Which Mobile HAM for APRS

[TerryD]

You don't normally mount a coms radio in the dash with your stereo. It's normally mounted under the dash or on the side of the console unless you get the remote head like the FTM-400XDR and put the radio under a seat with the head unit on the dash.

 

[brien]

Looks like you already picked up a Yaesu FTM-400XDR, but i'll put a plug in for a different radio for those looking for the same advice you were:

The 400XDR is a great radio and does APRS, but if you want the absolute most full featured APRS radio, consider looking at the Kenwood TM-D710G. It will run you anywhere between $40-100 more than the Yaesu, but has more APRS capabilities and a wider receive range. It also has an actual built-in TNC unlike the Yaesu, this means you can connect your computer/tablet to it for packet data like APRS or a BBS. The TM-D710G can also act as a digipeater. Additionally, you can connect it to a weather station to send out weather packets on APRS. You can have all the received APRS packets sent to an external device through a COM connection and (i think) even via the GPS in/out connection - with this you can set up an external device to show APRS mobile stations and such on a map on a tablet or laptop - or connect it to APRSDroid or similar. There's also a few known modifications to the D710 that allow you to open up the TX range (for emergency situations) and even connect a keyboard for faster APRS message entry. Kenwood also sells a voice plugin module that will read new APRS messages out loud when you when they are received among other things, like 30 second playback buffer.

Aside from the additional APRS/TNC features in the Kenwood, the two radios offer all the same other features - dual band, cross-band repeat, loads of memory slots, etc.

Anyway, they are both great radios, and I had a hard time deciding between the two when I was shopping, but the additional APRS features and the build in TNC sealed the deal for me. My main use cases (aside from, you know, talking on 2m) were to be able to use APRS grouping (to filter packets when i'm in a convoy), send SMS messages and emails from my rig to give updates from very remote places. Things like "I made it to camp", "Mechanical issue, will be home a day later", etc. And the built-in TNC will allow me to connect my laptop/table for more advanced packet radio uses

 

[Dtyo]

I 2nd a vote for the Kenwood TM-D710G. I just installed one in my Jeep and the capabilities are overwhelming - although configuring for APRS beacons is reasonably straight forward, but getting deeper into the features list and capabilities will take awhile.

Dan

 

[brien]

Yes, i highly recommend picking up "The Nifty Mini-Manual" for whatever radio you end up with. I have one for my Elecraft KX2 an one for my Kenwood TM-D710G - they are indispensable for quickly getting up to speed on a new radio, as well as quickly looking up less-used features

HRO usually has the absolute best price on them:

Nifty! Mini-Manual for the Yaesu FTM-400XDR: https://www.hamradio.com/detail.cfm?pid=71-002905
Nifty! Mini-Manual for the Kenwood TM-D710GA: https://www.hamradio.com/detail.cfm?pid=H0-013234

 

[Najman]

You are going to love the FTM 400 It is a great radio. Do yourself a favor and purchase the RT Systems software for programming. It is well worth the $25 and will make programming the radio so much easier.

Already done in the same order

 

[TerryD]

Looks like you already picked up a Yaesu FTM-400XDR, but i'll put a plug in for a different radio for those looking for the same advice you were:

The 400XDR is a great radio and does APRS, but if you want the absolute most full featured APRS radio, consider looking at the Kenwood TM-D710G. It will run you anywhere between $40-100 more than the Yaesu, but has more APRS capabilities and a wider receive range. It also has an actual built-in TNC unlike the Yaesu, this means you can connect your computer/tablet to it for packet data like APRS or a BBS. The TM-D710G can also act as a digipeater. Additionally, you can connect it to a weather station to send out weather packets on APRS. You can have all the received APRS packets sent to an external device through a COM connection and (i think) even via the GPS in/out connection - with this you can set up an external device to show APRS mobile stations and such on a map on a tablet or laptop - or connect it to APRSDroid or similar. There's also a few known modifications to the D710 that allow you to open up the TX range (for emergency situations) and even connect a keyboard for faster APRS message entry. Kenwood also sells a voice plugin module that will read new APRS messages out loud when you when they are received among other things, like 30 second playback buffer.

