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ZL3AI > APRDIG 18.03.03 16:23l 258 Lines 11345 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
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Subj: TAPR Digest, Mar 15, 2/3
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From: ZL3AI@ZL3VML.#80.NZL.OC
To : APRDIG@WW
Subject: Re: How find digipeater in a specific region hundreds of miles away?
From: KC7ZRU - Tate <kc7zru@arrl.net>
Date: Sat, 15 Mar 2003 11:56:42 -0700
X-Message-Number: 8
Tim Cunningham wrote:
>It is interesting to note that the difference between wide,wide,wide and
wide3-3>is 14 bytes of data reduction to accomplish the same task. The WIDEn-n
is>simply a way to reduce the data on your transmission to free up the 1200 baud
>channel.
>
Another advantage to a properly implimented WIDEn-n digipeater system is
teh prevention of 'ping-pongs' or duplications.
Digi A hears a WIDE3-3 launched from a tracker and digis it out via
WIDE3-2 (1st hop, so the SSID is decrimented by one)
Digi B hears the WIDE3-2 and digis it out via WIDE3-1 (2nd hop -
decrimented again by one from what was heard.)
Now, Digi A hears the digipeated packet from Digi B - but, being WIDEn-n
aware it 'knows' it's already digipeated that same packet and ignores it.
Many WIDE digipeaters would re-digipeat that same packet heard from Digi B.
As to finding digipeaters in a specific area - well, it is APRS <g>. Use
a mapping client (WinAPRS, APRSA+, UI-VIEW, xastir) and take a look see.
If you first enable the range circles (PHG circles), it does tend to
make things a wee easier to cypher out. You can also find a ham in your
target area - look 'em up on findu.com and click on 'nearby stations' -
see what else is in his area.
That coupled with a few judiciously 'engineered' packtes to specific
calls will verify an RF path for you.
Or - contact a ham in your 'target' area. Ask 'em to capture what they
see off the air. Then launch a couple un-godly huge packets using the
TRACEn-n via path - something like TRACE 7-7. Then, when that ham 'out
there' emails or send back what he's seen - you'll have a complete list
of digis that packet took to get to him.
Enjoy!
73
--
"The Dungeon" online at http://go.to/kc7zru
Casper, WY | CARC Repeater
DN62tt | 146.940-
http://www.trib.com/~carc
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Subject: KPC3 (Not+)
From: "K.Paul Boggs" <ab6wu@earthlink.net>
Date: Sat, 15 Mar 2003 15:27:14 -0800
X-Message-Number: 9
Have a good older unit with 5.1, Anyone have a later chip, maybe kept after
a upgrade. Since Kantronics no longer offers the 8.2 upgrade. (must have
cut into there sales of the 3+) Leaves us on a fixed income to begging,
instead of buying
THANKS
Paul
K.Paul Boggs
ab6wu@earthlink.net
RACES/Red Cross Communications
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Subject: Re: KPC3 (Not+)
From: "Ronald Reams" <wa4mjf@worldnet.att.net>
Date: Sat, 15 Mar 2003 18:39:04 -0500
X-Message-Number: 10
I've got a 6.0.
73 de Ronnie
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Subject: Re: DR-135 stand alone
From: WA8LMF2@aol.com
Date: Sat, 15 Mar 2003 19:27:47 EST
X-Message-Number: 11
In a message dated 3/15/2003 6:38:40 AM Pacific Standard Time,
RWendel@aol.com writes:
>2 of
>our new DR-135's will be dedicated to APRS,
What does this mean? Basic transmit-ony tracker or full two-way APRS
communications?
The Alinco uses the same TASCO "TNC-on-a-chip" that the Kenwood D700 and
TH-D7 use, but WITHOUT the extensive firmware and bitmap control-head screen
display of the Kenwoods.
When used standalone (i.e without an attached computer and APRS program)
all the Alinco can do is be a dumb tracker, transmitting the position
readings of a GPS device connected to it's serial port.
This is in contrast to the Kenwoods which have extensive terminal
capabilities (using just the LCD screens of their control heads) in the
stand-alone mode, including the ability to receive, display and send APRS
text messages and position reports from other stations without external
software or hardware. [ The internal Kenwood firmware also looks at your
position (from your own connected GPS) compares it with the positions
reported by incoming stations and automatically displays the fact that W6xxx
is nn.n miles x direction from you ; all without external hardware or
programs. ]
The Alinco's internal TNC works nicely with external computers running APRS
software.
If all you want is basic not-so-dumb mobile trackers, you would be FAR
better off using Yaesu FT-1500s at $xxx.xx a pop. Connect them to Byonics
TinyTrack IIIs at $xx a pop which offer speed/distance-sensitive smart
beaconing, setup (call signs, paths, status messages, etc) stored in EEPROM
(so it doesn't get lost every time the power is removed), and the ability to
do Mic-E APRS-burst-after-voice-transmission.
The FT-1500 has the industry-standard 6-pin Mini-DIN "data/packet"
connector on the rear panel (actually RX audio/TX audio/PTT/Squelch) which is
the perfect place to connect a TinyTrak (or any other external TNC-like
device or soundcard interface) without interfering with the mic connections.
