Re: [Xastir] System cost options
On Wed, 27 Jun 2007, Alex Carver wrote: > > My feeling is that 300mW isn't enough in the woods. > > Well, my point wasn't that the 300mW is great, but > that the ability to replace the antenna with something > better is a greater improvement over the fixed rubber > antenna on the Rino. Agreed. _Perhaps_ one could make a tracker work with 300mW or so in some cases, but replacing the antenna with something better that didn't use the human as the ground plane and worked better than a dummy load would certainly be the first step. ;-) -- Curt, WE7U. APRS Client Comparisons: http://www.eskimo.com/~archer "Lotto:A tax on people who are bad at math." -- unknown "Windows: Microsoft's tax on computer illiterates." -- WE7U "The world DOES revolve around me: I picked the coordinate system!" ___ Xastir mailing list Xastir@xastir.org http://lists.xastir.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/xastir
Re: [Xastir] System cost options
--- "Curt, WE7U" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > On Tue, 26 Jun 2007, Alex Carver wrote: > > > Don't forget also that a combination FRS/GMRS > device > > like a Rino has a stock, low gain antenna that is > not > > replaceable in order to maintain compliance with > the > > FCC rules governing FRS. So the MicroTrak wins > > because it's got a replaceable antenna that could > use > > something like a long whip or even a high gain > Yagi. > > The D7s also have this advantage over the Rinos. > > My feeling is that 300mW isn't enough in the woods. > I'm aiming for > somewhere around 5-8W for a portable tracker setup. > Once the > digipeater-in-a-backpack sort of thing takes off, we > _might_ be able > to get by with less, perhaps 1-5W. Well, my point wasn't that the 300mW is great, but that the ability to replace the antenna with something better is a greater improvement over the fixed rubber antenna on the Rino. It's here! Your new message! Get new email alerts with the free Yahoo! Toolbar. http://tools.search.yahoo.com/toolbar/features/mail/ ___ Xastir mailing list Xastir@xastir.org http://lists.xastir.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/xastir
Re: [Xastir] System cost options
On Wed, Jun 27, 2007 at 09:01:50AM -0700, we recorded a bogon-computron collision of the <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> flavor, containing: > On Wed, 27 Jun 2007, Tom Russo wrote: > > > We don't disagree that much. > > Give me time... > > > > I am very distrustful of these ultra-low-power, deaf trackers. > > > > But there are many of them getting made, so *somebody* must be finding them > > useful. To be useful, the APRS infrastructure must be very good, the > > terrain > > must be wide open, and the loading of the infrastructure must be low. I > > hinted at that with my first paragraph. > > I have used low-powered deaf trackers, and have friends who have, in > the form of the PocketTracker. This one puts out 270mW at best, and > fits in an Altoids tin with a 9V battery. Hook up a GPS to it with > a cable and you're up and running. Most people run them with a > walkie-talkie rubber duck antenna (not the most efficient type > antenna by any means). > > I've had basically no luck getting into the system with this device > over my normal commute route, even when hooked to my 1/4 wave whip > antenna on the roof. Another friend was living in northern CA for a > bit and tried running one in a similar manner with a whip antenna > and didn't get in either. > > To be fair, I'm in the fringe area of one of the busiest APRS areas > (Puget Sound/Seattle), and travel mostly in a county with no > digipeaters of it's own plus lots of hills/canyons/mountains. There > are digi's within range if I don't have a lot of dirt between me and > the hilltops, but only if you're running enough power to compete > reasonably with everyone else who's trying to get positions in. None of that is inconsistent with what I said. You're in an area with a great infrastructure, but terrain and network loading that makes 300mW trackers useless. I'd expect California to be as bad or worse. Even here in New Mexico it would be hard to use them even with our good infrastructure and relatively light loading (because of terrain). I recommend real trackers with power and antennas, too. And I continue to recommend the turn-key D7 solely for the ease with which an organization can deploy them in largish numbers. I like