4 ms·

Could anyone knowledgeable about radio tell me what's the pros/cons of this over something like APRS [0]? I guess for pros this wouldn't require a ham radio lic

by sndean 5y ago

Could anyone knowledgeable about radio tell me what's the pros/cons of this over something like APRS [0]? I guess for pros this wouldn't require a ham radio license and it's encrypted, but APRS is possible out of the box for certain radios? [0] http://www.aprs.org/aprs-messaging.html http://www.aprs.org/aprs-messaging.html

kQq9oHeAz6wLLS 5y ago
I do agree that APRS seems a better fit, especially since you have control over antenna design/placement as well as power levels, meaning you could go farther. In the pro category, though, this device is pocketable, and I don't think there are very many APRS-enabled radios that easily fit into jeans pocket (I'd love to be proven wrong). You could cobble together something -- a Baofeng UV3R+ or especially a BF-T1 easily fits into a pocket, but that's just the radio. You need an audio cable/TNC and a phone to make it an APRS setup.
- figers 5y ago
  Kenwood th-d74a has everything built in to do just this, I have used it for a while with APRS auto sending location on the go, sending through APRS to SMS and to email addresses
progbits 5y ago
Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't encryption for APRS (and amateur radio in general) illegal [1]? So if you are going for encrypted platform might as well use a less regulated frequency range. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Packet_radio https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Packet_radio
- zikduruqe 5y ago
  You are correct... cannot encrypt anything voice or data on any Amateur Radio frequencies.
  - kossTKR 5y ago
    This is obscene isn't it? So you can't talk to anyone privately , everything has to through some NSA infected, zerodayed, hyper complex backdoored software/hardware? Seems to me like the "powers that be", doesn't want anyone to be able to talk to eachother without them knowing.
    - Saris 5y ago
      No lol it's because amateur radio is not for people to have private discussions on, it's a public RF space for hobby usage. You can have encrypted discussions all you want on private usage frequency allocations.
    - madengr 5y ago
      Just use CW (Morse code). Next to nobody knows that these days.
    - Johnythree 5y ago
      The main reason that Amateur Radio has survived world wide is that it is largely self policing, which means that it has almost zero regulatory overhead. But for Self Regulation to work, all ham communications must be in the clear. Once encryption was allowed it would take only a short time for commercial users to completely swamp the ham bands.
      - kossTKR 5y ago
        That's a fair point.
- mikewarot 5y ago
  Amateur Radio gets access to a large chunk of the radio spectrum for free. In exchange, they are expected to provide a pool of those knowledgeable in the art of communication in the event of conflict or emergency. Amateur Frequencies can not be used for commercial use, nor can communications be encrypted. There are a wide variety of modes in use, from old fashioned Morse code through all the latest SDR driven techniques.
madengr 5y ago
Several radios have built in APRS messaging, but it’s extremely frustrating to use as non have implemented predictive text entry. That said, the SX1276 covers both 2m and 70cm, and has FSK mode, so this project has the hardware to do APRS, though I don’t see schematics on how the RF chain is implemented.
- vel0city 5y ago
  When I want to actually send messages on APRS, I usually pair my Kenwood D74A to my phone by Bluetooth and use APRSDroid to operate. That way I can leave my radio clipped to my bag/in the car/on a table and have the same kind of keyboard as my phone.
  - madengr 5y ago
    I’d be all over that HT if they would enable DMR. It has all the hardware to do it, and you’d get Kenwood quality in a DMR. Right now I have an Anytone (Chinese crap) for DMR and Yeasu for Fusion.
Saris 5y ago
APRS has the huge advantage of existing repeaters and igates all over the country. But has the disadvantage a bit higher barrier to entry (ham radio license required), and cannot be encrypted.
- sndean 5y ago
  Ohh I didn't think about the existing infrastructure that's there for APRS, too.

by sndean 5y ago

kQq9oHeAz6wLLS 5y ago

I do agree that APRS seems a better fit, especially since you have control over antenna design/placement as well as power levels, meaning you could go farther. In the pro category, though, this device is pocketable, and I don't think there are very many APRS-enabled radios that easily fit into jeans pocket (I'd love to be proven wrong). You could cobble together something -- a Baofeng UV3R+ or especially a BF-T1 easily fits into a pocket, but that's just the radio. You need an audio cable/TNC and a phone to make it an APRS setup.

figers 5y ago
Kenwood th-d74a has everything built in to do just this, I have used it for a while with APRS auto sending location on the go, sending through APRS to SMS and to email addresses

progbits 5y ago

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't encryption for APRS (and amateur radio in general) illegal [1]? So if you are going for encrypted platform might as well use a less regulated frequency range. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Packet_radio https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Packet_radio

zikduruqe 5y ago
You are correct... cannot encrypt anything voice or data on any Amateur Radio frequencies.
- kossTKR 5y ago
  This is obscene isn't it? So you can't talk to anyone privately , everything has to through some NSA infected, zerodayed, hyper complex backdoored software/hardware? Seems to me like the "powers that be", doesn't want anyone to be able to talk to eachother without them knowing.
  - Saris 5y ago
    No lol it's because amateur radio is not for people to have private discussions on, it's a public RF space for hobby usage. You can have encrypted discussions all you want on private usage frequency allocations.
  - madengr 5y ago
    Just use CW (Morse code). Next to nobody knows that these days.
  - Johnythree 5y ago
    The main reason that Amateur Radio has survived world wide is that it is largely self policing, which means that it has almost zero regulatory overhead. But for Self Regulation to work, all ham communications must be in the clear. Once encryption was allowed it would take only a short time for commercial users to completely swamp the ham bands.
    - kossTKR 5y ago
      That's a fair point.
mikewarot 5y ago
Amateur Radio gets access to a large chunk of the radio spectrum for free. In exchange, they are expected to provide a pool of those knowledgeable in the art of communication in the event of conflict or emergency. Amateur Frequencies can not be used for commercial use, nor can communications be encrypted. There are a wide variety of modes in use, from old fashioned Morse code through all the latest SDR driven techniques.

madengr 5y ago

Several radios have built in APRS messaging, but it’s extremely frustrating to use as non have implemented predictive text entry. That said, the SX1276 covers both 2m and 70cm, and has FSK mode, so this project has the hardware to do APRS, though I don’t see schematics on how the RF chain is implemented.

vel0city 5y ago
When I want to actually send messages on APRS, I usually pair my Kenwood D74A to my phone by Bluetooth and use APRSDroid to operate. That way I can leave my radio clipped to my bag/in the car/on a table and have the same kind of keyboard as my phone.
- madengr 5y ago
  I’d be all over that HT if they would enable DMR. It has all the hardware to do it, and you’d get Kenwood quality in a DMR. Right now I have an Anytone (Chinese crap) for DMR and Yeasu for Fusion.

Saris 5y ago

APRS has the huge advantage of existing repeaters and igates all over the country. But has the disadvantage a bit higher barrier to entry (ham radio license required), and cannot be encrypted.

sndean 5y ago
Ohh I didn't think about the existing infrastructure that's there for APRS, too.