[aprssig] "Smart" vs. "dumb" trackers

[Stephen H. Smith]

On 6/23/2014 10:03 AM, SARTrack Admin wrote:
> The tinytrak-3 connected to a (cheap) handheld radio will check for an open
> squelch (any noise) before transmitting.

Except that this is not a positive carrier detect; i.e COR. All it does is 
sense audio energy coming from the radio's audio-out.   It gets fooled by dead 
carriers or under-deviated voice signals on the channel into thinking the 
channel is clear.

>
> The TinyTrak-4 has even a full decoding capability.
> http://www.byonics.com/

But you still need (in addition to the handheld and TT4) :


-  Some sort of keyboard and display

-  A GPS receiver

-  Some soft of battery pack to power this stuff

-  A tangle of cables to interconnect all this stuff


All in all, a clumsy and messy kluge to replace an all-in-one APRS radio.

___________________________________________________________________


--

Stephen H. Smith    wa8lmf (at) aol.com
Skype:        WA8LMF
EchoLink:  Node #  14400  [Think bottom of the 2-meter band]
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