Re: Mobile Packet Radio

APRS Hardware...

http://n1vg.net/opentracker/purchase.php

The 3 things on that page you care about are
    OpenTracker Kit - $29 (Through-Hole Soldering required)
    Assembled OpenTracker - $49
    Deluo GPS Lite - $65

Choose assembled or not OpenTracker.  It's opensource firmware for you 
geeks, and allows firmware upgrades without ordering and changing the chip 
like the TinyTracker requires. The OT is the TNC (Terminal Node Controller)

Get the prewired waterproof GPS.

The TNC is the go-between for the radio and GPS.  It translates the GPS 
output into something the radio can TX. It also sets how often you transmit 
and what data you choose to include, like temperature, speed, altitude, 
etc., all of which the OT can do as is.

You can use any radio with speaker out and mic in lines.  Ham or Commercial. 
You don't have to rewire the radio.  You just build a custom jack, or order 
one for $6 on the same page listed above.

Be aware that this setup is TX only.  This means that you can relay 
everything to a central point, even repeat it, but this setup will not tell 
one SAR team where the other is.  You will need a central point that has a 
beefier ($$) TNC and a readout of some sort, be it computer or a GPS that 
allows waypoints to be passed to it's display.

The guy who develops this particular product is SAR.  He is in the process 
of  developing a RX/TX version that is near the same size and cost, slightly 
larger on both counts.  This is a few months out currently.  Talk to him if 
you are serious, he is extremely helpful.  He will even write up special 
versions of the firmware for special applications as he sees fit.

Good luck,
Mike
WMRRA #91
KE7BEB-9

_______________________________________________
Talk mailing list
[email protected]
http://seattlewireless.net/mailman/listinfo/talk