APRS In Your Pocket

 

For a lightweight portable station, all you need is a handheld transceiver, a tiny packet TNC, and an Android smartphone.

For those unaware, APRS is the Automatic Packet Reporting System, a VHF packet radio network, primarily on 144.39 MHz in the US and Canada, that is used for tracking moving objects (and people), texting, and a great deal more.

I enjoy operating APRS, and I thought that I had it covered when it came to the different types of APRS devices that are available. However, I recently assembled a pocket sized full-featured APRS setup for portable operating that uses a smartphone as part of the station.

My configuration is based around a Baofeng UV-3R dual-band hand-held transceiver along with a Mobilinkd packet radio TNC known as the TNC2  and my Android smartphone. Although I’m using a UV-3R transceiver, you can assemble this station with many other FM hand-helds. The only trick is finding the cable to connect the TNC to the radio. There are cables for sale on the Mobilinkd website, but nothing stops you from making your own.

For the Android smartphone, you will need to download the APRSdroid software app available on the APRSdroid website. I am using my Blackberry Z30 smartphone loaded with APRSdroid software. APRSdroid software will not run on Apple iPhones, though.

Also, be aware that the Mobilinkd is not a full-featured packet radio TNC of the type you may be accustomed to seeing. The TNC2 is really a KISS modem; it simply decodes and encodes packet signals. It requires your smartphone and the APRSdroid software to supply the APRS packet formatting and other information, as well as GPS data. Since the GPS data is provided by your smartphone, of course, you don’t need a separate GPS receiver. That’s one less device to carry!

The very cool thing about the TNC2 is the fact that it talks to your smartphone via a wireless Bluetooth connection. This means that once you power up the handheld and the TNC2, your portable APRS system will communicate with your smartphone wherever your smartphone happens to be — in your hand, in your pocket, or anywhere else within about 30 feet.

The Mobilinkd TNC2 comes with complete instructions on how to pair your smartphone with the

device, and how to connect the TNC2 to your radio. I won’t bother repeating the excellent instructions in the TNC2 manual. Suffice to say that it is a simple procedure.

When I initially connected the UV-3R to

the Mobilinkd TNC, I quickly realized that I had a problem. I could hear the buzzes of APRS packet transmissions, but few signals were being decoded. After some time spent trying to come up with a solution, I discovered that the problem was with the squelch of the UV-3R. It was very slow to open, which caused the packet signals to be effectively "chopped."

The problem was easily rectified by going to the UV-3R menu and setting the squelch open, or setting it for "0." With the squelch open, and the UV-3R connected to an external antenna on the roof of my home, I was decoding nearly 100% of the beaconing stations heard. Also, setting the volume on the UV-3R for 1⁄2 scale on the display works well when connected to the Mobilinkd TNC2.

When it came to portable operating, I know the handheld’s "rubber duck" antenna would be less than ideal. After trying the many different hand-held whips that I have in my antenna arsenal, I settled on the Comet SMA-24. It seemed to provide the best performance overall. The antenna measures about 17 inches in length and it is very durable.

I was a little concerned about running the UV-3R with its squelch wide open because I thought this might quickly deplete the battery, but I was pleased to discover that this did not prove to be true. I have operated this APRS station for eight hours at a time, with beacons sent every 10 minutes, without depleting the battery.

 

When I’m portable I often have the advantaging of having my APRS weather station in the truck. The station can operate as a digipeater, so it can relay beacon packets while I am hiking. That extends my effective range considerably.
If I wish to operate voice, it’s as simple as temporarily disconnecting the TNC2 cable from the hand-held, resetting the squelch and going on the air.

Reprinted with permission from May 2014 QST.

 Off-line-mapping with APRS-In-Your-Pocket.....
http://www.jerryclement.ca/HamRadio/VE6AB-Technical/i-VvVdpZs

Note...all photos expand.

My website
www.jerryclement.ca

 

Robust Packet Network

In my on going quest to equip my mobile with the best technological advantages available keeping me connected to the world through the use of the radio stack mounted in my mobile, I continue to move in that direction with the latest device added in the form of an SCS Tracker DSP/TNC.

In my blog post "Cross Country HF APRS" I described an HF APRS system that I implemented that gave me the capability to connect to the world wide APRS Network from anywhere my travels take me or under emergency situations.

