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aprs for iphone

C-FAH Q

Well Known Member
For those who may be interested, here is a link to an aprs system(kinda) for iphone. uploads to aprs.fi

link to app may be found here
http://ibcnu.us/

I have not used this, just a link to some more neat tracking tools for those gadget guru's( Bob mill's) hehehehehe( just kidding Bob)
 
Gary,

It's downloading to my iPhone now...what...you knew I would (hehehe) :D

I'll bet Tom has too, since we were the ones to test Tracklog in a race!

First off, a caveat: don't want Allen to think I've become a VHS/Byonics traitor...no way! I kinda doubt this could fully replace a good APRS transmitter, as it still depends on a good GPS and cell connection (or so I believe...I know that's been a subject of debate, no intent to fire that one up again!). Also, it appears the app does not run in the background (at least on my 3G version), so if I was to use Skycharts, another app, or make/receive a call, the tracking looks like it will stop...I think. :rolleyes:

Now to test the actual tracking and the texting feature. Kinda crummy here today, but over the next couple days I have a $100 hamburger mission to complete for my Father-in-Law who's up visiting, and maybe I can talk guccidude1 Dan into downloading the app ($1.99 though, I'll have to twist his arm :p). So...

I just configured the app, using my HAM call sign KF7GWS. The app allows you to pick an icon, so I picked an airplane, at it assigned a -4 to the back of my call. It allows a message, so I put my N# in that block. The app also allows some configuration of beacon timing (or selection of preset 1, 2, or 5 minute intervals) and several other settings, some of which I don't fully understand...or understand how it would affect the packets being sent (i.e., gate server, port number, range filter and distance...maybe Allen, Sam or Pete can comment). Here are two screen shots of the settings page (too long to fit in one screen shot):

bcnusettings1.jpg


bcnusettings2.jpg


Here is a shot of the app's main page, showing the various selection keys, along with lat/long, number of beacons sent, and time till next beacon:

bcnuapp.jpg


Finally a shot of the map it plotted. Pretty much spot on for my current location. The default plot shows other stations in the area, but I'm not sure if that is others using this app, or other APRS trasnmitters in general. ust off this screen shot was a car that showed a driving plot, and I wonder who in the 'hood has a weather station! Of note, it shows the map within the app, so it doesn't swap to Safari to show aprs.fi. It has a search function, and I brought up my last flight as well, within the app. It seems faster that viewing the map on the browser, but then again, I have a 3G signal and a wifi connection here. In flight performance would be the real acid test.

bcnumap.jpg


The texting page shows an input box with another block for a call sign to send it to. I haven't figured out how the text would be received by the recipient. Maybe if you knew another user had his iPhone on this app, you could send it to them, or perhaps there's a way it gets put into a packet of sorts and sent to the HAM user...just don't know how they would receive it. I'll have to defer to Pete to see if this is anything like his NexGen APRS invention.

At any rate, it's interesting, but without a lot of testing and proof of concept, I don't think I'd count on it for consistent tracks over all types of terrain (and changing cell phone coverage), or for that safety backup (good tracks down low) during a forced landing that we've talked about in several threads.

But it is a gadget! :)

OK, enough geekin' out...I've got a flap-twist situation to go look over!

Cheers,
Bob
 
Bob,
I knew you wouldnt be able to resist the app. It definatly needs a cell signal to transmit the packets over the cell network, and like tracklog will store the packets till you re aquire a signal. The aprs sytems out there are in my opinion, far superior to these apps, but hey...boys and thier toys right?
 
aprs i phone

to send a message first select compose from front screen . Then you tap the to call field and enter the call sign or sid ,then compose and send fairly simple.

Gary Holderbein
 
Hi Gary, I saw that screen and the space for the call sign, but I can't figure out how the HAM recipient gets it. Do they have to have a special receiver, or do they (we) need to set up a link to have the text relayed from the APRS net to a mobile device?

Obviously I just don't get it...nothing new for me! :D

So, please help me become the more complete geek that I've always wanted to be, and let me know..."How do it know"?

Oh and to show my total lack of pertinent knowledge, please do tell, what is an SID? I googled it, and what came up wasn't anything remotely electronic! :eek:

I'm sure I'll do a V-8 salute when you tell me (I know it's something ID, but...)

To continue the review of the app, I drove up to the airport today with it tracking. Followed us pretty well with 1 minute intervals, but it did get disoriented once and had to catch up. But it followed me all the way to guccidude's hangar (and as I suspected, he won't drop the $1.99 to test it with me! :p)

I took a call while on the drive, and the tracker kept working, so that concern is apparently moot. However, as we were hangar flying about this we concurred, the ability to text other stations sounds neat, but probably impractical. If I'm trying to reach another airplane in flight, I'll call him on the radio. If he just happens to be over the horizon and I know he's monitoring a text device, maybe it'd be a novelty to shoot a text and say hi...but if he's got cell service, then a regular text would do just fine too. I guess it might be neat for use on a X-C, to tell the pick up gang you're inbound, or send an ETA...but again, with cell coverage and a patch cord (or a set of Zulus like Pat has) the info is just a call away. (Now before you blast me, I'm talking autopilot on, low traffic density phase of flight, perhaps another set of eyes looking for traffic, and plenty of terrain separation...I'm not advocating heads-down operation in critical phases of flight!)

