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

[Satyam Nayak]

I am interesting in getting HAM rated too. I would think there would be
other people around the shop too who would be interested in this. We could
get them on board as well. And May 1 is just the right distance away...


On Tue, Apr 13, 2010 at 10:35 AM, Ethan Chew <spacefelix at gmail.com> wrote:

> 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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