APRS Presentation for SnoCo RACES, 02/21/2002: ---------------------------------------------- Your boring presenter for tonight is: Curt Mills, WE7U, archer at eskimo dot com. I'm a member of Snohomish County Volunteer SAR, and my main interests there are in Base Support activities. NW region mailing list, details at: http://nwaprs.info More links listed near the end of this document. Software available for viewing tonight: APRS+ on Win95, with DeLorme Street Atlas 8.0 Xastir on Linux, with many free sources of maps PocketAPRS on PalmOS SmartPalm on PalmOS -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) What the heck is APRS? Short answer: Sending/receiving locations, messages, and other data via amateur radio. This info shows up graphically on users' displays. Long answer: NOTE: Asterisks are next to items of interest for RACES and SAR. * - Resource Management at a glance: * - Radio trackers are used for mobile or portable resources. * - Manual placement of objects on the map for other resources, problem areas, search boundaries, etc. * - One-liner messages via the APRS system, regional or world-wide. NTS Messaging is supported in some APRS programs. * - Weather at a glance, including severe storms, hurricanes and tornados. * - Transmitter hunting, especially team-oriented efforts. * - Emergency beacons (including satellite support for this). * - Internet E-mail: One-way only, from APRS to the 'net. * - Full capabilities are available at locations with an internet connection but no radio equipment. * - Earthquake objects: Objects are placed on the internet feeds multiple times an hour by two geographically separate stations (WA/CA). - Telemetry. - Satellite Communication, Russian Space Station MIR (defunct)/ International Space Station (ISS)/PCsat/Sarex/Saphhire, others. - Meteor Scatter propagation. - HF APRS. - Smart services that can be queried (traffic congestion, repeaters in the local area, etc). - Findu.com, JavaAPRS. - Mic-E repeaters (position burst at end of TX). - DX-Cluster spots can appear directly on your maps. - Speech or other alarm outputs based on positions of objects (like proximity alarms, alert on new message, etc). This is seriously fun to play with! - Tracking for high altitude balloon experiments - Tracking for public service events such as the Olympics, marathons, bicycle races, Alcan rally, etc. Someone built a tracker into an Olympic torch once so it's position could be tracked. (http://web.usna.navy.mil/~bruninga/torch.html) You don't need a GPS, TNC, or even a radio to participate in APRS. You can get started with a computer and an internet connection. TNC's collecting dust in the garage can be put to use nicely for home APRS stations. What does APRS stand for? Does it matter? It stands for "Automatic Position Reporting System". It was invented by Bob Bruninga, WB4APR. He's the aprsDOS author and still very active in APRS activities. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) What can APRS do for my emergency service organization? Logistics: ---------- - Real-time tactical display of an operation, including full mapping. Keeps track of resources without interrupting the voice comms. - Track fixed or mobile assets. An object need not have a tracker to become a tracked object on the map. Objects can be placed on the map and updated manually. (demonstrate this) - Promote high usage of given resources: - Real-time positioning of deployed resources - Real-time positioning of unused resources - Visibility of quickest routes to deploy those resources and routes to avoid. - Danger areas and other objects can be described directly on the map and transmitted to all with an APRS map display. - Allows people at the EOC/DEM office to keep track of the operation out in the field in near real-time. Operations: ----------- - Find transmitters FAST!!! This could be useful for Project Lifesaver. APRS can be used with omni-directional or directional antennas, including doppler equipment. Fade-circle technique is also available in DosAPRS. (demonstrate a portion of this with Xastir) - Teams can be given a direction and distance of travel to the nearest road, based solely on their position as seen on the map at Base. We've had a need for this on actual searches. - Search aircraft can have their positions/tracks monitored real-time on search maps, and be informed immediately if there are holes in the search coverage. Vehicles/Aircraft can be guided to particular sites via APRS and voice comms, for instance SAR base camp or a helicopter landing site. Base can see the aircraft approaching the target on the map. - Lost/misguided vehicles or teams can be quickly put back on track via APRS. We've sure needed this at times! We've lost several man-hours due to teams missing their target search areas. The operations chief could also direct teams into areas that hadn't been properly searched, without waiting for a briefing at base of where a team THOUGHT it had been searching. - In areas of extreme damage (earthquakes, tornadoes, volcanoes, floods, etc), APRS