TH-D72A/E
About Copyright Copyright of this Manual and Software All copyrights and other intellectual property rights for this in-depth manual and relevant technical documents as well as the software described in this in-depth manual and relevant technical documents, and help texts and manuals attached to the software are owned by Kenwood Corporation.
About Registered Trademark • Windows® and Windows logo are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and other countries. • Windows Vista® and .NET Framework are trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and other countries. • Kenwood Corporation is a licensee of and entitled to use the APRS trademark and protocols from APRS Engineering, LLC. • APRS® (Automatic Packet Reporting System) is a registered trademark of WB4APR (Bob Bruninga).
CONTENTS 1 DEVELOPMENT CONCEPT ............ 1 1.1 1.2 1.3 GPS Unit ............................................1 Evolving Development........................2 Other New Functions..........................3 2 HOW YOU ENJOY APRS WITH TH-D72A/E (WRITTEN BY BOB BRUNINGA, WB4APR) .................... 4 3 PREPARATIONS FOR OPERATING APRS .............................................. 15 3.1 3.2 What Do I Need to Configure? .........15 Configuration ....................................17 3.2.1 3.2.1.1 3.2.1.
CONTENTS 6.1.8 6.2 APRS Lock ...................................... 50 Base Station (Weather Station)........51 6.2.1 6.2.1.1 6.2.1.2 Using Meteorological Equipment ..... 51 Davis Instruments Corp. Inc. ..................51 Peet Bros. Company...............................52 8.5.3 8.5.4 8.5.5 8.5.6 8.5.7 8.5.8 7 APRS NETWORKS ........................ 53 7.1 7.2 7.3 APRS Servers ..................................53 IGate.................................................53 Let’s Send Email ............
PROLOGUE Amateurs Building the New Global Communications Network Hams have enjoyed using FM transceivers for years for SSTV, ATV, packet, satellite, EME, GPS and other communications modes. A fundamental reason for this has been that FM transceivers are easy to use. Recently, personal computers and the Internet have combined to offer global communications opportunities.
New Technology Expands Amateur Radio Versatility Use of HF transceiver to call CQ and contact to hams around the world via ionosphere will never lose its appeal. But there is elegance in being able to communicate with only an FM transceiver and by adopting the latest technology. The global network consisting of thousands or even millions of stations will only get more interesting as it evolves with new ideas as a result of those like you becoming involved.
1 DEVELOPMENT CONCEPT Following is the designing and development concept for TH-D72A/E. • A genuine tool for communications via voice and data that is based on the TH-D7A/E. • An out-of-the-box transceiver with an internal GPS unit (turn-key solution) • Equipped with a USB interface • Emphasis on ease of operation (with multifunction keys; keys may not be minimized.
1 DEVELOPMENT CONCEPT 1.2 Evolving Development Next, we turned our sights to applied functions of GPS. Incorporating an internal GPS unit to support the collected positional information in APRS applications is our minimum standard, and it is also very important to provide customers with applied functions to enhance the convenience of the product. Following are some examples of applied functions available with the internal GPS unit.
1 DEVELOPMENT CONCEPT 1.3 Other New Functions In addition to the functions related to the internal GPS unit, the transceiver has more new features. Following are some major functions worth to be presented. • USB interface: RS-232C has been the most common interface to connect a transceiver and a PC; however, in recent years only few PCs are equipped with an RS-232C connector. TH-D72A/E is equipped with a Mini-B USB connector.
2 HOW YOU ENJOY APRS WITH TH-D72A/E (WRITTEN BY BOB BRUNINGA, WB4APR) APRS Overview The TH-D72A/E APRS Handy Transceiver brings so many new capabilities and enhancements to the portable and mobile operator, that it is hard to fully grasp the power that this brings to APRS.
2 HOW YOU ENJOY APRS WITH TH-D72A/E (WRITTEN BY BOB BRUNINGA, WB4APR) Packet Network Growth Beginning in 1983, we added VHF, HF and a phone line to the Vic-20 as well as a BBS message store and forward capability and began expanding to the Commodore 64. It was linked with other systems on 145.01 and had the first dual-port HF link onto the 10.149 MHz HF packet frequency we still use today for APRS.
2 HOW YOU ENJOY APRS WITH TH-D72A/E (WRITTEN BY BOB BRUNINGA, WB4APR) APRS-IS In 1997, K4HG and the Mac/WinAPRS Sproul brothers tied APRS to the Internet and the APRS-IS system as shown above was born. While this was a huge success that enabled instantaneous global APRS texting connectivity beyond our wildest dreams, it also further enhanced the map view experience of casual APRS viewers.