Aside from the additional APRS/TNC features in the Kenwood, the two radios offer all the same other features - dual band, cross-band repeat, loads of memory slots, etc.

Anyway, they are both great radios, and I had a hard time deciding between the two when I was shopping, but the additional APRS features and the build in TNC sealed the deal for me. My main use cases (aside from, you know, talking on 2m) were to be able to use APRS grouping (to filter packets when i'm in a convoy), send SMS messages and emails from my rig to give updates from very remote places. Things like "I made it to camp", "Mechanical issue, will be home a day later", etc. And the built-in TNC will allow me to connect my laptop/table for more advanced packet radio uses

So after a few of these posts about the 710 and since the 400 is back ordered, I called HRO and they let me exchange the 400 for the 710 without any issue. Steve at the store in Woodbridge was awesome about it and said it should be shipped out today and arrive either tomorrow or Monday! WOOT!

BTW, I already received my Nifty Manual for the 400, so if anyone would like a spare, I'll ship it to the Cont US for $26.

 

[brien]

I love how fast HRO ships! I ordered some cables yesterday and they are already scheduled for delivery today!

 

[brien]

Related: A few days ago I got my tablet all connected to the D710G via USB and decoding APRS packets. Next step is to either hack a bluetooth chip into the radio (more work) or just pick up a USB->BT adapter (easy, but not as slick) so I can avoid running yet another cable across my rig's dashboard

 

[Dtyo]

So after a few of these posts about the 710 and since the 400 is back ordered, I called HRO and they let me exchange the 400 for the 710 without any issue. Steve at the store in Woodbridge was awesome about it and said it should be shipped out today and arrive either tomorrow or Monday! WOOT!

BTW, I already received my Nifty Manual for the 400, so if anyone would like a spare, I'll ship it to the Cont US for $26.

Feedback / Tips from my recent experience installing a 710G in my Jeep:
1. Depending on where you plan on installing the base unit, you may need an extension cable between the MIC and base. In Kenwood's strange wisdom, they provide a fairly long cable to connect the control head to the base unit, but nothing for the MIC which also plugs into the base unit... Kenwood sells a set of extension cables for $65 (Gigaparts) - I picked up a MIC extension cable off of ebay for $22.
2. Also, the speaker is in the base unit, so again, depending on where you install the base unit, you may need a remote speaker. I mounted mine under the passenger seat and just added a remote speaker.
3. As noted above, plan on running a lot of connections to/from the base unit - antenna, power, MIC, head unit, remote speaker.
4. The mounting scheme (brackets, etc..) for the head unit isn't as well though out as I'd like. I'm using a RAM MOUNT X holder that makes it easy to remove the head unit when I want to remove/hide/lock it up.

Install aside, I REALLY like the system and am happy with my choice.

Enjoy!!

Dan

 

[brien]

I have a similar install currently, i'm going to rework it a bit and probably add an external speaker, but here's what i have: base unit under driver seat, head unit on dash inside a Ram X-Grip, mic on passenger grab bar mic mount. I also had to get an extension kit because of the mic cord length. When i rework it (hopefully this weekend or next) i'm going to route my cables more properly under the dash and then terminate them on RJ45 plugs nicely integrated into the dash itself - this requires taking the whole dash out of the jeep to make it look really nice, so it's gonna be kind of a pain, but i hope worth it in the end. Having RJ45 plugs in the dash will allow me to just plug the mic directly into my dash somewhere, and the head unit connected via a short 1-2ft cable. should make it nice and clean. I'm trying to reduce the amount of cables i have running across my dash, because right now it's insane. I have antenna wires running all over the place and multiple USB charging cables. While i have the dash off again, i'll likely integrate more USB plugs in better locations. I already did one in the JKU dash storage cup (check my build thread for info/pics), but I need more!

