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Need APRS Guru Help

Mark Dickens

Well Known Member
Patron
I have a Byonics RTG-FA permanently installed. It gets GPS from the Skyview over a 9600 baud serial connection and I get a steady green LED almost immediately on power up (after the Skyview is powered up of course), so I assume the GPS coordinates are legit. I'm transmitting the NMEA Basic information to the RTG. I configured the unit per Sam's sticky post with the exception of using 9600 baud. I have smart beaconing turned on. Mic-e is also turned on. The antenna is a Laird Phantom Elite ETRA 1440 mounted onto one of my inspection plates under the right wing connected via a RG-174 coax terminated with a NMO connection.

So, out of all the times I had it on this weekend, and this includes a Pilots N Paws mission flying as high as 9000 ft (on the return leg without the dogs of course), I got nothing recorded on aprs.fi. I did get one beacon on Saturday, but that's it.

I have not yet tested the coax and antenna, and I will. I have an antenna analyzer, but I was wondering if there was anything in the configuration I should check or if there was any way to see if it was transmitting with bad data.

Yes, I'm a ham (K0MDD), but I have the tracker set up with N678MT as the call sign.

Any ideas other than just checking the antenna and coax?
 
I've had similar symptoms twice. One was a physical wiring issue and the other one was a dead gps puck.
 
Assuming the ?green LED? refers to the tracker, I?d start right where you already suspected - by test the antenna and output of the tracker.
 
Assuming the ?green LED? refers to the tracker, I?d start right where you already suspected - by test the antenna and output of the tracker.

The tracker is new so hopefully it's putting out rated power. I'll check the antenna and cable
 
Check the power input cord and secure it in such a way that the plug is held in tight. It may vibrate out. Ask me how I know.

Bevan
 
A couple of things I would check. I would open the cover on your Byonics and re-install everything, but leave the wing access panel slightly open so you can see the LED's. Power up and see if it stays green, or does it fault? For some reason mine would fault when installed in the wing, but was happy if I pulled it out into the wing-tip. It did not like being confines in a metal area.
Also, do you have a coil or two of coax between the Byonics and the antenna?
 
Check the power input cord and secure it in such a way that the plug is held in tight. It may vibrate out. Ask me how I know.

Bevan

I know it's getting power since the VPX tells me it's drawing power, so that's not the issue. I'm thinking bad coax but it will be two days before I get out there and test it with my antenna analyzer. If it's not that, it's the antenna, but I doubt that since it's essentially new.
 
A couple of things I would check. I would open the cover on your Byonics and re-install everything, but leave the wing access panel slightly open so you can see the LED's. Power up and see if it stays green, or does it fault? For some reason mine would fault when installed in the wing, but was happy if I pulled it out into the wing-tip. It did not like being confines in a metal area.
Also, do you have a coil or two of coax between the Byonics and the antenna?

The transmitter is mounted behind the instrument panel, and I'm getting a constant green LED. I do not have a coil of coax between the transmitter and the antenna. Should I?
 
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