AvMap Geosat 6 APRS Parts list manual

APRS functions Manual

Your journey, Our technology

I. Introduction 4
II. Quick Set-up 5
III. Activating the APRS mode 6
IV. Finding APRS Contacts 7
V. Managing APRS contacts 10
VI. Setting an APRS contact as Target 11
VII. Messaging to APRS contacts 13
VIII. APRS Options 15
IX. Compatibility 16
X. TechnicalSpecications 18
Appendix: Units setup 20
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Table of contents

APRS is a method for sending and receiving position and
other information over a radio transceiver.
The Geosat 6 APRS is ready to accept APRS inputs from a
radio transceiver and to provide x position output data
to the transceiver in order to transmit its current position.
Geosat 6 APRS provides GPS location information for your
transmitted APRS beacons, and it shows received APRS
information on its map display.
The Geosat 6 APRS comes with an APRS cable for use with
designated Kenwood transceivers
The input/output port used for APRS is the serial port on
the right side of the Geosat 6.
APRS© was developed by Bob Bruninga, WB4APR
I. Introduction
4 - AvMap

How to set-up your transceiver:
Enter your call sign•
BAUD Rate=9600•
Waypoint=ALL•
Waypoint size=9 character (this as also called•
waypoint length)
Beacon method = Smartbeaconing•
(if your device supports this)
Waypoint output=ALL•
If you are using a Kenwood D72 turn off F-1•
Internal GPS
How to set-up your Geosat 6 APRS:
The Geosat 6 APRS is defaulted to 9600 BAUD rate. If
your radio device supports 4800 BAUD rate you can
change this setting also on your Geosat 6 APRS in the
APRS options page (Chap VIII). Touch the Options
button in the APSR menu, touch Serial Port and then
choose your option.
Connecting the devices:
Your Geosat 6 APRS is supplied with an APRS cable: the
3 pole end (the one with 2 black rings) goes into the
2.5mm socket of your radio or TNC device.
The 4 pole end (the one with 3 black rings) goes in the
top 2.5 mm I/O socket of the Geosat 6 APRS; make
sure they are really snug in the socket.
For a detailed set-up explanation of the Kenwood TH-
D7, TM-D700, TM-D710 and TH-D72 read Appendix.
II. Quick Set-up
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To enter in the APRS mode, open the main navigation
menu and press the APRS Functions button. To enable or
to disable the APRS mode, press the Enable/disable APRS
Button in the APRS Functions Menu. Push this button to
enabled or disable the other buttons.
The APRS Functions menu includes four buttons:
Disable/Enable APRS•
APRS contacts•
Messages•
Options (APRS Settings)•
The Messages button is available when Geosat 6 APRS is
connected to a compatible radio transceiver or modem
supporting the Messaging functions. Find the list of Geosat
6 APRS messaging compatible radio transceivers and
modems on line www.avmap.us or/and www.avmap.it.
III. Activating the APRS mode
6 - AvMap

APRS icons on the map:
As soon as you connect Geosat 6 APRS to your transceiver
you will start receiving APRS positions called “APRS
contacts”. Geosat 6 can store up 1000 APRS contacts and
display them on the map.
You can watch APRS activity right on the screen and you
can distinguish between xed and mobile APRS stations.
Static positions are represented by blue bulls-eye icons
along with the associated call sign. If the Geosat 6 APRS
is used with a Kenwood D710A/E or TH-72A/E (enabling
Kenwood sentence format on the radio) the standard APRS
icons set will be used to represent APRS stations.
To get more info on an APRS contact on the map, zoom in
and touch it, the Call sign will appear in the info bar at
the bottom of the screen, Touch it to view the Full info
page.
APRS contacts list:
You can also see the list of received contacts; you can
IV. Finding APRS Contacts
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sort them or delete them by entering the APRS contacts
Menu. To enter in the APRS Contacts Menu, press the APRS
Contacts button in the APRS Functions menu. The APRS
contacts folder shows all APRS contacts received from the
connected radio. Touch one APRS contact on the list to
open the Full info page.
Full info on APRS contacts:
You have detailed info on stationary and moving APRS
contacts as Geosat 6 APRS fully takes advantage of the
Kenwood format sentence.
This ‘Tactical mode’ allows you to select an APRS contact
from the APRS contact list, or from the map to see on the
full info page: call sign and position, time stamp of its last
report as well as (for moving APRS contacts) its speed,
course and altitude.
The Full info page show the info about the APRS contact
and 6 buttons (4 on the right and 2 at the bottom):
APRS Functions
8 - AvMap

