[HSIS] [Fwd: Re: Cheap APRS Tracker Solutions]

[Ethan Chew]

Hey,

     Steve Conklin from Antitronics is a member of the local amature radio
club.  If he's licensed, perhaps he could help us on flights or help us get
our ratings.

            - Ethan

On Tue, Apr 13, 2010 at 8:14 AM, Matt <brimstone at the.narro.ws> wrote:

> Forwarding on. We need to get a ham on our team or get our ham licenses.
> Next test should be on May 1, so I'm going to look into that and start
> studying.
>
> #matt
>
> -------- Original Message --------
> Subject: Re: Cheap APRS Tracker Solutions
> Date: Tue, 13 Apr 2010 05:23:55 -0700 (PDT)
> From: Gary N. Dion <garydion at yahoo.com>
> To: me at garydion.com, wb8elk at aol.com, Matt <brimstone at the.narro.ws>
>
>
> Hi Matt,
>
>   Glad you could join us on Saturday.  I hope you received your payload
> back in good condition.  The balloon yours was on was not one of the two
> I helped retrieve, so I didn't get the opportunity to see it.  Sorry to
> hear the cellphone didn't work too well.  So did you get some cool
> pictures?
>
>   I'll let Bill weigh in on his tracking solution, as he is currently
> building a turnkey solution with the GPS receiver, microprocessor, and
> radio all on one board.  It really is an elegant design, and it's
> exactly what you need.  He can fill in the details of cost.
>
>   I haven't taken advantage of the hardware Bill has been developing
> yet, so my last tracker came in over the budget you are currently
> looking at.  I found my transmitter on ebay for $40, and the GPS
> receiver was $80.  Bill's solution is MUCH cheaper (and better!) than
> this now - just harder to solder.  And while I made boards for the
> WhereAVR, I believe the microprocessor circuit could be made on
> perfboard for well under $10, leaving $90 for a radio and GPS.  I
> haven't been through the code in a while, so regardless of if you want
> to go this way, I'll be going through it to freshen the design and make
> it easier to customize.
>
>   Most importantly, is there an amateur radio operator in your group so
> you can put your tracker on the air?  If not, it really isn't difficult
> for you to get a license given your predisposition for things technical.
>  Beyond a smattering of electronics knowledge, you just need to know a
> few regulations.  I can point you to some online resources, and local
> exams are given regularly.
>
> 73 (ham radio jargon meaning "Best Regards")
> -Gary, N4TXI
>
>
> --- On Mon, 4/12/10, Matt <brimstone at the.narro.ws> wrote:
>
> > From: Matt <brimstone at the.narro.ws>
> > Subject: Cheap APRS Tracker Solutions
> > To: me at garydion.com, wb8elk at aol.com
> > Date: Monday, April 12, 2010, 8:32 PM
> > Hello!
> >
> > First, thanks for letting us hitchhike on one of the
> > balloons this past
> > weekend. It was quite learning experience. One of the big
> > items we
> > learned is that we really need to get an ARPS based tracker
> > and not a
> > cell phone.
> >
> > Looking around online it looks like this isn't going to be
> > as cheap as
> > we'd like. Do either of you know of a cheap radio,
> > microcontroller, and
> > GPS solution for less than $100?
> >
> > Thanks for your time!
> > #matt
> >
> >
>
>
>
>
>
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