aprssig - APRS joins Operation ON-TARGET!

The annual Operation ON-TARGET consist of scouts and hams all over the country going to mountain tops and attempting to communicate by signal mirror (assisted by HAM contact to know where to point).  This is Saturday July 21st, 1100 to 1400 LOCAL TIME.

See www.ldsfacts.net/ontarget.htm

Take along an APRS HT or radio, since then everyone can see on their attached GPS where everyone else is and can globally text message in real time for coordination.  In addition, everyone back home can watch it all LIVE and see on maps where everyone is and what links are successful on http://aprs.fi

Operation on target has hundreds of participants out west because of the accessible mountains and clarity of distance.  The goal is mountain top connectivity across the entire US north to south.

Similarly, APRS has had an annual event (Golden Packet attempt) on the 3rd weekend in July to do the same thing but with APRS and packet.  We have been successful in linking 15 mountain tops from Georgia to Maine with APRS and will do it again this year.  But by joining with Operation On Target, at least out-west, the APRS folks out west get to leverage the many more hams that are involved already.  See all about the Golden Packet event:

http://aprs.org/at-golden-packet.html

At this time, we WILL plan on operating the APRS Golden Packet event out west on the 21st with the Operation on Target.  We are still trying to decide for the Appalachian trail group, originally planning on the 22nd, Sunday, to move to the 21st Saturday to match up our efforts with East coast Scouts that might be doing Operation On Target along the Appalachians.

So far, we have not found any east-coast OT plans.  So if anyone knows of any, please let us know.  We will carry mirrors if there are scouts watching...

Oh, and the CQ Worldwide VHF contest is that same weekend!  That starts at 1800z on Saturday (1400 EDT on the east coast).  The mountains will be crawling with hams! (and QRM)...

For the 4 hour event, APRS will use 144.34 MHz.  Please join the at-golden-packet@yahoogroups.com if you will participate so we can coordinate. And review APRS Details on the web page above.  We will all use the EYEBALL symbol to make it easy to identify participants.

Bob, Wb4APR
https://www.tapr.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/aprssig

Vicinity Tracking

Any TNC or tracker that transmits a periodic beacon can be tracked all across the
country without a GPS. But only to the nearest town or city or so. This is because you can use the "vicinity" tracking feature of APRS to see what was the Digipeater that the device first used most recently.

This is very powerful, because without the GPS, a few AA batteries and a low power tracker can operate for a year or more by sleeping in low power mode for 9.99 minutes out of every 10 and then only waking up to send out a packet (not a position packet, but a Status or other APRS packet) once every 10 minutes.

You can either check their position manually by looking at the packet and the PATH used or FIND.COM has a special CGI "&vicinity" that will plot a map of the last digi that heard it.

Hopefully all of the other APRS sites such as APRS.FI and Oaprs.net have it as well.

This Vicinity tracking was fundamental to the original APRS as a means of identifying somewhere on the planet the source of a packet that entered the APRS system. With a global system like APRS, it is nice to be able to locate any packet (even without a position report) to a given digipeater footprint...

Bob, Wb4APR

Lighthouse Weekend

> Almost 300 lighthouses will be on the air for the 2010 International Lighthouse/Lightship weekend, 8/21- 8/22.

If they have an APRS radio and change their SYMBOL to the lighthouse symbol, then we can see them on http://aprs.fi

Or, if enough of them select the Lighthouse symbol, then you can see them on:

http://www.findu.com/cgi-bin/symbol.cgi?icon=\L&limit=200

And, they can all communicate with each other and anyone else on the planet's APRS radio by sending an APRS message to CQSRVR with the first two words of the message being "CQ LOTA ..."

See how www.aprs.org/cqsrvr.html

An easy way to make contact.
Bob, Wb4APR

SSID Recommendation Update

Bob Bruninga has updated his recommended SSID suggestions. The big change is that before it was keyed mainly to choose the symbol and now it is purpose driven. For example, it's not that -9 is a car, now it's the main mobile.

