Here
is a quick start guide to APRS for the Yaesu FT3DR. It is not rocketry specific, and covers steps to get you to where you can beacon on 144.390.
Here is my attempt at a minimal subset to configure your radio for receiving APRS transmissions from your rocket/balloon:
Short press A/B button and make sure you’re in B.
Long press the A/B button so you just see the one channel display.
If it says “VFO” in the upper left corner then skip to next step. Otherwise quick press V/M to get into VFO mode.
Click and hold “DISP”.
Click on “APRS”.
Either touch a sub-menu or use topmost rotary button to highlight it and then press “DISP”.
Note that there are more menu items than screen. Use the top rotary button to scroll.
Use “BACK” button to return to the APRS menu items.
Sub-menus you’ll want to set:
“4 APRS MODEM” Use top dial to select 1200bps
“8 APRS MUTE” turn this on if you don’t like hearing a lot of packet noise.
“20 GPS POWER” Set to on.
“23 CALLSIGN” Put your callsign in menu item 23. Set SSID to “- 7”
Use “BACK” twice to get to the VFO display.
Touch the screen over the frequency display to get into input mode.
Type in the frequency you set into your transmitter.
Monitor the frequency for a couple of minutes to make sure it’s not in use.
Turn on your tracking transmitter.
Wait a minute or two for its GPS to update.
You should start seeing messages on the FT3D display.
Press the screen in the lower left corner.
Press on the screen at “S.LIST”
Find your transmitter’s callsign and either press on the screen over it or use the topmost rotary button to highlight it and then press “DISP”.
The display will show you a range and bearing from your current location to your transmitter.