[aprssig] APRS touch Tone

Mon Jul 3 10:42:11 EDT 2006

Bob, I still have my little Windows-based app I wrote
to convert callsigns to DTMF for APRStt.  It will do
both the full version and hashed version.  I wrote it
at the same time I was playing with APRStt

<http://www.ke4nyv.com/programs/aprsttcc.zip>

Jason KE4NYV
www.ke4nyv.com
RPC Electronics
www.rpc-electronics.com

--- Robert Bruninga <bruninga at usna.edu> wrote:

> REgarding the APRS Touch Tone system, APRStt,
> the problem is, that I wrote it in QBasic for DOS
> and
> so one has to add an external chip DTMF decoder...
> but read on...  You can use it without that if all
> you
> want is the APRStt APRS==>Voice conversion.
> 
> I really never expected many people to do that, but
> what I DID expect was that some windows progrmmer
> would write an all-software version since a sound
> card
> can do ALL THREE required APRStt functions:
> 1) Decode the DTMF from DTMF users
> 2) Generate the Voice responses to the DTMF users
> 3) Communicate with PACKET on the APRS channel
> 
> APRStt fully defined all the formats using DTMF to
> send callsigns, messages, positions, objects
> bulletins announcements, email etc...
> 
> APRStt really is a fantastic concept for APRS.  It
> simply turns
> EVERY HT with a DTMF keypad into the full functional
> capabilities of the TH-D7 APRS ht by simply doing
> the
> keypad decoding (from DTMF) on the air at a central
> APRStt decoder  instead of inside the radio.  This
> way
> EVERY ham at an event can enter APRS positions,
> data and messages, etc.  Not just those with a D7.
> 
> And then instead of a screen display, they get VOICE
> responses such as:
> 
> "LEAD was 3.5 miles north east of FINISH at 0909"
> "W3XYZ was 4.5 miles south of the repeater at 0927"
> "W3XYZ was 300 feet east of W4XYZ at 0930"
> "Email received and forwarded"
> 
> This is all on a different LOCAL frequency than the
> APRS
> channel, yet all of the DTMF radios can all talk to
> all
> of the APRS users via the central APRStt engine.
> 
> http://www.ew.usna.edu/~bruninga/aprstt.html 
> 
> Again, APRStt is fully funcaional under DOS and even
> without the DTMF decoder, it can sit on a local
> VOICE
> channel and it can report once a minute for example
> the position of any designated things to track. 
> SUch
> as the lead and tail of a race event:
> 
> "LEAD is 4.5 miles from FINISH at 0909"
> "TAIL is 9.2 miles from FINISH at 0908"
> 
> In APRStt, without a sound card for runnning on ANY
> old
> laptop, I emulated a sound card with simply 8
> resistors
> on the parallel port. Feed to the MIC input of a
> radio and
> this gives APRStt its voice...
> 
> de WB4APR, Bob
> 
> etc...
> >>> Jim.WILSON at stanwell.com 07/02/06 7:21 PM >>>
> Thanks Bob,
> Sounds good. I'll have to look into APRStt more.
> Should be good for some
> other projects as-well.
> Does anyone have schematics for a dtmf encoder? If I
> use this setup, I'd
> like to interface with a picaxe so they can hit a
> button and the picaxe
> will trigger a dtmf sequence. I'd like to be able to
> plug a dtmf encoder
> directly into the mic input on the cheap uniden cb
> radios.
> I'm still interested in getting some aprs running.
> So anyone's thoughts
> or comments on their own set-up would be
> appreciated.
> -----Original Message-----
> From: ozaprs-bounces at aprs.net.au
> [mailto:ozaprs-bounces at aprs.net.au] On
> Behalf Of Robert Bruninga
> Sent: Saturday, 1 July 2006 12:34 AM
> To: ozaprs at aprs.net.au; WILSON Jim
> Cc: Robert Bruninga
> Subject: Re: [OZAPRS] APRS newbie, equipment
> recommendations
> 
> > I run scout camp where we break the camp up into
> four groups and they 
> > walk from base to base throughout the weekend. I'd
> like a setup to 
> > monitor their progress.
> > What are my options regarding trackers...?
> 
> If this requires only 4 trackers, then this could
> work well as a high
> tech solution.  But once you have APRS, there are
> usually far more
> things you want to track and display....
> 
> SO, do not overlook the low-tech solution as well
> which is simply making
> a map of the camp and "numbering" every interesting
> location.  THen just
> the simple report of a "number" will update all APRS
> maps and displays
> throughout camp with the current location of all
> participants.  This can
> be done with voice, DTMF or a D7 HT. 
> 
> This track-by-points has been in APRSdos since 2002:
> 
> http://www.ew.usna.edu/~bruninga/D7points.html 
> 
> Using number-points reporting without GPS avoids
> these problems:
> 1) Keeping GPS units up and operating with all
> groups
> 2) GPS tracking problems in heavy foliage
> 3) Having to keep the GPS's running all the time and
>     having to supply batteries for all that stuff
> 4) Erroneous positions due to erroneous GPS data
> 5) It works indoors and just about anywhere
> 
> This alternative is Someone with a radio in each
> group simply reports by
> voice (or DTMF) "we are entering base #13", and the
> APRS  sysop simply
> moves that group's object to location 13. 
> This automatically then transmits that object to ALL
> APRS displays in
> the camp so that everyone sees the movement.
> 
> This can be done automatically with APRStt.  The
> Touch-Tone version of
> APRS that *any* HT can enter data with.  Just press
> something like XX*YY
> on the DTMF key pad and the central APRStt will
> convert that to APRS
> packet and update all APRS displays throughout the
> camp....
> 
> See http://www.ew.usna.edu/~bruninga/aprstt.html 
> 
> APRStt then also speaks voice information back to
> the DTMF-only users so
> they also are informed on new reports such as "Team
> XX arrived at YY"...
> 
> And If you are running good APRS software that dead
> reckons, then it can
> even show moving groups as they walk from base to
> base.  And the radio
> consumes far less power than a GPS and radio
> together.  Plus ANY HT that
> the scouts already have, including cheap FRS can be
> used.
> 
> Without APRStt, you can use the Kenwood D7 HT's
> either with GPS as
> plug-and-play, OR they can be used without the
> bother of GPS as above,
> by KEYING in the 2 digit number themselves and the
> internal TNC can
> transmit it to all APRS monitors throughout camp
> without any human
> intervention.
> 
> So many options... without the encumberance of
> GPS...
> 
> de WB4APR, Bob
> 
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