[aprssig] battery portable HF APRS?

[Lynn W Deffenbaugh (Mr)]

JS8Call doesn't support periodically beaconing the GRID packet, but you 
can manually trigger it at will.  You could always try building your own 
modified copy to even do SmartBeaconing from a GPS feed!

I'm more keeping an eye on it for backwoods hiking uses, where you'd 
deploy an antenna and throw out a couple of GRID packets just to update 
the folks back home.

Lynn (D) - KJ4ERJ - Author of APRSISCE for Windows Mobile and Win32


On 11/26/2019 9:16 PM, Ron VE8RT wrote:
> Hi Lynn,
>
>     a few months ago I ran JS8Call on a Raspberry Pi 3, I was very happy
> with how well it worked.  And I had thought about using it as an
> alternative to APRS.  I will take a look at the latest version, the
> earlier version I thought that it would allow beaconing for a set
> amount of time before going into receive only mode.
>
>     Ron VE8RT
>
> On Mon, 25 Nov 2019 13:59:28 -0500
> "Lynn W Deffenbaugh (Mr)" <KJ4ERJ at arrl.net> wrote:
>
>> JS8Call has support for GRID (up to 12 character) transmissions and
>> every suitably configured JS8Call receiver can convert these reports
>> into APRS packets to the ARPS-IS.  I haven't seen any "portable" (read:
>> micro-controller) encoding code for JS8Call, but I suspect it would be
>> just as possible as the WSPR encoder code was.
>>
>> Lynn (D) - KJ4ERJ - Author of APRSISCE for Windows Mobile and Win32
>>
>> On 11/24/2019 9:53 AM, Ron VE8RT wrote:
>>> GM Matthew,
>>>
>>>      I have a BITx40 I built, and was considering it, but either I messed
>>> up and can no longer find them online (haven't tried the auction sites
>>> though) or they're no longer available new.  As the QRP Labs monoband
>>> QCX line of very affordable and highly rated CW transceiver kits will
>>> also do WSPR I would have been very happy to have the (proprietary)
>>> code include APRS transmit and then add an external board for the
>>> decode transmitter control (or logic).  It has been suggested, maybe
>>> I'm too impatient, that I wait for the QSX SSB capable model and use an
>>> off the shelf TNC for HF.
>>>
>>>        Ron VE8RT
>>>
>>> On Sun, 24 Nov 2019 00:49:13 -0600
>>> Matthew Chambers <mchambers at mchambersradio.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Have you looked at any of the ubitx kits? Those come in multi and mono band
>>>> versions, and you can turn off the display to save some battery. Also they
>>>> don't come with a case so you can mount the board in whatever case you want
>>>> and even mount the TNC board along with the radio.
>>>>
>>>>> On Sun, Nov 24, 2019, 12:22 AM Ron VE8RT <ve8rt at yknwt.ca> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> The FT817 or FT818 has been recommended, and I could see it working out
>>>>>> OK for some situations.  If the station were a bicycle mobile on the
>>>>>> annual Yellowknife to Hay River event the proposed FT817, and its
>>>>>> batteries would take up valuable space and add significant weight. (no
>>>>>> place to charge batteries, there is litterly nothing but wilderness for
>>>>>> long stretches of 150 miles or more).  For an event like this I'd
>>>>>> really like to have an APRS frequency on 60M where NVIS is possible.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> What I was hoping to find was a 5W or higher output transceiver, that
>>>>>> was lightweight, easier on batteries, and relatively inexpensive. Along
>>>>>> the lines of the no longer available PSK20 from Small Wonder Labs.  A
>>>>>> monoband transceiver would do to start with, along with a basic tracker
>>>>>> interface, just to experiment with.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Maybe there are no suitable current production radios or kits.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>      Ron VE8RT
>>>>>>
>>>>>> On Sat, 23 Nov 2019 22:27:30 -0500
>>>>>> "wa4zko ." <wa4zko at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Ron,
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> More than a few options out there, but I use:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> RADIO:  Yaesu FT-817ND/818ND
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> TNC:  SCS Tracker DSP TNC - flexible (10-20v) voltage requirements,
>>>>>> draws
>>>>>>> next to no power (<100 mA), 5 packet modes in one small box well suited
>>>>>> to
>>>>>>> portable/mobile setups. It can run as a stand-alone tracker (no
>>>>>> PC/laptop
>>>>>>> required) or with a lot of the common APRS software programs.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> GPS - Garmin GPS76CSx, a 3-wire "hockey puck" GPS or tap into NMEA out
>>>>>> on
>>>>>>> some of my other gear. Many GPS options out there and the latest rev of
>>>>>> the
>>>>>>> SCS Tracker TNC's GPS port can even power some of them for you.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> POWER: Rig's internal power or an external power/battery pack. I've had
>>>>>>> great luck with the Bi0enno LiFePo battery packs.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> HF ANTENNA: Pick your poison, lots of options for portable HF antennas,
>>>>>>> some suck slightly less than others LOL. I do okay with just a $20
>>>>>> hamstick
>>>>>>> for mobile and a dipole or end-fed halfwave wire when camping/etc.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Have taken the above on the road and into the backcountry as needed.
>>>>>> This
>>>>>>> provides me with my choice of:
>>>>>>> Robust Packet APRS (HF)
>>>>>>> 300 baud APRS (HF)
>>>>>>> 1200 baud APRS (2m and 6m)
>>>>>>> 9600 baud APRS (typically on 70cm) (FT-817/818 do 9600 just FB)
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Jerry VE6AB does some similar stuff and written a lot about his portable
>>>>>>> ops in QST and his blog. Check him out on QRZ.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> GL & 73
>>>>>>> Jeff
>>>>>>> WA4ZKO
>>>>>> --
>>>>>> Ron VE8RT <ve8rt at yknwt.ca>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>> aprssig mailing list
>>>>>> aprssig at lists.tapr.org
>>>>>> http://lists.tapr.org/mailman/listinfo/aprssig_lists.tapr.org
>>>>>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> aprssig mailing list
>> aprssig at lists.tapr.org
>> http://lists.tapr.org/mailman/listinfo/aprssig_lists.tapr.org
>