PicoARPS V4

Description

Ny PicoAPRS V4 med Diamond SRH36 antenne (ekstra udstyr) Sjov lille APRS enhed som samtidig er en lille VHF radio som understøtter repeater brug med pilot tone. Kanaler programmeres via et webinterface. Og understøtter scan at de programmerede kanaler Sjovt at sende på den lokale repeater med denne lille sag. Den opdateret via WiFI direkte på enheden uden brug af pc. Sendes med Postnord på sælgers regning. Kun købt da jeg have en Wimo rabat kode som jeg skulle have brugt. 🫣 The world's smallest APRS transceiver gets even better! With version 4, the small radio has grown up! As before, a TNC and a GPS receiver are included, but the functions of a 'real' VHF handheld radio are added: FM, PTT, memories, colour display and much more. The PicoAPRS V4 is a complete packet radio transceiver with built-in TNC for APRS. New features are the PTT button, microphone and loudspeaker - and all this without increasing the size of the housing much! The APRS function is certainly the most important and most used feature of the PicoAPRS. The transceiver can be used not only as an APRS tracker and receiver for APRS data, but also as a TNC for the computer. The KISS data protocol for packet radio is available in the new version 4 not only via the now side-mounted USB-C socket, but also via Bluetooth[2] or Wifi! This makes it easy to set up an APRS IGate, which has never been possible in such a small housing! The WLAN interface also makes software maintenance much easier, because updates can now be installed much more conveniently via a built-in web server(!). The same simple web interface allows convenient management of the memory channels and other functions. The display has become larger and more colourful! With 240x240 pixels, incoming APRS packets such as position messages, APRS messages (similar to SMS) and status messages are displayed. For position messages, the distance and compass direction to the transmitter are also displayed. The last stations heard, including distance and compass direction, as well as messages received are stored and can be retrieved via the menu. The GPS coordinates received via the built-in GPS receiver can be displayed and thus the Pico-APRS can also be used as a GPS tracker, e.g. for geocaching. If desired, one's own position can be permanently stored in the device, for example if no GPS position can be determined. The permanently stored position is then only used to display the distance and compass direction of stations received. A speedometer display is also available. The units of the speed display can be changed between km/h, mph and knots. Operation is even easier than with the predecessor via the joystick buttons on the front. With the five keys, the menu can be easily controlled and all settings can be made, even without a computer. When delivered, the unit is almost completely pre-configured. All you have to do is save the callsign and you are ready to go. Transmit power is about 0.8 Watt (switchable to about 0.5 Watt). The position data is sent compressed in MIC-E format to keep the frequency as short as possible and to save battery power. Of course, both received packets with MIC-E compression and uncompressed APRS packets can be decoded and displayed. With the built-in and removeable 850mAh LiIon battery, the unit can be operated for up to 10 hours [1], depending on the configuration. The same battery is used as in the predecessor V3. The battery is charged via a modern USB-C socket in the PicoAPRS V4. What is new is that the socket is located on the side. This allows the little all-rounder to stand safely on the table while it is being charged. Of course, radio operation is also possible during charging. The PicoAPRS can also replace a pager (POCSAG). Unlike a pager, the device also sends back an acknowledgement of receipt. This lets the sender know whether his message has arrived or not. Messages can be sent directly from the PicoAPRS to other radio amateurs! The "Follow" function can be useful, for example, when skiing with a partner. You can press FOLLOW on the partner's callsign and now always see how far and in which direction the partner is. When new position messages are received, the display is updated automatically. Or you can use the function when on holiday with several people, or when driving to the same destination in several cars. The transmitter has a 7-pole harmonic filter to suppress unwanted spurious emissions. The main processor is an ESP32D with 16 MB RAM, the HF board uses an AtMega 328P. The current software does not fill the available memory by a long shot. Thus, there is still plenty of room for possible future function extensions! With a size of only approx. 33 mm x 66 mm x 25 mm, the PicoAPRS V4 is similar in size to a matchbox. At the same time, the device (without antenna) weighs only approx. 60 grams! Ideal to always have the device with you, e.g. when hiking, cycling, motorcycling, skiing, on a boat or in the air.