[aprssig] GPS Intgrated Engine

[scott at opentrac.org]

If we're talking about handhelds, then that's another matter.  I think it's
been discussed here before, and I'm sure it all comes down to development
cost.  Who knows, maybe Kenwood will still decide to bless us with a
GPS-integrated handheld one of these days.

I've been looking into the GPS+speaker mic idea, myself.  Pryme sells one,
but it's about $580 retail, not counting the base station ($7k+) you'll need
to use with it.  They wouldn't give details on the on-air protocol, and
weren't at all interested in adapting it to APRS or letting anyone else
adapt it.  Even if it could be modified, at that price I don't think any
hams are going to bother.

I'd still like to build something like that, but the big problem is power.
GPS receivers draw a lot of current, and to work with an average HT would
need an internal battery pack.  Pryme uses an intergated rechargeable
battery, but the problem there is that you can't change it out in the field
- you have to plug it in to a charger.  Not good for SAR, ARES, RACES, and
that sort of thing.  So you've got to have a battery compartment, probably
for AA's, which I've never seen in a speaker mic.  AAA's I've seen, but they
don't have enough capacity to be practical.  I think it's got to be either 2
x AA or 1 x CR123A.

Either way, you've still got to design a mic housing with the battery
compartment (and space for a GPS antenna), which means some serious
engineering and tooling fees.  I'm still doing research, and maybe it'll
turn out to be feasible after all, but I'm not promising anything.

If anyone knows of an existing speaker mic with a suitable battery
compartment that could serve as a starting point, let me know.

Scott
N1VG

> -----Original Message-----
> From: aprssig-bounces at lists.tapr.org 
> [mailto:aprssig-bounces at lists.tapr.org] On Behalf Of AA3JY at Winlink.org
> Sent: Tuesday, March 28, 2006 7:33 AM
> To: aprssig at lists.tapr.org
> Subject: [aprssig] GPS Intgrated Engine
> 
> >What I don't like about integrated GPS receivers is that you 
> still have to
> >connect an external antenna...
> 
> Look at Garmin's Rino 520 and 530....
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Clay AA3JY
> (via WL2K
> 
> 
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