2 HOW YOU ENJOY APRS WITH TH-D72A/E (WRITTEN BY BOB BRUNINGA, WB4APR) Texting But still most non APRS ham radio operators just did not find any advantages beyond the maps. My frustration with the growing lack of live human content in APRS continued to fester to the breaking point at a 2006 ARRL Special Meeting at Dayton on the lack of youth in ham radio. The gathered fathers of ARRL lamented: “Ham radio was missing the youth.
2 HOW YOU ENJOY APRS WITH TH-D72A/E (WRITTEN BY BOB BRUNINGA, WB4APR) Facebook on APRS Purely as an aside, you can think back to the Kenwood VC-H1 handheld SSTV device as an attempt (before its time) to add the visual aspect of social networking to ham radio and APRS. This was a fantastic idea. And it was fully integrated into all Kenwood APRS radios at the time, adding real-time video to APRS digital and texting connectivity. You could think of the combination as real-time “Facebook” on APRS.
2 HOW YOU ENJOY APRS WITH TH-D72A/E (WRITTEN BY BOB BRUNINGA, WB4APR) These views show the screens for a station with frequency included in his position packet. This is the 11th station in the list and it is beaconing its operating frequency as well as a short note telling everyone he is also listening on Voice Alert in simplex range. The “MENU” button on this display will bring up a number of additional actions. One is the TUNE function shown in the middle display above.
2 HOW YOU ENJOY APRS WITH TH-D72A/E (WRITTEN BY BOB BRUNINGA, WB4APR) Although the information appears a bit cryptic, the fact that all voice repeater objects use this same standard format makes it easy for the operator to understand the meaning. In this case, the local recommended voice repeater in this area is the 147.105 (Maryland) repeater with a Tone of 107.2 Hz. The range is 25 miles and the weekly net time is Tuesday evenings at 8 p.m.
2 HOW YOU ENJOY APRS WITH TH-D72A/E (WRITTEN BY BOB BRUNINGA, WB4APR) Hamfests Another very typical object that everyone loves to see is the HAMFEST object. This bright red APRS symbol stands out smartly on any APRS display including the AvMap GPS display as shown above. At first glance, this object tells you the most important information: Where it is, and when. The HFEST-DDn standardized object name includes the DATE in the DD digits.
2 HOW YOU ENJOY APRS WITH TH-D72A/E (WRITTEN BY BOB BRUNINGA, WB4APR) Digipeater Path Information Another new information feature of TH-D72A/E is the digipeater path display shown here. This display shows the First and Last digipeaters used. Most APRS areas encourage the use of only 2 hops or less. This means, in most cases, the full path is visible. In this image the WB3V-6 packet was First heard by the N3KTX-1 digipeater and then it was delivered to my radio by the Last hop on the KV3B-2 digipeater.
2 HOW YOU ENJOY APRS WITH TH-D72A/E (WRITTEN BY BOB BRUNINGA, WB4APR) Contribution by Kenwood to APRS Kenwood has developed its series of radios, TH-D7A/E, TM-D700A/E, TM-D710A/E, and now the new TH-D72A/E to best support the original objectives of APRS. The display of APRS information on the front panel of these radios gives the mobile operator instantaneous access to all local information being provided on the APRS channel about all surrounding ham radio activities.
2 HOW YOU ENJOY APRS WITH TH-D72A/E (WRITTEN BY BOB BRUNINGA, WB4APR) • Field Data Entry In addition to making excellent field data display devices, the TH-D72A/E menus have also been designed for easy data, position and message entry. Often overlooked is the ability to use TH-D7A/E, TM-D700A/E, and TM-D710A/E as excellent field data entry and clipboard entry devices at many field events. Refer to: http://aprs.org/aprsevent.
3 PREPARATIONS FOR OPERATING APRS 3.1 What Do I Need to Configure? Following need to be configured before start operating TH-D72A/E with APRS. Step 1: Built-in Clock APRS data will be stamped with date and time. Therefore, the built-in clock must be set. Since the time acquired via the GPS receiver is UTC, Time Zone must be configured. Step 2: My Callsign The station configured for My Callsign will be used as the originating station when APRS data is sent.
3 PREPARATIONS FOR OPERATING APRS Step 13: Battery Saver Set the receiver shut-off period for the battery saver. Step 14: Frequency The operating frequency will depend on what region of the world you are operating. You can begin operation using the frequency configured for the data band as follows: • North America: 144.390 MHz • Europe: 144.800 MHz • Australia: 145.175 MHz • New Zealand: 144.575 MHz • Argentina: 144.930 MHz • Brazil: 145.570 MHz • Japan: 144.640 MHz (9600 bps), 144.
