[OZAPRS] Project Horus Repeater Flight this Sunday

Wed Apr 11 16:27:55 EST 2012

As the perpetrator who has built all three Horus APRS payloads, I concur
that WIDE2-1 is the best balance between getting heard and hammering the
network.

We started running a byonics TinkTrak3 variant running 500-1000mW
(depending on batt voltage) with a path of WIDE1-1, WIDE2-2 under the call
VK5ZSN-11.  This simply hammered the network and the APRS-IS servers for no
addtional benefit in terms of performance.  We were thankful that Tony
shutdown the TCP to RF traffic and quietened down the network, this helped
us greatly identify the problems with the WIDE1-1 scenario.

Having had a few discussions with US HAB teams and input from Bob himself
we switched to WIDE2, although there was wide debate on the 2-2 vs 2-1
paradigm.  At the same time we started using using a home built tracker
based on the Arduino platform (note APZ001 experimental designator) with
300mW of RF and one position report every 30s interspersed with telemetry
packets under the call VK5ZM-11.  Again this hammered the network and the
APRS-IS servers.

We then changed as of Horus19 to a path of WIDE2-1, installed a Kenwood
D710 in the car and three Horus team members now own TH-D72's.  What a
difference !

Since we made the above changes we don't hammer the network anywhere near
as much and there is a good number of packets hitting the APRS-IS servers.
Nearly all of the packets once the balloon has hit 1000' go direct into the
iGates with the odd occasional packet digipeated by a WIDE2.  I've found
with a 800km footprint LOS at apogee we only need to get repeated once by a
WIDE and it hits an adjacent local iGate.  The majority of the packets on
Horus18 & 19 were going direct via Tony's iGate and the Riverland, both SA
and NSW/VIC sides.

Once it is on decent I've seen VK5RMB track it to 143m ASL, but with a
WIDE2-1 path as Tony points out doesn't get over the hill and into the
Adelaide iGate.  The Mt Beevor digi VK5RMB is a bit of an orphan when it
comes to iGate access.  We have thought about deploying a portable 3G
enabled iGate at Mt Barker that could hear VK5RMB, we have something under
construction and may do that in the future.  However having APRS on the
HT's and in the car means we can simply follow the breadcrumbs to the
payload direct.  All of the Horus teams have 3G enabled data in the car and
there is nothing stopping us forwarding what we hear to the APRS-IS servers
either, we've just got to find something that works well with an unreliable
TCP/IP connection.  UI-View is getting very long in the tooth so we're now
looking at the AGWPE APRS tracker as an alternative, although there are
some linux variants we've experimented with but with little success yet.

So this weekend will see the third flight of our home built APRS tracker
(under the new AREG club callsign VK5ARG-11) with updated firmware (better
telemetry), a path of WIDE2-1 using the same 300mW RF platform.

Anyway I hope that clears up any confusion and gives other APRS enabled HAB
teams/flights some ideas of where to start.  Any questions please feel free
to ask...  better yet fire up your APRS stations and see if you hear it
direct at your QTH or get out the 70cm SSB receiver and beam and try to
track the 25mW telemetry (details on the projecthorus website) :-)

73's

Matthew
VK5ZM

On Wed, Apr 11, 2012 at 2:13 PM, Tony Hunt <wavetel at internode.on.net> wrote:

> **
> Thats all true Josh but as per what we observed previously it all becomes
> an issue when the Balloon gets close to landing and the footprint shrinks.
> It can hover about and change direction as the weather patterns vary in the
> lower troposphere . It usually lands a long way from any Igates or Digis in
> the Mallee so any help it can get at about 3000 feet and below all helps.
> As far as flooding the network goes (in VK5) I really couldnt care for
> the short time its going to be up there and the things that can be learned
> and gained by running it
>
>
> Tony  Hunt  VK5AH wavetel at internode.on.net
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> *From:* Josh Mesilane <zindello at chibiko.net>
> *To:* Tony Hunt <wavetel at internode.on.net> ; Australian APRS Users<ozaprs at aprs.net.au>
> *Sent:* Wednesday, April 11, 2012 1:54 PM
> *Subject:* Re: [OZAPRS] Project Horus Repeater Flight this Sunday
>
> With the height that the Horus guys get on their baloons, I don't think
> that only going via one digi is going to be a problem :) They'll most
> likely be hitting multiple digis across a very very wide area. You have to
> remember that they'll have line of sight to quite a large geographical area
> once the payload is in the air, and any path other than a WIDE2-1 could
> very easily flood the network.
>
> Mark/Grant how much power are you running on the APRS payload?
>
> On Wed, Apr 11, 2012 at 2:18 PM, Tony Hunt <wavetel at internode.on.net>wrote:
>
>> Grant.. WIDE2-1 wont guarantee a path into an Igate for you. Try
>> WIDE1-1,WIDE2-1 which is 2 hops via a fillin digi if needed. This is
>> particularly relavant when your working from the East VK5/3 border and into
>> 5RMB 5BRC . Although 5RLD has been a bigger help in the past over there.
>>
>> Hope it all works out. I will probably be in Renmark so might listen in
>> to it all.
>>
>> Tony Hunt VK5AH
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- :
>>
>>
>>>
>>> VK5ARG-11 will also fly on APRS on 145.175 - beaconing to WIDE2-1 (so
>>> that it makes it into an I-Gate)
>>>
>>
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>>
>
>
>
> --
> Callsign: VK3XJM
> Website: http://zindello.chibiko.net/
> Email: zindello at chibiko.net
> Phone: 0416 039 082
>
>
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