APRS Gateway 2 meter and Meshtastic

Automatic Packet Reporting System (APRS) is an amateur radio-based system for real time digital communications of information of immediate value in the local area. Data can include object Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates, non-directional beacon, weather station telemetry, text messages, announcements, queries, and other telemetry. APRS data can be displayed on a map, which can show stations, objects, tracks of moving objects, weather stations, search and rescue data, and direction finding data.

The APRS system is also linkable to the internet through a gateway. The Keystone VHF club hosts two gateways. The first gateway is on the standard 2 meter frequency of 144.39 Mhz. The W3HZU-1 gateway receives any packets it decodes and posts to the APRS network. The APRS system on 2 meters has its place, runs at 1200 baud, with Bell 202 tones using the AX.25 protocol. It requires a fair amount of power to be heard, and the network traffic is fairly high. To get started in APRS on 2 meters start here.

The second gateway is new and operates on the Meshtastic network as an APRStastic gateway. APRStastic is an open-source Python gateway that runs on standard Meshtastic devices (such as LongFast and 915MHz models). It allows users to send and receive APRS messages using pre-registered call signs. By integrating with APRS-IS, it extends your station’s digital footprint while complying with FCC and amateur radio rules. What is the advantage you ask? Meshtastic devices are less than 1 watt devices. They use an Apple or Android mobile device as an interface, so they are much easier to enter data than a 2 meter radio. They mesh together, so you don’t have to reach the server directly if another Meshtastic node re-transmits your message. Therefore the Meshtastic system is far more portable, and usable! To get started with Meshtastic read this great article by our friends at the (NEMARC) North Eastern Maryland Amateur Radio Club NE3MD.

The club APRStastic gateway has a short name of APRS and a long name of W3HZU-12. Amateur radio stations on Meshtastic must register with the service to use it. This allows all APRS traffic to remain unencrypted. Here are instructions on how to use it:

Only done once per server to register your callsign and SSID for your Meshtastic device. Send a direct Meshtastic message to node APRS. The system will respond with a welcome message.
!register N0CALL-1

If you wish to leave the system
!unregister N0CALL-1

Users can verify that they are registered by asking the Meshtastic node APRS in a direct message. The node will respond with the APRStastic software version number.
!version

Once the amateur radio callsign is registered, your GPS position will be i-gated to the APRS.fi service. Not only will you be able to be tracked by fellow hams online, you can send messages to other hams, send real email, send Winlink messages, and send SMS messages to phone numbers.

To send an APRS message to a radio callsign, invoke the APRS messaging my sending a Meshtastic direct message to node APRS structured like this:
N0CALL-1: body of message

To send an email to a real email address invoke the EMAIL-2 gateway by sending a Meshtastic direct message to node APRS structured like this:
EMAIL-2: [email protected] body of message

In order to send SMS messages to a real phone number, that phone number must Opt-In to the APRS SMS gateway at aprs.wiki.
Once the number is opted into the service, invoke the APRS SMS gateway by sending a direct message to node APRS like this using any phone number (example 717-000-1111):
SMS: @7170001111 body of sms message here
The phone number will receive a text message from the SMS Gateway number 866-352-4096.

To access the Winlink service invoke the the WLNK-1 gateway by sending a direct message to node APRS following the Winlink APRSlink gateway guide.
To begin a Winlink session ask to list your messages. It will prompt you to log in per the guide above. The trick is to use the colon character after the WLNK-1: invoke command. The system will respond with a request to log in with a challenge of a set of numbers per the guide.
WLNK-1: L

Read article

W3HZU Open House – Aug 9th / Sep 14th

W3HZU Open House Flyer

W3HZU Open House

Location:
3650 Deininger Rd
York, PA 17406

Morning Open House

Date: Saturday, August 9, 2025

Time: 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Afternoon & Evening Open House

Date: Sunday, September 14, 2025

Time: 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Read article

Data Net Schedule 2025

The data net is scheduled for Sunday evenings from 1900 to 2100 hours. The net will be held on two repeaters. The first one would be held on January 5th on the repeater of the South Mountain Radio Amateurs (SMRA) on 145.43 MHz -600 KHz offset 67 Hz tone. The following weeks net will be held on the Keystone VHF Club’s repeater (KVHFC) on 146.97 MHz -600 KHz offset 123/127 Hz tone. The nets will alternate weekly between both clubs repeaters.  Everyone in both clubs would be invited to either net. We will be experimenting with many of the digital modes used in Amateur radio and our primary purpose is to have fun. If you are currently running FT8, then you are ready to participate in this. If you are a newbie to amateur radio or digital communications, we are planning  tech sessions where we will show you what it necessary to become involved.

 

What: Weekly Data Net to be held alternately on the SMRA 145.43, and KVHF 146.97 repeaters.

