Seems I had made a mistake a few months while back. I was attempting to push another ancient netbook back into service running Linux so that I could mess around with setting it up as a webSDR using my Nooelec Smart v4.
While I was playing with some settings in the software, the dongle locked up and I couldn’t get it to work again. It got a bit toasty and I figured I had fried the thing. All troubleshooting pointed towards that being the case. No amount of reinstalling the software, unplugging/re-plugging the dongle, or rebooting the PC seemed to work. This project was put on the back burner.
Fast forward to this past week, I found the dongle after a recent move and had the idea to see if maybe it could be coaxed back to life. I installed the dongle and SDR# on another, more powerful laptop. No dice. It wasn’t being detected by the software. Defeated, I made the decision to order a new one. This time the Nooelec Smartee v5 (the one with the bias-tee that allows in-line devices to be powered directly from the dongle).
Installed the new dongle and it didn’t seem to work either. What the hell?!
I double-checked that the firmware was installed. It was. Reinstalled SDR# just in case. Pressing the start button wasn’t doing anything. Then I remembered the source settings in the menu, set that to “RTL-SDR USB” and it fired right up. Phew! The new one wasn’t dead!
Then I had the idea to try the older dongle again. You guessed it, it worked too! Not sure why it’s still not being recognized by the ancient netbook, but it’s a good lesson in checking your settings, even if you think you’re right.
The Smart v4 dongle working in all it’s glory!
So now I’ve got 2 Nooelec SDR dongles. I was planning on getting one with a bias-tee for some futures projects anyways, so it’s not like it’s really an issue.
This station listens for and decodes APRS packets from other stations and “gates” them to the internet. These other stations can be mobile (vehicle or pedestrian) or fixed stations (like digipeaters).
When APRS is being used, any other APRS-capable radio can decode the packets being sent out (either natively on the radio, or through connection to a computer of smartphone). So if you and a friend are using APRS in the middle of nowhere and are within simplex range of each other, you can receive positional information or messages on your radios from each other.
But that only works for certain things. If you’re looking at using APRS for tracking your buddy, but they’re outside of simplex range, you would need to employ a digipeater. They listen for APRS traffic and re-transmit those packets to a wider area. This is very similar to how regular amateur repeaters work for voice operations. The repeater is in a prime location and can usually transmit at a higher power level using better antennas for better range. APRS paths usually allow for multiple hops between digipeaters to not only help with range, but also to allow for a higher chance of being picked up by a station running an I-Gate.
Which brings us to I-Gates!
Now, for example, if you’re looking at tracking your progress during a roadtrip, then an I-Gate is a must! Some digipeaters have them built-in already, while others do not. It depends on what equipment is available to the digipeater owners, the local network needs, and a few other factors.
If you traveled from Montreal to Las Vegas and were firing off packets every 60 seconds or so, there should be stations well away from your location that can see where you are. The only thing is, those packets are heard, displayed when received (maybe logged in a file somewhere), and that’s it. Throw an I-Gate station into the mix and everything that it hears is uploaded to the internet. Connecting to the internet allows positional information to be viewed on sites like aprs.fi.
That’s what this thing does:
Behold, the glorious RX-only I-Gate!!!
This I-Gate regularly receives packets digipeated from VE3OCR-2 in downtown Ottawa, as well as simplex packets from nearby mobile stations. Checking the information for VE3OCR-2, it can be noted that it is not gating any data to the internet, just repeating it back out over RF.
VE3OCR-2 only shows info about packets heard directly from other stations
There are other stations in the area that digipeat AND gate, such as VE3SHQ located at the Scouts Canada Museum further to the west.
VE3SHQ shows info about packets heard directly AND packets sent to APRS-IS (the internet)
And then you have my IGate. It does not digipeat over RF. The only thing it does is listen for packets, and then upload them to the internet.
WNX-10 shows info similar to VE3SHQ, it just can’t transmit over RF
Ok, it actually does a bit more than just that. I do have a set of repeaters set up to display on aprs.fi and when I go camping and plan on doing long range testing, I usually place markers to help others see where I will be operating from. There are even airport markers that I was testing out awhile back too.
