Hacking Ham Radio for texting #HAMSunday #HamRadio @IEEESpectrum
The HamMessenger (right) is designed to allow sending short texts via a VHF radio without any additional equipment.
APRS supports sending text messages, and if you’re in range of an Internet-connected gateway node you can even exchange SMS texts with cellphones and send one-line emails. Sending texts traditionally meant using a PC hooked up to a so-called terminal node controller (TNC) packet radio modem, which is in turn connected to a radio (signals are transmitted as audio tones, just like old dial-up modems). More recently, TNC modems that interface with smartphones have been created. And these are awesome projects! But at its core, HamMessenger was created in the shadow of my simple childhood experiences. I wanted a portable device I could connect to my handheld radio that was completely self-contained, with a keyboard, screen, and GPS receiver all built in.
An Arduino Pro Mini (US $10) would act as the modem, running MicroAPRS and communicating with the rest of the system via a serial connection. An Arduino Mega 2560 ($40) would be the central controller, tying together the modem, keyboard, display, and GPS. Rechargeable batteries with a battery-management board would provide the power.
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APRS was not designed to be cluttered with conversations. Due to how digipeaters are designed, you conversations are not point to point and are spread over a wide area. Back in the late 80’s and early 90’s we have Packet radio. It was like a dial up BBS over radio. You could leave "mail" for others and the back-bone would route them to the closest Packet BBS to the recipient, it also enabled live keyboard to keyboard chat. Right now, Winlink supports most of that, but there are still quite a few programs out there that run on a raspberry pi, or other small Linux based SOC for portable use such as FBB, LinPac, and others
With regards to using text messaging in Amateur Radio, yes APRS has been around for some time as well as digital protocols. One element of communication beit analog or digital: FCC regulations (in the U.S. at least) stipulate that none of the Amateur Radio communication modes may be encrypted but must be sent "in the clear". And before someone goes off half-cocked, the frequencies they (we) use are held in the public trust as administered to by the FCC. If these frequencies were commercial or military then things could/might-be/would-be/are different, but for 100 years Amateurs have operated in behalf of the public openly as defined by the FCC; and in a larger sense globally within the borders of other countries by joint international agreements. To that end, texting if permitted by FCC regulations, is just another tool in the kit as long as the law is followed. Knock yourself out!
APRS was not designed to be cluttered with conversations. Due to how digipeaters are designed, you conversations are not point to point and are spread over a wide area. Back in the late 80’s and early 90’s we have Packet radio. It was like a dial up BBS over radio. You could leave "mail" for others and the back-bone would route them to the closest Packet BBS to the recipient, it also enabled live keyboard to keyboard chat. Right now, Winlink supports most of that, but there are still quite a few programs out there that run on a raspberry pi, or other small Linux based SOC for portable use such as FBB, LinPac, and others
With regards to using text messaging in Amateur Radio, yes APRS has been around for some time as well as digital protocols. One element of communication beit analog or digital: FCC regulations (in the U.S. at least) stipulate that none of the Amateur Radio communication modes may be encrypted but must be sent "in the clear". And before someone goes off half-cocked, the frequencies they (we) use are held in the public trust as administered to by the FCC. If these frequencies were commercial or military then things could/might-be/would-be/are different, but for 100 years Amateurs have operated in behalf of the public openly as defined by the FCC; and in a larger sense globally within the borders of other countries by joint international agreements. To that end, texting if permitted by FCC regulations, is just another tool in the kit as long as the law is followed. Knock yourself out!