kit solutions, but in my experience unless one person is going to do the build out, or a large pool of highly motivated and skilled people are going to build them to a standard, and quickly, kits are not a good way to go for a rapid deployment of capability. The original poster was uninterested in kit solutions, so Tracker2 and TinyTrak solutions aren't really an option. One could buy assembled and tested units of TinyTrak or OpenTracker units and build them into an APRS tracker, but that's still significant effort with lots of room for "learning experiences" along the way. Tracker2 is not available at the moment --- it's still in beta testing, and when a new batch of beta boards comes out they're snapped up in a couple of days. Not what the original poster wanted at all. The best solution to the problem posed by the original poster is a bunch of APRS appliances like D7's. As corners need to be cut to fit available funding, one has to explore options. The low power units like the MicroTrak should be at the very bottom of the list of options. -- Tom RussoKM5VY SAR502 DM64ux http://www.swcp.com/~russo/ Tijeras, NM QRPL#1592 K2#398 SOC#236 AHTB#1 http://kevan.org/brain.cgi?DDTNM "And, isn't sanity really just a one-trick pony anyway? I mean all you get is one trick, rational thinking, but when you're good and crazy, oooh, oooh, oooh, the sky is the limit!" --- The Tick ___ Xastir mailing list Xastir@xastir.org http://lists.xastir.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/xastir
Re: [Xastir] System cost options
On Wed, 27 Jun 2007, Tom Russo wrote: > We don't disagree that much. Give me time... > I am very distrustful of these ultra-low-power, deaf trackers. > > But there are many of them getting made, so *somebody* must be finding them > useful. To be useful, the APRS infrastructure must be very good, the terrain > must be wide open, and the loading of the infrastructure must be low. I > hinted at that with my first paragraph. I have used low-powered deaf trackers, and have friends who have, in the form of the PocketTracker. This one puts out 270mW at best, and fits in an Altoids tin with a 9V battery. Hook up a GPS to it with a cable and you're up and running. Most people run them with a walkie-talkie rubber duck antenna (not the most efficient type antenna by any means). I've had basically no luck getting into the system with this device over my normal commute route, even when hooked to my 1/4 wave whip antenna on the roof. Another friend was living in northern CA for a bit and tried running one in a similar manner with a whip antenna and didn't get in either. To be fair, I'm in the fringe area of one of the busiest APRS areas (Puget Sound/Seattle), and travel mostly in a county with no digipeaters of it's own plus lots of hills/canyons/mountains. There are digi's within range if I don't have a lot of dirt between me and the hilltops, but only if you're running enough power to compete reasonably with everyone else who's trying to get positions in. -- Curt, WE7U. APRS Client Comparisons: http://www.eskimo.com/~archer "Lotto:A tax on people who are bad at math." -- unknown "Windows: Microsoft's tax on computer illiterates." -- WE7U "The world DOES revolve around me: I picked the coordinate system!" ___ Xastir mailing list Xastir@xastir.org http://lists.xastir.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/xastir
Re: [Xastir] System cost options
On Wed, Jun 27, 2007 at 08:50:20AM -0700, we recorded a bogon-computron collision of the <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> flavor, containing: > On Tue, 26 Jun 2007, Tom Russo wrote: > > > That depends on the local APRS infrastructure and how it's loaded. That > > 300mW > > might be enough to hit a digipeater if your terrain is right and your > > infrastructure is built up enough. Once it gets digipeated, the power of > > the > > original tracker is less important. There is no infrastructure you can > > leverage with a Rino, and it's strictly line-of-sight between tracker and > > receiver. > > Even if a few tests when the frequency is not extremely busy look > like the 300mW can get into digipeaters, if you are in hilly terrain > or if pretty much _anyone_ else transmits when you do, you're not > going to get into the digipeater. For the most part, to have an > equal chance to get into the digi, most people need to run roughly > the same power levels. Mobiles that are running 50W and good > antennas will easily capture the digipeater over you, and you won't > get heard. > > I still stick by my 5-8W recommendation for portables. FWIW I run a > 1/4 wave whip on the roof of my Cherokee fed by a TM-261A mobile > radio set to medium power and have excellent results. I don't tend > to bump it up to 50W anymore. > > The rest of Tom's response was spot-on. Just had to get my slight > disagreement stated above. We don't disagree that much. I am very distrustful of these ultra-low-power, deaf trackers. But there are many of them getting made, so *somebody* must be finding them useful. To be useful, the APRS infrastructure must be very good, the terrain must be wide open, and the loading of the infrastructure must be low. I hinted at that with my first paragraph. I would never use a 300mW tracker out here, where 5W is barely enough to assure adequate coverage in canyons. Milage can vary, though, and I was allowing for that. I recommend using beefy trackers for SAR, too. -- Tom RussoKM5VY SAR502 DM64ux http://www.swcp.com/~russo/ Tijeras, NM QRPL#1592 K2#398 SOC#236 AHTB#1 http://kevan.org/brain.cgi?DDTNM "And, isn't sanity really just a one-trick pony anyway? I mean all you get is one trick, rational thinking, but when you're good and crazy, oooh, oooh, oooh, the sky is the limit!" --- The Tick ___ Xastir mailing list Xastir@xastir.org http://lists.xastir.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/xastir
Re: [Xastir] System cost options
On Tue, 26 Jun 2007, Tom Russo wrote: > That depends on the local APRS infrastructure and how it's loaded. That 300mW > might be enough to hit a digipeater if your terrain is right and your > infrastructure is built up enough. Once it gets digipeated, the power of the > original tracker is less important. There is no infrastructure you can > leverage with a Rino, and it's strictly line-of-sight between tracker and > receiver. Even if a few tests when the frequency is not extremely busy look like the 300mW can get into digipeaters, if you are in hilly terrain or if pretty much _anyone_ else transmits when you do, you're not going to get into the digipeater. For the most part, to have an equal chance to get into the digi, most people need to run roughly the same power levels. Mobiles that are running 50W and good antennas will easily capture the digipeater over you, and you won't get heard. I still stick by my 5-8W recommendation for portables. FWIW I run a 1/4 wave whip on the roof of my Cherokee fed by a TM-261A mobile radio set to medium power and have excellent results. I don't tend to bump it up to 50W anymore. The rest of Tom's response was spot-on. Just had to get my slight disagreement stated above. -- Curt, WE7U. APRS Client Comparisons: http://www.eskimo.com/~archer "Lotto:A tax on people who are bad at math." -- unknown "Windows: Microsoft's tax on computer illiterates." -- WE7U "The world DOES revolve around me: I picked the coordinate system!" ___ Xastir mailing list Xastir@xastir.org http://lists.xastir.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/xastir
Re: Fwd: [Xastir] System cost options
On Tue, 26 Jun 2007, Greg Eigsti wrote: > The Rino 520/530 boast 5 watts on the GMRS bands; though mine does > not perform as I would expect - What I cannot tx/rx through that > mountain? ;) I have also been very happy with the battery life of > the stock li/ion batteries. We use ours on the dirt bikes to keep in > touch with each other (and to track each other). IMO a great > package! Now if only one of the HAM mfgrs would step up and give us > all that the Rino offers + HAM bands + TNC... > > Great discussion as I am very interested in bridging HAM/Rino - > though work/wife/kids get in the way of that goal most of the time ;) As far as I know Xastir is the only APRS program that can currently bridge the two, and it is in one direction only. I assume your 520's/530's are either newer units, or you've upgraded the firmware on them from Garmin so that you get the positioning out at the higher power level? If your units are older, you might want to do that. Older units send the positioning out at FRS power levels instead of GMRS. -- Curt, WE7U. APRS Client Comparisons: http://www.eskimo.com/~archer "Lotto:A tax on people who are bad at math." -- unknown "Windows: Microsoft's tax on computer illiterates." -- WE7U "The world DOES revolve around me: I picked the coordinate system!" ___ Xastir mailing list Xastir@xastir.org http://lists.xastir.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/xastir