This I-Gate is set to beacon every 30 minutes. I’m not entirely sure if that position is sent out through other digipeaters with an I-Gate or not (pretty sure that’s an option that can be enabled/disabled by each digipeater). Not that it fully matters as it shows up on aprs.fi and likely isn’t of much use to anyone to know where it is anyways, It’s more akin to behind-the-scenes infrastructure than anything else.
The parts:
Asus EeePC 1000HE (running APRSISCE32)
Realistic PRO-2037 desktop scanner ($8 in box from a local thrift shop)
N9TAX SlimJim antenna
3.5mm aux cable (audio-out on scanner >>> audio-in on computer)
This setup takes up a bit of space and it could definitely be run on a Raspberry Pi with an SDR dongle instead, but I appreciate keeping old tech alive and running. The laptop is from 15ish years back and is woefully inadequate for running most modern software and the scanner is from sometime in the mid-90’s, but it’s a scanner. It just sits and listens on whatever frequency you point it at, and it just works. The SlimJim antenna is hooked into the BNC port at the rear of the scanner (not pictured) and is currently strung up in a nearby window in a very temporary fashion. A second SlimJim will be arriving in the next few weeks with a 16′ length of coax so that I can hard mount it outside the apartment. That being said, I’ve been blown away by how well the current antenna setup receives packets over the stock telescopic antenna that came with the scanner, even with it being mounted indoors.
Below is a comparison of the receive-capability of the setup from 2 different months in 2024:
Reception range in October 2024 using default telescopic antennaIncreased reception range in December 2024 using SlimJim antenna
At some point in the future I’d like to deploy a full digipeater + I-gate solution, but that’ll have to wait until I can find a decent QTH location much further out from other local digis.
While out camping last week, I ended up messing around with the radios again ( as one does when they’re by themselves in the woods). A week prior to leaving home, I set up some APRS objects indicating my operating positions, times, etc, so that people who may be interested might try to catch me on the air. I also posted about the info for this outing to Reddit, but some people on the internet sometimes don’t seem to understand what you’re trying to accomplish. That’s another story entirely.
I had the FTM-200 manpack set up in the car and running off battery power. I was mainly just seeing what repeaters I could hit while driving to my first camping spot at Silent Lake Provincial Park. The radio was also firing off APRS packets every minute or so in the background. I managed to make simplex contact with another operator (VA3JPS) between Khartum, ON and Denbigh, ON who was a few minutes ahead of me on the road. We chatted for awhile before I had to make the turn onto Highway 28 towards Bancroft. It was an enjoyable conversation and both of us had good reception and readability.
The first full day out, the weather was quite bad. I managed to get up on time, got the stove all set up to make breakfast, then checked the weather forecast. It was overcast when I got out of the tent, but was supposed to have been sunny. It was going to rain soon, HARD. I made up some oatmeal and as soon as I was done cleaning everything up, the rain began.
You asked for rain, you got it!
The rain lasted a few hours and enough came down that the ground was one big puddle. As a result, it coated my tent in mud, and even flung up enough to get the inside muddy too (downside to having some mesh walls). I couldn’t do much of anything for a while in the tent except for work on some crossword puzzles and have a nap. Once everything cleared up I went for a hike. I had missed my morning comms target, but figured I’d be able to do a bit of repeater testing while out in the forest.
The repeater for Bancroft, ON (VA3FOY) is ~20km away from the park. The results were better than I had anticipated. Some of the test locations were up high, while some were down near the lake shore. I used a GPS app on my phone to get a position reading at each location before transmitting on the radio. I only ended up testing up to km 9 of the trail (it’s something like 17km for the entire length and I entered the trail just before km 2) as the sun was beginning to go down. Due to being delayed by the downpour in the morning, I was running a bit late. I ended up exiting the trail just a few minutes before sundown. I had my headlight with me, but luckily didn’t need it. As a result of getting back late and being extremely tired I decided not to do any further long range comms attempts that night.
