APRS Radios

[mrwilson706]

Digipeaters can be pretty simple, my temp setup looks like this:

Kk4fri-1 digi
Yaesu vx-5r with Mirage Amp connected to a Opentracker 3 tnc. 5/8 wave mag mount on a cookie sheet in the attic.

Kk4fri-9 in the truck
Kenwood D-710a with Nuvi 350 and gtrans cable

Kk4fri-7 HT
Kenwood Th-d72

Kk4fri-5 misc
Aprsdroid

Drps too!

 

[wv8mat]

I am getting ready to put on the air my iGate made of a Raspberry Pi and TNC-Pi and a Motorola Maxtrac. The complete package was less than 150 dollars.

We are going to deploy a digipeater in a month or so and its going to be a Maxtrac and a used Kam TNC total cost was less than 100 dollars.

 

[Jay911]

I wish I could find some low split Maxtracs - the only ones I seem to locate are 146-174 these days, and even if you try the OOB trick, they won't transmit well on 144.39.

 

[mikewazowski]

What do you mean by not transmitting well? I've had one running as a digi for many years now and have never had any problems.

 

[Jay911]

I have a bin full of 146-174 Maxtracs taken out of service from an FD where they were used constantly from like-new status on frequencies ranging from 150 to 169.995 MHz and were always transmitting with lots of power/range and on-frequency - very stable radios. The "trick" I'm aware of to program them below the band limit was to enter the frequency while holding down shift (i.e. 144.39000 would be !$$.#())) instead). Having done that, no other changes to the radio - no tuning, no modifications, just plugging in an adapter cable to the 16-pin accessory connector - xmit power is greatly reduced and the range is just about nil. Programmed in the "in-band" frequencies the radio was previously on and it works fine. I suppose it's possible that I have a dozen bad radios from various batches over the years. Or something else is wrong. Literally, the only thing changed when programming the radio for 144.39 was to remove the PL codes from the channel and type in the frequency as described above. Even used the same antenna and power source previously used.

 

[mikewazowski]

My digi shows it's been heard 200kms away by 3 stations which I find hard to believe.

If you go with what's reasonable, it's being heard (and hearing) about 120kms out.

This radio was put into service about 8 years ago. I've got a stack of them and will have to stick another one on the bench and see what it does. Can't remember what the power out was on this unit but it must have been decent or I wouldn't have installed it m

 

[DisasterGuy]

I have to agree. I have several 40 watt high split maxtracs turned down to 25 watts for higher duty cycle, re-aligned using factory soft pot procedure working just fine on the 2 meter band for voice and data.


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[Jay911]

I don't have the ability to realign or tune, just program.. perhaps they're actually "off" and it's not detectable until I try to go OOB.

 

[KZ9G]

I am using 2 tm-d710's a couple of tiny trak 3's and a couple of tiny trak 4's connected to a few different radios that I cannot remember. Also have a VX8DR that I am getting ready to sell.

 

[Project25_MASTR]

Analog Spectra. They are so cheap now they may as well be free.

Compared to a Maxtrac/Radius/GM300 they're a PITA to program though. Especially if you're starting from not having any gear to program Motos.

I've got an old Yaesu FTM-10 or something like that. It's a 8 pin, 20 channel 40W VHF radio from the early 90's connected to a KPC 3+. I haven't had it on the air in awhile. I think I might go back to using a surplus Moto radio like a Maxtrac 50 I already have setup for it.

My tracker in my Jeep is a 40W SM50 connected to a TT3+. Goes to a 1/4 wave antenna on the roof of the Jeep.

Used to be the modified Maxtrac pictured here.

My DD might get a GM300 I have laying about…or I might find another SM50…or I might modify a 5W GP300…or I might go with a Byonics or Argent Data radio.

If your mind is set on having a the little DIN thingy…they sell this for $9.00
GM300 DIN Adapter It'll work on any 16 pin Moto radios except for the 800/900 MHz stuff.

 

[DisasterGuy]

I have been having a hell of a time trying to get SM50s and 120s out of band even after doing hex edit and checksum fixes.


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[Project25_MASTR]

I have been having a hell of a time trying to get SM50s and 120s out of band even after doing hex edit and checksum fixes.


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Never had an issue with it. I probably will realign it (it's running as it was from the factory after the hex edit) but it's working.

I've never had the problem with Maxtracs/GM300's performing poorly out of band. It almost sounds as if the ones you have were aligned by the dealer for max power on a higher frequency.

I forgot to mention, I also have a iGate active that is some software on my server and a rtl dongle.

 

[jhooten]

Compared to a Maxtrac/Radius/GM300 they're a PITA to program though. Especially if you're starting from not having any gear to program Motos.

Made my own rib to radio cables for both. The RSS for the is about the same level of complexity. It only starts to become a PITA when you start going it to some of the advanced features in the Spectra that the others don't have. As far as adding in a couple simplex channels with no tones it is about equal. YMMV