Re: [Xastir] System cost options
On Tue, 26 Jun 2007, Alex Carver wrote: > Don't forget also that a combination FRS/GMRS device > like a Rino has a stock, low gain antenna that is not > replaceable in order to maintain compliance with the > FCC rules governing FRS. So the MicroTrak wins > because it's got a replaceable antenna that could use > something like a long whip or even a high gain Yagi. > The D7s also have this advantage over the Rinos. My feeling is that 300mW isn't enough in the woods. I'm aiming for somewhere around 5-8W for a portable tracker setup. Once the digipeater-in-a-backpack sort of thing takes off, we _might_ be able to get by with less, perhaps 1-5W. -- Curt, WE7U. APRS Client Comparisons: http://www.eskimo.com/~archer "Lotto:A tax on people who are bad at math." -- unknown "Windows: Microsoft's tax on computer illiterates." -- WE7U "The world DOES revolve around me: I picked the coordinate system!" ___ Xastir mailing list Xastir@xastir.org http://lists.xastir.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/xastir
Re: [Xastir] System cost options
On Tue, 26 Jun 2007, Richard Polivka, N6NKO wrote: > Another possibility is to look at Byonics.com. They make units that work > great for APRS trackers. Or OpenTrackers/Tracker2's, which in my opinion work better. They're also open-source. -- Curt, WE7U. APRS Client Comparisons: http://www.eskimo.com/~archer "Lotto:A tax on people who are bad at math." -- unknown "Windows: Microsoft's tax on computer illiterates." -- WE7U "The world DOES revolve around me: I picked the coordinate system!" ___ Xastir mailing list Xastir@xastir.org http://lists.xastir.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/xastir
Re: [Xastir] System cost options
--- Tom Russo <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > On Tue, Jun 26, 2007 at 09:06:18PM -0500, we > recorded a bogon-computron collision of the > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> flavor, containing: > > Thanks for the suggestion. > > I noted in the MicroTrak 300 manual, > "...power output in the range of > > 300 mW, and is capable of operating at extremely > long ranges ...". My > > understanding of the problem with Garmin Rinos > was that they were low power > > -- 1W or 5W -- meaning that the transmission > distance was too short to be of > > much use. > > Is this an apples and oranges issue? What am I > missing? (And please feel > > free to point out my misunderstandings I am > VERY new to this .) > > That depends on the local APRS infrastructure and > how it's loaded. That 300mW > might be enough to hit a digipeater if your terrain > is right and your > infrastructure is built up enough. Once it gets > digipeated, the power of the > original tracker is less important. There is no > infrastructure you can > leverage with a Rino, and it's strictly > line-of-sight between tracker and > receiver. > Don't forget also that a combination FRS/GMRS device like a Rino has a stock, low gain antenna that is not replaceable in order to maintain compliance with the FCC rules governing FRS. So the MicroTrak wins because it's got a replaceable antenna that could use something like a long whip or even a high gain Yagi. The D7s also have this advantage over the Rinos. Take the Internet to Go: Yahoo!Go puts the Internet in your pocket: mail, news, photos & more. http://mobile.yahoo.com/go?refer=1GNXIC ___ Xastir mailing list Xastir@xastir.org http://lists.xastir.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/xastir
Re: [Xastir] System cost options
On Tue, Jun 26, 2007 at 09:06:18PM -0500, we recorded a bogon-computron collision of the <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> flavor, containing: > Thanks for the suggestion. > I noted in the MicroTrak 300 manual, "...power output in the range of > 300 mW, and is capable of operating at extremely long ranges ...". My > understanding of the problem with Garmin Rinos was that they were low power > -- 1W or 5W -- meaning that the transmission distance was too short to be of > much use. > Is this an apples and oranges issue? What am I missing? (And please feel > free to point out my misunderstandings I am VERY new to this .) That depends on the local APRS infrastructure and how it's loaded. That 300mW might be enough to hit a digipeater if your terrain is right and your infrastructure