The complete publication is at : http://aprs.org/aprs11/SSIDs.txt

Here's the main content.

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APRS SSID Standard Applications                           9 June 2010

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Updated 9 June 2010 for more flexibility

Revised 2 June 2004 to add -10, -11, 12 and -15

SSID's have seen two different uses in APRS.  Initially as an ICON indicator back in the early 1990's.  But that is obsolete for over a decade.  Now SSID's are used as an informal way of indicating one of several different typical APRS applications.

Since many small displays for the handheld and mobile operator show nearby APRS station callsigns that flash up on the screen, it is nice to have some idea of what type of station or activity might be involved simply from the callsign SSID without having to push buttons, search lists, or look at maps to find out more about them. 

 SSID RECOMMENDATIONS:  It is very convenient to other mobile operators or others looking at callsigns flashing by, to be able to recognize some common applications at a glance.  Here are the recommendations for the 16 possible SSID's (the limit of 16 comes from the 4 bits available in the AX.25 protocol.  Note, The SSID of zero is dropped by most display applications.  So a callsign with no SSID has an SSID of 0.

-0 Your primary station usually fixed and message capable
-1 generic additional station, digi, mobile, wx, etc
-2 generic additional station, digi, mobile, wx, etc
-3 generic additional station, digi, mobile, wx, etc
-4 generic additional station, digi, mobile, wx, etc
-5 Other network sources (Dstar, Iphones, Blackberry's etc)
-6 Special activity, Satellite ops, camping or 6 meters, etc
-7 walkie talkies, HT's or other human portable
-8 boats, sailboats, RV's or second main mobile
-9 Primary Mobile (usually message capable)
-10 internet, Igates, echolink, winlink, AVRS, APRN, etc
-11 balloons, aircraft, spacecraft, etc
-12 APRStt, DTMF, RFID, devices, one-way trackers*, etc
-13 Weather stations
-14 Truckers or generally full time drivers
-15 generic additional station, digi, mobile, wx, etc

* One-way trackers can use any symbol the owner desires, -9, etc but if the owner wants to indicate that a particular mobile is not message capable and he cannot receive message traffic, then he might want to use the -12 indication.

TEMP Digipeating for SAR and other Activities

Bottom line - your D700 or D710 mobile should have TEMP configured as one of the digipeater aliases.

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Yes position reporting is perfect for SAR, but what most Hams are not training for is text messaging too. APRS text messaging provides the ability to do AD-HOC comms ANYWHERE and beyond simplex range.

You can extend the range of any APRS HT (for text comms and positions) as far as you want with mobile D700/D710 radios. (I was suprised to see that the FTM-350 does not appear to digipeat?). AD-HOC Rnage extension of packet is far easier than setting up an AD-HOC voice repeater for wilderness coverage.

Yes, a mobile D700/D710 can also serve as a voice cross band repeater, but only one hop. With DIGIPEATING, the range can be extended indefinately by additional mobiles. AND ALL D700/D710 mobile should already be fully configured for always-on digipeating via TEMPn-N, so as long as there are D700's at the event, text messaging should work as far as they travel.

If every D700/710 you know of is not configured this way, why not!??? Who will help make it happen if not you. (I think the D710 digipeater defaults to TEMPn-N enabled.

All SAR teams have to do is use the path TEMP3-3 or so to go three hops back to HQ via ANY availalbe D700/710. Try it next time you are simplex-near a D710...

SAR teams and other Ham response groups should include text messaging (and TEMPn-N mobile digis) as a routine COMMS RANGE EXTENDER in wilderness terrain and practice its use!. See www.aprs.org/TEMPn-N.html

Bob, WB4APR

Airborne APRS Suggestions

> Above altitude of 3000 feet one should use at most WIDE1-1, preferrably no via paths at all.

>> Bob should really write some new guidance on path definitions for flyers.

The recommendation has never changed in the last decade.

