[SMCARA] APRS workshop and FREE download for APRSdroid

[Jason Rearick]

I got a few emails from John KJ4PGD over in Westmoreland Co.  They want to make sure we are aware and invited us to join them.




Westmoreland State Park will be hosting a APRS workshop on Saturday November 14, 2015 at Murphy Hall. This workshop will focus on the basics of APRS and will consist of a PowerPoint lecture, classroom practical and a field practical.

During the workshop, we will discuss and put together a “budget” APRS tracker. For this you will be a 2 meter radio with a 3.5mm microphone jack (I.E. Baofeng UV-5R, Wouxun KG-UV6D), 3.5mm to 3.5mm audio auxiliary cable, and a Android Smart Phone or Tablet with GPS (This doesn’t have cellular service). Please download the free APRSdroid application  before coming to the workshop. (You will need to request a Passcode to use this app. Please have this done before the workshop.) Due to the lack of cellular service and WiFi this can be difficult to do at the park. So that you have a idea as to what we are going to be doing, I have attached a link to a YouTube video.

 
https://youtube/8-9_8HVkvgc


You can download the APRSdroid app for FREE. Go to http://aprsdroid.org/download  and download to you phone or tablet. From there you can install the app for free! If you have downloaded this app before, the you may still be able to reinstall if for free. I do recommend that you download this app. It has a lot of features  that can be used with or without the radio. If you don’t want to purchase this app, that will be fine. We will most hopefully have enough people setup to do both the classroom practical and the field practical. 

I have been made aware of some issues acquiring your passcode to use the APRSdroid. Some people are having a extending amount of time getting their passcode. Please get the ball rolling and request your passcode as soon as possible. You want make sure you have your passcode before the class. If you are having trouble getting it please let me know. There are alternative ways to get this code