If the weather cooperates tomorrow (7 MAR), we're gonna have a little RV fly-out brunch, launching from Reno-Stead (RTS) at 0930 PST, and heading to Minden (MEV), then back a couple hours later. I'm going to run the phone in parallel to my "real" APRS. APRS call will be N600SS, and iBCNU call will be KF7GWS. Follow us on aprs.fi by clicking here. That link should get you to an aprs.fi page with a search for my APRS, my iphone and gucci Dan's APRS combined on one map page.

We should have 3 9A's, one 8 and my 6. Only two APRS's but as soon as Greg gets his HAM license, I think he'll be the first MT-RTG owner in Northern Nevada! (We're workin' him over Allen!)

All just for fun. And I'm pretty sure that since the iPhone doesn't actually tranmit on 144.39, I won't be double-crashing all the digis in the area. Hopefully adding all that data to aprs.fi won't be rude tracking procedures! ;)

Someone told me today that the app name means "I Be Seein' You". OK, so I'm slow...but its cute, eh! :cool:

Cheers,
Bob
 
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I just downloaded the app and will try to get it running before tomorrow.

greg

We'll get my pop-in-law in there with ya, and you can use his HAM call. Now clicking here will go to an aprs.fi map with all 4 trackers in the search parameters. Will be interesting to hear what it looks like live, if anyone has the time to watch!

Cheers,
Bob
 
That probably should have been SSID....

http://www.tapr.org/pub_ax25.html

Look under section 2.2

--
Michael

Whooosh...the sound of that link's info passing right over my head! :)

But thanks Michael, SSID brings to mind the ID of a wifi connection, so it does make sense to the degree it just means a discrete user ID. Beyond that, of course, its "PFM".

Still trying to resolve in my woefully inadequate brain how a HAM user would receive the text msg...not a big deal, but I just picture a guy sittting at a radio panel, and wonder how the words get to him.

Perhaps Greg and I can test it with iBCNU today before we blast off for bfast.

Thanks again!

Cheers,
Bob
 
IBCNU messages

Hello Bob

Hope this will clear it up a little for you Bob first of all Sid would be station id and i think SSID refers to secondary station id KI6PIY my station id , and call sign . KI6PIY-X i think would be a secondary station ID. Here is a little test you can try, from your ibcnu app sens a message to your station id of your tracker then look up your station on aprs.fi . then select the info from the balloon over the satation along the top of the page will be some blue text select messages and the test message should be there . HOW? I am not sure. Now if you are a builder like Pete Howell then you have the setup like his with the nuvi 350 and brand x TNC then the meessage will appear on the nuvi 350 . When you do this little test you may also get the message on I-Phone IBCNU App also , you will be alerted to message if in the app . I know , Ill send a test message to you from my touch and we will see if you get it. Now all this being said Iam new to this also being introduced to ham radio and aprs by Sam and Pete as well as others from the rv forum like yourself . So maybe I could be wrong im sure those that really know will chime in .

Regards Gary
ki6piy
 
IBCNU messages

OK Bob message sent from touch just checked on aprs fi looks like you may still be flying some guys get to have all the fun

regards
Gary
 
IBCNU messages

BOB

Cool you got both replies was a little stumped at first but finally seen that your aprs fi. page has your tail number as id so when checking for messages so It looks at n0006 instead of KF7GWS-4 none appeared then seen the SSID down on stations close by and seeing my error . looks like Greg got thru 2 u also hope the breakfast was good Regards

Gary
 
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IBCNU

BOB

Rather than send messages via IBCNU while you are on the way back to sparks (im guessing) I will tell you i think you are using ibcnu this trip from looking at raw data on aprs fi .showed you taxiing 9 mph on the ground . I have been thinking about how ibcnu must work like igate it sends messages as well as position packets to aprs is serverers and it gets distributed from there to call signs in the systems just a guess on my part . Looks like it will work well for a back up to all the other options for those that already have a phone droid cant be far behind i would suspect with simaler app as well .Holly Cow just checked your location again looks like the long way home Camp Richardson and 222 mph already what a mosheeeeeeen! must be a spectacular day at the lake how fortunate you are .

regards

Gary
 
IBCNU vs mt8000fa

BOB

Ok I set APRS FI to track both ibcnu (kf7gws-4) and mt8000fa (n600ss) at same time , identical tracks for the most part with mt800 being more accurate with closer ground track I am thinking because of smart beacons but otherwise pretty close to the same .You have to zoom in for a closer look to tell the difference but its there when maneuvering .

