FoxHunting?

[Guest YaesuMan]

What about a cache that transmits and we do some

fun DF-ing to find it?

[Guest urbo]

once again, neat idea but too expensive to leave at the mercy and trust of the general public.

 

urbo

ke4mcl

[Guest YaesuMan]

It does not need to be. really. I could put in an FRS with the PTT taped down or something.

 

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I do radio.

Anything that is radio.

Yes, GPS is radio.

GO HAM RADIO!

[Guest YaesuMan]

It does not need to be, really, I could put in an FRS with the PTT taped down or something.

 

------------------

I do radio.

Anything that is radio.

Yes, GPS is radio.

GO HAM RADIO!

[Guest YaesuMan]

OOPS! how do you delete a post?

 

------------------

I do radio.

Anything that is radio.

Yes, GPS is radio.

GO HAM RADIO!

[Guest Morseman]

eacon that you got to the cache point at a certain time on a certain day? Possibly using APRS?

 

 

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--... ...--

Morseman

[Guest YaesuMan]

good ideas, sorry but what is a

"H/H transciever"???

 

------------------

I do radio.

Anything that is radio.

Yes, GPS is radio.

GO HAM RADIO!

[Guest Morseman]

quote:

---

Originally posted by YaesuMan:

good ideas, sorry but what is a

"H/H transciever"???

 

---

 

H/H means "Hand Held".

 

Basically something you can carry, and use, as you walk along.

 

Kenwood do a TH-D7 which has a built in Terminal Node Controller (TNC) for use on Packet Radio, which will transmit your possition as it has APRS software built in.

 

Connect your GPS unit, and set the GPS to output NMEA sentences, and you can beacon your possition as you move along.

 

 

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--... ...--

Morseman

[Guest YaesuMan]

Originally posted by Morseman:

H/H means "Hand Held".

 

Basically something you can carry, and use, as you walk along.

 

 

(DUH!) SORRY! I guess I am just used to calling it "H/T" (handheld transeiver) not "H/H".

 

 

------------------

I do radio.

Anything that is radio.

Yes, GPS is radio.

GO HAM RADIO!

[Guest skyhook]

How is APRS doing these days? I tried it a year ago. Then, I thought it had potential but not impressive enough to shell out $60 for winaprs software. I had purchase my GPS then with the intention of using it with APRS and Geocaching. Geocaching won out. What entertains you about APRS?

KC1I

[Guest Morseman]

quote:

---

Originally posted by skyhook:

How is APRS doing these days? I tried it a year ago. Then, I thought it had potential but not impressive enough to shell out $60 for winaprs software. I had purchase my GPS then with the intention of using it with APRS and Geocaching. Geocaching won out. What entertains you about APRS?

KC1I

---

 

Try downloading a program called UI-View. I can dig out the URL if you want it? Otherwise, a search engine should give you several places to get it from.

 

It's free, for the 16 bit version, and the registration is just £10 to get a 32 bit version (that's about $14) and you can pay by PayPal, I think.

 

I used to be very 'into' APRS, tried WinAPRS but it was going to cost nearly as much to send the money as the registration fee!

 

There's too many facets of APRS for a message like this, but a few features I used to like were being able to exchange messages in 'real time' rather than bulletin board messages, seeing where other people actually where, analysing the paths that beacons took around the network (there are quite a few add on programs that will work with UIView), operating as a gateway from VHF to HF, chatting with people in other parts of the world via IGATEs.

 

I'll stop there, otherwise this post will be too long.

 

 

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--... ...--

Morseman

[Guest Morseman]

quote:

---

Originally posted by skyhook:

How is APRS doing these days? I tried it a year ago. Then, I thought it had potential but not impressive enough to shell out $60 for winaprs software. I had purchase my GPS then with the intention of using it with APRS and Geocaching. Geocaching won out. What entertains you about APRS?

KC1I

---

 

Try downloading a program called UI-View. I can dig out the URL if you want it? Otherwise, a search engine should give you several places to get it from.

 

It's free, for the 16 bit version, and the registration is just £10 to get a 32 bit version (that's about $14) and you can pay by PayPal, I think.

 

I used to be very 'into' APRS, tried WinAPRS but it was going to cost nearly as much to send the money as the registration fee!

 

There's too many facets of APRS for a message like this, but a few features I used to like were being able to exchange messages in 'real time' rather than bulletin board messages, seeing where other people actually where, analysing the paths that beacons took around the network (there are quite a few add on programs that will work with UIView), operating as a gateway from VHF to HF, chatting with people in other parts of the world via IGATEs.

 

I'll stop there, otherwise this post will be too long.

 

 

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--... ...--

Morseman

[+feedle 0]

I've actually given this some thought. One could construct a simple, low power 2 meter CW beacon using a PIC16 chip, a crystal oscillator, and a small wire whip antenna. It could be placed in a little metal box soldered to the lid of a Geocache. I'd like to try it.. I know the PIC side of things, it's just the RF side that kinda befuddles me. I've had a scan through various books (like the Handbook et. al.) and I can't find a simple CW transmitter for 2M. It could probably be designed in an evening, but I'd rather not reinvent the wheel if I don't have to..

 

As for cost, PIC16 chips are cheap. I doubt that the transmitter would cost more than $10 for everything, including a small solar panel and a surplus NiCd to keep it juiced. A thermometer (via a thermistor.. not incredibly accurate, but fun nonetheless) or some other such WX telemetry could be added cheaply as well.

 

Hmm... the thoughts of hearing:

AAA KD6COS/B GEOCACHE AT DN00ac :SK

..on a 2 meter CW frequency every five minutes or so kinda turns me on, even if it's <100mW.

 

-Feedle

[+JacobBarlow 0]

we are going to be having a foxhunt on april 2nd here

in utah county.

Any ideas on making it a event cache or something?

just wondering.

 

That's "mister" radio to you.

[Robinhood and his princess 0]

quote:

---

As for cost, PIC16 chips are cheap. I doubt that the transmitter would cost more than $10 for everything, including a small solar panel and a surplus NiCd to keep it juiced. A thermometer (via a thermistor.. not incredibly accurate, but fun nonetheless) or some other such WX telemetry could be added cheaply as well.

 

---

 

Great Plan. I built a setup too many years ago for a balloon launch. Pretty cludgy, EEPRom producing cw code, lithium batteries, CW 2 meter am tranmitter, 10 meter am transmitter and we let the thing go on a weather balloon and tracked it. If you want to do th e PIC part (which is a project I have not had the time to get into yet still) I would like to see your plan and I'd work on finding a simple RF solution. I agree it would be even more fun to get close with the GPS then track via radio.

 

Daron

N7HQR

daron@wilson.org

 

Daron J. Wilson