Outdoor Adventure USA

I've found that the best way to see your progress while traveling is for the information to be imposed on a map. This gives you your position and that of everyone in your group. The only way this can be accomplished is to have a device that has a sufficiently large screen to display the map and has the necessary computing power and software to give you a reasonable perspective of moving stations. The only way I have found to do this is with a computer. Although I use a laptop, I have seen others who have used tablets (or similar devices) with great results. I know that both the Kenwood and the Yaesu radios can display your position and that of others, but it is on a very tiny screen which lacks the mapping data that is helpful in keeping track of the group.

I personally rely on an APRS program known as AGW, see http://www.sv2agw.com/ham/default.htm. It allows me to make maps for any area for which I need APRS information, it processes my gps data , and it displays our positions on a USGS Topo map (especially useful for remote location travel). I occasionally use another software program known as UI-View, see http://www.ui-view.org/. Maps are mostly interchangeable for both programs.

I don't know how soon you will need to get your system complete, but if you can wait, it would be worth your time to attend our Spring Meet & Greet where you can see several APRS set-ups. We have some very clever members who have great ideas on how to make the system work.

I use UI-View 32 on a Toughbook laptop. The program is "frozen" freeware, works excellent, and has great help screens (probably the best of any program I've used). It can interface with Precision Maps to form moving, zoomable map displays, with full APRS functionality (messaging, weather, location, directional info, etc.)

The main catch is when the developer died, he expressly forbid any updating or changes to the program code - so the program is frozen in time, from an interface point of view. It runs on Windows XP, and can be adapted to other OS with some finesse. You must register and be approved to access the program (verify your call sign), but it is completely free. Many folks have developed add-ons for this program, too, that are very cool - but you'll spent some time setting it up.

I also worked an interface onto a Lowrance Globalmap 540C GPS, and you can hook up many older Garmin GPS units to work with APRS. Kenwood TM-D710A / G radios come with extensive info on hooking up external monitors, and there is a dedicated GPS display available for it a well (AvMap 6).

After realizing I had ordered the wrong tinytrak last weekend d I.ordered the correct one today. It should be here in a few days and ill interface it between a lowrance hds 5m GPS (with hill shaded sat imagery) and a yaeau 8100

This should both transmit my location as well as receive and plot the locations of others on the 5" screen.
Pretty exciting stuff!