3 PREPARATIONS FOR OPERATING APRS 3.2 Configuration Follow the explanations below to configure each item listed in the previous section. 3.2.1 Built-in Clock 3.2.1.1 Activating Your Mobile GPS Position To enter the time in your local zone, select Menu 196 (Auxiliary-Time Zone). Example: Set to -05:00 for Atlanta. Figure 3-1 Menu 196 (Auxiliary – Time Zone) Press the [F] + [MARK] keys to enable the internal GPS unit.
3 PREPARATIONS FOR OPERATING APRS Select Menu 195 (Auxiliary-Time) and enter the value for the time. Example: To configure the time to be12:00, refer to Figure 3-4. Figure 3-4 Menu 195 (Auxiliary – Time) 3.2.2 My Callsign To enter your own callsign, select Menu 300 (APRS – Basic Set – My Callsign). Example: Enter a callsign such as W6DJY-7 to be registered. Refer to Figure 3-5. Figure 3-5 Menu 300 (Basic Set – My Callsign) 3.2.
3 PREPARATIONS FOR OPERATING APRS 3.2.4 Data Band To configure the data band, select Menu 310 (APRS - Int.TNC - Data Band). Figure 3-7 Menu 310 (Int.TNC – Data Band) 3.2.5 Packet Speed To configure the data speed, select Menu 311 (APRS - Int. TNC - Data Speed). Figure 3-8 Menu 311 (Int.TNC – Data Speed) 3.2.6 Position 3.2.6.1 Using Internal GPS Press the [F] + [MARK] keys to enable the internal GPS unit.
3 PREPARATIONS FOR OPERATING APRS Figure 3-10 Menu 311 (COM Port – Input) 3.2.6.3 Manually Entering Your Position To use the position configured in the menu, disable the internal GPS unit. To configure for a GPS terminal, select Menu 331 (APRS - COM Port). • Input: Off Figure 3-11 Menu 311 (COM Port – Input) To configure the position of your own station, select Menu 360 (APRS – My Position). • Name: any name (Enter a name familiar with you. For instance, Home name, etc.
3 PREPARATIONS FOR OPERATING APRS 3.2.8 Status Text To enter a status text, select Menu 390 (APRS - StatusText). Select the text number. Pressing the [MHz] key displays [ ] as a mark representing the status text is in use. Figure 3-14 Menu 390 (StatusText – Number) Configure the frequency how frequently the status text is sent for transmitting the position packets. Figure 3-15 Menu 390 (StatusText – TX Rate) Configure the status text. Figure 3-16 Menu 390 (StatusText – Text) 3.2.
3 PREPARATIONS FOR OPERATING APRS 3.2.11 Packet Path To configure the packetpath, select Menu 3H0 (APRS - PacketPath). Configure the packet path type. Figure 3-19 Menu 3H0 (PacketPath – Type) Set WIDE1-1. Figure 3-20 Menu 3H1 (PacketPath – WIDE1-1) Set the number of packet hops. Figure 3-21 Menu 3H2 (PacketPath – Total) 3.2.12 Sound To configure the sound level, select Menu 3T0 (APRS – Sound). Figure 3-22 Menu 3T0 (Sound – RX Beep) 3.2.
3 PREPARATIONS FOR OPERATING APRS 3.2.14 APRS Operating Frequency Example: 144.390 MHz, the APRS operation frequency is configured for operation frequency for the data band. Figure 3-24 Frequency 3.2.15 Placing a Transceiver in APRS mode Press the [TNC] key to place a transceiver in APRS mode. After the message “Opening TNC” appears for three seconds, “APRS” appears and the APRS data communication capability becomes active. (Data communications take place on the data band.) 3.2.
4 GPS 4.1 What is GPS? GPS, standing for Global Positioning System, is becoming common nowadays and following is a brief introduction. The American Defense Department developed GPS originally for military operations. The system is available for use by the general public. For example, anybody can use GPS in association with modern vehicle navigation systems. Position precision for public use is 15 m or 50 feet.
4 GPS 4.1.2 Datum (Geodetic Survey System) The latitude and longitude information required by the GPS receiver does not allow for accurate representation of the unevenness of the Earth’s surface. For use with GPS, the current standard that defines the precise shape of the Earth is called WGS-84. By using this standard in conjunction with mapping standards for each country, accurate position plotting on a map can be done. 4.1.2.
4 GPS 4.2 GPS Receivers Weather Station External GPS receiver COM terminal Line filter Figure 4-2 Connection Example of GPS Receiver 4.2.1 Garmin GPS18xPC The GPS18xPC is a GPS module receiver. And it interfaces via a 9-pin D-Sub RS-232C serial port. Refer to the wiring example using commonly-available DB-9 connector (male), and a cable with 3-conductor plug (Kenwood service part: E30-3400-15). Power is sourced from the 12VDC supplied from a vehicle cigarette lighter socket.
