Been planning this for a while, after AlaskChick scored a Red Toyota 4X4 Pickup Truck. I bought just the T/R Unit of a Kenwood TM-D710a, as a spare, for the one in our cabin, and the one mounted in the Yamaha Rhino660. Then I got to thinking, I wouldn't likely be using the Rhino Radio, at the same time as the Red Truck, as they are 650 Miles apart, so I could install the spare, with Antenna, and everything, in the Red Truck, and just bring the Mic, Control Head, and the AvMap6 GPS, back and forth, when we come down to the FlatLands. Mounted the AvMap6 just right of the drivers console, just above the GloveBox. The T/R Unit is under the Passenger Seat, and the Control Head is just to the Rear of the Transmission Shifter, between, and just in front of the Seats. My brother, (the Engineer) did most of the install, as he had ALL the required tools, and I was the Goofor. Had two issues crop up, after the install, which I will resolve, tomorrow, with the help of my buddy Bill.... First was fixed today, by resetting some of the APRS Settings in the Radio, so it would talk to the AvMap6 GPS, ON THE serial port. The second is, with the T/R Unit under the seat, the speaker wasn't loud enough to understand clearly. AlaskaChick likes her TUNES, while driving on Road Trips, and the radio in the Truck was really BAD, so I bought her a new Pioneer Am/Fm/CD/Bluetooth Car Stereo w New inDoor Speakers, and had it installed @ CarToys. While they were installing that, I had them bring out the wires for the Old Speakers, under the Rug to where thr T/R Unit is mounted, and I will connect them to the External Speaker Jacks, on the T/R Unit. The left Speaker plugs into Band A, and the right Speaker goes into Band B. This way you know which receiver is talking, by which Speaker is making noise. When traveling we keep Band A on the local Vhf Repeater, and Band B gets moved to either APRS, or, one of the FRS/GMRS Frequencies. With the 4G/LTE HotSpot Thingy, we found it is easy, to keep at least one Vhf Repeater, online, and then the Navigator, (usually Me) can use Band B to search around for other traffic, in the area. Having the Internet allows us to navigate, and program the next Repeater, on our Line of Travel, by using an Online Repeater Directory. I will post pictures, after I get everything finished, tomorrow.
Pictures as promised...... Control Head...... AvMap6 Light just wasn't that good for a good Picture, but you get the idea....
I went over to Bill's place, this afternoon, and finished up the Speaker connections, The install is done and everything works, as advertised.... Very happy with how it all turned out...
This morning, I replaced the Tee Handle on the Canopy, so that we can lock the Back of the Truck. AlaskaChick found a replacement, on Amazon.... I got it installed, after some issues removing the old one. This was the last thing that needed doing, on the Red Toyota 4X4 Pickup Truck. Yesterday, while driving around, I got the APRS Setup working with the Radio Talking to the AvMap6. Seems I got the Frequency wrong, (143.390 Mhz, should have been 144.390) A few Settings changes, and now that all works, as advertised. Way Cool, seeing all the other APRS Ham Stations, & Locations, on the AvMap6 display. Happy with how everything worked out, and I have a cool Truck, to drive around, down here in the FlatLands.
I understand what APRS is for -- but does this AVMap6 program literally put the stations on a map for you? Sounds cool. Does the LCD come in the package, or does one have to piece it together by selecting software, the LCD, cables, etc? Questionfrom a new Ham -- just got my Technical license earlier this month!
Yep, AvMap 6 is the Color LCD Screen shown above, and where the Location of other APRS Transmitters are, on the Displayed Map....... http://www.avmap.us/products/terr/geosat_6_aprs-664/introduction This is the AvMap6 Site...... and you can purchase the whole Package.... I had an AvMap 5 first, and a Kenwood TM-D700 Radio. Then upgraded the Radio to the TM-D710a, and gave the D700 to a New Ham, Monkey Friend. I upgraded the AvMap 5 to an AvMap 6 and sold the AvMap 5 to a Close Neighbor, who "SnowBirds to Aridzonia, every winter, to ride in the desert. This is all Tech License Stuff, so all it takes in Money.... Welcome to the Monkey Ham Community.....
Wait, you have vehicles on the peninsula? Cool so you drive 1/4 mile to Bills place and back again... why didn't you just take the plane? Rancher is there a sarcasm button here somewhere?
We are not in Alaska, but on vacation, down here in the FlatLands... Bill lives just south of here, about 20 miles, and we are staying at Momma's Folk's Place, near Seattle, WA.... We have until the 21st to see and do all the FlatLand things, and see all the folks, we would like to see.... Yes we have a few "Trails" ( they aren't even good enough to call Roads) that we can drive on, up north.... Maybe about 4 miles of them, Total... and they do NOT connect to anything, or anywhere..... We did take a Plane to get here, and we will be taking a plane to go home, on the 21st....
I haven't gotten to the full unit with the maps in the vehicle. I have SAR buddies that have set up APRS using a laptop, Xaster and Terrain Navigator Pro softwares to be able to track breadcumbs on the computer display the routes and locations of multiple search teams. Very cool as one can keep tabs on folks with zero effort on their part. I have picked up the comparable Yaesu flavor radios. The small little HT has built in GPS and I can hand that to my daughter and with just the mobile radio alone know her distance and direction from my truck. I do want to get my stuff closer to BT's sweet setup before too long. But just knowing direction and distance to another is very helpful. AT
Back a few years ago, I setup a SAR Vehicle, for a State SAR Agency, and at that time, the SAR Groups used Garmin Rhino Handheld FRS/GPS Radios. I put together a Comms Van, that could Track, each Group, in the Field, and then communicate with the Group Leader, on where to move the SAR Pattern, when they cleared a Sector, without the Group having to return to BaseCamp. It was all tracked on USGS Quad Maps, on 24" LCD Screens, in the Mobile Comms Van, for the SAR Incident Commander. It was a fun Project...
FWIW. Small world for sure. I talked with a Friend the other day and found that he and his wife spent 30 days in September in Sitka Ak. , they volunteered and did a 30 day stint at the Lutheran Church as day time care taker/tourist guide. Good folks and fast friends.
I'm interested/curious. Can you say more about the software, interfaces, etc. and some more details? Thanks.
The software was something that Garmin had, specifically for the SAR community... It wasn't released to the General Public, at that time, and I don't know if it is even still supported, these days. I remember that we used a Garmin Rhino for a receiver, and as I recall, it had a NEMA-0183 Streaming Output, that dropped WayPoint Info, for each Received Position Report, and those were then Plotted on the displayed USGS Quad Map on the Monitor. This was long before APRS was invented, (US Navel Academy) and extended, by Hams, and OEM Outfits like Kenwood, and Yaseau.... or Marine AIS Technology, which was invented in Europe.... Any of these Newer Technologies could be adapted to work, these days... The NEMA-0183 Protocol was extended, for use in AIS, to give this kind of Display capability.
