{"id":1785,"date":"2009-05-04T08:40:16","date_gmt":"2009-05-04T15:40:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mightyohm.com\/blog\/?p=1785"},"modified":"2022-12-28T12:58:42","modified_gmt":"2022-12-28T20:58:42","slug":"aprs-tracker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mightyohm.com\/blog\/2009\/05\/aprs-tracker\/","title":{"rendered":"APRS Tracker"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"http:\/\/mightyohm.com\/files\/flickr\/3482910237_624bbb3bb5.jpg\" alt=\"APRS Tracker\" width=\"375\" height=\"500\" \/><\/p>\n<p>This week, my brother is relocating from the San Francico Bay Area to Texarkana, Texas.\u00a0 I&#8217;m helping him move, so for the next two weeks we&#8217;ll be on a road trip through California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and maybe a little bit of Oklahoma.\u00a0 We&#8217;re planning to see the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.vla.nrao.edu\/\">Very Large Array<\/a>, visit <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Truth_or_Consequences,_New_Mexico\">Truth or Consequences<\/a>, and check out <a href=\"http:\/\/blackholesurplus.com\/\">The Black Hole<\/a> in Los Alamos.\u00a0 That is, if the trailer stays connected and we don&#8217;t break down too many times on the way.<\/p>\n<p>I though this would be a good opportunity to dust off my APRS tracker so friends and family can watch our progress.<\/p>\n<h4>What is APRS?<\/h4>\n<p>APRS, short for <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Automatic_Packet_Reporting_System\">Automatic Packet Reporting System<\/a>, is a radio network that uses amateur radio frequencies to relay short messages.\u00a0 Think of it as a precursor to twitter, developed 20+ years ago by <a href=\"http:\/\/aprs.org\/\">Bob Bruinga, WB4APR<\/a>.\u00a0 The messages usually contain GPS coordinates, and they are relayed via radio to internet connected stations that send the data to the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aprs-is.net\/\">APRS-IS network<\/a>.\u00a0 Database servers, such as <a href=\"http:\/\/www.findu.com\/\">findU<\/a>, cache the packets so that client software can access them without needing a radio or realtime access to the network.<\/p>\n<p>The coolest client I have seen so far is <a href=\"http:\/\/aprs.fi\/\">aprs.fi<\/a>, a clever mashup of APRS and Google Maps:<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1788\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1788\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"http:\/\/aprs.fi\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"1788\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/mightyohm.com\/blog\/2009\/05\/aprs-tracker\/aprs\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/mightyohm.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/04\/aprs.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"500,398\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"APRS map of San Francisco\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;APRS map of San Francisco&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/mightyohm.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/04\/aprs.jpg\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1788\" title=\"APRS map of San Francisco\" src=\"http:\/\/mightyohm.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/04\/aprs.jpg\" alt=\"APRS map of San Francisco\" width=\"500\" height=\"398\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1788\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">APRS map of San Francisco<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h4>The hardware:<\/h4>\n<p>I made this APRS tracking box a couple years ago, so I&#8217;m a little fuzzy on the construction details, but it consists of the following parts:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A <a href=\"http:\/\/www.trimble.com\/ace3.shtml\">Trimble ACE III GPS module<\/a>, originally used in a police car, $5 on eBay.<\/li>\n<li>An external mag-mount powered antenna for the GPS that I found at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.halted.com\">HSC<\/a>, also $5.<\/li>\n<li>A <a href=\"http:\/\/www.byonics.com\/tinytrak\/\">Tinytrak3+<\/a> microcontroller-based APRS encoder and modem, $30<\/li>\n<li>My old Kenwood <a href=\"http:\/\/www.kenwood.com\/i\/products\/info\/amateur\/th79.html\">TH-79A<\/a> handheld <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2_meters\">2 meter<\/a>\/144-148 MHz ham radio<\/li>\n<li>A mag mount whip antenna for the HT, found at the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.electronicsfleamarket.com\/\">electronics flea market<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>An aluminum box, probably the most expensive part.<\/li>\n<li>Some cables to glue all the pieces together, mostly salvaged from my junk box.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The APRS tracker acquires a GPS fix and the current GPS time.\u00a0 Every so often (fully configurable), it transmits my position over the radio, where it is received by other APRS relay stations in the area.\u00a0 Speed, direction, and altitude are also included with the position packet.\u00a0 I connected a piezo buzzer to the TX signal so I hear a beep when the position is transmitted.\u00a0 Within a few minutes, a point corresponding to the position shows up on the map at <a href=\"http:\/\/aprs.fi\">aprs.fi<\/a> or in the <a href=\"http:\/\/findu.com\">findu<\/a> database.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s really neat to play with, especially on long trips.\u00a0 On a trip to Moab two years ago, my position was received by the APRS network even in areas with no cell coverage, which included most of Utah!<\/p>\n<p>Note that to use the APRS system, you need to have an <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Amateur_radio\">amateur radio<\/a> license.\u00a0 If you&#8217;ve ever been interested in amateur radio, this is a really good reason to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/0872599639?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=mightyohm-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0872599639\">get your license<\/a><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border:none !important; margin:0px !important;\" src=\"http:\/\/www.assoc-amazon.com\/e\/ir?t=mightyohm-20&amp;l=as2&amp;o=1&amp;a=0872599639\" border=\"0\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" \/> and start experimenting!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This week, my brother is relocating from the San Francico Bay Area to Texarkana, Texas.\u00a0 I&#8217;m helping him move, so for the next two weeks we&#8217;ll be on a road trip through California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and maybe a little bit of Oklahoma.