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.<br><br>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.<br>
<br>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.<br>
<br>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 !<br><br>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.<br>
<br>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.<br>
<br>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.<br><br>
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) :-)<br>
<br>73's<br><br>Matthew<br>VK5ZM<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Wed, Apr 11, 2012 at 2:13 PM, Tony Hunt <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:wavetel@internode.on.net">wavetel@internode.on.net</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><u></u>
<div bgcolor="#ffffff">
<div>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. </div>
<div>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</div>
<div> </div>
<div><br>Tony Hunt VK5AH <a href="mailto:wavetel@internode.on.net" target="_blank">wavetel@internode.on.net</a><br></div>
<blockquote style="BORDER-LEFT:#000000 2px solid;PADDING-LEFT:5px;PADDING-RIGHT:0px;MARGIN-LEFT:5px;MARGIN-RIGHT:0px"><div class="im">
<div style="FONT:10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </div>
<div style="FONT:10pt arial;BACKGROUND:#e4e4e4"><b>From:</b>
<a title="zindello@chibiko.net" href="mailto:zindello@chibiko.net" target="_blank">Josh
Mesilane</a> </div>
<div style="FONT:10pt arial"><b>To:</b> <a title="wavetel@internode.on.net" href="mailto:wavetel@internode.on.net" target="_blank">Tony Hunt</a> ; <a title="ozaprs@aprs.net.au" href="mailto:ozaprs@aprs.net.au" target="_blank">Australian APRS
Users</a> </div>
<div style="FONT:10pt arial"><b>Sent:</b> Wednesday, April 11, 2012 1:54
PM</div>
<div style="FONT:10pt arial"><b>Subject:</b> Re: [OZAPRS] Project Horus
Repeater Flight this Sunday</div>
<div><br></div></div><div><div class="h5">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.<br><br>Mark/Grant how much power are you running on
the APRS payload?<br><br>
<div class="gmail_quote">On Wed, Apr 11, 2012 at 2:18 PM, Tony Hunt <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:wavetel@internode.on.net" target="_blank">wavetel@internode.on.net</a>></span>
wrote:<br>
<blockquote style="BORDER-LEFT:#ccc 1px solid;MARGIN:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;PADDING-LEFT:1ex" class="gmail_quote">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.<br><br>Hope it all works out. I will probably be in Renmark so might
listen in to it all.<br><br>Tony Hunt VK5AH<br><br>----- Original Message
----- :
<div><br>
<blockquote style="BORDER-LEFT:#ccc 1px solid;MARGIN:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;PADDING-LEFT:1ex" class="gmail_quote"><br><br>VK5ARG-11 will also fly on APRS on 145.175 -
beaconing to WIDE2-1 (so that it makes it into an
I-Gate)<br></blockquote><br></div>
<div>
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</div></div></blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br>Callsign: VK3XJM<br>Website: <a href="http://zindello.chibiko.net/" target="_blank">http://zindello.chibiko.net/</a><br>Email: <a href="mailto:zindello@chibiko.net" target="_blank">zindello@chibiko.net</a><br>
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