NEVER-EVER USED WIDE1-1 !!!! There is no DUPE suppression in APRS for WIDE1-1!.

For BALLOONS, the recommendation is to use a payload with variable paths and rates at altitude and on the ground * OR * if a less-smart payload is used, use WIDE2-2 and no more often than 1 minute. This is not as bad as it sounds. Every digi will ONLY DIGIPEAT IT ONCE (not twice or more) because the New-N paradigm eliminates dupes. And having a new "vehicle" appear in every digi area for a 3 hour mission special event, is no worse than another driver driving though the area.

If a DIGI is causing dupes, FIX THE DIGI! Update to the 2004 New-N Paradigm!!! See http://www.aprs.org/fix14439.html

For Aircraft, the PATH is WIDE2-1. There is no reason to need 2 hops on the ground. The plane should not be lost...

NEVER USE WIDE1-1 on any airborne mobile.

Bob, Wb4APR

2010 APRS Golden Packet Attempt

On 25 July please consider participating in this year's APRS Golden Packet Attempt along the Appalachian Trail (and Pacific Coast Trail). Please see www.aprs.org/at-golden-packet.html and also page 99 in July's QST. There is also an effort being made this year on the West Coast see www.aprs.org/pct-golden-packet.html.

All it takes is a mobile with a D700 or FTM-350 to drive up to the top of the mountain and park for 4 hours.

Many teams have formed, but the New England area has many gaps from New York to Maine:

• Sam's pt NY (not manned in 2009)
• Mt Greylock
• New Hempshire (innop in 2009)
• Mt Washington (2009 team all moved to texas)
• Middle Maine (not manned in 2009)
• Mt Katahdin (not manned in 2009)

We still have not formed solid teams from these southern sites:

• Huntsville AL
• Lookout Mountain TN
• Roan Mountain NC (maybe)
• Comer's rock VA (not operational in 2009)(near Wythville)
• Apple Orchard Mtn (near Roanake

It's a 4 or 5 hour event on Sunday Afternoon and a great way to escape the heat down below by getting up there on the mountain top. If you cannot participate, spread the word, and find an out-doors type that can. Most sites are DRIVE-UP sites, so just about anyone with a car and a D700 or FTM-350 can participate as a temporary digi site after proper set-up.

Think of it as APRS Field Day.

Bob, Wb4APR

https://www.tapr.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/aprssig

APRS Channels - Kenwood D700's at EOC

At our local EOC (emergency Operations Center), they have two D700's and and additional four in GO-kits which we will be programming FOUR channels for APRS use on side A with these 4 names and settings:

1. APRS-107 <== Muted APRS witch CTCSS 107 (with calling)
2. APRS-VA <== Normal APRS with CTCSS 100 for voice alert
3. APRSmute <== Muted APRS with DCS xxx
4. APRS-raw <== APRS with no squelch for channel assessment

With the above 4 channels, there should never be any need to touch the volume control on the APRS radio side A. It should always have the volume up to normal volume to receive calls. The operator can select any degree of noise free operation with those 4 channels.

1. APRS-107 Normal setting is APRS 107 which is basically APRS with voice alert, but with the local PL tone for our club. This keeps the radio QUIET, but if someone really did want to get the attention of the crew at the EOC (no matter where they were listening, they could key up on APRS with PL 107 and call them.
2. APRS-VA For knowledgible operators, they can set normal Voice Alert if they want a proximity detector to know when other Voice Alert stations are in range. I would call this channel APRS-VA except that since we are adjacent to the State of Virginia, too many people will think it has something to do with that state instead of Voice Alert. SO in our case, I will label this channel as APRS-100.
3. APRSmute Using the APRS channel with a random DCS basically means the speaker squelch will NEVER Open. SO in effect, this is APRS MUTED operation without having to touch the volume control.
4. APRS-raw Choose this channel to quickly listen to the APRS channel for any kind of troubleshooting without having to go to TONE menues.

