OpenTracker+ & TH-F6A
HEAPS>APN383,N6EX-5* [01/23/10 23:46:57] <UI>:
$ULTW000000A401160000----000086A00001----0054031600000000
LVW1>ID,KA6PTJ-3,KF6RAL-15,WIDE2* [01/23/10 23:47:01] <UI>:
LVW1/R KC6JTN-1/B
K6NE>APW251,WA6ZSN,W6SCE-10* [01/23/10 23:47:06] <UI>:
=3415.70N/11911.81W_PHG1100/Joe, Ventura, CA -CAVENVENTURA -251-<630>
KF6ILA>GPSHW,K6OCS-10*,WIDE2-1 [01/23/10 23:47:10] <UI>:
@240746z3303.70N/11634.43W_235/001g005t033r000p000P000h94b10171L000.DsVP
KF6ILA>GPSHW,K6OCS-10,N6EX-4* [01/23/10 23:47:12] <UI>:
@240746z3303.70N/11634.43W_235/001g005t033r000p000P000h94b10171L000.DsVP
KF6ILA>GPSHW,K6OCS-10,N6EX-1* [01/23/10 23:47:13] <UI>:
@240746z3303.70N/11634.43W_235/001g005t033r000p000P000h94b10171L000.DsVPIf you've seen any raw APRS data, you'll recognize this. The port on the back of the radio has a PTT pin (pin 3), so if someone wanted to make a digipeat dongle, it looks like it should be possible. Building something like that is over my head, though.
Great thanks, That made it to you faster than I was anticipating.
what was the port baud rate and is it selectable? If you output GPS data is it 4800 NMEA?
I will admit I know much less about all this than I would like but on a TNC you just send serial data in to it and it should key the TX automatically perhaps at the end of the string or with a special termination character? The TX pin 3 would be for if you connected and external TNC through the audio pins on that port.
It would be nice if there was a pin on that port that you could harvest a few mW of power so that a dongle would not have to use an external power input.
I guess the better solution would be if Yaesu upgraded the firmware to allow it to Digi.
Are you able to use the serial port and the internal APRS functions simultaneously?
what was the port baud rate and is it selectable? If you output GPS data is it 4800 NMEA?
I will admit I know much less about all this than I would like but on a TNC you just send serial data in to it and it should key the TX automatically perhaps at the end of the string or with a special termination character? The TX pin 3 would be for if you connected and external TNC through the audio pins on that port.
It would be nice if there was a pin on that port that you could harvest a few mW of power so that a dongle would not have to use an external power input.
I guess the better solution would be if Yaesu upgraded the firmware to allow it to Digi.
Are you able to use the serial port and the internal APRS functions simultaneously?
Do any of the APRS rigs have cell phone style keypad entry of alpha characters for messaging yet? From poking around it all seems they need dial selection and scrolling column by column for it.
Would be a lot more useful if you could T9 or keypad style, type messages.
I bet it is some sort of licensing fee that has kept them from this as it's so obvious.
Would be a lot more useful if you could T9 or keypad style, type messages.
I bet it is some sort of licensing fee that has kept them from this as it's so obvious.
You can do use the DTMF mic on the FTM-350 to enter text just like a cell phone. On the Yaesu VX-8r, you can do the same with the keypad.
The port baud rate options for either GPS or packet are are 4800, 9600, and 19200. Yes. you can use the serial out and the internal APRS functions at the same time...I tested that.
Out of curiosity do you think you could set the port to GPS 4800 without having the add on GPS installed and input standard 4800 NMEA sentences to the port and have the radio use this for GPS location? I guess what I am getting at is could this be a way to hook up a standard GPS without having to use the Yaesu one?
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There is a thread in the HandiTalkie section about folks interfacing third party GPS's too the Yaesu VX-8r. Since the FTM-350 uses the same GPS, I'm sure it can be done but you're probably going to have to fabricate a connector to the radio's GPS port. I see on the data port diagram that it has the ability to input serial data to the rig via the data port. I don't know if the radio knows how to accept GPS data from this port or not.