4 GPS 4.2.4 Settings for Geodetic Survey System For APRS, always configure the WGS-84 Geodetic Survey System for your GPS receiver. 4.3 Internal GPS The GPS unit is mounted on the upper surface of the body. The GPS unit incorporates SiRFstar III™ chipset that is highly accepted in the market. Figure 4-4 Internal GPS Unit 4.3.1 GPS Satellite Information Display During the GPS positioning, you can check the current status on the GPS satellite information display.
4 GPS Figure 4-5 GPS Satellite Information Display To display the position information display, $GPGSV or $GPGSA should be selected in Menu 211 (GPS – Setup – Sentence). 4.3.2 Automatic Adjustment of the Built-in Clock While the internal GPS unit is active, the transceiver’s built-in clock is automatically configured with the time and date from the internal GPS unit. While the internal GPS unit is inactive, set the clock manually.
4 GPS “Time, Altitude, Travel direction, speed” display Figure 4-7 North Up Figure 4-8 Heading Up “Target point distance, Travel direction” display Figure 4-9 North Up Figure 4-10 Heading Up “Station List menu (4th page)” Figure 4-11 North Up Figure 4-12 Heading Up TH-D72A/E CONTENTS 29
4 GPS 4.3.4 NMEA Sentence Output This function enables exporting the NMEA 0183 raw data from the internal GPS unit via the PC (USB) connector. Searching the web reveals many applications that utilize the raw data. Some convert the raw data into Google Earth format and others display the satellite information or save the trajectory. Or, you can view the raw data using HyperTerminal or some other terminal software.
4 GPS 4.3.5 Internal GPS Unit Save If the reception is inferior (such as while you are in a building), the GPS unit continues searching for a satellite resulting the battery longevity. To prevent unnecessary battery consumption, this function will turn the GPS power source Off for the programmed duration of time if position data is not determined during the maximum capture time (5 minutes). Set the timer through Menu 201. Possible choices are “Off”, “1 min”, “2 min”, “4 min”, “8 min” and “Auto”.
4 GPS 4.3.7 GPS Only Mode The GPS unit has two operation modes: Normal and GPS Only modes. In the Normal mode, you can use the functions of the transceiver and of the internal GPS unit at the same time. In the GPS Only mode, you cannot use it as a normal transceiver. Operating in the GPS Only mode will enable a longer battery working time. If you wish to use the TH-D72A/E as a GPS logger, we recommend setting to the GPS Only mode.
4 GPS Pressing the [TNC] key again in the function mode or selecting the function menu number “F-2” stops logging. While the log function is inactive, “Log Stop” appears for 5 seconds. Even if the log is inactive, the internal GPS unit continues to be active. In GPS Only mode, while the log is active, “ ” appears as the Track Log icon, and while the log is inactive, “ ” appears as the Track Log icon. Figure 4-20 GPS Only Mode The available log record methods are “Time”, “Distance”, and “Beacon”.
4 GPS Figure 4-24 During the Use combined with SmartBeaconing To delete the log data, select Menu 220 (GPS - Track Log - Clear All Data). Select “Yes” to delete the log data. Figure 4-25 Log Data Deletion Screen Memory usage for logging can be viewed in the Log Memory screen. The Log Memory screen is the 4th page from the Latitude Longitude screen to be accessed by repeatedly pressing the [OK] key.
4 GPS 4.3.9 Mark Waypoint You can register the current location as a Mark Waypoint on the TH-D72A/E. A Mark Waypoint includes data of latitude, longitude, altitude, time, name and icon, and up to 100 points can be registered. To register a Mark Waypoint, press and hold the [MARK] key. If there is no GPS data positioned by GPS, you cannot register a Mark Waypoint. After the registration of a Mark Waypoint, the registration screen appears for approximately 10 seconds.
4 GPS The distance from the current location to the Target Point can be confirmed in the Target Point screen. Target Point display is the third page from the Latitude Longitude display reached by repeatedly pressing the [OK] key. However, if no GPS data is positioned by GPS, “Finding GPS satellites…” screen appears, and, therefore, you cannot switch to the Target Point screen. Pressing the [F] key in the Target Point screen toggles between North Up and Heading Up. [F] North Up Screen Heading Up Screen 4.
5 APRS SOFTWARE FOR YOUR PC 5.1 UI-View32 5.1.1 Introduction of UI-View32 UI-View32 is APRS client software designed to allow a PC to display APRS stations on a map and to use various APRS functions such as Internet gateway access. It allows you to display on a map on your PC the APRS stations received by a TH-D72A/E and, in addition, connect to an Internet gateway. In doing so, APRS allows access to a much larger set of stations. To start, you will require a UI-View32 registration number (Registration No.