is built up enough. Once it gets digipeated, the power of the original tracker is less important. There is no infrastructure you can leverage with a Rino, and it's strictly line-of-sight between tracker and receiver. I'm pretty sure that the MicroTrak doesn't have a receiver, which means it'll transmit blind --- it won't be able to keep its mout shut when the channel's busy. This could be a significant downside, but is not necessarily bad. If you have a lot of APRS traffic in your search areas, there will be times when the flea-powered MicroTrak will transmit while other traffic is on the channel, and it won't be heard. At base, with the laptop, you need a TNC and a radio --- it needn't be a D7, and that would actually be a waste of money. A KPC3 and an HT or mobile rig would be adequate, and would be much cheaper. Where a D7 (or D700) shines is as a stand-alone unit, because it can decode APRS as well as transmit it --- so your field teams can receive APRS messages and can see position reports of other teams on their GPS screens. You don't need that at base, because you're using a computer with APRS software there, and that software would be doing all that for you anyway. If you can't afford 12 D7's, (that's a lot of green), you could buy a few and deploy cheaper, less fully-featured trackers like the MicroTrak on some teams. You needn't even buy GPS units for all of them, as you can set yourself up to use the personal GPS units of your field teams with the APRS tracker --- it can still be used even while wired up to the tracker. The D7 is merely a convenient, relatively rugged, and easily set-up unit. You pay for that convenience. Remember, too, that you needn't get the entire system running at once, and you can mix and match true APRS trackers with Rinos. Getting a usable small set-up as a proof of principle, and getting familiar with using it might be a way of encouraging more donations or grant money. The Rino is pretty limited, and you pay for the limitations, too. But even with a full APRS set-up, you can always add Rinos to the mix, too --- Xastir can be used with both simultaneously, so long as you have a suitable Rino in base that can poll the Rinos in the field. Your options for building out a system are pretty wide open. If you want a consistent, stable, and very usable system you can go the pricey route with every team having a D7, but if you're limited on cash, you can set up a more varied kit of equipment to get the job done. > Richard Polivka, N6NKO wrote: > > Another possibility is to look at Byonics.com. They make units that work > > great for APRS trackers. -- Tom RussoKM5VY SAR502 DM64ux http://www.swcp.com/~russo/ Tijeras, NM QRPL#1592 K2#398 SOC#236 AHTB#1 http://kevan.org/brain.cgi?DDTNM "And, isn't sanity really just a one-trick pony anyway? I mean all you get is one trick, rational thinking, but when you're good and crazy, oooh, oooh, oooh, the sky is the limit!" --- The Tick ___ Xastir mailing list Xastir@xastir.org http://lists.xastir.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/xastir
Re: [Xastir] System cost options
Thanks for the suggestion. I noted in the MicroTrak 300 manual, "...power output in the range of 300 mW, and is capable of operating at extremely long ranges ...". My understanding of the problem with Garmin Rinos was that they were low power -- 1W or 5W -- meaning that the transmission distance was too short to be of much use. Is this an apples and oranges issue? What am I missing? (And please feel free to point out my misunderstandings I am VERY new to this .) Many thanx. jt Richard Polivka, N6NKO wrote: Another possibility is to look at Byonics.com. They make units that work great for APRS trackers. They may be a possibility. 73 from 807, Richard, N6NKO [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ Xastir mailing list Xastir@xastir.org http://lists.xastir.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/xastir
Re: [Xastir] System cost options
