APRS / GPS recommendations

[Crismateski]

Hey, I have a few APRS / GPS questions.

First, I have been trying to do some reading, but most of what I am finding online seems to either be very outdated, or contradicts what other sites say. Does anyone have a source where I can educate my self a bit.

At this point I don't have any gear that will work for APRS (as far as I can tell)

Currently I have a Yaesu FT-60, and a garmin 1490t (auto gps) a delorme usb gps (I think it is an lt-20) and a macbook pro with windows xp via vmware fusion

I am planning on picking up either a garmin GPSmap 62st or the Garmin Oregon 450t in the next couple of days from what I have found online either model will work, is this accurate? which would be recommended. I will be using it for hiking and a little offroading as well.

What I would eventually like to get set up is a system in the truck, and a mobile that I can take in the backpack but I am not really sure where to start. I have looked at the microtrak (http://www.byonics.com/microtrak/mtaio.php) online but I am not sure if that is the way to go.

I head out by me self fairly often, and would like my wife to be able to pull up the location of the truck, and myself when I go out.

Any advice I can get would be great, and any resources either online or books that I can check would really help.

Not sure if it can even be done with one radio in the truck, but would it work to have a cross band radio in the truck, so she can track the truck, myself, and I can use the truck as a repeater? Not sure if it works that way, or if I would need multiply radios, or if I even explained that well.

Thanks again for any info you can point me to

Cris

[unwiredadventures]

Do you plan on using APRS while hiking/walking or from your vehicle while driving?

[Crismateski]

I would like to set up a "mobile" rig that I can do both with first, then set up something in the truck down the road. I have to kind of do it in pieces due to funds and want to make sure that any equipment I invest in now will work down the road

Cris

[cruiserlarry]

If by mobile you mean handheld, Yaesu makes a handheld with built-in GPS and APRS - the VX-8GR. This unit will do 2M / 440, and APRS without any additional parts required. It isn't cheap, but it's ready to go out of the box.

There are several other APRS-capable handhelds, including the Yaesu VX-8DR, and the Kenwood TH-D72A.

[Chazz Layne]

I'm a big fan of the Yaesu VX-8 series, I still run the original VX-8R with the add-on GPSr module. It has benefits outside APRS that make it well worth the extra cost to a hiker: small size, light weight, excellent reception for a hand held, and long battery life. The batteries are smaller than a PowerBar and weigh about the same, so its easy to carry a second battery for a full day (10+ hour) hike.

[OLLIE]

I agree with Larry and Chazz on this one. I use mine for hiking. I love it. Additionally, you can get a battery pack for the VX-8 series that runs on AAA batteries. I load it with lithiums and get really long life out of it. However, this battery pack lowers the power output a bit.

[Crismateski]

Thanks for the info, the Yaesu sounds like a good option. What about the GPS (garmin 62st or oregon 450t) and a radio for the truck down the road. What else will I need for the truck system?

And do any of you have any good resources for me to do some reading and educate myself on aprs

Thanks
Cris

[DaveK]

Thanks for the info, the Yaesu sounds like a good option. What about the GPS (garmin 62st or oregon 450t) and a radio for the truck down the road. What else will I need for the truck system?

And do any of you have any good resources for me to do some reading and educate myself on aprs

Thanks
Cris

Cris:

The 62st and the Oregon are excellent GPS units. They are both USB enabled making it much easier, especially for laptops that do not have a serial port. They are very capable units that will work with most APRS programs.

On the APRS material that you can use to educate yourself, there are several but there is a very frustrating lack of a fundamental APRS primer type of book that will help. I would make three suggestions:

1. Post up your questions here. We have many members who have been using APRS, using a wide range of equipment, and we could help with most questions. Hector, KE6VRL is our resident APRS expert and can guide you through most set-up questions.

2. There are Yahoo talk groups for most of the major APRS programs, including AGW, UIView, and others. The benefit of these groups is that they usually have members, often times including the program authors, who can offer some very specific help when things get technical. There is always someone else out there who has the exact set-up that you do and can help you solve the issues that your specific hardware and software present.

3. We hold four events a year and if you can make it to any one, it is always easier to trouble shoot problems when you can do a hands-on evaluation.

On the radio question, there are a lot of very good choices. Without going into specific recommendations, I would not buy a radio unless it was a dual bander, meaning that you can monitor two different frequencies at the same time. Your budget will determine which unit you get. Common choices include the Yaesu 8800, Kenwood 710 and the Yaesu 350. Check them out.

[sdnative]

Another thing to consider is most handhelds are limited to 5W, which may not be enough for aprs in the backcounty. If you plan on using an HT as your aprs radio, you may want to consider some form of amplifier for use in the vehicle. I usually run about 25W-35W for aprs in the backcountry, and 5W around town.