>the other 2 for regular packet
>on
>linked into our state network. I've never used this radio before, and hope
>to have my hands on them soon. I understand the units do not support node
>functions and such, so 2 of the units used as regular packet nodes will be
>used with external KPC 9612's.
The internal TNC firmware, such as it is, implements (sort-of) a basic
TNC-2-like function with an essentially unusable KISS mode (Internal buffers
are so small that it overflows and locks up on anything but the shortest
APRS-type packets). Since the internal TNC is NOT a TNC2, specialized
replacement ROMs are unusable.
>I believe there
>is a DB-9 connector on the rear of the radio...can this be used for my
>connection to the external KPC, etc?
This acts like the standard PS/2-type 6-pinMiniDIN "data/packet" (again audio
in/out/PTT/squelch) connector found on other radios when the TNC option is
not installed, and becomes a standard RS-232 computer serial data port when
the TNC option is installed.
Stephen H. Smith wa8lmf @ aol.com
Home Page: http://wa8lmf.com
Ham Radio/Mobile SSTV page: http://members.aol.com/wa8lmf/ham
APRS Stuff
http://members.aol.com/wa8lmf/aprs
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Subject: Re: KPC3 (Not+)
From: Bill Herrmann <bherrman@spro.net>
Date: Sat, 15 Mar 2003 18:26:19 -0700
X-Message-Number: 12
At 03:27 PM 3/15/03 -0800, K.Paul Boggs wrote:
>Since Kantronics no longer offers the 8.2 upgrade. (must have cut
>into there sales of the 3+)
Have you tried contacting them directly? They may have taken it off their
web page since they weren't selling many. (Just a guess) I did upgrade one
to 8.2 recently but unfortunately, I had the same version you did. Anyway,
they might still have a way to help you upgrade.
The other option is to run KISS mode and then it basically doesn't matter
what version of firmware you have.
Bill
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Subject: New comport bridge utility makes MixW a "killer app" for soundcard APRS
From: WA8LMF2@aol.com
Date: Sat, 15 Mar 2003 20:35:50 EST
X-Message-Number: 13
The soundcard application MixW can emulate a multi-mode data controller or
TNC for use with other programs such as UI-View. This is a huge advance for
HF APRS operation since MixW far outperforms anything hardware or software on
noisy HF packet. It produces a waterfall display, similar to the PSK31
programs it evolved from, on HF packet that makes tuning extremly easy, and
is far less cantankerous to configure than the AGW Packet Engine. Better yet,
you can configure Mix to use any audio tone pair desired (i.e. emulate the
tones of a KAM or PK232 if you desire).
In this mode, MixW outputs data to a serial port. This port then is
connected to another serial port (on the same or another computer) that is
being used by the external program, via a cross-over ("null-modem") serial
cable. This ties up TWO serial ports on systems that often have only one
(or no ports at all on newer PCs, especially laptops) that you usually need
for other purposes such as radio CAT.
An add-on component, downloadable from the MixW website http://mixw.net
(the Mix Serial Port Bridge), simulates a cross-connected pair of virtual
serial ports entirely in software, avoiding the need to tie up physical ports
at all. You then assign MixW's TNC emulation to one of these ports, and the
external application to the other.
Unfortunately, this emulator only works on Win200 or XP. Windows 95/98/Me
users have been left out until now. I just surfed across the website of
Eltima Software at :
http://www.mks.zp.ua/vspd.php
This outfit, located in Ukraine (like MixW itself) is offering a variety of
useful serial port utilities, including a virtual serial port simulator that
works exactly like the Mix Comport Bridge but is available in a version for
Windows 95/98/ME! They call it the virtual serial port driver (VSPD). Info
at:
http://www.mks.zp.ua/vspd.php
As soon as I saw this, I ordered a copy to install on my Win98 laptop. (They
use a U.S.-based shareware fulfillment service, accept major credit cards and
PayPal, and then email you the driver.) I received the 490KB installer file
as an email attachment less than 18 hours after I placed my order. The
setup utility you receive places a Windows VXD (virtual device driver) into
the Windows system directory and installs a small configuration utility (only
settings are to define what COM numbers the two ports will assume) in the
directory of your choice.
It worked perfectly on the first try after rebooting! I now have MixW
working perfectly as a soundcard packet TNC with either UI-View or APRSplus
on a Dell Inspiron 3000 Win98SE laptop (200MHz MMX "classic" Pentium with
Crystal sound chip) in my car.
Free trialware (demo) versions of Eltima's drivers are available on the site
that quit after forwarding a certain amount of data through the port bridge
during each session. You have to pay up ($xx.xx USD) to have the fully
enabled version emailed to you.
A bit pricy but a real problem solver and highly recommended!
Eltima also offers another interesting software "widget" --- a serial port
"splitter" that takes the data stream coming in one serial port and
re-distributes it to multiple virtual serial ports simultanously. This is
something I have wanted for a long time to supply data from a single GPS
receiver to multiple applications at once, or to feed the output of a single
KPC3 TNC to several programs at once. Currently, they are only offering this
bridge in a Win 2K.XP version but say they will be offering a Win 98 version
in a month or so.
Stephen H. Smith wa8lmf @ aol.com
Home Page: http://wa8lmf.com
Ham Radio/Mobile SSTV page: http://members.aol.com/wa8lmf/ham
APRS Stuff
http://members.aol.com/wa8lmf/aprs
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