[aprssig] Alinco DR-135TP

[William McKeehan]

This is very helpful and will be a GREAT starting point for me.

Thanks!

On Mon, May 1, 2006 11:06 am, Stan Horzepa, WA1LOU said:
> I reviewed the radio for QST back in 2001, so my memory does not remember, but
> here is what I wrote in the review that is pertinent:
>
> APRS Tracking
> Being APRS active, I was anxious to
> test the transceiver?s APRS capabilities.
> I connected my Macintosh laptop to the
> DR-135TP installation that I had set up
> in my car and ran MacAPRS software. No
> problem! MacAPRS exchanged information
> with the radio and the map on the
> computer screen soon began filling up
> with APRS icons.
> I quit MacAPRS and connected a GPS
> receiver to the DR-135TP?s front panel
> DATA jack and fired up a plain vanilla terminal
> program.
> I invoked the RESET command to return
> the internal TNC?s parameters to
> their factory default settings. I then programmed
> several parameters that are required
> for APRS tracker operation. Those
> parameters are:
> AUTOLF OFF
> ECHO OFF
> FLOW OFF
> GBAUD 4800 (match this setting to your
> GPS?s data output rate)
> GPSTEXT $GPRMC
> LOCATION EVERY 6 (6 represents 60
> seconds)
> LPATH GPSMV VIA <your digipeater
> path>
> LTMHEAD OFF
> MYCALL <your call sign and SSID>
> LTMON 10
> UNPROTO APRS VIA <your digipeater
> path>
> (My thanks to Jeff Reinhardt, AA6JR,
> for confirming these settings.)
> The other TNC parameters can remain
> at their factory default values.
> The DR-135TP will not operate properly
> in the APRS tracker mode if you depend
> on the directions presented in the
> documentation. I recommend that you
> keep these programming parameters
> handy. These will save you considerable
> frustration when setting up the DR-135TP
> as an APRS tracker.
> Those using an NMEA-0183 compatible
> GPS receiver should set it for NMEA
> output at 4800 baud. Incidentally, the
> transceiver emits a low-volume, highpitched
> buzz as it receives each packet
> of data from the GPS receiver. This provides
> a simple way to confirm that the
> transceiver is actually receiving data
> from the GPS receiver.
> After disconnecting my laptop from
> the DR-135TP, I headed back to my shack
> and ran MacAPRS on the station computer.
> I wanted to verify that I could track
> my DR-135TP/GPS equipped vehicle. I
> took a short drive around the neighborhood
> and then headed home again. On my
> return, I was very pleased to see that my
> tracks did indeed appear on the station
> computer?s map.
> I continued to run the tracker during
> my daily travels around town and back and
> forth to work. What a difference 50 W
> makes! Where my usual low-powered
> tracker system (5 W) normally drops out
> of sight in the shadow of the mountain
> where my APRS digipeater is located, the
> DR-135TP-based tracker consistently
> marked its path.

-- 
William McKeehan
KI4HDU
Internet: mckeehan at mckeehan.homeip.net
http://mckeehan.homeip.net

Leave the beaten track occasionally and dive into the woods.
Every time you do so you will be certain to find something that you have never
seen before.
     - Alexander Graham Bell