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Robert Bruninga wrote:
<blockquote cite="mid:005201c7d44e$1613ea50$42577a83@ewlab.usna.edu" type="cite">
<blockquote type="cite">
<pre wrap="">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.
</pre>
</blockquote>
<pre wrap=""><!---->
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
</pre>
</blockquote>
<br>
<br>
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. <br>
<br>
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....)<br>
<br>
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. <br>
<br>
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.] <br>
<br>
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. <br>
<br>
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.)<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
--<br>
<br>
Stephen H. Smith wa8lmf (at) aol.com <br>
EchoLink Node: 14400 [Think bottom of the 2M band]<br>
Home Page: <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://wa8lmf.com">http://wa8lmf.com</a> --OR-- <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://wa8lmf.net">http://wa8lmf.net</a><br>
<br>
NEW! World Digipeater Map<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://wa8lmf.net/APRSmaps">http://wa8lmf.net/APRSmaps</a><br>
<br>
JavAPRS Filter Port 14580 Guide <br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://wa8lmf.net/aprs/JAVaprsFilters.htm">http://wa8lmf.net/aprs/JAVaprsFilters.htm</a><br>
<br>
"APRS 101" Explanation of APRS Path Selection & Digipeating <br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://wa8lmf.net/DigiPaths">http://wa8lmf.net/DigiPaths</a> <br>
<br>
Updated "Rev H" APRS <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://wa8lmf.net/aprs">http://wa8lmf.net/aprs</a><br>
Symbols Set for UI-View, <br>
UIpoint and APRSplus:<br>
<br>
<br>
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