5 APRS SOFTWARE FOR YOUR PC 5.1.2 Connecting a PC Use the USB cable that comes with the TH-D72A/E to connect the PC (USB) connector on the rear of the TH-D72A/E operation panel to the USB connector on your personal computer. Figure 5-2 5.1.3 How to Configure UI-View32 For use of UI-View32 with the TH-D72A/E for APRS communications, the TH-D72A/E needs to be placed in KISS mode. KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) mode is a special mode to allow a PC to control the TNC protocols. 1.
5 APRS SOFTWARE FOR YOUR PC Figure 5-4 KISS Setup Window 6. Click the “OK” button in the Comms Setup window to close the Comms Setup window. UI-View32 sends a command to TH-D72A/E’s built-in TNC that is changed to the KISS mode. During the process, “STA” and “CON” on the TH-D72A/E’s display blink simultaneously 6 times. Starting from this point, APRS communications starts followed by the configuration for UI-View32.
5 APRS SOFTWARE FOR YOUR PC 5.2 Available Software associated with APRS The APRS program currently runs on a number of platforms. These programs are constantly being updated and can be downloaded from the Internet. Most programs are shareware and the latest versions are available at the TAPR (Tucson Amateur Packet Radio) FTP site: ftp://ftp.tapr.org/ aprssig. APRSdos (ftp://ftp.tapr.org/aprssig/dosstuff/APRSdos) Written by Bob Bruninga, WB4APR, the Father of APRS. Runs on MS-DOS. MacAPRS (ftp://ftp.tapr.
6 OPERATIONAL EXAMPLES OF APRS While monitoring APRS stations from around the world that may appear on your map, you can easily send messages to them. An interest is now growing in APRS QSOs where one station may call CQ looking for responses in the conventional style of a ham contact. Due to the number of characters being restricted, it can be customary to send short sentences using abbreviated words similar to operating CW.
6 OPERATIONAL EXAMPLES OF APRS 6.1.1.2 Entering Characters Characters can be entered using the encoder or 10-key numeric keypad as you would when texting from a cell phone. 6.1.2 Decay Algorithm Function If the position beacon for a mobile station is configured to be transmitted at a fixed time interval, it would be inefficient use of air-time to continue transmitting at this fixed interval when traffic is slowmoving.
6 OPERATIONAL EXAMPLES OF APRS 6.1.4 Simultaneously using Decay Algorithm and Proportional Pathing Refer to the diagram below to understand what occurs when both Decay Algorithm and Proportional Pathing are used at the same time.
6 OPERATIONAL EXAMPLES OF APRS Table 6-2 Configuration Example Menu Item Configured Value LOW SPEED 5 HIGH SPEED 70 SLOW RATE 30 minutes FAST RATE 120 seconds Table 6-3 Variable Rate Beaconing Example: (with LOW SPEED = 5, HIGH SPEED = 70, SLOW RATE = 30 min, FAST RATE = 120 sec) Speed TX interval Time (FAST RATE = HIGH SPEED ÷ Speed) 80 120 seconds (2 minutes) 70 120 seconds (2 minutes) 60 140 seconds (2 minutes and 20 seconds) 50 168 seconds (2 minutes and 48 seconds) 40 210 seconds
6 OPERATIONAL EXAMPLES OF APRS By changing the value of TURN SLOPE, you can adjust how Corner Pegging responds as the mobile station executes curves. When the value of TURN SLOPE is increased, a large heading angle change is necessary to cause a position beacon transmission, especially at low speeds. When the value of TURN SLOPE is reduced, the effect of speed on Corner Pegging is reduced, as the constant TURN ANGLE becomes the controlling term in the equation.
6 OPERATIONAL EXAMPLES OF APRS Speed vs Turn Threshold (degrees) 140 Turn Threshold 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 Speed Figure 6-5 Speed vs Turn Threshold 6.1.5.3 Operation Example Here are the TH-D72A/E default configurations for position beacon transmissions using the SmartBeaconing configuration as shown below.
6 OPERATIONAL EXAMPLES OF APRS 6.1.6 QSY Function The QSY function uses AFRS (Automatic Frequency Reporting System) to report a frequency on which voice communications can be established. A station using the QSY function embeds the frequency information of your voice band in a position beacon transmission. A receiving station of the information can easily tune to the frequency.
6 OPERATIONAL EXAMPLES OF APRS Configuration Example (Insert one space after the frequency before entering Wide/ Narrow, Tone/CTCSS/ DCS and Shift/ Offset.) • “446.100 MHz”: Voice frequency configured for 446.100 MHz, Wide-band FM, Tone frequency = None, Simplex • “446.100 MHz T071”: Voice frequency configured for 446.100 MHz, Wide-band FM, Tone frequency of 71.9 Hz, Simplex • “446.100 MHz 0071”: Voice frequency configured for 446.100 MHz, Narrow-band FM, Tone frequency of 71.9 Hz, Simplex • “446.
