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ZL3AI > APRDIG 11.02.04 02:34l 255 Lines 10048 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
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To : APRDIG@WW
TAPR APRS Special Interest Group Digest for Sunday, February 08, 2004.
1. Re: Fw: Mapping plans
2. Re: New to APRS
3. Hardware USB/RS232 converter IC
4. Wow. Tiny HT
5. Kids Radio Clubs
6. Re: No more RELAY,WIDE defaults for fixed stns
7. topographical maps
8. APRS MapManager
9. RE: APRS MapManager
10. RE: APRS MapManager
11. RE: APRS MapManager
12. RE: APRS MapManager
13. Re: Kids Radio Clubs
14. RE: APRS MapManager
15. RE: APRS MapManager
16. Re: New to APRS
17. Re: No more RELAY,WIDE defaults for fixed stns
18. OpenTracker second-round beta testing
19. Re: Kids Radio Clubs
20. TRACE in the FLOOD parameter???
21. RE: topographical maps
22. Re: topographical maps
23. Re: topographical maps
24. Re: Wow. Tiny HT
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Subject: Re: Fw: Mapping plans
From: Curt Mills <archer@eskimo.com>
Date: Sat, 7 Feb 2004 21:24:04 -0800 (PST)
X-Message-Number: 1
On Sat, 7 Feb 2004, Gerry Creager N5JXS wrote:
>I'll challenge folks in each country to do a little research on
>good-quality maps, *with metadata,* including information on geodetic
>datum and map projection used, in the following formats:
>ArcInfo/ArcGIS Exchange format (.e00)
>ArcView shapefile (.shp) and the associated database files
And projection file (.prj) to go with the .shp/.shx/.dbf files?
Without that, libraries like GDAL don't know what projection they're
in so things might not line up well. I think Mapserver uses the
GDAL library.
>MapInfo (.tab, .id, .dat, .map)
>Autocad (.dxf) *METADATA REQUIRED*
>MicroStation Design files (.dgn)
Hey, nice list! We're getting close to being able to bring in all
of those formats into Xastir, with the exception of .e00 I think,
but there's a converter from that to at least one of the other
formats.
--
Curt, WE7U. archer at eskimo dot com
http://www.eskimo.com/~archer
Lotto: A tax on people who are bad at math. - unknown
Windows: Microsoft's tax on computer illiterates. - WE7U.
The world DOES revolve around me: I picked the coordinate system!"
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Subject: Re: New to APRS
From: Gerry Creager N5JXS <gerry.creager@tamu.edu>
Date: Sun, 08 Feb 2004 01:46:21 -0600
X-Message-Number: 2
Missed the original... however, I've done some initial testing of K0RX's
uWx boards. They stand up pretty well in the first evals. I'm putting
several out in the elements for long-term testing vs "real" weather
systems, but the info won't be in for some time there. The system does
temp, barometric pressure and humidity. It has an interface for a
One-Wire anemometer. My personal thought is that a mobile anemometry
system should be an ultrasonic, but these are usually too pricey for the
average ham at $1400-2400 each. The benefits are that there are no
vanes, cups or propellers to fall apart, and recalibration isn't usually
necessary. http://www.rxcomm.net
Byonics has a WxTrak board (http://www.byonics.com) that I've not used
yet but sounds interesting for this sort of application. I hope to get
a couple if I can get the time to get the ordered. I'll interface them
to the K0RX boards I've got and see how they do in static environs. I
suspect they'll do great.
73, gerry n5jxs
--
Gerry Creager -- gerry.creager@tamu.edu
Network Engineering -- AATLT, Texas A&M University
Cell: 979.229.5301 Office: 979.458.4020 FAX: 979.847.8578
Page: 979.228.0173
Office: 903A Eller Bldg, TAMU, College Station, TX 77843
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Subject: Hardware USB/RS232 converter IC
From: JD Erskine <VA7OTC@rac.ca>
Date: Sun, 08 Feb 2004 01:20:36 -0800
X-Message-Number: 3
Hi Gang,
Some may have mentioned this before, FDTI's FT8U232AM. There is a speed
limitation of 2 MBps vice USB's 12 MBps however I don't know if that's an
issue for radio side projects. See:
http://www.beyondlogic.org/usb/ftdi.htm
http://www.beyondlogic.org for other neat looking apps, projects.
PortTalk appears to help frustrated users/programmers deal with DOS apps in
XP/NT/W2K.
Cool IP & Ethernet page.
Not a customer nor connected just had fun reading and imaging the potential
someone more adept at this could make of it.
73 JD
John D. Erskine
mailto:VA7OTC@rac.ca or mailto:sailargh@victoria.tc.ca
Victoria Nautical Song Circle http://victoria.tc.ca/Culture/Vnsc/
Island Thyme Morris http://www.islandnet.com/~jcarver/is_thyme.html
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Subject: Wow. Tiny HT
From: "Robert Bruninga" <bruninga@usna.edu>
Date: Sun, 08 Feb 2004 10:41:42 -0500
X-Message-Number: 4
Wow. Super tiny, Super HT.
