[Xastir] System cost options

[Curt, WE7U]

On Wed, 27 Jun 2007, Tom Russo wrote:

> We don't disagree that much.

Give me time...


> I am very distrustful of these ultra-low-power, deaf trackers.
>
> But there are many of them getting made, so *somebody* must be finding them
> useful.  To be useful, the APRS infrastructure must be very good, the terrain
> must be wide open, and the loading of the infrastructure must be low.  I
> hinted at that with my first paragraph.

I have used low-powered deaf trackers, and have friends who have, in
the form of the PocketTracker.  This one puts out 270mW at best, and
fits in an Altoids tin with a 9V battery.  Hook up a GPS to it with
a cable and you're up and running.  Most people run them with a
walkie-talkie rubber duck antenna (not the most efficient type
antenna by any means).

I've had basically no luck getting into the system with this device
over my normal commute route, even when hooked to my 1/4 wave whip
antenna on the roof.  Another friend was living in northern CA for a
bit and tried running one in a similar manner with a whip antenna
and didn't get in either.

To be fair, I'm in the fringe area of one of the busiest APRS areas
(Puget Sound/Seattle), and travel mostly in a county with no
digipeaters of it's own plus lots of hills/canyons/mountains.  There
are digi's within range if I don't have a lot of dirt between me and
the hilltops, but only if you're running enough power to compete
reasonably with everyone else who's trying to get positions in.

--
Curt, WE7U.   APRS Client Comparisons: http://www.eskimo.com/~archer
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