AVR-Tracker for APRS

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Deutsche Version

What's an APRS-Tracker? It's an electronic part, that tracks your way via a GPS-Receiver. To publish the information of your actual location, it uses the APRS Network that is built up by ham radio operators. In fact, my project is an improved version of the WhereAVR Project. I'm using an Atmel AT-Mega 8 microcontroller.

Please keep in mind: This project is still under development. Most of its parts are working fine, but testing is not yet completed. Changes are like too be just inside the software. Please consider this fact, if you want to build up my tracker. If you are finding bugs don't hasitate xxxx emailing me. My email adress is available on the contact page.

News: Due to considerations of a ham's suggetions the temperature sensor was removed from the PCB. This led to a small redesign of the layout.

News: There's a new software availabe. Current version is from 22. May 2008. The new documentation (still in german, but I'm working on the translation) is also avaliable. Last change was made 22. May 2008, too.

Old News: I wrote an FAQ, last change 17. May 2008.

New Service: PCB and all the parts needed to build up the tracker are avaliable at Christian, DF6EF's homepage.

Features

• Receiving of the actual location via a GPS mouse
• Recoding of the NMEA data that are received from the GPS mouse into APRS format
• Creating the analogue 1200 Baud AX.25 signal. This is fed into the MIC input of your two meter ham radio
• Decoing of received APRS data via the speaker jack of your ham radio
• Reaction according to the APRS protocol to queries via Radio
• Measuring of the supply voltage and transmiting the inforamtion in the the APRS frame's comment

Download

• Schematic as PDF APRS_Tracker_Schaltplan.pdf last change: 22.5.2008
• Layout and map of parts as PDF APRS_Tracker_Layout.pdf last change: 22.5.2008
• There's this extra software section for downloading the firmware avaliable.
• Documentation of the project (as said before still not translated, but I'm working on it) APRS_Tracker_Doku.pdf
• To edit the HEX-File to be written into the EEPROM you can use this Hex-Editor: WinHex. A short How-To is included inside the documentation.
• Datasheet AVR Mega 8.
• APRS Protocol Definition
  

On the picture you see a complete setup for APRS-Tracking. Well, the antenna and power supply is missing. On the left you see a GPS mouse with serial output, next to it the tracker and on the right a modified KF-163. This a an taxi radio that can be changed easily into a 2 meter ham radio be just inserting some diodes and a new RF-tuning of the coils and oszilator parts. You can buy them at Ebay.

Some legal words: You can build up this project without any license costs. As I used code from the WhereAVR-Project these are under the copyright of the author.

My changes on software, schematics and layout may be used without profit. Any other using is strictly forbidden! If you feel unsure just contact me.

letztes Update: 21.05.2009 22:06