I've been so focused on APRS for 12 years that since I got my D7 in 98, I
havent looked at any other HT. But I needed a tiny HT for my kids for
Dad's Taxi comms. It needed to be dual band, so I got the VX-2R that is
smaller than a cigarette pack.
I figured it was a "toy" radio perfect for the kids. What I didn't realize
was everything else it had in it! Even after reading the QST review (Oct
2003) I had no idea of how I'd love this radio. Now those of you who have
kept up with Ham Radio technology will say well, Duh, Bob, where have you
been for the last few years... Many radios do these things.
So take this message with a grain of salt as being to anyone else like me
who has not been watching the latest stuff that is stuffed into HT's.
Besides having every feature imagninable for a dual band HT, here are the
additions that surprised me:
1) DC to Daylight coverage. Ho Hum, since I'd never have time to program
in much stuff and the kids don't know short wave...... NOT! It comes with
All of the WX channels, ALL of the Marine Band channels and 89 Shortwave
channels all with ALPHA TAGS built in! Just push the button for short wave
(AM) and dial in BBC, VOA, FINLAND etc and just about every country is
included. Even on the short Rubber duck there are usually 3 or four that
are listening quality.
2) Unfortunately, my kids love the Wideband FM on their favorite radio
station. And for a speaker the size of a quarter, the audio is
surprisingly good.
3) SMART Search. Visit a new venu. Press a button and the radio will scan
up from your starting point and will fill 15 memories with every signal
heard. then it will do the same below. You end up with 31 memories of
everything going on around you. Imagine this at the race track. Bingo.
You've got every channel of every pit crew.
4) Frequency Counter. Press a button and it will read the exact freuency
of the strongest signal within 5 MHz of where you are.
5) 900 memories, 20 banks, PLUS the 380 preprogrammed ones (see #1 above)
I could go on, but I was just so surprised to find all this in a
shirtpocket HT. wow. So if you are as out of it as I was for the last few
years, it might be time to look at what's out there.
See next message about Kids and this HT.
Bob
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Subject: Kids Radio Clubs
From: "Robert Bruninga" <bruninga@usna.edu>
Date: Sun, 08 Feb 2004 11:02:33 -0500
X-Message-Number: 5
Kids Radio CLubs:
Mom's & Dad's, A window of opportunity is upon us for reaching our kids
with Ham radio. See if this applies to your situation (it did to mine)..
1) NEXTEL is advertising "walkie-talkie" feature on their cell phones like
it is the greatest thing going.
2) Many kids are walking around with CELL Phones clipped to their jeans...
its cool.
3) There are some tiny HT's out there that do #1 and #2 My kids have never
used their old clunky HT's at school before. Now that I just bought them a
tiny cute one, (And knowing their dad is too cheap to get them a cell
phone, they are excited about this new gadget)..
4) Get one that is cross band, and install a cross band remote base at the
school, and these flea powered HT's can reach Mom and Dad all over the
county. Also, the kids can now reach each other without being limited to 1
mile range... Do a legal installation...
5) Although kids are very welcome and encouraged on our local repeater,
the repeater is the busiest one in the state and the kids are
understandibly intimidated to use it in the midst of us old fuds. So
setting up a low power crossband system just for the kids in the radio club
at the school can be appealing.
Check with your repeater coordinating body for a freq pair that you can
use. I do NOT advocate taking the simplex channels for this use! ARGH!
Seems like everyone of them now has an ECHOlink or DX cluster on it. No,
Do it right. Do some homework and find freqnecies that can be shared and
work with others to find a solution.
Your UHF INPUT: Find a distant UHF repeater who's output you can use as an
input either due to blockage or a null in your antenna pattern and use PL.
You cannot possibly interfere with them. Get their agreement.
Your 2m Output: Best way, though it requires work, is to again, find a
Distant repeater with an input that is either nulled or blocked
geographically to your lowpower output. Null your antenna, whatever. And
also then always monitor their repeater to guarantee that you will not
interfere.
Both of these arrangements can work because in each case it is only ONE TX
and ONE RX that is involved in the potential interferrence and one-on-one,
the problem can be solved. Once you have a technical solution, work with
these clubs to make sure everyone is happy and seek coordination.. etc...
Once I got these little HT's for the kids and saw what all is in them these
days, I ordered two more for me and the wife. With a $11 cloning cable and
I only have to set one up once
Now that the Kids are carrying HT's again, its time for me to get back to
work on APRS-TouchTone so I can track them and message them as well...
See http://www.ew.usna.edu/~bruninga/aprstt.html
So yes, this IS APRS related..
de WB4APR, Bob
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