When: Sunday evenings starting 1900 running until 2100 local time

                1/5/2025  SMRA              5/18/2025 KVHF              9/28/2025 SMRA

                1/12/2925 KVHF              5/25/2025 SMRA             10/5/2025 KVHF

                1/19/2025 SMRA             6/1/2025 KVHF                 10/12/2025 SMRA

                1/26/2025 KVHF              6/8/2025 SMRA                10/19/2025 KVHF

                2/2/2025 SMRA                6/15/2025 KVHF              10/26/2025 SMRA

                2/9/2025 KVHF                 6/22/2025 SMRA             11/2/2025 KVHF

                2/16/2025 SMRA             6/29/2025 KVHF              11/9/2025 SMRA            

                2/23/2025 KVHF              7/6/2025 SMRA                11/16/2025 KVHF

                3/2/2025 SMRA                7/13/2025 KVHF              11/23/2025 SMRA

                3/9/2025 KVHF                 7/20/2025 SMRA             11/30/2025 KVHF

                3/16/2025 SMRA             7/27/2025 KVHF              12/7/2025 SMRA

                3/23/2025 KVHF              8/3/2025 SMRA                12/14/2025 KVHF

                3/30.2025 SMRA             8/10/2025 KVHF              12/21/2025 SMRA

                4/6/2025 KVHF                 8/17/2025 SMRA             12/28/22025 KVHF

                4/13/2025 SMRA             8/24/2025 KVHF

                4/20/2025 KVHF              8/31/2025 SMRA

                4/27/2025 SMRA             9/7/2025 KVHF

                5/4/2025 KVHF                 9/14/2025 SMRA

                5/11/2025 SMRA             9/21/2025 KVHF

*** Any Licensed Ham who can access the appropriate repeater via RF is welcome to join the net

*** The following modes (not limited to those below) may be experimented with

                SSTV *                   QPSK *                 

                Contestia *          8PSK *

                Dominoex *        PSKR *                   * Indicates submodes

                FSQ *                     RTTY *

                Hell *                     Thor *

                IFKP *                    Throb *

                MFSK *                 FT4 (TBD)

                MT63 *                 FT8 (TBD)

                OFDM *                VARAFM

                Olivia *                 VARAHF

                PSK *                     Packet *

 

*** Software recommended for use during net

       

                FLDIGI V 4.2.06 – https://sourceforge.net/projects/fldigi/

                FLMSG V4.0.23 – https://sourceforge.net/projects/fldigi/files/flmsg/

                FLAMP V 2.2.13 – https://sourceforge.net/projects/fldigi/files/flamp/

                MMSSTV V 1.13 – https://hamsoft.ca/pages/mmsstv.php

                Easy PAL SSTV – http://www.vk3evl.com/index.php?Itemid=62id=57option=com_contentview=article

                MMRTTY – https://www.aa5au.com/rtty/getting-started-on-rtty/page-01/

AGW Packet Engine – https://www.soundcardpacket.org/6AGWPrograms.aspx

                AGW Term – https://www.soundcardpacket.org/6AGWPrograms.aspx

Read article

Using AllStar Link

• Repeater controller based on the Asterisk PBX
• Add-on module to Asterisk adds repeater functionality by HAMVOIP
• All RF is standard analog FM
• Control by DTMF codes
• Can be grafted onto almost any radio stack
• Create many links – scheduled, ad-hoc
• Supports Echolink on the repeater

First Rule of AllStar:
If you don’t want to interact with AllStar, then don’t. The repeater will work just fine without doing a thing.

Second Rule of Allstar:
Your normal FM radio works with AllStar – no special equipment needed. If you can talk on the repeater, you can use AllStar.

Basic Allstar Commands
AllStar adds and removes links based on DTMF commands starting with a * (star)

ALWAYS announce your DTMF dialing intentions with VOICE before performing the touch tones. “This is (my callsign) dialing node (x)”
*3(NODE) Connect a node
*1(NODE) Disconnect a node
*70 Announce all connected nodes
*76 Disconnect all nodes

What’s a Node?
• It’s just a number, like a short telephone number
• It is NOT a DMR ID
• Most nodes are a five-digit number
• Newer AllStarLink numbering is an “extension” to your existing node rather than assigning new numbers
• 43211, 432111, 432112, etc…
• 46018, 460181,460188, etc…
• Look up nodes by callsign, location, etc. at https://www.allstarlink.org/nodelist
• See what is linked at http://stats.allstarlink.org
• Find nodes by location on the map at https://stats.allstarlink.org/maps/allstarUSAMap.html

Echolink connections look just like AllStarLink connections except the Echolink node numbers have been prefixed with a 3 and padded out to 7 digits with leading zeroes.
For instance, if you want to connect to Echolink node 1234 on the AllStarLink system you would dial *3 followed by 3001234
If you have a 6 digit Echolink node number 123456, you would dial *3 followed by 3123456

Basic Operational Courtesy

• Avoid quick-keying. This is ALWAYS a good practice, but it’s much more important with network-connected nodes. When it is your turn to speak press your PTT, then take a deep breath and wait before speaking.
• Leave at least a second after you hear the telemetry tone of the last transmission before you key up.
• Repeaters will have different courtesy tone lengths and hangtimes.
• Listen before you transmit after linking – be courteous about interrupting an in-progress QSO on a remote system.
• Be smart about linking up a big Allstar network mesh or a busy net
• Always unlink when you’re done, and don’t link many big networks together through our repeaters.
• If you are using fldigi or other data modes on AllStar for any purpose, always disconnect from any nodes that are not participating by issuing an unlink all nodes DTMF *76

Read article