Hey Allen:
I am surprised how few times screaming works for me, even though I try it often.? Mumbling naughty words is a good back up plan.
All is well in AZ -- give a shout if you are headed this way.
73? ?
um, as in the CR-250M Elsinore -- the one I lusted after back then, but never got:
A work of art, but I digress.
gil, af7ez, big byonics fan, occasional screamer and mumbler
----- Original message -----
Subject: Re: [TinyTrak] MicroTrak AIO GPS question
Date: Sunday, September 19, 2021 12:53 PM
Gil,
The older Byonics receivers ( With the red LED) do fail completely?if they have not been powered up in a long while. (Years) They have a "watch battery" type memory. We were using those over a decade ago, and some come back in still working fine ( At least as well as they started out) Leaving them out for weeks at a time and praying over them is of no help. Even screaming, the tool of an electronics professional, seems to have little effect. I have no idea if their firmware can be reflashed, but I would not bother.?
The newer GPS receivers ( The Byonics GPS-5 series) have been in use for at least 5 years =/-? now and I have never seen one come back bad unless it met with tragedy ( Usually water or alkaline battery leakage) They also have faster start up times from cold, warm, or hot modes, and draw less power ( 20 mA or so) They do have that irritating counter-intuitive blue LED, but I can forgive them for that. There are fewer and fewer GPS modules out there that are not multi-mode, and send strictly NMEA data. I guess one day, APRS will have to take official notice of competitive SAT systems and start making use of their sentences for APRS.?
I hope all is well in AZ!
73,
Allen AF6OF
On Sun, Sep 19, 2021 at 12:24 PM Gil Smith <
tinytrak@...> wrote:
Yeah, many gps modules have non-volatile storage (some have little batteries) to save the most recent "constellation" of sats in view.? This saved info definitely makes for a warm start -- even though the sky is changing over time, if it can find a few sats with the help of the saved constellation it can get an initial fix and refine from there.
----- Original message -----
Subject: Re: [TinyTrak] MicroTrak AIO GPS question
Date: Sunday, September 19, 2021 8:18 AM
If the GPS has been turned off for a significant time, and especially if the unit has been moved a significant distance, the first fix can take a long time.
If you leave the AIO out for that long period of time, and it finds a fix, future fixes should be much quicker.??
An example of this happened to me on a vacation.? I hadn't used a particular GPS module in about 6 months.? I grabbed it and took it on vacation to use on a hike in New Mexico (from Michigan).? Happily, I powered it up the nighf before, in the hotel.? I can't give a time frame, but it took a long time to get a fix.? Powered it off, and the next morning on power up, it had a fix in "seconds".
I'd give that a try, first, before sending it in.? GPS modules 'usually'?don't go?bad.
On Sun, Sep 19, 2021 at 10:19, vhsproducts via
Marc,
The green flashing LED on your AIO indicates that the device is waiting for a valid position to be calculated by the GPS. If you have left your AIO off for a very long time, I suggest letting it run on its "back" ( i.e., GPS facing the sky) and let it run for a couple of hours. There is a small chance your GPS will come back to life given enough time to find itself in the universe.
If the GPS is kaput, it will need a transplant. Older MT-AIO's use a different GPS connector than the new GPS receivers, so the transplant requires removing the GPS from the MT-AIO board where it is mounted with double-sided foam tape. The new GPS wiring harness must be spliced into the old harness, or in the case of very old boards, soldered to the PCB. Three wires have to be spliced this way, and they are fragile. You can purchase a new GPS receiver from Byonics for about $65.00, it is called the GPS5OEM module. ( Note: you can also install the high-altitude GPS which costs a bit more)?
If you would like to send your AIO to me for repair, I will do so for the cost of the part and $10.00 return shipping. ( I am the manufacturer) You can send me an email at
allen@... to discuss this.?
73,
Allen AF6OF
-----Original Message-----
From: Marc Withasea <marc.hutchins@...>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Sun, Sep 19, 2021 4:49 am
Subject: Re: [TinyTrak] MicroTrak AIO GPS question
Robert:
TY for the reply.
Here are my observations:
1) I do not understand how the GPS indicates there is a fix.? I assume its related to the green LED.
Upon powerup, the TT3 TX one time (one red flash of the LED) then it blinks (continuously) Green at roughly 1hz rate and never appears to TX again (noted by a nearby HT with no antenna).
2) there is no radio involved in this setup, its an all-in-one unit.
Me thinks that the GPS portion is amuck.
Many thanks
-marc
K8MH
