APRS Tracking System
I operate a small vehicle tracking system comprising the following
equipment:
- Garmin
GPS18: RS232 serial output GPS receiver module in a
weatherproof casing with a magnet inside so that it sticks to the car
body. Serial data connects to the transceiver via a 3.5mm jack
plug on the front panel.
- Alinco DR 135T Mk III
2m transceiver powered directly from the
car battery via a fused cable using Anderson
"Powerpole" connectors.
- Argent Data Systems
Tracker 2 internal TNC board fitted to the DR 135T. An external
RS232 port (DB9 connector) is provided for connecting a computer.
Fitting this card is very simple.
- Dedicated vertical antenna
The internal tracker / TNC card is programmed via the serial link using
a small application that can set up the various parameters, including
smart beaconing (position transmission is more frequent when travelling
faster or when turning corners).
My UNPROTO path
settings are "WIDE1-1,WIDE2-2".
This system is capable of two-way APRS communication if a computer is
attached to the radio's DB9 serial port. For my home station I
constructed the
TNC-X with USB
interface - an excellent kit and a reliable unit. I run
XASTIR (Linux) to display station
information.