Now having said that, I was aware that there is another HF APRS system available called "Robust Packet Radio" a much more robust form of HF APRS making it more likely for my packets to be delivered and heard by the various HF Gateways located world-wide on the 30 meter band.

Unlike "APRS Messenger" using PSK-63 that is configured through a software TNC, the RPR (Robust Packet Radio) system is only available through a hardware TNC built by SCS (Special Communications Systems) located in Germany, the developers of PACTOR used by Amateur and Marine radio operators for FSK transfer of digital information over the HF bands.

 Untill now APRS operations on HF has been done by ordinary HF-packets (FSK 300 baud), and with its small bandwidth, multipath propagation, phase shift, band noise and other disturbances such as fading and constant fluctuating conditions, transmitting digital signals via HF can be problematic at best.

Robust Packet has been designed to take advantage of the capabilities of digital signal processing (DSP) in order to obtain reliable communication over a less than perfect HF path. If you have only experienced traditional 300 baud FSK packet, RPR adds a whole new dimension to your experiences with packet. With the SCS tracker running conventional 300 baud FSK packet on one channel, and Robust Packet running on the adjacent channel, packet after packet was decoded while the conventional packet transmissions on the adjacent channel just flickered the DCD LED on the front of the tracker and were discarded due to errors present in the packet string.

The SCS Tracker RPR unit connected through the data port of a HF transceiver like my TS-480HX, is listening for packets being sent from other RPR stations. Once the SCS TNC has received and decoded this information, the tracker takes this information along with GPS data it is receiving from any external NMEA device like the Garmin Montana, and then sends this information as a APRS Datagram through the interface with the transceiver to HF Robust Packet Gateway stations listening on the network.

The SCS tracker also sends this APRS datagram back to the GPS receiver (Garmin Montana) that then decodes this information and places this information on the map visible on the screen in the form of a APRS symbol that describes the station with included callsign.
This system is also capable of bi-directional messaging when interfaced with a netbook running APRSIS32.

The 30 meter RRC (Really Rugged Coils) antenna mounted on the back deck of my Avalanche, is being used with my SCS Tracker DSP/TNC APRS Robust Packet station part of my radio stack.
The antenna has a dedicated 30 meter coil that I built expressly for the digital modes located on the high end of 30 meters.

The SCS Tracker and the Garmin Montana pared together are proving to be a great combination as utilized with my TS-480HX and its dedicated 30 meter RRC antenna.

 If you click on the photo for a closer look at the screen of the Montana, you can see the various RPR APRS stations that I am hearing across the US and further.
My RPR station VE6AB-9 is also being heard and gated through HF RPR Gates located across the world on the RPR 30 meter frequency of 10.147.30 MHz.
If you expand the map shown here you will see my mobile VE6AB-9 being heard and gated by W3LUZ-7 an HF Gateway located on the east coast of the US at a distance of 3088 kilometers from my mobile. Also listed there are a few of the other RPR stations that have heard my mobile directly and gated me.


NOTE... Since I wrote this post, I have since changed my SSID of "9" to "15" as there was confusion created using the same SSID with my Kenwood D710A on conventional packet, and also using the same SSID with my Kenwood TS-480HX on HF APRS.
The SSID "15" is used throughout the world signifying that the APRS station with this SSID is an HF APRS station.

I am extremely pleased with how my new HF APRS Robust Packet station is performing with my mobile being heard and gated from coast to coast across the US. I continue to run tests as I go down roads less travelled, and it is a pleasure to see the DCD LED on the front of my SCS Tracker light up upon hearing and successfully decoding packets being heard and then sent to the Garmin Montana and placed on the map keeping me connected with other RPR stations on the Robust Packet Network.

 

Note...all photos expand

 

Do visit my website
www.jerryclement.ca

APRS and Satellite Imagery

After parking my mobile at the junction of highway 68 and the Powderface Trail located in Sibbald flats part of Kananaskis Country located along the eastern slope of the Alberta Rockies, I set out to explore the network of beaver dams and lodges located on Sibbald creek and shoot a few photos.

There are at least 4 Beaver lodges that I was able to count from where I had parked my mobile, and in the past I always wanted to get closer to them, but during the summer months, the series of beaver dams located on Sibbald creek backs water up flooding most of the area making it difficult to get around without getting wet.

I thought this would be a good time to check them out, as everything is frozen hard allowing me to meander around with my camera and shoot a few pics while getting up close to the various beaver lodges located behind the various dams located there.
While I meandered around this wetland that is still in the icy grip of winter, I was carrying my D72 and laid waypoints throughout the 2 hours I spent exploring and shooting photos..

