[aprssig] Free Ham Mobile Web Page (MAP.FINDU.COM)

[Stephen H. Smith]

Robert Bruninga wrote:
> Spread this around to your non-APRS ham friends:
> -------------------------------------------------
>
> Does everyone realize that they all have their own callsign WEB
> page that they can update anywhere, anytime, via ham radio and
> even without internet access?
>
>
>
> All it takes to create your own instant web page for all the
> world to see is to TRANSMIT a single successful packet on 144.39
> anywhere in North America, or 144.80 in Europe (etc), and then
> the above web page will work for your callsign.  I will use
> W6GMT's cross country traveling satellite station as an example
> for how to take advantage of this capability from the field... 
>
> 1) Set radio to 144.39 (in north america)
> 2) Set UNPROTO APRTNC VIA WIDE2-2
> 3) Set CONVERse mode
>
>
>
> MESSAGES:  But you can have as many MESSAGES as you want.  Type
> this:
>
> :BLN1toall: Operating times today will be 1430z from Grand
> Canyon
>
> Your FINDU web page will now have a link to ALL of your
> messages, which will include this bulletin.  Additional
> bulletins can be BLN2, BLN3 and so on.  The "toall" is just to
> make sure that you pad the format to the indicated number of
> bytes between colons..  You can even send someone a text-message
> email.  Just type:
>
> :EMAIL    : w3xyz at amsat.org hi joe, will arrive tonight at 10PM.
>
>
>
> Just think of it.  Carry a TNC with you in your car, and you can
> communicate with the world anywhere, anytime, via the Internet.
> Just a tiny example of all the potential applications of packet
> radio and APRS and the web to improve our ability to
> communicate.
>
> A

This going to take more than "a TNC with you in your car". It will 
amount to a full-blown
mobile laptop  APRS installation.    This assumes the user:

     a)  has a TNC.

     b) knows how to interface it to the radio; i.e. the usual where do 
I buy a TNC-to-radio cable
         since so many users seem to be unable to figure out pinouts of 
devices such as radio mic
         jacks or aux connectors.  And seem to be unable to solder 
anything....

     c) knows how to properly adjust TX deviation, TXD, etc.

     d) has a laptop PC to use as a terminal for the TNC to type said 
messages over the air. 

If you are going to go through all this hassle, you might as well just 
run a full APRS application with
APRS messaging in the first place.  


A far simpler "lite" installation would consist of running UI-Instant 
Messenger on a WiFi-equipped laptop.    This application is a plug-in 
for UI-View.   It can also run stand-alone  either directly into any 
IP/Internet connection, or directly into a radio via soundcard interface 
and AGWpe.

The program produces a user interface similar to AOL Instant Messenger, 
Yahoo IM, MSN Messenger, etc. with separate windows for sent and 
received messages, and will handle all the issues of formatting text 
into proper APRS format with the appropriate headers, addresses, etc. 

Of course, it DOES require Windows (or a reasonable facsimile) to 
run........





--

Stephen H. Smith    wa8lmf (at) aol.com
EchoLink Node:      14400    [Think bottom of the 2M band]
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