Anyone using APRS?

[M Rose]

As remote and mountainous as we can get here in the PNW - the Rockies of Montana, S Eastern OR, Wyoming, Nevada, etc. As a technician I am limited to 2 meter APRS and that drops off once you leave the black top. A buddy got his General last weekend (in Redmond WA) and is pushing me towards HF. Maybe HF APRS is the motivation that I need!

I am a 2 meter APRS fanatic, just looking for something to communicate from that high mountain valley. And so far iridium is it. HF APRS sounds interesting though!

Here are some spots that are "APRS deaf" and also make for good overlanding.
47.10082, -112.47989
42.25071, -118.17840
41.75407, -118.75193
41.30160, -116.85448
39.39804, -117.03883

The aprs.fi "heat map" (zoomed out) shows that the places my cadre goes have little to no APRS coverage.
View attachment 140416

Your map isn’t accurate, there are three repeaters in Union County that handle ARPS, and one in Wallowa County all on the 2m band. The map is only showing Kennewick with one repeater, when there are actually several, these however I don’t know what band they are on.

 

[RockyMountaineer]

I simply meant to say that APRS is deaf if there is nobody to receive it; maybe a poor choice of words. I believe that the scenario that most folks are interested in, myself included, is the ability to "phone home" with a message or beacon while overlanding. If you can't hit a digi/igate but you can hit a rancher's unmonitored radio have you achieved that goal? For me, the fusion of RF and making it accessible via igating is what makes APRS compelling. My non-ham-non-tech wife can click on a link and (hopefully) see my latest status.

I think your point was that APRS is not deaf because intra vehicle (non-internet) comm via APRS is possible. This is actually the subject that has drawn me back into APRS. I have become accustomed to navigating with an ipad and want to add APRS to that to allow additional comm opportunities for the convoy - not necessarily to get out to the rest of the world - but to enhance the convoy's ability to operate as efficiently as possible.

I get it and understand the many people get into APRS for the ability to track via the internet. But there is so much more to it then that (as you are well aware). And for overlanding the ability to track and communicate with a convoy is something that is very applicable.

 

[Ubiety]

Your map isn’t accurate, there are three repeaters in Union County that handle ARPS, and one in Wallowa County all on the 2m band. The map is only showing Kennewick with one repeater, when there are actually several, these however I don’t know what band they are on.

This was a screengrab from the aprs.fi web page and I noticed that it does change a bit at different zoom levels. Since this is from aprs.fi it may only reflect gates and not digis; dunno. But I think it clearly shows that there are areas with not a lot of APRS activity - and it mirrors what I have experienced traveling through those areas.

Drove through La Grande last Sept heading back to Seattle from NV. Had always taken Burns Junction to Burns, decided on a different way and enjoyed it! Except for the wind past your home town ;)

 

[Ubiety]

I get it and understand the many people get into APRS for the ability to track via the internet. But there is so much more to it then that (as you are well aware). And for overlanding the ability to track and communicate with a convoy is something that is very applicable.

Internet tracking and APRS was why I got my tech license oh so many years ago before the advent of smartphones. Hahahaha, errr I'm getting old ;)

Ordered a mobilinkd today to throw on an HT to play with. Interested to see how it works with aprs.fi ios app and to hack at its TNC. Eventually will be able to to throw the complete self-contained unit into a non-APRS equipped vehicle in the grand old overlanding convoy... The idea of tracking the convoy on the map gets me excited - we could have avoided an unfortunate wrong-turn-we-were-waiting-for-you situation last year :) I also really like the idea of sending out objects on the fly. That place we planned on camping is occupied? No problem here is the plan-b spot already on everybody's map.

 

[Ubiety]

Anybody out there using APRS to for "intra convoy" communication while overlanding? Viewing each other on the map real time? Text messaging each other? Creating virtual objects to aid in navigation?
Thanks!

 

[Downs]

Anybody out there using APRS to for "intra convoy" communication while overlanding? Viewing each other on the map real time? Text messaging each other? Creating virtual objects to aid in navigation?
Thanks!

Eh not really. If im close eough for an APRS text message im proabably close enough for voice contact.

I could see the map tracking being useful but to get everyone setup for that is a chore in and of itself.

 

[RockyMountaineer]

Eh not really. If im close eough for an APRS text message im proabably close enough for voice contact.

I could see the map tracking being useful but to get everyone setup for that is a chore in and of itself.

So just and FYI APRS works over long distances. It isn't uncommon for a transmission to cover half a state after it has made two or three hopes. And it works in any band thus transmission distance is really a mute point. As for getting your entire group set, that is something I'm not qualified to answer. But I will say that adding a TNC to an existing radio is simple and cheap.

 

[Downs]

I understand that. But if I'm in a "convoy" we're probably not spread out over a whole state. And if we're so spread out we're outside of VHF voice comms the convoy is too big haha.