 

[Dtyo]

I have a similar install currently, i'm going to rework it a bit and probably add an external speaker, but here's what i have: base unit under driver seat, head unit on dash inside a Ram X-Grip, mic on passenger grab bar mic mount. I also had to get an extension kit because of the mic cord length. When i rework it (hopefully this weekend or next) i'm going to route my cables more properly under the dash and then terminate them on RJ45 plugs nicely integrated into the dash itself - this requires taking the whole dash out of the jeep to make it look really nice, so it's gonna be kind of a pain, but i hope worth it in the end. Having RJ45 plugs in the dash will allow me to just plug the mic directly into my dash somewhere, and the head unit connected via a short 1-2ft cable. should make it nice and clean. I'm trying to reduce the amount of cables i have running across my dash, because right now it's insane. I have antenna wires running all over the place and multiple USB charging cables. While i have the dash off again, i'll likely integrate more USB plugs in better locations. I already did one in the JKU dash storage cup (check my build thread for info/pics), but I need more!

Sounds like a nice plan, but way more ambitious than I'm able to pull off - living in a condo and working in building garage seriously limits my creativity to bolt-on and plug-n-play :^)

As a side note, it was incredibly convenient to be able to plug a soldering iron into the 110v outlet that came with the Jeep - I wasn't sure it would support the load, but it worked great!

I have a Vector mounting bar on the dash which lets me use Ram mounts and a way to dress and organize cables. And you can never have too many USB sockets!!!

Dan

 

[brien]

Yep, i have the same Vector mount! that thing is so incredibly handy to have!

 

[Dtyo]

@brien Not to be a creepy stalker, but I do see you showing up on APRS.fi . Very cool! :^)

I have to update my beacon message .

Dan

 

[brien]

@brien Not to be a creepy stalker, but I do see you showing up on APRS.fi . Very cool! :^)

I have to update my beacon message .

Dan

Hah, yes, I have my D710 here next to me in my office right now. For a more interesting trace, set the track tail dropdown to like 3 or 4 days, then you'll see most of the route we took when we were chasing down snow a few days ago. I forgot i had my APRS beacon set on medium power (10W) instead of high power (50W) so the track kinda dropped out as soon as we started getting deeper into the wilderness at each mountain range https://aprs.fi/#!mt=roadmap&z=11&call=a/K7XPO-9&timerange=259200&tail=259200

 

[Dtyo]

@brien That's very cool!

 

[brien]

@Dtyo i'm not sure if you still have your radio on (last APRS beacon from you was 20+ minutes ago) but I just sent you a hello message via APRS, hopefully it went through!

 

[Dtyo]

@brien Yes, it's on. I'll be leaving shortly so I'll check it. Thanks!

Do you have a WINS system link near you? I have one locally and it's very active and I hear stations coming out of Arizona on a regular basis.

Dan

 

[brien]

@Dtyo yes we do, but i haven't tried to configure any of that yet. That's on my list of things to figure out

 

[Dtyo]

@brien Got your APRS message!!! I tried to reply, but not sure it got through/sent - the message interface isn’t the most straight forward UI, and creating/entering a message using the dial is tedious at best.

I need to look into your comment that an external keyboard can be connected to the 710 to create APRS messages. And as I think about it, I wonder if a tablet type device can be used as a basic TTY terminal device?

Thanks for passing the APRS messages and let me know when you’re able to connect to a WINS node.

Dan

 

[brien]

I got your replies! I meant to let you know here but got sidetracked. yes, i've heard of a keyboard hack for the D710 where you tap into the mic cable and use a pulse counter to send characters: http://www.shaneburrell.com/2012/05/09/pulse-counters-the-kenwood-tm-d710a-keyboard-hack/
I haven't tried this yet, but it's on my list of things to do