[aprssig] Remote APRS

[Andrew Rich]

Thanks Stephen !

Some good info there
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Stephen H. Smith 
  To: Andrew Rich ; TAPR APRS Mailing List 
  Sent: Tuesday, March 15, 2011 7:49 AM
  Subject: Re: [aprssig] Remote APRS


  On 3/14/2011 2:31 PM, Andrew Rich wrote: 
    Hello

    Has anyone done this ?

    1. Place a PC on the internet in a remote location.
    2. Place a TNC and radio on the serial port
    3. Somehow "access" the remote PC TNC and radio 
    4. At the same time supprt packets into the APRS -IS 

    Remote satellite ground station supporting packeta and APRS-IS 

    - Andrew - 


   
  If you are have Internet access at the remote site,  this can be done with just a copy of UIview running on a very minimal PC (I do it with a low-powered Intel-Atom-based netbook).  The remote site copy of UIview can act as an igate.  In addition,  UIview's "local server" feature allows any number of other APRS apps, either locally or over the Internet via router port forwarding, to use the radio/TNC combo connected to the first copy of UIview.   

  The netbook only draws about 15 watts and is very adequate to run UIview or similar apps, especially if you don't need fancy map servers or map displays at the remote location.      I have essentially done this with my TH-D7 handheld connected to the Acer Aspire netbook which then connected to the Internet via the Wi-Fi of a nearby McDonalds.    

  In a similar approach, I have connected the "tape recording output" of a Uniden/Bearcat BC-760 scanner  to the mic input of the netbook and used AGWpe with UIview to do an instant receive-only igate.


  A completely different approach would be to use the available APRS igate firmware for a Linksys WRT-54GL router.  The router is actually a single-board Linux-powered computer that has serial ports -- they just aren't brought off the board to the rear panel in a stock Linksys.   With the firmware load, and a little hardware hacking to bring out the serial ports, you have a low-power 12-VDC-powered "black box" that will go directly from a TNC's serial port to IP, either local or Internet.    

  Note that you have to have the WRT54 with the -L suffix that is the Linux-based version of this device.   The vast majority of WRT-54s in retail channels are the non -L versions that use a proprietary operating system that fits in half as much flash memory for cost-reduction purposes.  These units are not adaptable to the APRS usage.  


------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  --

  Stephen H. Smith    wa8lmf (at) aol.com 
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    http://wa8lmf.net/DigiPaths 




   
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