Delete• : Touch this button to delete the selected
APRS contact from the APRS contact list.
Save as contact• : touch this button to save the
selected APRS contact as a standard Contact.
This may be useful to save the Call Sign position
so to change icon or to add telephone number; in
this way the contact is available even if the APRS
functions are disabled. Contacts can be accessed
from the Main Menu / My Data page.
Show on Map• : touch this button to see the position
of the contact on the map.
Send Message• : Select this button to send a message
to the selected APRS contact. (This function is only
available when a compatible radio transceiver or
modem supporting Messaging is connected to the
Geosat 6 APRS).
Set as Target• : touch this button to set the selected
APRS contact target to be tracked. (Read Chap.VI)
Go To• : touch this button to set the selected APRS
contact as destination. The navigator will calculate
the route to drive from your current position to the
selected APRS contact. If APRS contact changes his
position, route is automatically recalculated.
APRS functions
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Geosat 6 APRS can auto-delete the received APRS
contacts positions based on a user dened timeout. You
can also sort your APRS contacts based on alphabetical
order or received time. Touch the Options button in the
APRS menu.
Contacts sorting:
Touch Contact sorting, and then choose to sort the APRS
Folder based on call sign or date-time.
Contacts Timeout:
Touch Contacts timeout and choose to automatically
delete contacts from the APRS Contacts Folder based
on selected time period. It is important to have your
time correctly set on your TNC/Radio and on your AvMap
Geosat 6 APRS
V. Managing APRS contacts
10 - AvMap

On the full info page of the APRS contact, you can set the
APRS contact as Target, by touching the Set as Target button.
This allows you tracking a movingAPRS contact: you will have
a shortcut on the map to display the position of the target,
and you will be able to monitor info relative to the target in
the data boxes in the left side of the map.
Intercepting the target:
After you set the APRS contact as Target, a pop-up window
asks you if you want to set this target as your destination
too.
If you touch “Yes”: the map will be displayed and Geosat
6 APRS will calculate the route to intercept the target.
This way, not only you will be able to monitor the target
but you will also navigate towards it getting rerouting
instructions when its new position is reported.
If you touch “No” the APRS contact is set as target to be
tracked even if no destination or another destination is
set. To display the map touch the Map button in the upper
VI. Setting an APRS contact as Target
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right corner of the screen.
Tracking the position of the target:
Once you have set the APRS contact as target, the
Target button with a target icon and the target CALL
SIGN is displayed in the lower right corner of the map.
By default the map is centered on your position, touch
the target button to centre the map on the target.
To go back to view your own position on the map,
touch the car button in the lower right corner of the
map.
Monitoring the info in the target:
While navigating, three data boxes appear on the map
(on the left side in the horizontal view or on the bottom
part in the vertical view). Once you have selected an
APRS contact as target, these data boxes can display
relevant information of the selected target. To change
displayed information on the data box, touch the data
box on the map and select the data from the list that
would like to display on the map:
Target ID•
Target Lat/Lon•
Target Speed•
Target Course•
Target Altitude•
12 - AvMap

