Yaesu: APRS TX Not on APRS.fi

KJ7DHU

Newbie
Joined
Jan 28, 2023
Messages
4
Location
Southern New Mexico
I just recently installed my Yaesu FTM-400XDR with a Diamond Antenna NR770HBNMO on my truck. I set up the APRS settings on “B” band. After following instructions from multiple YouTube videos, reading some of the posts on this forum, and factory resetting the radio I cannot get my location to display on APRS.fi.

I know I am transmitting out because I can then receive the APRS packet with my call sign and location. I am also receiving other APRS packets as far as 120 miles away. But no matter what setting I change I still cannot populate my location online.

Any help with what may be the issue is appreciated!
 

AK9R

Lead Wiki Manager and almost an Awesome Moderator
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Jul 18, 2004
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9,293
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Central Indiana
Is there an I-gate near you?

The APRS positions you see on aprs.fi and other websites come from the APRS-IS system. I-gates feed that system. If your position report isn't hitting an I-gate, you won't appear on the aprs.fi map.
 

KJ7DHU

Newbie
Joined
Jan 28, 2023
Messages
4
Location
Southern New Mexico
Is there an I-gate near you?

The APRS positions you see on aprs.fi and other websites come from the APRS-IS system. I-gates feed that system. If your position report isn't hitting an I-gate, you won't appear on the aprs.fi map.
aprs.fi shows an I-gate 7NM East of me. I guess I need to drive as close as I can and see if it’s a distance issue with my antenna?

977E0DDB-F497-4CA8-820A-A0B8EF09F793.jpeg
 

kg6nlw

Railroad & Ham Radio Extrodinare
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Aug 1, 2007
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1,060
Location
Sonoma Co., California
At 7NM you should be able to hit the iGate with no problem. I would think it's a setting on the radio that is off. I'm unfamiliar with the FTM-400XDR, but I can almost guarantee it's a setting.

Regards,

-Frank C.
 

KJ7DHU

Newbie
Joined
Jan 28, 2023
Messages
4
Location
Southern New Mexico
I left my radio on to see if it would begin populating overnight and I guess some packets finally made it to an I-gate. I’m now populating on aprs.fi but it’s receiving packets very inconsistently. It seems like it refuses to send packets while I’m moving, but I can manually TX and it populates on aprs.fi. It’s also using a digipeater 74 miles away to eventually get me to an I-gate instead of the one 7 miles from me. Any inference on what is causing these “invalid symbol table or overlay” errors?

61315EE3-46D3-4E67-BB44-DAA7EE9BFF87.jpeg
 

kg4icg

Crazy Trucking Mechanic
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Nov 28, 2003
Messages
411
Location
Woodbridge, Va
Do you have it set for timed beacon tx or smart beacon, on the display on the top right corner, if you see a solid circle, it will be timed beacon, if you see a hollow circle, it will be smart beacon. Nothing at all, you will have to manually transmit.
 

KJ7DHU

Newbie
Joined
Jan 28, 2023
Messages
4
Location
Southern New Mexico
Do you have it set for timed beacon tx or smart beacon, on the display on the top right corner, if you see a solid circle, it will be timed beacon, if you see a hollow circle, it will be smart beacon. Nothing at all, you will have to manually transmit.
I’ve tried both. With timed beacon set to every 3’ (with solid circle on the main display) it would populate on aprs.fi every 30’ this morning. I then tried smart beacon and it pushed 3 packets and then stopped. I manual TX a beacon after I parked and it hasn’t updated. Either the packets are inconsistently making it to the digipeater that I’m hitting or I am expecting it to update too quickly.

Overall it’s working, just not nearly as reliable as I was hoping it would be.
 

jeepsandradios

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Feed Provider
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Jul 29, 2012
Messages
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East of the Mississippi
Ive spent a ton of time trying to get mine consistent also. I think its finally working decent. Smart beaconing has multiple settings. Double check them. If you can pull the settings to your SD card and post maybe we can look them over.
 

k6cpo

Member
Joined
Dec 30, 2013
Messages
1,261
Location
San Diego, CA
There are additional manuals for the FTM-400 covering APRS, WIRES-X and GM that aren't included with the radio. They have to be downloaded from the Yaesu website. FYI...
 

KE5MC

Member
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Joined
Dec 19, 2002
Messages
1,235
Location
Lewisville, TX
...snip...
Overall it’s working, just not nearly as reliable as I was hoping it would be.
APRS does not handle packet collisions well or at all. Radios make use of closed squelch to determine if it OK to beacon. If APRS traffic is high in your area its easy to manually beacon in the middle of someone else's beacon. On receive if your radio's squelch is to high it can cause other beacons to be missed because the front of the packet was squelch blocked. Lacking collision detection APRS has always been a little hit or miss. Also only as good as the digitpeter and i-gate is maintained.
 
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