I had my mobile - VE6AB-9 set up to digipeat the beacons sent by my Kenwood D72 - VE6AB-7 that I was carrying with me. 
With the D710A mounted in my mobile doing the heavy lifting, and because I could hear the Pigeon Mountain digi directly on my D72, I was getting confirmation back that my beacons were being received and uploaded to aprs.fi on the Internet.

I have the path settings on both my D710A and my D72 set for VE6AB,WIDE1-1,WIDE2-1, and with these path settings, as well as my D710A set to insert the call for my mobile VE6AB-9 in the packet-string, my VE6AB-9 was being confirmed as the first digi,
In case you are wondering as to why I have VE6AB inserted in the path settings, this is to keep my mobile digi from digipeating other aprs stations heard nearby with WIDE1-1,WIDE2-1, path settings, as I only want my devices to be digipeated by my mobile parked nearby.

Although Beavers actually are classified as a rodent and people may think of them as pests depending where they locate, they are very cool when it comes to building their dams and lodges.

A minimum water level of 0.6 to 0.9 metres (2.0 to 3.0 ft) is required to keep the underwater entrance to beaver lodges from being blocked by ice during the winter. In lakes, rivers and large streams with deep enough water, beavers may not build dams and instead live in bank burrows and lodges. If the water is not deep enough to keep beavers safe from predators and their lodge entrances ice-free, beavers build dams as seen in my insert photos.

Beavers start construction by diverting the stream to lessen the water's flow pressure. Branches and logs are then driven into the mud of the stream bed to form a base. Then sticks, bark, rocks, mud, grass, leaves, masses of plants, and anything else available, are used to build the superstructure. The average height of a dam is about 1.8 metres (5.9 ft) with an average depth of water behind the dam of 1.2 to 1.8 meters.

 If there is not enough depth for getting around beneath the ice, the beavers will form channels in the bottom of the creek allowing for that. The thickness of the dam is often around 1 m or more. The length depends on the stream width, but averages about 4.5 m long.
Beavers vary the type of dam built and how they build it, according to the speed of water on the stream. In slow-moving water, they build a straight dam, whereas in fast-moving water they tend to be curved.

Spillways and passageways are built into the dam to allow excess water to drain off without damaging it. Dams are generally built wider at the base and the top is usually tilted upstream to resist the force of the current. Beavers can transport their own weight in material as they drag logs along mudslides and float them through canals to get them in place. Once the dam has flooded enough area to the proper depth to form a protective moat for the lodge, beavers begin construction on the lodge.

Still, as I worked my way around and from one side of the creek to the other, I had to be careful around the dams proper, as there was open water, and the ice was not to be trusted when crossing from one side to the other.

In the end I came away better informed as to the construction and layout of the various beaver dams and lodges located here in Sibbald Flats part of Kananaskis Country.
In fact I will now return in the spring or summer to shoot photos of beavers swimming about in their ponds, and I will bring my waders.





















Spillway located at one end of the beaver dam



NOTE....All images expand

Visit my website...
www.jerryclement.ca

APRS and Traditional Archery

Since the rollover from 2016 to 2017, and -20 C or even lower temperatures the norm for the past several weeks, I hadn't got away from home to far, as some of the activities I had in mind required somewhat warmer temperatures to make them happen.
This included setting up some of the new ham gear I have assembled for field work, and some of the setting up required the dexterity of nimble fingers not numb from the cold temperatures while exposed to the elements.
The forecast indicated there were warmer temperatures on the move our way, but while I waited for that to happen,  I decided to entertain myself by spending the day going for a walk-about down at McKinnon Flats located about 35 kilometers southeast of Calgary, a Fish and Wildlife conservation area that I have visited many time in the past. At this time of the year, the winter-gate situated at the top of the switch-back that allows access to the river valley is locked down for the winter, although the area is open to visitors on foot.

Now I wasn't planning on going for just any old walk-about, as I would be carrying my longbow as well as arrows and the other required accessories, and a pack with the other necessities required while out for the bigger part of the day.