\u00a0 We&#8217;re planning to see the Very Large Array, visit Truth or &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/mightyohm.com\/blog\/2009\/05\/aprs-tracker\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">APRS Tracker<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[56,5],"tags":[505,210,211],"class_list":["post-1785","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-amateur-radio","category-electronics","tag-amateur-radio","tag-aprs","tag-gps"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pioCd-sN","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2145,"url":"https:\/\/mightyohm.com\/blog\/2009\/09\/ham-radio-studying-for-the-general-class-exam\/","url_meta":{"origin":1785,"position":0},"title":"Ham Radio &#8211; Studying for the General Class Exam","author":"Jeff","date":"September 11, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"When my renewal notice came in the mail, I was surprised to learn that I've had my ham radio license for just over ten years. I received my Technician class license in college shortly after my classmate Tony introduced me to the world of amateur radio.\u00a0 I started out playing\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Amateur Radio&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Amateur Radio","link":"https:\/\/mightyohm.com\/blog\/category\/amateur-radio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"10GHz Transverter","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mightyohm.com\/files\/flickr\/3902350922_30122f670e.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":8883,"url":"https:\/\/mightyohm.com\/blog\/2017\/03\/the-mike-and-key-amateur-radio-club-swap-meet-is-next-weekend-in-puyallup-wa\/","url_meta":{"origin":1785,"position":1},"title":"The Mike and Key Amateur Radio Club Swap Meet is next weekend in Puyallup, WA","author":"Jeff","date":"March 4, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"The 36th annual\u00a0Mike and Key Amateur Radio Club Electronics Show and Fleamarket will be held next Saturday, March 11th at the Washington State Fairgrounds in Puyallup, WA. This is one of the best amateur radio events in Washington state and one that I look forward to every year. A couple\u00a0years\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Amateur Radio&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Amateur Radio","link":"https:\/\/mightyohm.com\/blog\/category\/amateur-radio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mightyohm.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/IMG_7075-500x375.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2644,"url":"https:\/\/mightyohm.com\/blog\/2009\/12\/upcoming-san-francisco-ham-radio-exams\/","url_meta":{"origin":1785,"position":2},"title":"Upcoming San Francisco Ham Radio Exams","author":"Jeff","date":"December 7, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area and are interested in getting your amateur radio license, there are a couple testing sessions coming up in 2010 that may be of interest: The Bay Area Educational Amateur Radio Society (BAERS) is hosting a Ham Cram on Saturday, January 9th\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Amateur Radio&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Amateur Radio","link":"https:\/\/mightyohm.com\/blog\/category\/amateur-radio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"BAERS","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mightyohm.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/BAERS-500x52.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4446,"url":"https:\/\/mightyohm.com\/blog\/2011\/12\/new-call-sign-rip-kf6pbp\/","url_meta":{"origin":1785,"position":3},"title":"New call sign, RIP KF6PBP","author":"Jeff","date":"December 6, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"I got my amateur radio license on December 31st, 1997. I was an undergraduate at the time. My friend and classmate Tony (KC6QHP) had been trying to convince me to get my ham license for months. I finally decided to go for it over winter break.\u00a0I picked up a copy\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Amateur Radio&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Amateur Radio","link":"https:\/\/mightyohm.com\/blog\/category\/amateur-radio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"http:\/\/www.assoc-amazon.com\/e\/ir?t=mightyohm-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0872598810","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2566,"url":"https:\/\/mightyohm.com\/blog\/2009\/11\/help-is-available-on-the-discussion-forums\/","url_meta":{"origin":1785,"position":4},"title":"Help is available on the Discussion Forums!","author":"Jeff","date":"November 11, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Do you have a question about the Wifi Radio project or want help making your own Bluetooth Handset? Try asking over at the discussion forums! If you haven't seen them before, be sure to check them out!","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Amateur Radio&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Amateur Radio","link":"https:\/\/mightyohm.com\/blog\/category\/amateur-radio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Flathead","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mightyohm.com\/files\/flickr\/3972724969_2ae5b52cc8.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1810,"url":"https:\/\/mightyohm.com\/blog\/2009\/04\/chuck-houghton-wb6igp\/","url_meta":{"origin":1785,"position":5},"title":"Chuck Houghton &#8211; WB6IGP","author":"Tony","date":"April 30, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Ed. note: This is a guest post by a good friend of mine, Tony Long, KC6QHP.\u00a0 Hopefully Tony will be contributing more to the blog in the future and we'll get to see some of the interesting things he's working on in his lab in SoCal.\u00a0 Let's all welcome Tony\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Electronics&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Electronics","link":"https:\/\/mightyohm.com\/blog\/category\/electronics\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Chuck WB6IGP operating his lasercom system","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mightyohm.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/04\/oyj_6.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mightyohm.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1785","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mightyohm.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mightyohm.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mightyohm.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mightyohm.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1785"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/mightyohm.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1785\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15846,"href":"https:\/\/mightyohm.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1785\/revisions\/15846"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mightyohm.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1785"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mightyohm.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1785"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mightyohm.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1785"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}