Bluetooth and TinyTrak 4, episode 2
I got myself a second TinyTrak 4 and wanted to Bluetooth enable it like I did for my first one. I went a different route using a different module and wiring it another way.
Category: APRS
What is APRS Voice Alert ?
Ever got frustrated of not being able to contact a passing by station you just saw on APRS? APRS can also work as a nearby station radar and help you out with that.
Using the Retevis RT98 for APRS with voice alert
My TYT THD9000 started to exhibit some strange behavior, after transmitting it sometimes needs half a second to switch back to receive. So I was in the market for a new APRS radio and came across the Retevis RT98.
Howto: AX25 as a Systemd Service
In this article we’ll see how to run AX25 as a Systemd service, bringing the AX25 interface up on every boot and also putting the TNC into kiss mode. Having an AX25 interface allows you to share it among different applications like an APRS Digipeater or Winlink.
Putting Bluetooth into the Tinytrak 4
Byonics provides a Bluetooth add-on for the Tinytrak 4. While I love the TT4 I am not a huge fan of their TT4BT Bluetooth solution. It consists of a board with 2 DB9, no case nothing to protect and makes the whole thing clunky and bulky. Almost 4 years ago I came up with my own more slick and integrated solution and have been happy with it since then.
Why are APRS RX only iGates bad ?
Every now and then I keep on reading on social networks or forums how people set RX only igates up. RX only igates are just bad, really bad. I could just leave you with the following statement “APRS is a bidirectional network and RX only igates are not bidirectionnal. Period” But let me expose how they are breaking the network.
APRS.fi is not APRS-IS
There is a widespread belief that aprs.fi is the internet backbone of the APRS network. It is not uncommon to read posts on social networks saying “I am connecting to aprs.fi with aprsdroid” or “I need a password for aprs.fi”. Let’s see how and why this is erroneous.
Oops! I did it again!
No, I am not writing a blog exclusively about the TYT TH9000D. However I actually managed to run into the dreaded gibberish characters issue for a second time and to recover the radio!
APRS with Tinytrak 4 and TYT TH-9000D
After a couple of frustrations (here and here) I have finally managed to get my TYT TH-9000D running quite well with my Tinytrak 4. After a few weeks using it I must say I am quite pleased with the result, the TH-9000D is sensitive and there are not many APRS frames I miss from the nearby digipeaters. I run it on low power (10W) which is plenty enough. So here it is finally, what should have been a quite straight forward mod from the beginning.
Solved TYT TH-9000D Gibberish Characters / Locked CPU Issue
Next episode of my TYT TH-9000D for APRS adventures (first episode here). Somehow I managed to run into the gibberish characters issue, after swearing a few minutes I went to my friend Google only to find out that people had the same issue. Some people even posting “contact me private i have a fix” like here and in the comments of this Youtube video. Such behavior is just childish, my 6 years old does this like “I have a secret but I won’t tell you” but she is 6 years old… Just share the information, spread the knowledge, we are hams !