6 OPERATIONAL EXAMPLES OF APRS 6.1.6.2 Receiving QSY Information The TH-D72A/E receives QSY information not only from another TH-D72A/E, but also location information from other software as well as QSY information and repeater frequency object information embedded in status text. You can confirm the QSY information that is received as embedded data by checking the voice frequency at the beginning of the status text on the Station List screen.
6 OPERATIONAL EXAMPLES OF APRS You can configure callsigns to which you want to reply. When the “ ” wildcard is used, the transceiver will respond to all message senders. But if you set “W6DJY”, the transceiver will reply only to W6DJY. Configuring “W6*” will trigger a reply only to senders with W6 as their callsign prefix. Figure 6-8 Automatic Reply Message Configuration Screen 6.1.7.
6 OPERATIONAL EXAMPLES OF APRS 6.2 Base Station (Weather Station) Weather observation equipment intended for use at home is becoming more common in the United States. Using this equipment, you can observe and measure wind direction, wind velocity, air temperature, humidity, rainfall, atmospheric pressure, etc. This information can be useful to others when the data is gathered and transmitted in real time via APRS beacon transmissions.
6 OPERATIONAL EXAMPLES OF APRS 6.2.1.2 Peet Bros. Company The weather station, ULTIMETER 2100 (http://www.peetbros.com/shop/item.aspx?itemid=2) can also be used with TH-D72A/E. To communicate with Vantage Pro2, configure the TH-D72A/E communication baud rate (Menu 330) to 2400 bps as well. Note: Because the GPS receiver and the weather observation equipment use the same connector, combined use is not possible.
7 APRS NETWORKS 7.1 APRS Servers In the beginning, APRS networks consisted only of general packet transmissions through digital repeaters. To expand network coverage much further, HF gateway stations that were interfaced with the VHF stations were added. This arrangement evolved still further when it became common for personal computers to be connected with the Internet. Internet gateways provided another way to expand APRS coverage. APRServe, developed by Mr.
7 APRS NETWORKS Tier 2 Server Tier 2 Server I-Gate Core Server Client I-Gate Tier 2 Server Core Server Core Server I-Gate Client Tier 2 Server Client Tier 2 Server I-Gate Client I-Gate Client Client Client Figure 7-1 APRS Network Conceptual Drawing 54 CONTENTS TH-D72A/E
7 APRS NETWORKS 7.3 Let’s Send Email With TH-D72A/E it is possible to transmit email by using the Message function. 7.3.1 Sending Email with TH-D72A/E First, press the [MSG] key to show the Message List on the screen. Next, press [MENU] to show the Message List Menu on the screen. And press “NEW” to create a message on the screen. Enter “EMAIL” in the “TO:” field using [ENC] on the panel or the 10-key numeric keypad.
7 APRS NETWORKS APRS software TM-D710A/E Internet From IGate to Server Email has been received! Email software Digipeater Email transmission Server to Internet APRS Server Figure 7-4 Transmission Flow for Email Note: You cannot send email from a personal computer to a mobile station. Just like other APRS packets, the content of the email you sent can be monitored by other stations 2-byte codes cannot be sent. In case the Email Server is down, Email is not delivered.
7 APRS NETWORKS 7.4 Digipeaters (Digital Repeaters) The greatest feature of APRS is the network that is spreading around the world. The heart of the network is made up of many digital repeaters commonly referred to as digipeaters. Of course, digipeaters are well-known among those who have used packet radio for years. Digipeaters receive data over-the-air via radio signal and repeat or relay it onward.
7 APRS NETWORKS 7.4.2 UIFLOOD With UIFLOOD activated (On), when a digipeater receives a UI frame with a character string for alias in the form XXXXn-N where XXXX matches the alias character string in the digipeater, the digipeater subtracts 1 from N and processes the packet reporting only the revised character string so as not to make the frame length too long. The UIFLOOD technique does not provide traceable paths, so its use is not recommended generally.
7 APRS NETWORKS Although UITRACE using the normal APRS network path of WIDEn-N can be a problem if mobiles activate their digipeater at the wrong time, it is also so powerful, that it is a shame not to be able to use it easily if required. For this reason, all APRS mobiles are encouraged to activate the UITRACE permanently, BUT using the alias of TEMP instead of WIDE.
7 APRS NETWORKS Example 2: This is a general recommendation for permanent digipeaters installed at a high location. • Digipeat Digipeat(MyCall): On • UIdigipeat UIdigi: On Aliases: SAR (other local paths can be defined here) Note: SAR stands for “Search and Rescue”. • UIflood UIflood: On Alias: SS or SSS Substitution: ID • UItrace UItrace: On Alias: WIDE 7.4.
7 APRS NETWORKS the same time also hit the WIDEn-N network when they are in good coverage areas. For this reason, the usual 2 hop recommendation for mobiles is not WIDE2-2. This is because those packets would not be recognized by these fill-in digis. Instead, we encourage all mobiles to use the 2-hop path of WIDE1-1, WIDE2-1.
7 APRS NETWORKS Since all of these transceivers can be used as backup emergency digipeaters anytime, anywhere, someone that is unable to hit any digipeaters from their current location with either WIDEn-N or SSnN can always try TEMP1-1,WIDE2-2 to get out. Or, if all the digipeaters in an area are off-the-air, he can actually try TEMP2-2 to get two mobile hops (or more) to a temporary destination.
7 APRS NETWORKS 7.5.3 STATE/ SECTION/ REGION In contrast to WIDEn-N which generates packets equally in all directions, you can use STATE/ SECTION/REGION to restrict packets to only be relayed within the specified boundary. Abbreviations, such as two letter “AZ” for Arizona or three or four letter abbreviations such as “NCA” for Northern California, are used to specify the boundary.
8 MCP-4A MEMORY CONTROL PROGRAM (FOR USE WITH TH-D72A/E) MCP-4A is a software designed for use with your personal computer to edit and manage memory channel and menu data for TH-D72A/E. For convenience of users, Kenwood distributes the software via our corporate web site as a free service for users. In addition to the conventional functions, the new version has a new function to manage GPS log data. The read GPS log data can be converted into versatile KML or GPX format.
8 MCP-4A MEMORY CONTROL PROGRAM (FOR USE WITH TH-D72A/E) 8.1 Downloading and Installing MCP-4A 1. Check that the specifications for your computer meet the following that are necessary to use MCP-4A. Table 8-1 MCP-4A Computer Specifications Table Computer Required Specification Windows XP (Service Pack 3 or later) (32-bit)) Operating System Windows Vista (Service Pack 1 or later) (32-bit/ 64-bit) Windows 7 (32-bit/ 64-bit) Run-time Environment Microsoft .NET Framework 2.
8 MCP-4A MEMORY CONTROL PROGRAM (FOR USE WITH TH-D72A/E) 4. Click “Start” > “Program” > “KENWOOD” > “MCP-4A” to start MCP-4A. Figure 8-2 MCP-4A Splash Window 5. Select the communication port. Specify in the COM Port frame the communication port (COM Port) that will be used to communicate via your computer with the target station. You cannot select grayed out ports.
8 MCP-4A MEMORY CONTROL PROGRAM (FOR USE WITH TH-D72A/E) Figure 8-4 MCP-4A Read Transceiver Advisory Message Figure 8-5 MCP-4A Program Menu: Read Data from the Transceiver TH-D72A/E CONTENTS 67
8 MCP-4A MEMORY CONTROL PROGRAM (FOR USE WITH TH-D72A/E) 8.2 Main Functions of MCP-4A MCP-4A has many functions. This section lists the useful functions of MCP-4A including added functions. 8.2.1 Useful Functions of MCP-4A • Simple operation. • Graphical display of SmartBeaconing. • Importing other MCP files. • Setting the font sizes. • Exporting .html Files. • Configuring RSS. • Reading GPS log data. 8.2.
8 MCP-4A MEMORY CONTROL PROGRAM (FOR USE WITH TH-D72A/E) 8.3 Reading a File This section describes how to read a file. 8.3.1 Reading a File Created with MCP-4A To read a file, select “Open” from the File pulldown menu, select “TH-D72 MCP-4A File (*.mc4)” in the “Files of type” dropdown list, and open the desired file created in TH-D72A/E. 8.3.2 Importing Other MCP Files into MCP-4A With MCP-4A, it is possible to read a file that was created using other MCP series software.
8 MCP-4A MEMORY CONTROL PROGRAM (FOR USE WITH TH-D72A/E) Only files created for K-type models (USA and Canada) can be imported into MCP-4A. The referenced software can be downloaded from the following Kenwood U.S.A. Corporation web site: http://www.kenwoodusa.com/Support/Amateur_Radio/ Table 8-3 MCP-4A Importable File Formats Table (K-type only) Software Name and Extension Transceiver Model Remarks MCP-G707 (*.707) TM-G707A Dedicated only for USA and Canada.
8 MCP-4A MEMORY CONTROL PROGRAM (FOR USE WITH TH-D72A/E) Figure 8-6 GPS Data Reading Screen 8.4.2 Managing the Read GPS Log Data When the reading is complete, the PGS log data is saved in NMEA file format in the MCP-4A folder. The GPS Logger window shows the saved NMEA files. The file name is the time and date when the data is read. Two types of NMEA file are created: a file that contains all the log data read from the transceiver and a file that is divided into blocks.
8 MCP-4A MEMORY CONTROL PROGRAM (FOR USE WITH TH-D72A/E) 8.4.3 Converting to KML or GPX File Format To display the read GPS log data in a map program, convert the date to KML or GPX file format. In the GPS Logger window, select the desired log data and press the “Save” button. “Track” and “Rate of Preservation” appear. Changing the value of Rate of Preservation allows a user to thin the GPS log data. If track points are too closely spaced on the map, thinning the GPS log data can reduce the complexity.
8 MCP-4A MEMORY CONTROL PROGRAM (FOR USE WITH TH-D72A/E) 8.5 Introduction to Main Functions The following sections provide detailed descriptions of the features referred to in “8.2 Main Functions of MCP-4A”. 8.5.1 Simple Operation The configuration screens and writing and reading screens of the configuration data for MCP-4A can be displayed easily in the Simple Operation window.
8 MCP-4A MEMORY CONTROL PROGRAM (FOR USE WITH TH-D72A/E) 8.5.3 Changing the Font Sizes The font sizes used in the various windows can be selected from three choices. In the “Font” of the View pulldown menu, the font size can be selected from “Normal”, “Large” or “Extra Large”. Note: Use an Operating System function to change the size of characters on the Menu bar. If you select a font other than Normal, some of the displayed items may not fit within a window. 8.5.
8 MCP-4A MEMORY CONTROL PROGRAM (FOR USE WITH TH-D72A/E) 8.5.7 Changing the Power-on Bitmap Image MCP-4A allows selection of a bitmap image which appears on the transceiver display when the transceiver’s power is turned on. Different images can be configured for GPS Only mode and for Normal mode. From the Edit pulldown menu select “Menu” > “Radio”. Click on the “Custom Start-up Screen“ checkbox in “Power-on” or “GPS Logger”. Clicking the “Bitmap File” button activates a dialog box to open a file.
9 HOW TO UPDATE FIRMWARE 9.1 Firmware This section describes how to update the firmware of the TH-D72A/E transceiver itself and of the TNC. 9.2 Verifying Necessary Equipment In order to update the equipment, each of the following is required: • Equipment to be updated (TH-D72A/E) • Computer • Communication cable (USB Cable that comes with TH-D72A/E) • Firmware update program Kenwood provides the firmware update program for use on Windows operating systems.
9 HOW TO UPDATE FIRMWARE 9.3 How to Verify Firmware Version You can view the firmware version by the procedure below. Use one of the following two ways of verifying. 9.3.1 Checking with the Transceiver 1. Press 2 [TNC] on TH-D72A/E to display “APRSxx”. 2. Turn the power OFF. 3. Hold #[ENT] down and turn the power ON. 4. Verify the following is displayed. • Number on the first row of the display: Indicates the firmware version of the transceiver.
9 HOW TO UPDATE FIRMWARE 9.4 How to Get Latest Firmware/Software Download the latest version of update software from the Kenwood web site URL shown below: (URL is subject to change.) http://www.kenwood.com/i/products/info/amateur/software_download.html 9.5 How to Update Carefully read the update instructions provided when you download the software. Begin the procedure only after you understand the provided instructions.
10 MISCELLANEOUS TOPICS 10.1 AvMap (Don Arnold, W6GPS) I find that using the Kenwood TH-D72A/E with built-in GPS is very convenient for travel And also APRS operations are simple without the use of an external GPS device. But at times it is important for me to have a visual display of APRS activity around me without the use of a computer. TH-D72A/E uses the NMEA 0183 standard at 4800 and 9600 baud rates to communicate with the GPS unit.
10 MISCELLANEOUS TOPICS Basic Setup Instructions for Kenwood TH-D72A/E Radio has been fully reset. Menu 110 Battery Saver OFF 111 APO OFF 194 Date set 195 Time set 196 UTC offset 201 Battery Saver GPS OFF 300 Enter Call sign Push A/B Band Key Set A Band to 144.390 F-1 Internal GPS off 330 COM port speed 9600 331 Input GPS 332 Output Waypoint 340 Format Kenwood 341 Length 9-Char Connect 3-pole connection to COM Port TH-D72A/E. Connect 4-pole connection to AvMap TNC port.
11 APPENDIX Revision History Revision Date May 15, 2011 TH-D72A/E Summary of Changes Release of the first edition.
We would like to extend our sincere thanks to the following hams who have helped to compile this booklet: Mr. Bob Bruninga, WB4APR, Mr. Jonathan Taylor, K1RFD, Mr. Steve Bragg, KA9MVA, and Mr. Don Arnold, W6GPS. Also, we would like to thank all hams who support and maintain the APRS and EchoLink network in the world.
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