Again, the purpose of these 4 channels are to make sure that the APRS radio always powers up in the best configuration for immediate use.

1. Have a default for the radio to power up that is quiet
2. Make sure no one ever has to touch the SQUELCH or VOLUME settings.
3. But the APRS operator in the EOC can be reached if needed

THen we will have the following PM Program Memories:

• PM1 - APRS using the front panel. Band B on local UHF channel
• PM2 - APRS packet mode to PC client software. Band B on UHF
• PM3 - Voice Operation. Band A and Band B set for desired channels
• PM4 - Voice and BAND SCAN
• PM5 - Still thinking... About this one..?

Bob, WB4APR

APRS Travel Season

The Travel seasons are upon us. Is your local APRS network ready to serve travelers? Is your network properly configured for new-N? See www.aprs.org/fix14439.html.

Is your network providing the local recommended FREQ object for travelers passing through? (see www.aprs.org/localinfo.html). Are you monitoring that voice repeater to help fellow travelers?

While traveling do you have Voice Alert enabled and the volume up? See www.aprs.org/VoiceAlert3.html

Is your local IRLP/Echolink node showing up on APRS in the simplex range where it can be used? See www.aprs.org/info/echo-irlp-win.txt

Are you configured to receive messages? Do you know how to send email from your mobile? See www.aprs.org/aprs-messaging.html

Does your Beacon contain your typical monitoring voice frequency?

Is your channel quiet more than half the time? It should be for best reliability. In fact, it should be quiet more than 2/3rds of the time. If not, your network is overloaded. See www.aprs.org/aloha.html. Spend 30 minutes monitoring your local channel looking at PATHS. Is everyone using an appropriate path and rate?

Get out your radio. Communicate. Let APRS help you get "connected"...

Bob, WB4APR

Publish Hamfests with APRS (updated)

Come on APRS!

Surely we can put HAMFEST objects on the map to help alert and remind our fellow hams of such important upcoming events! I just checked, and not a single HFEST is showing. There is one HAMFEST object, but it is in New Zealand!

Please use this format for the name of your HAMFEST object:

HFEST-ddx

Use the "\h" symbol which is a bright red object...

This not only makes them stand out on the map, but also includes the DATE (dd) in the object name to make it clear this is a future object. The "x" on the end makes it unique so that FINDU
can find them all:

http://map.findu.com/HFEST*


For details of this format, see the LOCAL INFO page about 30% down the slider:

http://www.ew.usna.edu/~bruninga/localinfo.html


It's the season, lets show what APRS can do...

Bob, WB4APR

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APRS EVENTS application for generating this info... Thanks to Stephen H. Smith wa8lmf

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The application, APRS Events, is available from M0CYP's UI-View add-on pages

It actually doesn't depend on UI-View or it's settings at all. It is a standalone application that uses the AGW Packet Engine as an interface to access one or more TNCs. You specify a callsign and path completely independently of UI-View.

Currently at my station, AGWpe is arbitrating access to both the HF and VHF ports of a classic original KAM, and access to a second KPC3+. It allows 4 copies of UI-View, UI-Traffic Monitor, UI-Network Analysis and APRS Events to access/share both TNCs.

APRS Events is controlled by a text file "APRSevents.csv" that contains lines like these (these are single lines that may wrap in email):

#2008-07-11 15:05:00#,#2008-07-12 10:00:00#,"Inland Empire ARC Swapmeeet 8AM Sat - Cable Airport in Upland",28

#2008-07-21 15:05:00#,#2008-07-22 21:00:00#,"Pasadena ARC Meeting 7:00 PM Tuesday at Kaiser in Pasadena",28

#2008-07-25 15:05:00#,#2008-07-26 10:00:00#,"TRW Swapmeet Saturday 8:00 AM Manhattan Beach",28


