[K3CAL] Experimenting with 9600-baud APRS

[Eric Christensen]

On 05/20/2016 08:10 AM, tom rozenbroek wrote:
> What equipment would the club need to purchase? And what equipment would
> an user of this mode need to purchase?
> Also, does this mode/band fall within the club's overall plan for
> equipment and fubctionality?

This would not be a long-term experiment due to the lack of antennas at 
Sunderland or Prince Frederick so I wouldn't suggest that the club start 
buying equipment for this.

> Finally, yes. I am interested in playing with this mode, but would like
> more information.

So there is two ways of doing this experiment:

First, we could just use the 9600-baud port on my KPC-9612+ (the modem 
I've been using for the digipeater at Sunderland) and create our own 
separate network at 9600-baud.  This could be used to APRS or any other 
packet application (e.g. keyboard-to-keyboard operations).

Second, we could use the same KPC-9612+ and hang two radios off of it. 
The first radio would act as a standard APRS digipeater on the APRS 
frequency.  The other would incorporate the first option (above).  An 
internal crossover would allow APRS packets to be gated TO the APRS 
frequency and we could still use the 9600-baud side for other 
applications in addition to the APRS.

In the first scenario we could use either VHF or UHF for the network. 
In the second we'd need to use VHF for the regular APRS network and UHF 
(440MHz) for the experimental network.

On the client side, one would need some sort of 9600-baud equipment to 
play.  I don't know if the Yaesu radios support 9600-baud APRS but the 
Kenwood D700, D710, D7, and D72 radios do.  Then there's always building 
your own...

73,
Eric