by Chris PA7RHM
The main purpose of the APRS Beacon Editor is to provide the user with a tool that helps constructing an APRS beacon comment that holds elements like PHG, Altitude and Operational Frequency.
These elements are not always easy to define, so this program will help you performing this task. You set the proper values and then copy/paste the APRS beacon comment string to you APRS software (This program is not restricted to UIView)
The Operational
Frequency Element:
With the new Kenwood TM-D710 mobile APRS transceiver a new feature was
introduced : Tune to Operational (aka QSY) frequency.
APRS beacons with a specific frequency string enable the receiving TM-D710 operator to "tune" into that frequency with the push of a single button on the TM-D710.
APRS Beacon Editor has 5 tabs :
General, here you can select which element is present in the beacon comment, the beacon comment string is displayed and with a click on a button you can copy the text to the clipboard. Then in your APRS program simply do a "paste" from the clipboard in the beacon setup window.
PHG, this tab let's you set all PHG variables
Altitude info,
Operating Frequency, your QRV frequency, so apart from the APRS frequency you will have another transceiver for phone. It is this frequency that is put in here. This will replace comments like "QRV on 145.525" etc. , and it will allow the TM-D710 operator to tune into to your phone (Operating Frequency) with the touch of a single button.
Ext. Operating Freq., this is not used yet (awaiting further specifications)
Free Text, this is your own beacon text
Menu options |
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| Menu | Option | Sub-Option | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| File | Exit | Exit the program. All settings are saved, all windows are closed. | |
| Help | Help | This will show the online help information. | |
| About this program | This will show the About screen | ||
| Check for Update | This option will check on the internet if a new version is available. |
Settings (.INI file) |
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Most of the values and options you enter in the APRS_Beacon screen are saved in theAPRS_Beacon.ini file.
When you close down the program these values are saved.
When you start APRS_Beacon again , these values are restored from the APRS_Beacon.ini file.
The followings items are stored in the APRS_Beacon.ini file:
| Item | Meaning/purpose | Default value |
Section [TAB_General] |
||
| Altitude_Selected | Select / Unselect Altitude information for adding in the beacon comment. | |
| PHG_Selected | Select / Unselect PHG information for adding in the beacon comment. | |
| OperFrequency_Selected | Select / Unselect Operating Frequency information for adding in the beacon comment. | |
| FreeText_Selected | Select / Unselect your free text for adding in the beacon comment. | FALSE |
Section [TAB_PHG] |
||
| Power | Power in Watts | |
| Height | Height above average terrain | |
| Gain | Gain of antenna | |
| Direction | Direction of antenna, choose OMNI for vertical | |
Section [TAB_ALTITUDE] |
||
| Feet | Altitude in feet | |
| Meters | Altitude in meters | |
|
Section [TAB_FREQUENCY] |
||
| Band | Select band (VHF , UHF ) | |
| Frequency | Select frequency | |
| Step | Select step size. | |
| Tone | If case of a repeater where a CTCSS tone is required | |
| ToneSelected | See also Tone. | |
| Section [FREE_TEXT] | ||
| FreeText | Your personal beacon text | My free beacon text |
!!! If you are not sure what you are doing, DO NOT edit the APRS_Beacon.INI file !!!
Release Notes |
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Version 1.0.0 release date 24-dec-2007
This is the initial release.
Thanks Bart for your patience while testing the program.
Issues / Known bugs:
- the Tone part of the Operating Frequency is not supported yet by the Kenwood TM-D710 transceiver
Version 1.0.1 release date 5-jan-2008
Thanks to:
- Bart PA3CSX for testing,
- Andy SP3LYR for the Polish translation and reviewing the program
- Christopfe BOURRIER F4EZC/44 for the French translation and reviewing the program
New Feautures:
- corrected frequency list
- added French, Polish and Dutch language support
- improved layout.
Issues / Known bugs:
- the Tone part of the Operating Frequency is not supported yet by the Kenwood TM-D710 transceiver
Version 1.0.2 release date 11-jan-2008
Thanks to:
- Bart PA3CSX for testing,
- Andy SP3LYR for the Polish translation and reviewing the program
- Christopfe BOURRIER F4EZC/44 for the French translation and reviewing the program
Corrected errors:
- corrected error in formatting of beacon comment, when Operating Frequency was unchecked also PHGphgd string was removed from comment.
New Feautures:
- language support is now via external language files which can easily be added without the need of updating the program
Issues / Known bugs:
- the Tone part of the Operating Frequency is not supported yet by the Kenwood TM-D710 transceiver
Version 1.0.3 release date 9-feb-2008
Thanks to:
- Bart PA3CSX for testing,
- Andy SP3LYR for the Polish translation and reviewing the program
- Christopfe BOURRIER F4EZC/44 for the French translation and reviewing the program
New Feautures:
- language selection is saved in the .INI file, so this is automatically set at program startup
Issues / Known bugs:
- the Tone part of the Operating Frequency is not supported yet by the Kenwood TM-D710 transceiver
Version 1.0.4 release date 22-aug-2008
Thanks to:
- Bart PA3CSX for testing,
- Andy SP3LYR for the Polish translation and reviewing the program
- Christopfe BOURRIER F4EZC/44 for the French translation and reviewing the program
New Feautures:
- changed the layout of the THD7, TMD700 and TMD710 screen examples
Fixes:
- the Tone part of the Operating Frequency is not supported yet by the Kenwood TM-D710 transceiver
this is now fixed
- the format of the frequency and tone is now according to specifications by Bob Bruninga WB4APR
Issues / Known bugs:
- run time error when selecting options on the General Tab.
Version 1.0.5 release date 6-dep-2008
Thanks to:
- Bart PA3CSX for testing,
- Andy SP3LYR for the Polish translation and reviewing the program
- Christopfe BOURRIER F4EZC/44 for the French translation and reviewing the program
New Feautures:
- none
Fixes:
- the runtime error that was introduced with version 1.04 is now fixed
Issues / Known bugs:
- none