Regards
Gary
 
Gary,

Thanks very much for following along with us today, and for shooting me a few messages. Some initial observations of the iBCNU app, and maybe Greg will chime it as well.

We had 3 airplanes with 4 trackers, as described above. The map below shows Dan's APRS in green, Greg's iBCNU in blue, and both my APRS and iBCNU in red (making it hard to see both at this zoom level).

As you said Gary, both of my tracks nearly coincide, but the fidelity of the APRS track appears better in turns or heading changes, likely due to smart beaconing. Its more obvious when zoomed in.

The phone seems to drop more hits on the ground, but that makes sense, since it is sending them via the cell network, and doesn't need line of site to HAM repeaters. I will say that my APRS via the belly whip Loran antenna had its best day ever today as well...great track and hits on the ground even at home base! Took the scenic route over Lake Tahoe for my Father-in-Law!

aprs7mar10.png


Gary, not sure how the two tracks compared in real-time updates on aprs.fi, but my gut says that APRS may be a much more robust real-time tracking tool, especially where cell reception is poor. However, the ability of the iBCNU app to transmit a historical track once it has regained the cell signal, may make it a nice adjunct to APRS tracking in a forced landing situation. Perhaps it also might relay a postition on or near the the ground in a situation where there is no repeater for an APRS to hit. No guarantee on solid positions down low with either system of course, it all depends on cell tower location or repeater location, and the ability of either device to keep a GPS fix.

But if one aspect of the trackers is to enhance safety, then in a forced landing situation, if SAR knows you have a SPOT, an APRS, and an iBCNU (or any combo) running, then that gives them up to three additional methods to try to help locate you...among others you may own (ELT, PLB, etc.) Just some thoughts...not touting the app as a SAR panacea at all...just a potential tool.

Still don't really understand how the messages would get to a remote HAM user, but Gary, I know you saw messages somewhere on aprs.fi...where was that? Greg and I saw them in iBCNU at lunch. I saw more upon arrival at Stead. They were probably there in flight, but the indication of a new message is just a small number showing by the inbox icon...it wasn't enough to get my attention in flight. A pop-up window would work better, but then again, I was more occupied with flying and sightseeing a bit. ;)

At any rate, it was fun testing it out...and I'm still a big APRS fan, but its amazing how many useful tools are popping up!

Cheers,
Bob
 
IBCNU messages

Bob

Looks like you had a fun day yesterday . as far as were to see the messages , once you get the # on the inbcnu just tap inbox and list of message senders will appear . then tap and read . you can also check messages sent to a call sign wen looking at aprs.fi. select or click on blue info text in the ballon from target then on top of the next page displayed will be a list in blue text also click on messages and those sent and received should be displayed . Hope that is what you were asking bob .

PS. messages on aprs.fi are stored for 14 days

Regards

Gary
 
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My two cents: The iBCNU on the way south didn't work nearly as well as going north, as I was dropped just east of Reno and not picked up again until on the ground at Minden. I suspect that this was in part because of the location in my RV (it was near the bottom of the panel in a RAM mount) which probably shielded outgoing signals enough to cause the drop. I also was a bit higher going S (8500) than going N (7500-8000). In addition, going N I put the iPhone on the glare shield, so it probably had a better view of the cell towers.

Not sure if it might be possible to put a booster antenna on the airplane somewhere to enhance the connection to cell towers, but that would probably solve a lot of issues with the iPhone (including other apps that rely on constant connections, like the phone itself!).

Otherwise, as Bob noted, it seems like another potentially useful tool. I was interested to see that Bob actually logged two tracks simultaneously using the same call sign.

greg
 
Greg,

The two tracks actually have 2 call signs. The APRS call was N600SS, with my HAM call in the message block. The iBCNU track was my HAM call. In the map screen shot, they are all jumbled up together at Stead after landing.

Interesting thought on the booster antenna. My RAM mount is at the left corner of my glareshield, right at glareshield height, and it seems to keep a signal pretty well. If there is a way to enhance that (to get more range or higher altitude cell contact performance) it'd be nice. How would one connect such an animal to an iPhone (or other cell phone)? It's gotta be internal though, no more outside antennas for me! ;)

And Gary, thanks for the clarification on messages...found them in that messages area on aprs.fi. Guess we better be careful what we say in those little texts, eh! :)

Cheers,
Bob
 
IBCNU messages

Bob

Yes viewable by anyone with ability to view aprs fi. website also you can get both tracks at same time by separating cal sign in search field with a comma if you want to see more than one target same area. thats what i did
Gary
 
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