VK6AHR
This blog was started to track the club's efforts to create an APRS station, and hopefully show club members what they can do to start their own APRS station. We also wish to show anyone else what sort of equipment and configuration we use to keep the station running.
You can find out what APRS is at Wikipedia. There is also more information here.
APRS is developed and copyrighted by Bob Bruninga, WB4APR.
The club voted to start developing an APRS station in May 2010. Our intention is to create a station that can perform at least three functions. The first is to make our club presence known to the amateur radio world. The second is to provide a digipeater service to the south-eastern sector of the Perth greater area in Western Australia where there is currently a blind spot to other digipeaters. We also intend to set up a Peet Bros Ultimeter 2100 weather station (WX) at the club site which will report through the APRS station. Telemetry will be reported as well. Any other services the station provides will be a bonus.
The intention is to use an Argent Data Opentracker Tracker2 APRS device. The Tracker2 is capable of providing our primary services without being connected to any other devices other than a transceiver. A PC can also be connected if we wish to extend the Tracker2 functions. The Tracker2 will be connected to an FM92 VHF transceiver as shown on VK2XMD's web page. The FM92 is a commercial radio which has long been superseded by more modern devices. They are still popular for converting to amateur 2m and 70cm use. The transceiver will be programmed for 145.175 MHz, the frequency used for APRS in VK.
At present we are waiting for Argent Data to have Tracker2 in stock so we can buy one! We already have two working FM92 transceivers. One was kindly donated by Ham College, the other already owned by the club is of unknown origin. We are having the radios' EEPROMs reprogrammed to the correct frequency right now by Gavin VK6HGR. Thanks Gav.
The club has an existing 2m j-pole antenna which is currently being tested with a beacon lent by VK6GHZ (thanks Duncan) to check the coverage. We hope to locate a Comet base antenna on the club's HF tower at a later date to give even better coverage.
More soon!
Rob VK6UFO.
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