Red is S1-S3, Yellow is S4-S6, and Green is S7-S9+
The next morning I again decided not to make any attempts at long range comms. The tent was dry, but still needed a really good cleaning and needed to be dried out again before being packed up to move to the next park. It took ~40L of water to rinse the mud off, but the sun was out and I was able to let everything dry while making breakfast on the stove (this time eggs and breakfast sausages). I got everything packed up, had a good conversation with someone from a neighboring site, and departed for Ferris Provincial Park.
There was no one at Ferris when I arrived. Seems they close up the gatehouse after 2PM this late into the season. There was a note posted on the gatehouse indicating that a pass would not be required to be displayed in the vehicle or at the site as long as the site was booked. Seems that sometime in the last year they made the move to a fully digital system at Ferris. All the posts at the sites where you put your permits were replaced by new ones that only have the site number on them. First time I’ve come across this. Not a bad way to go.
Upon getting to my site, I began to unpack and setup camp once again. I left the radio on in the car and was listening to the local repeater (VE3KFR) as some locals were chatting. I even deployed the new solar kit I’ve been working on for the last few months for the first time (more on that later).
I managed to make the comms window for this night, but did not get any responses. That’s just how it goes. Attempts were made to connect with some Winlink stations that were fairly close, but I was unable to get into any of them using the manpack and Arrow II antenna. I was able to hit the VE3PBO repeater in Peterborough as I had the year prior, and had a QSO with VA3NW for a few minutes. This was all done using the new solar kit to power the radio.
The FTM-200 manpack is connected to the new solar kit just below the table
The next night was more of the same. Attempted long range contacts and Winlink connections to no avail. Managed to catch a net on the VE3PBO repeater. Seemed like it was an after action type of net regarding an emergency exercise that had been held recently. I did not participate, but it was an interesting listen.
I had also went on an excursion outside the park during the first day at Ferris. I decided to test the range of the VE3KFR repeater during that time. I also did the same when I left the park for home on the last day.
The next morning I got everything all packed up again and was on my way home. But not without a few stops first!
During this trip I had taken pictures of the power meter on the FTM-200 to gauge how much power was used during each session. For whatever reason, I’ve not been able to find all of those pictures, so I’m unable to publish any data on how well the battery did. All I know is that the 9Ah battery that I normally operate with powered the radio at 25W output with APRS going and a few QSO’s here and there while driving to these parks and back and never ran out of juice at any point. I want to say there was at least 6 amps used off the top of my head, but can’t be 100% sure. As far as the solar kit goes, there’s no way I’d get close to its rated capacity in the 2 days I used it.
Test results during the trip below:
Mobile 25W Output (FTM-200):
VA3JPS (Mobile simplex) – S9+ in most areas, barring 1 spot with a large hill between us.
Silent Lake – 5W Output (FT-70):
VA3FOY (Bancroft) – S3-S9 (see above map)
VE3BNI (Gilmour) – S3 from the lookout (couldn’t not make contact anywhere else in the park
Ferris 25W Output (FTM-200):
VE3OX – S9+. I believe this operator was using the VE3QAR repeater in Belleville which is linked to VE3KFR.
VE3PBO (Peterborough) – S9. Listened to the after action net that took place one night and spoke with VA3NW the night prior.
VE3KFR (Campbellford) – S9+. No issues here as this is the local repeater for Ferris PP.
VE3KPG-10 (Rice Lake) – Contact attempted for Winlink using Packet and VARA FM, no connection.
VE3BUY-10 (Baltimore) – Contact attempted for Winlink using Packet and VARA FM, no connection.
VA3NAI-10 (Newcastle) – Contact attempted for Winlink using Packet and VARA FM, no connection.
It was a bit of a weird outing. Wish it could’ve been better, but not too bad overall. Managed to get a good hike in, some exploration, and got to test out some more radio capabilities.
