[aprssig] The Ultimate APRS portable net control station ?

[Stephen H. Smith]

mckeehan at mckeehan.homeip.net wrote:

>I worked another event this past weekend; it was a 27/50/62 mile bike ride. A
>couple of guys had APRS and I played with keeping track of the action with
>Xastir.
>
>Walking away from that event, I got an idea about a way to improve my setup.
>
>I have a D700 in my vehicle. I am planning to put a Linux computer in the
>vehicle, connected to the D700. I will have the computer running javAPRSSrvr
>acting as a Digi. In addition, I will connect the computer to a wireless hub.
>I will use my laptop to wirelessly connect to the computer in the car. On the
>laptop, I can run any APRS program that can talk to an Internet server (which
>my car computer will look like). This will let me take my laptop to a better
>location for humans without having to take all of the wires for the radio,
>etc. In addition, I was thinking that if my vehicle is at a good location then
>I could have a web server on the computer serving up a javaAPRS page; this
>would let anyone with a wireless connection be able to see what's going on.
>I'm thinking about having an "home" page that would give them links to the
>overall view of the ride, then links to find specific assets.
>
>
>  
>

If you would run Windows on the car computer, everything you describe 
can be done with a standard installation of UI-View.  

UI-View contains TWO server functions built-in.  One is a local server 
that emulates a standard APRServe Internet server that allows APRS apps 
on other nearby machines on a LAN to see whatever the first instance is 
hearing.   UI-View also contains an actual WEB server that can serve 
"Station Heard" lists AND  maps automatically screen-capped from the 
copy of UI-View that is hosting it.    Thus both your Wi-Fi- connected 
APRS operators running copies of UI-View (or any other APRS app that can 
connect to an Internet server),  and Wi-Fi-connected monitor-only 
"spectators" (using nothing more than a web browser) can be supported 
with no other software required. 

For an example of this, using THREE copies of UI-View to cap three 
different map views that are then presented on multiple pages of the 
same web site, see my personal UI-View webserver at:
     http://webs.lanset.com/wa8lmf/webserver/index.htm    

This is all being done with the built-in UI-Webserver in the first copy 
of UI-View, running over a consumer cable modem account.   This system 
is currently running under Windows 2000 on  a 1GHz  VIA EPIA-TC 
micro-ITX motherboard, along with an Echolink node, and an APRN 
(automatic off-air SSTV image captures & upload  to  another website.  
This particular VIA motherboard is ideal for your intended application 
since it operates directly from 12 VDC at about 1.5A drain,  with no 
power converter required, AND has TWO real serial ports (so hard to find 
on new PCs!)

For details on how I built the webserver, sound card interfaces, TNCs 
and 3 radios into a standard PC tower case to make a completely 
self-contained "Super HamServer" see:
      http://webs.lanset.com/wa8lmf/EPIAserver/index.htm        




Stephen H. Smith             wa8lmf (at) aol.com
                                                    
Home Page:                   http://wa8lmf.com

New APRS Symbol Chart
  http://webs.lanset.com/wa8lmf/miscinfo/APRS_Symbol_Chart.pdf   

New/Updated "Rev G" APRS     http://webs.lanset.com/wa8lmf/aprs
Symbols Set for UI-View,
UIpoint and APRSplus: