VE6AB Technical
Too Much Information
A bi-directional APRS station featuring the Byonics Tiny Trak 4 and its display, with a Adesso compact keyboard, and a Yaesu VX-170 HT.
I have this compact station (VE6AB-3) connected via a serial cable to my desk-top computer in my ham-shack running APRSIS/32 as my Igate (VE6AB-1).
VE6AB-1/VE6AB-3 work together as an efficient team, and when I am sitting in front of my computer in my ham shack, I can keyboard message from either the keyboard attached to my computer running APRSIS/32, or from the keyboard attached to my TT4 the RF side of my I-gate.
Not only can the display connected to the TT4 show in-coming beaconing stations, but you may also send and receive messages without a computer, by the use of the keyboard attached directly to the TT4 display.
This combination of a TT4 with included display connected to the Adesso keyboard allows F-keys to quickly access certain features of the TT4 as well without having to use the TT4 config program and a computer.
This display with its four 20 characters per line is very convenient for setting up my other APRS devices, as it allows me to see how the data being beaconed by other APRS devices displays on the screen, typical of a lot of the APRS devices being used in mobiles or otherwise.
Keep in mind that not everyone has a Kenwood D710 transceiver that features multiple display pages for APRS.
It is critical that you set up your APRS devices properly with only the required minimal amount of data required to be beaconed, otherwise if you try and beacon with too much data included in the packet string, the information will not be displayed correctly with the minimal of space available on the displays of most APRS devices being used for receiving APRS packet.
You may think everything looks great on your computer screen with programs like APRSIS/32 and on aprs.fi, but APRS is about going mobile, and most APRS devices are limited to the amount of information they will display.
The end result is that the received beacons being displayed are missing key information that is only available by changing pages if you have this option, otherwise part of the information being beaconed is lost to those using less featured APRS devices away from their computers..
So remember, as a guide-line keep in mind the 4 line 20 character per line display like the one in the photo when setting up your packet-string to be beaconed,
That way the typical APRS device with included display receiving your APRS beacons, will display your data in totality.
Of course the other requirement with APRS is to beacon the minimal amount of data possible, as not to overload the APRS Network.
Click on the photo for a closer look.....