My main goal with amateur radio (at this time) is to push standard VHF and UHF (non-SSB) comms to their limits, but there is only so much you can do with a handheld yagi antenna attached to a 5W handie-talkie. I had experimented with long range stuff during my voyage to Main Duck Island in August 2022 and had some good results. The thing is, this was over mostly open water and shoreline, likely bolstered by some tropospheric ducting over such terrain. This was handy, but I normally don’t operate in that type of environment. According to K0NR’s website and book (VHF, Summits and More: Having Fun with Ham Radio), more range is usually possible with a better antenna (which I already have) and with applying more power.
There is also a chap on the Tube of You that goes by the handle “The Tech Prepper” who has come up with a modern take on manpack field radios used by the military. A concept that I had been thinking about for some time, but without any decent idea of how to make it work properly. He has a series of mobile and HF radios fitted with custom rail kits that allow mobile-style radios (those you would normally mount inside a vehicle) to be taken anywhere and used similarly to how an HT would be used. This gives the ability to use more power than you normally would be able to for a VHF/UHF field deployment.
I purchased a Yaesu FTM-200D in September 2022 in preparation for this project. I snipped the power connector off a week after I received it and fitted it with some powerpole connectors (there’s no going back now!)
Powerpole-equipped
It took me a few months to get around to it, but I finally ordered a set of rails from Armoloq and fitted them to the radio. The basic rail kit consists of an aluminum rail for each side of the radio and an antenna relocation mount. I chose this radio as I wanted to use it in the field, as well as my vehicle, and wanted to have APRS capability built-in to reduce the amount of extra stuff I’d need to carry. I do use APRS on the reg. If I need to do any other fancy-crazy digital modes, there is a data port on the rear of the radio. The radio so far has only been powered by the solar box I built and I plan on upgrading to a LiFEPO battery setup sometime in the near future to reduce the size and weight. The radio is capable of transmitting with 50W of power, but will only be used in manpack configuration at either the 5W or 25W settings (I’d like to not die from RF exposure anytime soon).
Rail kit attached with antenna relocation mount up top (cable not included)
A new antenna will need to be procured to make this setup more compact. I’m looking at picking up a Slim Jim antenna and running it up a collapsible carbon fishing rod. This will be way lighter and more compact than the Arrow II mounted to a tripod. The goal is to be as efficient as possible, while not dying after sliding down a slope and being buried by my gear.
Fits in my Maxpedition Colossus with some space on the sides. Just need to remove the antenna to zip up
The antenna relocation mount can be attached anywhere on the frame kit and is currently setup with a coiled up 3 foot section of RG58 until a shorter length arrives at a later date.
I was sent some more images from the excursion to Main Duck Island back in August 2022. Most are personal, and as such, will never have a place here out of respect for the privacy of others.
However, you can see this handsome bum sitting on the beach having a QSO with VE3GSI near the lighthouse at the northern tip of the island. Enjoy!
Sitting well below where the waterline normally is, bit of a dry summer
There haven’t been any SSTV events from the ISS recently, this being due to new laptops being deployed to the station and the Russian segment (where the gear used for SSTV transmissions is located) not having a proper interface for connecting the radio to the newer computers.
This issue was noted on the ARISS website on December 22, 2022. There’s usually a bunch of Russian SSTV events (usually planned around times when the station is primarily over Russia, unfortunate but understandable) and to a lesser extent some standard SSTV events around the holidays and earlier in the year.
All that being said, the radios on the station are still available for other uses. The radio located in the Columbus module is in a crossband repeater configuration (of which I was completely unaware of until a few weeks ago) and the radio onboard the Service module (likely the Russian module mentioned earlier) is configured for packet data.
I was able to send some APRS packets to the station on December 30, 2022 and they were picked up by VE2UAL-2 in Quebec and K4KDR-15 in Virginia.
The station is usually in the sky for around 10ish minutes during a really good pass, likely that this 800+km APRS contact could also be duplicated using the crossband repeater
I’ll need to do a check for the best ISS passes for next weekend as I’ll be winter camping and will have plenty of time to mess around with the radios. I’ll definitely be testing out the crossband repeater functionality.
If you go here, you can check out the status of the onboard radios. This also includes info on planned shutdowns for docking/undocking procedures with supply ships and what-not.
maltosekincaid.com 