[aprssig] Displaying Operating Frequency

[Eric Christensen]

I put the HF frequency (along with the VHF or UHF frequency) I'm
monitoring in my APRS packet when I'm on longer trips.  I've actually
had people call me on HF after seeing my frequency listed.  Pretty cool.

73s,
Eric W4OTN


Robert Bruninga wrote:
> Stephen,
> 
> You nailed the concerns that were growing in my head as I wrote
> that...
> Yes, just like we are asking the Local Voice Repeater Initiative
> to nail down the one-and-only "best" frequency in an area, I
> guess, the FREQ idea is for contact purposes only, and so
> listing the One VHF/UHF frequency that is being monitored in the
> shack is the real objective.  Thanks  Bob, WB4APR
> 
>>
>> This scheme assumes you are using one of the "DC-to-light" 
>> multimode rigs with CAT-enabled serial ports (i.e. FT-100, 
>> TS-2000, IC-706, etc), that are more likely to be on HF than 
>> VHF/UHF.   I am far more likely to be monitoring/operating 
>> VHF/UHF bands with FM-only radios that don't have CAT ports. 
>>
>> As a mobile, are you really interested in what HF frequency a 
>> fixed station is on?   Wouldn't the current VHF or UHF 
>> frequency be of more interest since you are far more likely 
>> to have a VHF or UHF radio in the car than HF?  Further, even 
>> if you have HF in the car, you are FAR more likely to be 
>> heard on VHF/UHF than on HF from the far side of town.    
>> (80M or 40M groundwave without the benefit of repeaters 
>> doesn't go very far....)
>>
>> If the fixed station is using a dual-band FM-only rig or 
>> several mono-band FM rigs on various bands (i.e. FT-1500s, 
>> TM-G707s, TM-742s, etc) to monitor VHF/UHF, this scheme won't 
>> work since most of these FM-only rigs are not CAT-capable.    
>>
>> Further, is there going to be enough space in the comment 
>> field for all this stuff?       [In my own scenario, I would 
>> have to somehow fit Echolink on 438.150MHz (Node 14400),  
>> voice on 146.52 and on 147.09, APRN on 146.700 and voice on 
>> 52.525 into the beacon.]   
>>
>> I suppose one could have a processor-based gadget with a 
>> keypad and serial ports, that could interrogate some rigs via 
>> serial CAT, and provide keyboard data entry for other radios. 
>> It would then generate APRS packets to be beaconed by a 
>> dedicated radio on a rotating basis; i.e. comment field info 
>> about a different radio on each successive beacon.    This 
>> gadget would probably also have to have some sort of serial 
>> port splitter/feedthrough functions since the CAT ports of 
>> radios so equipped are often already in use for automated 
>> logging, antenna selection/control, remote control, ALE or 
>> other functions.    
>>
>> Just a thought:   The Kenwoods would be simpler for this 
>> application since their CAT ports can be set to 
>> "auto-reporting". In this mode,  they spit out frequency info 
>> periodically on their own with no command/response two-way 
>> interaction required.  As a result, the APRS status-reporting 
>> box can just passively bridge any existing hookup on the CAT 
>> port,  just listening and never talking.  (This would be 
>> similar to the way one connects the input of a D700 GPS port, 
>> and a laptop serial port, in parallel across a GPS receiver.)
>>
>> Stephen H. Smith    wa8lmf (at) aol.com 
> 
> 
>  
> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Stephen H. Smith [mailto:wa8lmf2 at aol.com] 
>> Sent: Wednesday, August 01, 2007 12:15 PM
>> To: bruninga at usna.edu; TAPR APRS Mailing List
>> Cc: danny at messano.net
>> Subject: Re: [aprssig] Displaying Operating Frequency
>>
>> Robert Bruninga wrote: 
>>
>> 		You mentioned "EVERY ham would monitor APRS to
> see 
>> 		what was going on locally, and EVERY ham's
> station 
>> 		would beacon on the APRS channel a STATUS packet
> 
>> 		about what he was doing on any other frequency
> or 
>> 		band or activity so everyone would know."  
>> 		
>> 		The $6 word for that is "Presence", and it's a
> shame 
>> 		we DON'T have something like that for hams now.
> 
>> 		    
>>
>> 	
>> 	Actually, after Katrina, the ARRL made it an initiative
> to come
>> 	up with a mechanism for determining and distributing the
>> 	OPERATING frequency of all stations on the air, so that
> they
>> 	could easily be found when needed.  It is called WOTA
> for "Who
>> 	is On the Air".  Since we have always encouraged the
> addition of
>> 	Operating FREQUENCY as a standard field, we tried to
> make APRS a
>> 	big part of that initiative.  But I got little support.
> But we
>> 	have now formalized a standard for including FREQUENCY
> in APRS
>> 	packets to improve this situation down the road...
>> 	
>> 	What I want to see are PIC processors connected up to
> Home
>> 	stations that will MONITOR the operating frequency of
> the main
>> 	RIG in the hamshack and automatically insert that
> frequency in
>> 	that station's APRS *local* beacon.
>> 	I do not want to see these beacons all over the state,
> but
>> 	simply locally, so that if the need arises, that person
> can be
>> 	contacted.
>> 	
>> 	In fact, I think it would make a nice set of Add-on's to
> many
>> 	client software so that that software could monitor the
> stations
>> 	other radios and include their operating frequencies in
> that
>> 	stations beacon.
>> 	
>> 	IN fact, a TinyTracker or OT tracker or any PIC device
> could be
>> 	made for the major CAT interfaces for Kenwood, Icom and
> Yeasu.
>> 	Plug this device into the shack radios and plug it into
> an
>> 	unused HT on the APRS channel, and there you go...
>> 	
>> 	Bob, WB4APR
>> 	
>> 	  
>>
> 
> 
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