Re: Station status
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Okay, here is a system recap.
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Mobile installation: * Raspberry Pi 3B+ running up to date Raspbian Buster OS * TNC-Pi hat mounted on RPi * Official Raspberry Pi 7" Touchscreen Display, Screen resolution 800x480 pixels - These are all mounted in a Smarti-Pi Touch case with VESA mount attached to a mobile monitor mount. - This is normally operated via the touchscreen. There is a small wireless keyboard (Rii-tek model RT-MWK01) that is usually stowed but can be retrieved for data entry when stopped. - These are connected to an IC-V8000 radio dedicated for APRS and not used for any other purpose except in an emergency. I have attached two pictures of my mobile installation so far. The first picture shows a rear view of the APRS head showing the TNC-Pi mounted on the Rpi. Radio interface and power connections are not hooked up in these pictures. The second picture is the overall mobile environment. Not shown is the yet to be installed V8000 radio and some additional hardware. The V8000 will be installed in front of the TurboTuner2 at the bottom of the picture. One mod I am considering is the addition of a small panel of buttons on top of the monitor that will provide a power on/off for the RPi and possibly some programmable buttons connected to GPIO pins on the RPi. I would like to share some thoughts from Bob, WB4APR (inventor of APRS), which helped develop some of my goals. "APRS is not a vehicle tracking system. It is a two-way tactical real-time digital communications system between all assets in a network sharing information about everything going on in the local area. On ham radio, this means if something is happening now, or there is information that could be valuable to you, then it should show up on your APRS radio in your mobile." () "APRS is not about vehicle tracking. It is a single information resource channel where everything that is going on in ham radio in the surrounding area can be announced and updated in real time. It presents to the viewer on his APRS radio front panel all that is happening right now, where it is, and all the info he needs to participate whether it is an event, happening, net, activity, announcement, future activity, or situation. The APRS channel is his one-stop look at everything that could be going on in the local area, and his one-stop place to post what he might be doing that might be of interest to others. APRS is not about GPS positions, it is about a situational map display of everything that is happening, and most of that is OBJECTS containing INFO on the activity and how to contact other operators." () In my case, I operate in a dispatch/response environment. As such, I may spend my entire day in one place, or I may go to multiple destinations in one day. Knowing my status in real time helps the success of this operation. The ability to provide, update, and display real-time status information and short messages in a timely, easy to use system, is a great benefit to efficiency. It frees up voice time on the radio, provides a timestamped record, reduces the necessity of someone always at the mic on the other end, and covers a wide geographic area that would otherwise require multiple repeaters and voice channels. I hope this helps clarify my situation. Michael WA7SKG Andrew P. wrote on 12/28/19 2:19 PM: Let's get this thread back on the correct subject line. |
Michael WA7SKG