The final set of digits is the repetition rate in minutes. I purposely set the rep rate slightly faster than 30 minutes so that if my "half-hourly" beacons happened to coincide with someone else's, the beacons would gradually drift out of phase over time. The application has a fill-in template to add events, but the user interface is so clumsy and erratic when it comes to editing existing events that I find it easier to edit the .CSV file directly outside of UI Events. (On most Windows systems with MS Office installed, double-clicking the APRSevents.csv file makes it open in an Excel spreadsheet where it is neatly columnated and easy to edit. )

The application is hardwired to transmit in bulletin format. (I wish it could transmit objects as well -- perhaps in a future revision it will). It stores it's own path and originating callsign independent of any other application using AGWpe.

I have set a single-hop path using the actual callsign of a single digipeater (N6EX-1) that covers the area of interest (the San Gabriel Valley -- the area between 5 and 20 miles east of downtown Los Angeles that includes Pasadena, Alhambra, Monterey Park, Arcadia, Monrovia, El Monte, etc). This avoids setting off 4 or 5 digipeaters all over the greater Los Angeles basin simultaneously with the generic WIDE2-2 path normally used around here.

WB4APR - CQ FD APRS

Robert Bruninga to APRSSIG @ TAPR

Don't forget, APRS can now do global CQ's.

Although we don't get any special points for FD, APRS still makes a great demo!

Show those old fuds how you can communicate any where in the world via APRS in real time!

CQ FD works via the centralized CQSRVR application written byAE5PL. Just send an APRS message TO CQSRVR and compose it likethis:

CQ FD CQ FD from .... Your info here.

And it will be delivered to all other stations that have sent a similar message. You will remain logged on for 12 hours since the last message you sent. Then as you see incoming such CQ's from other stations, you send them the usual APRS message to confirm the contact. See details on:

http://www.ew.usna.edu/~bruninga/CQFD.html

For clarity, you have to repeat the original CQ twice, since the first copy is stripped off by the CQSRVR. Operate APRS at Field Day like never before! To heck with the points! C U There!

Bob, WB4APR

Vicinity tracking to Dayton with Findu

Where's K7GPS by vicinity tracking?

http://www.findu.com/cgi-bin/find.cgi?call=k7gps-9&vicinity=1

No GPS is needed. The location is picked from the first digipeater that heard the packet.

Bill - WA7NWP

If someone does not have a working GPS, they can still be approximately tracked to Dayton.

As long as they are transmitting some packet periodically, then you can use vicinity tracking to see at least what digi they are near. On FINDU, there is a great vicinity tracking feature. Just add "&vicinity=1" to the end of the normal FINDU.COM URL and it will plot the location of the digi that first heard the packet.

Here is an example:

http://www.findu.com/cgi-bin/find.cgi?call=we4apr-9&vicinity=1

That should plot the nearest digi that heard my last packet.

Using this feature, you can track things over large distances without having to power the GPS. Just flea power to a tiny PIC and transmitting a BEACON once every 30 minutes could last a year on a set of AA cells.

Good luck
Bob, WB4aPR

Monitoring Frequency in APRS Status Text

From an APRSSIG posting by Bob B.

> on my TinyTrack3.
> I was going to put in that I'm "Monitoring
> 146.520" and have that sent every 4th time.

Please consider putting it into the new APRS frequency format.
That is:

"146.52 MHz listening..."

By putting the freqeuncy as a FIXED field as the first 10 bytes of your position comment in the format "FFF.FFFMHz", then your frequency can be parsed. For example, the new Kenwoods have a TUNE button for one-button tuning to these frequencies.

Please see the web page on FREQUENCY:
http://www.ew.usna.edu/~bruninga/localinfo.html

Also please see the Tracker Manifesto:
http://www.ew.usna.edu/~bruninga/aprs/TrackerManifesto.doc

You are doing the right thing by publishing in your tracker, the frequency that you are monitoring so that you can be contacted at any time. After all, the tracker is connected to a two-way radio, you may as well be listening for calls on its receiver...

Bob, WB4APR