 

[RockyMountaineer]

I understand that. But if I'm in a "convoy" we're probably not spread out over a whole state.

Yeah and nah. All kinds of things can happen and being able to communicate no matter the situation is handy and a safety consideration. But we each have to make plans individually.

 

[Ubiety]

Eh not really. If im close eough for an APRS text message im proabably close enough for voice contact.

Totally agree with messaging vs voice comm. That is the beauty of the cheap dual banders - one channel for APRS and one for voice. Agree that text messaging is not as intriguing as plotting location, etc.

I could see the map tracking being useful but to get everyone setup for that is a chore in and of itself.

This is the sticky wicket ;) Hopefully the Baofeng+mobilinkd will be an easy/cheap solution to getting folks beaconing.

 

[Downs]

Totally agree with messaging vs voice comm. That is the beauty of the cheap dual banders - one channel for APRS and one for voice. Agree that text messaging is not as intriguing as plotting location, etc.


This is the sticky wicket ;) Hopefully the Baofeng+mobilinkd will be an easy/cheap solution to getting folks beaconing.

To me that would be the issue is getting a group of folks together in the first place to get on one page with comms is a difficult proposition in itself, getting them to invest another 80 to 100 dollars for a basic low power APRS setup is going to be another hurdle.

Once you get past that it would be great for doing what you propose with tracking.

I currently run just a a BTECH APRS cable from a radio connected to an external antenna then to a Droid phone. The Mobilinkd TNC is on the short list of items to add to my comms kit so I can stop being tethered to the radio. But it does add one more battery to be charged or permanent power hooked to.

 

[Ubiety]

To me that would be the issue is getting a group of folks together in the first place to get on one page with comms is a difficult proposition in itself

Just getting folks to have their radios charged for a driving day is a challenge! We typically have 5 to 6 rigs in a convoy; including the mobilinkd I will have three APRS setups, two that I can hand out to other rigs. My initial goal is to get several vehicles outfitted with APRS and then work towards total rig coverage. Thinking an HT in front and back with me in the middle (with stronger mobile) digipeating and we should be able to keep things rounded up.

 

[RockyMountaineer]

Guys here is some food for thought. We spend plenty of money of our rigs and gear as is so when people complain about spending money on a radio tell them to think about that. It is yet one more piece of kit that expands our capabilities and can act as a safety device. I mean how much money has each of us wasted of gear that didn't work out? Now think about spending less then $300 on some kit that is proven effective and helps to improve our safety and capability.

 

[M Rose]

This was a screengrab from the aprs.fi web page and I noticed that it does change a bit at different zoom levels. Since this is from aprs.fi it may only reflect gates and not digis; dunno. But I think it clearly shows that there are areas with not a lot of APRS activity - and it mirrors what I have experienced traveling through those areas.

Drove through La Grande last Sept heading back to Seattle from NV. Had always taken Burns Junction to Burns, decided on a different way and enjoyed it! Except for the wind past your home town ;)

Yes we get a lot of wind through here... 2 weeks a go it ripped so hard it moved our travel trailer off its leveling blocks. Other than the wind it’s a very beautiful place.

 

[M Rose]

Guys here is some food for thought. We spend plenty of money of our rigs and gear as is so when people complain about spending money on a radio tell them to think about that. It is yet one more piece of kit that expands our capabilities and can act as a safety device. I mean how much money has each of us wasted of gear that didn't work out? Now think about spending less then $300 on some kit that is proven effective and helps to improve our safety and capability.

Exactly this.

 

[Prerunner1982]

Creating virtual objects to aid in navigation?

I wish this was possible on APRSdroid, but as of yet I have not figured out how to do so.

 

[RockyMountaineer]

I wish this was possible on APRSdroid, but as of yet I have not figured out how to do so.

Couple APRSdroid with Backcountry navigator.

 

[Prerunner1982]

Couple APRSdroid with Backcountry navigator.

You can drop a static object (car accident, road closed, etc) on Backcountry Navigator and have it go out on APRS?

 

[RockyMountaineer]

You can drop a static object (car accident, road closed, etc) on Backcountry Navigator and have it go out on APRS?

So I was wrong on this account. I could have sworn that I saw it functionality before but now I can't seem to locate it. Let me keep digging.

*****
So this just occurred to me there is a work around. Rather then using real-time GPS data for your position you can manually input your position then beacon that out. Thus allowing others to add that into their way points.

 

[Prerunner1982]

Not possible with APRSdroid..

APRS Object and item report support · Issue #230 · ge0rg/aprsdroid

#feature-request To expand functionality of the amazing aprsdroid app will it be possible to allow aprs object and item reports using the ; or ) starting character along with the existing station p...

github.com

Wish I was a programmer to play with the APRSdroid API... or Tasker or MIT app creator..