can help to identify buildings, street corners or other tracked assets that search teams or damage control teams need to get to or monitor. It can also be used to keep track of evacuation routes and whether each route is currently available or blocked. (demonstrate area objects?) - For fires a real-time map can help to keep workers out of danger. Positions can be updated manually from data relayed by voice, or automatically by APRS trackers. Planning: --------- - If the software supports it, detailed annotated maps may be printed as needed during the search, customized maps with objects and boundaries relevant to the operation placed on them. - Damage areas and extent can be updated as an operation progresses. - Documentation of previous activities is readily available for the planner. Communications: --------------- - One-liner messaging. Similar to instant messaging on the internet that some of you may have used. Can be used world-wide if you can reach an internet gateway or are connected to the internet directly. (demonstrate?) This should not be relied on for critical communications unless each the sender verifies that each ACK is received, and the other end of the link responds manually that they read the message. Perhaps a better protocol for reliable messaging would be TCP/IP, which also can be provided by amateur radio operators for an event. - Some APRS programs support NTS messaging. - Allows sending internet e-mail from the field. i.e. Send an "I'm ok" e-mail to family members from a remote location. - If equipped with messaging-capable units, volunteers can be checked in/out while the vehicle is in transit. Assignments may be delivered to the vehicles en-route. No long detours to search base required. - Teams can be recalled/reassigned quickly. - Supplemental data can be supplied to teams via APRS as it becomes available using one-line messages, without tying up voice comms. Documentation: -------------- - Document an event for legal purposes. If each team and vehicle has APRS and radio coverage is adequate, the search progression is easily recorded. - APRS documentation from a search may be used as feedback to teams to help prepare for future events. This info could also be fed back into the pre-plan for an area to be used at the next similar event. Weather Info: ------------- - Weather at the site can be automatically relayed and viewed in aircraft that may need to arrive/depart quickly. Wind direction and speed are critical info for helicopters. It's easy to interface a weather station directly into the command vehicle's APRS system so that it is broadcasting this information. Other weather stations in the area are automatically viewable. Public Information (ham public anyway): --------------------------------------- - An operation can be made more visible to the public to promote knowledge of the event (or not!). Xastir has options to disable certain classes of transmissions for more sensitive operations. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) How does APRS work? Strings of data are sent through the radio and received by everyone listening. The data describes such things as locations, symbol types, weather, speed, altitude, etc. The computer handles displaying the data in a usable manner on the map screen. - One simplex 2-meter frequency for entire U.S. and Canada. - Smarter digipeaters, duplicate packets are reduced. - Nearly every home station is a WIDE1-1 digipeater. This helps mobile and portable stations to get heard. - Internet and HF gateways. - Findewe.com database/web server in Florida. As a user you typically don't need to worry about the infrastructure. It's already in place in many areas and maintained by very active APRS people. A place you _can_ make a difference is in the APRS settings: Please follow the settings listed on the NWAPRS pages or discussed on the NWAPRS mailing list. Questions? -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) What do I need to set up an APRS station? Typical home station: --------------------- a) Computer w/serial port b) TNC (a soundcard can be used instead) c) Radio d) Antenna e) Shareware or freeware APRS program Note that no GPS is required here. Differences between this station and a packet station of 15 years ago: The station is tuned to 144.39 MHz, and we've installed APRS software on the computer. Absolute minimum home station, used as relay for other stations: ---------------------------------------------------------------- a) TNC ("myalias WIDE1-1") b) Radio c) Antenna The above is the mode many home stations are in when they're using the computer for other things. They're still helping out neighboring APRS stations by being a WIDE1-1 station. Typical mobile/portable station: -------------------------------- a) GPS b) TNC (may be built into the radio) c) Radio d) Antenna (Optional) PDA or Laptop w/APRS software Many mobile/portable stations are only equipped for transmit. These stations have no messaging capability. You can also operate mobile or portable without a GPS. In that case