I had recently been shooting my bow on targets in my backyard, after being away from archery for many years. Its interesting that I originally got in to archery back 40 years ago, and first began by using a recurve bow, followed by another recurve bow, and enjoyed many years shooting traditional bows until the early 90's when I acquired my first compound bow. I acquired a second compound bow, and shot with them for a number of years.
Then somewhere along the line, I gave archery up for another 10 years before rediscovering my passion for the sport once more. Funny thing happened at that point, I realized I was no longer interested in compound bows, and came full circle back to traditional archery, and although I enjoyed using a recurve bow once again, I decided at some point to acquire a longbow, always having been interested in them, but having never owned one for some reason or another.
These days I'm finding my passion for archery has returned with a vengeance, and its a rare day that I don't leave home without my longbow along in my truck.

So back to the present, and arriving at McKinnon Flats, I grabbed my pack that was loaded and ready to go with the required gear, and shouldered it along with my longbow and pocket quiver holding the arrows I would need for stump shooting once I worked my way down through the river breaks, arriving in an area bordering the Bow river, that has many good stands of Cottonwood trees, also including a lot of deadfall that would be perfect for a little impromptu target practice archers call stump shooting.
Basically stump shooting consists of exactly that, walking along with your bow at ready, along with a nocked arrow in place, and when an interesting looking dead stump or other likely target appears as you walk along, its as simple as drawing back, and in one fluid motion, releasing the arrow, sending it on its way.

This is a very enjoyable and good way of getting field practice with a bow and arrow that is especially beneficial if you are a bowhunter.
Years ago I actually did bowhunt for a couple of years but being I no longer am interested in hunting wildlife other that with my camera's, stump shooting is as good as it gets.
Of course it was a given that I would have one of my APRS HT's along, and on this day that was my Kenwood D72 that was riding on the belt around my waist. The deep valley that McKinnon Flats is located in, required that I leave the radio-stack in my truck activated, and in particular, I had my Kenwood TH-D710A set as a fill-in low-level digipeater, allowing the beacons from my D72 to be heard and digipeated by the D710A located in my truck at the trail-head located above the switch-back leading down to the valley, and about a kilometer away from my location. That way, the beacons from my D72 would be forwarded to a high-level digipeater with an I-gate connection (CALGRY) insuring that my waypoints were being placed on the map at aprs.fi on the APRS network.

I had my D72 set to automatically beacon every 10 minutes or so, as I didn't want to have to manually push the beacon button on the HT, being I had my bow in my hands. Of course the day wouldn't have been complete without a mishap or two, and the biggest faux-pas I made was when at one point, I decided I needed to check the display of my D72 to see that everything was as it should be. While juggling my bow with one hand, and removing the D72 from its case on my belt, it didn't want to let go for some reason, so I pulled harder and it came away. Well wouldn't you know it, both the volume and channel adjusting knobs located at the top of the radio were missing, having been pulled from the radio by the strap and buckle holding the radio in the 511 case I was using on this day. I knew they weren't to far away, and in the summer months I probably would have seen where they had dropped on the ground.
Of course with 12" of snow on the ground, I didn't even attempt to look, as it would be a waste of time. So a trip to RadioWorld to order new knobs is in order, although the HT functions fine without them for the moment.  If you look close at the photo of the D72, you can see the bare shafts sticking out of the radio with no knobs present, Nice. LOL!

What else can you do but laugh, and maybe get out the fixings for tea that I had in my pack, along with a few snacks to take the bite out of the cold. When I had left the truck earlier in the morning, the temperature was sitting at -19C, and by the time I got back to the truck 5 hours later, the temperature was sitting at -8C.
The only real concern I had at the start of the day with the temperature around -19C, was in keeping my hands warm for shooting my bow, and this I accomplished by wearing my mountaineering mittens over my hands that included my shooting glove on my right hand. When wanting to shoot my bow, it was as simple as dropping the mittens, and I was able to quickly draw and release arrows before putting my mittens back on.
All in all it was an enjoyable day out and about in the snow, although there were times I wished I had brought my snowshoes, making it easier to get around in places. I'll maybe do that next time.

NOTE....all photos expand
My Website.... www.jerryclement.ca

Ham Radio In The Back Country - A Milestone

 Before you read my latest blog post entry, I have to mention that I have reached a milestone, as 'Ham Radio In The Back Country' is my 700th blog post that I have published since I started this blog in March of 2005.