The Messages page is enabled when a Geosat 6 APRS is
connected to a compatible radio transceiver or modem
supporting the Messaging function. Find the list of Geosat
6 APRS compatible radio transceivers and modems
supporting messaging on line www.avmap.us or/and www.
avmap.it.
Once the Geosat 6 APRS is connected to a modem/radio,
the messaging menu will be available to read received
messages even if the modem is not connected anymore.
In the Message Menu you can choose to send a message,
read received messages, read sent messages and check
the outgoing messages status.
Sending messages:
Enter the Messages menu•
Touch new Message and digit the text with the virtual •
keyboard.
To digit special symbols, touch the symbols button•
and the special symbol virtual keyboard will be
displayed. To go back to the normal keyboard touch
VII. Messaging to APRS contacts
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ABC.
To change the characters from small to CAPITAL,•
use the buttons on the right: “A” for the Capital
keyboard or “a” to go back to the small keyboard.
Once the text has been completed, touch enter. •
Insert the recipient’s by touching Edit Recipient.•
Now you can select one or more recipients from
the APRS contact list.
Touch “accept”.•
Touch send message.•
Once the message has been sent, the Software will go
back to the map and the message will be saved in the
Sent Message folder.
Receiving Messages:
When you receive a Message from an APRS contact, a
warning is displayed on the map and you can choose
to open the message or to read it later. In both cases,
the message is saved in the received message folder,
so you can read it anytime.
If you choose “Read now”, the message is displayed,
to avoid distractions you can touch Read it to me, and
the Geosat 6 APRS will read the message out loud for
you thanks to the Text-to-speech technology.
You can choose to receive pop-up messages for your
personal messages or also for bulletin messages sent
to “ALL” in the APRS options menu. Touch the Options
button in the APRS menu, touch Messages on Map and
then choose your option.
APRS Functions
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In the APRS options menu you can edit settings for
the contacts management: Contacts sorting (Chap V),
Contacts Timeout (Chap V), for Messages display (Chap
VII), and for the Serial Port (Chap II).
VIII. APRS Options
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The Geosat 6 APRS comes with an APRS bi-
directional RS-232 APRS interface compatible with
all APRS Kenwood amateur radios models and with
all the TNC (Terminal Node Controllers) that
support NMEA format sentence.
Current APRS ready Kenwood transceivers include:
TH-D7A/E•
TM-D700A/E•
TM-D710A/E•
TH-D72A/E•
Kenwood format sentence compatible radio
transceivers If the radio’s TNC supports the Kenwood
format sentence you can get the best out of your
Geosat 6 APRS: you are able to see APRS standard
icons, full tactical information for APRS contacts
such as COG, SOG, Lat-Lon, altitude, and time stamp
allowing time contact sorting.
Other NMEA sentence radio transceivers
If the radio’s TNC does not support the Kenwood
format sentence, you can see only two types of APRS
icons: a bull’s eye for x APRS stations, and a red
triangle for moving APRS contacts. You do not get
the time stamp, so no contact time out sorting is
possible.
IX. Compatibility
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Type of radio
transceiver
Geosat 6 APRS functions/ Kenwood
sentence compatible
NMEA sentence only
APRS icons All standard icons Only xed / moving
APRS contact Time
Stamp Yes No
Contact time out
sorting Yes No
APRS functions
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Hardware
• Dimensions and weight: 133.6 x 83.4 x 21 mm; 270 g
• Memory Support: Secure Digital
• Display: touch screen LCD 4.8”, 65536 colors
• Resolution: 480 x 272 pixels
• Automatic Brightness Control
• Processor: 520 MHz
• GPS receiver: u-blox 50 channels
• RAM: 64 MB
• Built-in Li-Ion rechargeable battery
• Mini USB port
• Serial port for Bi-directional NMEA communication
• Built-in speaker
• Audio output for earphones
• Included Accessories: smart mount, car charger,
power supply cable, USB cable, APRS cable
Software
• Operative System: Windows CE
• Software: AvMap with free updates
• 2D, 3D and night view
• Multiple destinations: up to 10 waypoints
• The best route: the fastest, the shortest
• Customize your trip: choose to avoid Toll roads,
walkways, ferry routes, u turns, highways, unpaved
roads, built-up areas.
• Lane Assistant
• Stop planner
• Trip Computer
• Turn-by-turn vocal instructions with text-to-speech
APRS operations
• Full bi-directional RS-232 APRS communication
• Compatible with NMEA and Kenwood format
sentences 4800 and 9600 baud rate
X. Technical Specications
18 - AvMap

• Intercept to target function
• Tactical mode
• Store up to 1000 APRS contacts
• APRS contacts auto-delete
• APRS contacts sorting
• Standard APRS icons
APRS functions
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Appendix: Units setup
Set up instructions for:
Geosat 6 APRS APRS
with the following devices:
• Kenwood TH-D72 A/E
• Kenwood TM-D710 A/E
• Kenwood TM-D700 A/E
• Kenwood TH-D7 A/E
AvMap Geosat 6 APRS Setup
• Make sure the interface is set to 9600 (this is the
default).
• Make sure that contacts are displayed.
• Make sure that APRS Contact timeout is Off.
The Geosat 6 APRS is now set up and ready to interface
with the radio.
20 - AvMap
Table of contents
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