Decided I would play around with the idea of creating my own APRS Droid application.

Except this will be written in flutter/dart.
I thus shall name the` APRSDart

Currently have the map implemented with support for the Benshi protocol radios as well as the mobilinkd TNC.

I've put in a deposit on a Framework Laptop 12 DIY Edition. Looks like ham radio was the thing that finally got me to commit to Linux!

Looking forward to using it for:
- Portable operation (POTA, public service, etc)
- Dire Wolf for APRS
- Reading and marking up ham .pdfs

WHICH DISTRO

http://frame.work/linux

h/t to @KR4BVU for turning me on to Framework.

#APRS is a very interesting, de-centralized, corporate independent, people centric #radio #network system

https://www.aprs.org/

The monitor above my day-job screen is almost always on #HamClock, but when someone creates an #EOC object in #APRS in Petosky, #Michigan the #YAAC map pops to foreground. The word “EMERGENCY” in the beacon triggers. Cool!

Where are my #macos #HamRadio #APRS #direwolf #digirig folks at?

So, my digirig works fine on macos if I just hamlib it. Like, I can rigctl, toggle the ptt, everything works just fine.

But, for whatever reason, direwolf _refuses_ to work.

I see it, like, flash the ptt once the first time I try to Tx, but nothing comes out, and then the ptt doesn't even trigger with subsequent attempted transmissions. The direwolf console registers that it Tx'd packets, and there are no error messages.

I've even tried running the digirig as a rigctld server locally. Same deal; other programs can trigger ptt for an arbitrary amount of time, but direwolf configured to use it still just flashes the first packet.

I don't have this issue on Linux, and I don't _think_ I have this problem when I use vox on a baofeng (I need to try again to verify).

It looks like APRS has competition in the form of the CATS protocol. https://cats.radio/

Is there a node map, equivalent to aprs.fi for this protocol?

Check out this crazy #APRS #Packet #HamRadio path!

Are there any websites that provide text search of decoded #APRS packets? On aprs.fi it seems like you can only search by "originating station".

Good #ISS pass with the TH-D75A and stock antenna on #APRS!

It's been a while, but I finally wrote a new #hamradio blog post on my blog. This one is about #LoRa #APRS logging and talks about a new site where you can learn about LoRa APRS activity!

https://w0rmt.net/2025/03/15/lora-aprs-logging/

I recently acquired a used Kenwood TH-D75A. #APRS reception and decode on this radio is way, way better than on my Yaesu FT-5DR. I expected this based on my past comparisons between Yaesu and Kenwood APRS capable radios. The difference is night and day.

I really do believe that the Kenwood APRS HTs have always been the best in terms of performance and features. And they have real, externally accessible TNCs, which is great for packet and #Winlink!

The Kenwood radios really are nice, but $$$

My APRS map from driving around Portland yesterday. Sometimes you have to change the "timerange" and "tail" settings in the url to get a complete picture. I wish there was an easier way to look back in time. Maybe there's a feature I've missed? #APRS #HamRadio

Fixed my APRS weather station, which broke sometime in the last 5 years (due to configuration file incompatibility... cmon people! Do not change your config files to break working configurations without warning if your software is updated!!!) #weewx #aprs #hamradio

I think it's worth me doing a new #Introduction:

Hi! I'm Chris! I write code, I make things, and I parent.

My posts are generally about a few key areas: #Programming, #HamRadio, #TTRPG and #Parenting.

As far as programming, I mostly focus on #DotNet #CSharp professionally, with a smattering of #WebDev using #TypeScript. For my "not professional" development, I do a lot of #GameDev in #Godot (usually using C#, though not always!), and I adore #FunctionalProgramming, particularly in #FSharp, but also in many other languages! I stream software and game development on Twitch at https://twitch.tv/b4ux1t3. The schedule on there is not currently correct (January 2025), but should be soon.

When it comes to ham radio, I mostly focus on #DigitalModes, though I do a little bit of #POTA and #SOTA (well, I want to, anyway!). I'm a big user of #APRS and #PacketRadio. I try to be active on #YSF via the inimitable KJ7OMO@mastodon.radio's (edit: removed the mention here to prevent accidental mentions!) pride radio network, though mostly I listen. If you'd like my callsign, feel free to DM me. I do not list it publicly, but I'm not shy about handing it out in a more private setting.

Regarding TTRPG, I'm mostly a forever GM who runs #ShadowdarkRPG, #BladesInTheDark, #MorkBorg and #Mausritter, though I love most #OSR games and often mix and match rules and stuff. I don't _hate_ #DnD, #dnd5e or otherwise, it's just not the sort of thing I enjoy running. I also GM professionally on https://startplaying.games/gm/b4ux1t3!

Outside of that, some of my posts are about #Crochet, #BookBinding, #Woodworking, #Mathematics, #Linguistics, #TokiPona and, well, lots of other things

I have lots of links in my profile if you'd like to know more about me!

I got tired of going outside and looking at the thermometer, so I got a digital weather station off Temu.

But then I got too lazy to walk to the refrigerator to read the base station’s display, so I hacked together a way to connect it to the Internet. Okay, so that’s not the main reason. I did it because I wanted a fancy APRS-enabled weather station without the price tag, so in the spirit of ham radio and hacking, I set out to build my own.

Then I hooked it up to Mastodon as @weather because… okay, I don’t have a good reason for that.

https://colincogle.name/blog/byo-weather-station

My #APRS 2-way iGate digipeater station is "clicking" (i.e. the #RigBlaster is switching to TX) a LOT this morning. Quite a bit more than a typical morning.

I checked the #DireWolf console to make sure there wasn't another mal-configured digipeater out there to blacklist. Nope, it's various callsigns just busily doin' stuff.

Guesses:
a. New radios for Xmas.
b. Mobiles heading home after Xmas.