Another possibility is to look at Byonics.com. They make units that work great for APRS trackers. They may be a possibility. 73 from 807, Richard, N6NKO Jim Tolbert wrote: Thank you very much to Curt, Jason, Tom, & Gerry for the comments. So if I were to go with APRS/ Xastir /Linux.. It appears that I can download Linux and I have a laptop available. I can download Xastir. So the costs for each field searcher will be will be $500 ( Kenwood D7A ($350) plus a mapping GPS (Etrex Summit ($150)). Then do I need the same for the laptop or only the Kenwood D7A or something else? For 4 teams(two units per team -- one at each end) plus a dog plus two mounted searchers plus the laptop, I will need 12 sets or $6,000. For Garmin Rino 110 (5 mile GMRS) I would have 12 @ $150 = $1800. For Garmin Rino 520 (14 mile GMRS) I would have 12 @ $360 = $4320. Are there other options that should be considered with a cost between high & low? I am pretty sure we do not have the ability to homebrew equipment, so unless they are VERY straightforward, I think kits are out. I don't know if this has any impact on the situation, but we have huge holes in our cellular coverage and our radio infrastructure is dated and heavily loaded also with holes in the reception. Is the general consensus that I should wait until we can afford the Kenwood / GPS unit system or go now with one of the Rino options. I don't know what is available as far as funds.. I am just trying to get a good picture of the impact of the choices. Many thanx to all .. you have been VERY helpful. jt ___ Xastir mailing list Xastir@xastir.org http://lists.xastir.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/xastir
Fwd: [Xastir] System cost options
The Rino 520/530 boast 5 watts on the GMRS bands; though mine does not perform as I would expect - What I cannot tx/rx through that mountain? ;) I have also been very happy with the battery life of the stock li/ion batteries. We use ours on the dirt bikes to keep in touch with each other (and to track each other). IMO a great package! Now if only one of the HAM mfgrs would step up and give us all that the Rino offers + HAM bands + TNC... Great discussion as I am very interested in bridging HAM/Rino - though work/wife/kids get in the way of that goal most of the time ;) Greg KD7UBJ On Jun 26, 2007, at 3:59 PM, Jason Winningham wrote: On Jun 26, 2007, at 4:47 PM, Jim Tolbert wrote: Is the general consensus that I should wait until we can afford the Kenwood / GPS unit system or go now with one of the Rino options. That sort of depends on your situation: is something better than nothing? Sure the Rino FRS doesn't have the range that a 5 watt D7 has, but if that's all you can afford and you _really_ need something... Also, you don't have to do either/or. If your ICP station has an APRS rig and a Rino, xastir will happily display data from both networks, and I'm pretty sure it can relay the Rino data to the APRS network (but not vice-versa). Another con to the D7 is the poor battery that comes from the factory. Not a show stopper, but pretty disappointing. I personally would ask for money for the D7 configuration. If they give you less, go from there. With the amount of money that's hemorrhaging from Homeland Security, surely there's some dollars for emergency comms somewhere... -Jason kg4wsv ___ Xastir mailing list Xastir@xastir.org http://lists.xastir.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/xastir ___ Xastir mailing list Xastir@xastir.org http://lists.xastir.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/xastir
Re: [Xastir] System cost options
On Jun 26, 2007, at 4:47 PM, Jim Tolbert wrote: Is the general consensus that I should wait until we can afford the Kenwood / GPS unit system or go now with one of the Rino options. That sort of depends on your situation: is something better than nothing? Sure the Rino FRS doesn't have the range that a 5 watt D7 has, but if that's all you can afford and you _really_ need something... Also, you don't have to do either/or. If your ICP station has an APRS rig and a Rino, xastir will happily display data from both networks, and I'm pretty sure it can relay the Rino data to the APRS network (but not vice-versa). Another con to the D7 is the poor battery that comes from the factory. Not a show stopper, but pretty disappointing. I personally would ask for money for the D7 configuration. If they give you less, go from there. With the amount of money that's hemorrhaging from Homeland Security, surely there's some dollars for emergency comms somewhere... -Jason kg4wsv ___ Xastir mailing list Xastir@xastir.org http://lists.xastir.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/xastir
Re: [Xastir] System cost options