you'll need to update your position manually via the APRS software from time to time. Equipment choices optimized by money/time: ------------------------------------------ - Plenty of money: Kenwood/Alinco, KPC-3+, Dual-port PicoPacket, ShineMicro TNC for Handspring Visors. - Plenty of time: TinyTrak-II, PIC TNC, HSP Adapters, soundcard TNC. I usually choose this category, although I don't have much time! I have sources for cheap GPS's, radios, TNC's. HSP Adapter: A small circuit that lets you hook both a GPS and a TNC to one computer serial port. They can be bought ready-made or built from scratch. Equipment choices optimized by reliability/ruggedness: ------------------------------------------------------ - Ammo-can style trackers for mobiles. - Tube-trackers for portables. - Otter boxes with magnets for mounting on outside of vehicles. Non-Ham: Cobra & Garmin are coming out with FRS/GPS and GMRS/GPS radios that can send positions to like radios at the push of a button. Non-hams APRS. Short range. No infrastructure available to cover a wider area. No automatic positioning allowed, must push a button to send the position. Many hikers may end up equipped with these. In the commercial world systems like our APRS system are called AVL, which stands for Automatic Vehicle Location systems. Computers and Operating Systems: -------------------------------- APRS programs can run on: DOS, Windows, Mac, PalmOS, WinCE, FreeBSD, Linux, Solaris, perhaps others. Shareware Windows software: WinAPRS (can use Precision Mapping CD's) APRS+ (Can use Delorme Street Atlas CD's) Ui-View AprsPoint (interfaces to Microsoft MapPoint CD's) Freeware Windows software: EasyAPRS (not available yet) Shareware Mac Software: MacAPRS Freeware Mac OS X Software: XASTIR Freeware PalmOS software: SmartPalm Shareware PalmOS software: PocketAPRS Shareware WinCE software: APRSce Freeware FreeBSD/Linux/Solaris/Mac OS X software: XASTIR (114 map formats and counting!) Shareware Linux software: Xaprs - Go to http://nwaprs.info and subscribe to mailing list. Ask questions there if you get hung up. - Ask me: I should be able to direct you to someone who can help, although my standard answer is, "Try installing Linux over your Windows partition first to see if that helps." ;-) - If you're running Windows and have problems, try rebooting 75 times. That seems to be the magic number. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- More detailed discussions can occur after the meeting. I'll be available. - Questions FROM audience? - Questions TO audience... - Interested in more info? Contact info for them? - Have deviation meter available? We be done! -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Additional sources of information... Links to Software: ------------------ Xastir: http://www.xastir.org SmartPalm: http://smartpalm.sourceforge.net PocketAPRS: http://pocketaprs.com Ui-View: http://www.ui-view.org WinAPRS: http://www.tapr.org APRS+: http://www.tapr.org AprsPoint: http://www.aprspoint.com MacAPRS: http://www.tapr.org Links to Information Sites: --------------------------- http://nwaprs.info http://www.tapr.org http://www.dididahdahdidit.com http://www.aprs.org (Bob Bruninga's Pages) http://www.eskimo.com/~archer (WE7U's Main site) http://wetnet.net/~we7u/ (WE7U's Turnkey_APRS site) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- A Few Implementation Options: ----------------------------- - APRS can be deployed using MIC-E style operation on the voice frequency. This allows one transceiver to be used for voice-comms and for APRS. When the radio unkeys an APRS packet gets sent before the transmitter is dropped. This would require training of voice operators who will hear modem tones on the frequency periodically. It may also require special licensing of the APRS software and careful review of the FCC rules for the band in question if used on non-ham frequencies. - Displays could be placed at Operations, Incident Command, Planning, and Logistics stations, and one for searchers who aren't currently deployed. This would require less interaction between all parties in order to keep appraised of current status. Most of these would not need transmit capability and could be tied into one central APRS station used by Operations. - Tactical calls may be assigned to different tracked teams that define the particular talents of that team, for instance "Hasty Team 1" could be called "Hasty1", "Dog Team 5" could be called "Dog5", "Man-Tracking Team 6" could be "Track6", etc. This allows instant recognition of where the specialty teams are deployed via a quick glance at the map. It's best to use the same label for a team as used on the voice radio. Boring technical details: ------------------------- - Transmit delay (TXD): Keep it short. - Deviation: 3.25 kHz is a good goal. Must be set for each TNC/Radio combination. - Path setting: Currently "WIDE1-1,WIDE2-1" for mobiles, "WIDE2-2" for home stations. - Transmit interval: Per NWAPRS recommendations. - Check your tones. They should be on or near 1200 and 2200 Hz.