When I first began publishing my blog, I felt for the longest time that I was the only one reading what I was posting (probably true). Over the years this began to change, and my statistics page now shows that I have acquired a faithful group of followers over the years that continues to grow, and now numbers in the tens of thousands each month

I would like to think that my blog has continued to evolve with improvements made to the content, my writing skills, and the photos I include with each entry.
Along the way I became more proficient at working with HTML code improving the look of my blog, with changes made by going from a stock 2 column page to a custom 3 column page greatly enhancing the look.
Another major change made along the way is having my latest blog post the only one published on the front page.
This eliminates the need to scroll down the page to read past entries, and for those of you wishing to read past blog posts that I have published, my last 10 entries are listed for your reading enjoyment.

Another change I made is the use of labels which allows you the reader to enter keywords in the search box bringing up related past blog posts.

So enough shop talk about my blog, and I will continue to write about what interests me, and hopefully you will continue to find it interesting enough to continue the journey with me.
I thank you all for your continued support.       Jerry

                                          
                                  Ham Radio In The Back Country

Early morning just after sunrise finds me in the area of Sibbald Flats, part of Kananaskis Country located along the eastern slope of the Alberta Rockies.

I was in the area moving one of my trail cameras from one location in K Country to this new location.

This new location is seen on the map where my Kenwood D72 beacon waypoints can be seen ending in heavy cover near a stream where I positioned my trail camera on a good sized pine tree overlooking a a clearing that includes part of the creek with several large trees that had fallen over and were lying across the creek.
 After looking the area over, there appears to be  the possibility that a cougar has been using these fallen trees as a bridgework, allowing him to cross over the creek without getting his feet wet.

  Once I had my trail camera set up and ready to capture images, I recorded the lat/long coordinates supplied by my D72 that I had set up to manually beacon as VE6AB-7 and was being heard and digipeated by my APRS weather station VE6AB-8 mounted in the cargo bay of my mobile parked on a forestry road a kilometer or so away.
That way when I return in a month I can find the location of my trail camera, as it is easy to forget how to find the location if you don't take the time to record the lat/long coordinates, making sure you can find the particular tree you mounted the camera on.

Give it a month and everything looks the same in heavy cover, although the creek would probably allow me to find the location of my trail camera without to much difficulty.
I also shot several photos of the area in the vicinity of my trail camera with my cell phone, allowing me to check these photos upon returning.
Upon returning to the area in March to where I parked my mobile initially, and by entering the lat/long coordinates into my Garmin Montana, I will be able to easily hike in to the location of my trail camera, as the Montana will lead me directly to the location.

Once I have finished swapping out the memory card and installing fresh batteries in my trail camera, I won't have any problem finding my truck again, as its as easy as using the saved waypoints on the Montana to run the course in reverse when returning to my mobile.
It's important to always carry a topo map and compass in your pack if your not real familiar with any area, as you do not want to bet your life on a device like a GPS receiver that runs on batteries.
Carrying spare batteries in your pack for your devices is a good idea as well.
While out in about in the back-country whether it is fly-fishing a mountain stream, or visiting one of my trail cameras, or just out for a hike, there is always the possibility of encounters with wild animals, and therefore I always carry bear spray, as it works equally well on fending off bears, cougars, or even wolves.


                                 Connected with Robust Packet HF APRS


I should also mention that conventional VHF APRS is a hit and miss situation in many parts of the southern Alberta Rockies, and as what is a normal daily occurrence for me while I'm mobile, I was running RPR (Robust Packet Radio) HF APRS allowing me to stay connected with the APRS network.

I have RPR HF APRS available to me through the use of the SCS Tracker DSP TNC device mounted in the radio stack of my mobile, and paired with the Kenwood TS-480HX and the Garmin Montana showing the stations on the screen that I was hearing across Canada and the US as well as other parts of the world.


The SCS Tracker and robust packet is amazing to see in operation as seen in the insert photo.
On this day I was being gated by HF Gateways located in Canada and the US as seen in the insert photo above showing the waypoints on the map of the Sibbald Flats area, at distances of 900 to 3100 kilometers depending on which gateway heard me first when I beaconed.


While travelling in this area of Kananaskis country, It gave me a good feeling to know that my mobile was connecting with the APRS network, and if I ran in to trouble I could get a message out asking for help if required.



All of the HF RPR (robust packet radio) APRS activity across North America is on the top end of the 30 meter band on the frequency of 10.147.30 MHz, the main RPR frequency used by those of us using the SCS Tracker DSP/TNC that also can be used with a computer running APRSIS/32 allowing for keyboard messaging between RPR stations.

Note....all photos expand.

My website.... www.jerryclement.ca