I've connected an HC06 Bluetooth module to my LCD receiver and had it connect to a Windows laptop running MapSphere, which doesn't care about maps. Not much to see out in the desert anyway. Obviously, you have to be nearby the laptop during the flight, once you lose the fix and it's "down" then there's nothing much to track... at that point, you just save your MapSphere track, then go get your rocket using the LCD's coordinates.
You can also use Rocket Locator on an Android, there was some issues with caching maps for offline use awhile ago and I don't know if they've been resolved. I'm guessing that ksaves2 would know...
You're trolling Cris.:wink: Google Maps went away with the Android app "GPS Rocket Locator". It's still listed but the app just sits there. It's the default mapset so somewhat of a nuisance. One can switch it out to the Open Source Maps at the pull-down though. Caching works pretty well so get under a high speed link and cache the maptiles. I did track one time without maps and got the rocket back but I won't do that again. I could have driven on-road to a spot close to the downed rocket and
easily walked over to picked it up. I emailed GPSRL's author Francois and he says he doesn't have time to mess with the program. It's not Open Source so a programmer out there can't fix it for another photo map tile source.
Speaking of which................... I discovered yesterday for folks who APRS track with Beeline Ham GPS trackers and other stuff (AP510,Byonics et. al) There is an Arc-GIS server online that has accessible photomap tiles one can tie into the APRSISCE32 program for use:
https://aprsisce.wikidot.com/ I've been able to get two instances of APRSISCE/32 to work with tracking EggFinders and I gotta tell you, it's great. Garrace can go a search here and find some of the screen saves I've posted of different flights. Can't expect to get every single position plotted but it's more than enough to get one going in the right direction and find the rocket. I haven't lost a single EggFinder rocket yet. Killed an EggFinder with a ballistic flight but the one, maybe two positions on my map got me to the fincan sticking out of the ground. Since it's a glass rocket, replaced the NC and EF and it still flies. If there wasn't an EF onboard, the rocket would have been lost, period.
If anyone flies APRS trackers, they can actually use any APRS program out there to track. The APRSISCE/32 can track the Eggfinders with two instances. I want to track and navigate to recovery. Something that MapSphere cannot do.
I've not had the time to print off instructions but I asked the question in the APRSISCE/32 message board and I found the link with all the replies:
https://beta.groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/aprsisce/conversations/topics/28516
Click on show all 22 messages and it does have the instructions I used to get it to work. Warning: APRSISCE/32 has a high learning curve. Conceivably a non-Ham could use it by itself tied to Eggfinder hardware perfectly legal as long
as they don't pipe it to the online APRSIS system with a "bogus" callsign.
YAAC works:
https://www.ka2ddo.org/ka2ddo/YAAC.html. But only with hardwired peripherals ie. USB GPS and USB connection to the EF receiver. The Bluetooth option doesn't work with two NMEA streams at all. I was ecstatic because the setup with
YAAC is extremely simple for tying in the device's GPS for local position and piping the incoming EggFinder datastream as an APRS "pseudo" icon. It's right in the NMEA setup. I just rechecked the latest version and still a no-go on my trials.
I can get one NMEA B/T device to work but not two. Close but no cigar.
Xastir? You gotta be a Linux geek to get it to work. I'm not one but have worked with linux as a "script kiddie" since '94. Fellow who flies rockets gave me a python script I can tie the Eggfinder receiver as a network provider and the
Eggfinder rocket is plotted live on the map again as a "pseudo" APRS packet. Again, I posted a question on the yahoo group and someone smarter than me posted a reply that pulled it off. Here is the script if there
are any Xastir geeks out there:
https://www.ece.uah.edu/~jdw/rockets/gps2aprs.txt. Just have to select "allow networking" from the Xastir pulldown and change .txt to .pl in the script. Have the
HC-06 bonded to the tablet and put that in the script (ie. /dev/rfcomm"X") have Xastir running and pull up a plain terminal and type the script command in. Will see positions streaming in and just minimize it.
They will get plotted to Xastir.
I actually got this working in a Pocket CHIP:
https://getchip.com/pages/pocketchip Have to ditch the provided firmware and update to a standard "Jessie" distro but that is available on their site. I have to run Xastir under a jury rigged "root" account but once booted up Xastir is a fully functioning tracker and navigation solution in this "teeny, tiny" device. Too bad it's pretty hard for a "layperson" to setup Xastir.
A nice APRS tracking solution any HAM can do is a single wire connection between a Kenwood D72A and a Garmin 60Cs or 60CsX. It will track and navigate APRS Beeline GPS devices in real time with no muss or fuss. Will constantly calculate a navigation
solution live. It's my go to for APRS tracking when I don't want to take the time to setup a tablet. The Garmins with a round serial port can be has used from Ebay for a reasonable cost and a free mapset can be had here:
https://garmin.openstreetmap.nl/
The Points of Interest are not worth squat on the OSM maps at the above address but the maps are good. This is the Kenwood D72A to Garmin cable:
https://www.gpsgeek.com/products/in...h-d7a-tm-d700a-aprs-to-garmin-4-pin-round-gps.
That's it in a nutshell. I'm tickled a photo map tile set is out there for free use again. If one gets a taste of live tracking and navigating on a map they'll not want to do it any other way. Kurt