On Tue, 26 Jun 2007, Jim Tolbert wrote: > So if I were to go with APRS/ Xastir /Linux.. It appears that I can > download Linux and I have a laptop available. I can download Xastir. Yea. Linux can be free. Xastir is free. VMPlayer is free if you want to keep Windows on the machine, but if you're running Windows there are other APRS programs available as well, for free or nearly free. See the links I'll mention later here. > So the costs for each field searcher will be will be $500 ( Kenwood D7A > ($350) plus a mapping GPS (Etrex Summit ($150)). Then do I need the > same for the laptop or only the Kenwood D7A or something else? You need a radio/antenna/TNC for the laptop but you don't need to go with the TH-D7A. It'd work fine for that use though. Other options would be the Kenwood TM-D700A mobile rig (runs off 12V directly), or if you want to go cheaper, get some 2-meter mobile rig at $150 on sale new, an antenna for it, a TNC-X TNC kit, and build a cable to go between the TNC and the radio. You could also buy a Kantronics KPC-3 TNC used or a KPC-3+ TNC new and build a cable from it to any 2-meter mobile radio. > For 4 teams(two units per team -- one at each end) plus a dog plus two > mounted searchers plus the laptop, I will need 12 sets or $6,000. For > Garmin Rino 110 (5 mile GMRS) I would have 12 @ $150 = $1800. For > Garmin Rino 520 (14 mile GMRS) I would have 12 @ $360 = $4320. > > Are there other options that should be considered with a cost between > high & low? I am pretty sure we do not have the ability to homebrew > equipment, so unless they are VERY straightforward, I think kits are out. Yea. Check out the link "APRS in Search and Rescue" listed on my homepage link below and read up on things. Then check out the "APRS Hardware (Wiki)" link. Then come back here and ask more questions. Also plan for at least a couple of spares for everything. Wires and equipment break or are damaged. The more pieces of equipment and wires you need to tie it all together, the more breakage will occur. Also, the TH-D7A's have some weak points: The antenna connector, the belt clip, and the waterproofing (non-existent). Take those into account. > Is the general consensus that I should wait until we can afford the > Kenwood / GPS unit system or go now with one of the Rino options. I > don't know what is available as far as funds.. I am just trying to > get a good picture of the impact of the choices. I think I'd avoid the Rino option, as it limits you in several ways, not the least of which is the Xastir/GPSMan combo to tie it all together. I prefer systems that allow more options/upgrades in the future. -- Curt, WE7U. APRS Client Comparisons: http://www.eskimo.com/~archer "Lotto:A tax on people who are bad at math." -- unknown "Windows: Microsoft's tax on computer illiterates." -- WE7U "The world DOES revolve around me: I picked the coordinate system!" ___ Xastir mailing list Xastir@xastir.org http://lists.xastir.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/xastir
[Xastir] System cost options
Thank you very much to Curt, Jason, Tom, & Gerry for the comments. So if I were to go with APRS/ Xastir /Linux.. It appears that I can download Linux and I have a laptop available. I can download Xastir. So the costs for each field searcher will be will be $500 ( Kenwood D7A ($350) plus a mapping GPS (Etrex Summit ($150)). Then do I need the same for the laptop or only the Kenwood D7A or something else? For 4 teams(two units per team -- one at each end) plus a dog plus two mounted searchers plus the laptop, I will need 12 sets or $6,000. For Garmin Rino 110 (5 mile GMRS) I would have 12 @ $150 = $1800. For Garmin Rino 520 (14 mile GMRS) I would have 12 @ $360 = $4320. Are there other options that should be considered with a cost between high & low? I am pretty sure we do not have the ability to homebrew equipment, so unless they are VERY straightforward, I think kits are out. I don't know if this has any impact on the situation, but we have huge holes in our cellular coverage and our radio infrastructure is dated and heavily loaded also with holes in the reception. Is the general consensus that I should wait until we can afford the Kenwood / GPS unit system or go now with one of the Rino options. I don't know what is available as far as funds.. I am just trying to get a good picture of the impact of the choices. Many thanx to all .. you have been VERY helpful. jt -- Jim Tolbert EMT-B [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ Xastir mailing list Xastir@xastir.org http://lists.xastir.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/xastir
