contains latitude, longitude, altitude, and time (in UTC, derived from the satellite
clocks). The TNC, in GPS Mode, can receive and retransmit this information as
beacons and/or store these sentences in a large tracking buffer for later retrieval.
The TNC, in GPS Mode, also updates its clock to UTC, derived from the satel-
lites. Hence, the location of your remote packet station, recorded at a specific
time, can be tracked by other packet stations.
Amateurs the world over have discovered GPS and are combining this exciting
new technology with packet radio for reporting the position of their vehicles, fol-
lowing balloon launches, finding hidden transmitters, and determining location
information for other applications as well. For these applications,
packet
and
GPS
technology can combine effectively for fun or serious uses. The keys to suc-
cess are the National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) 0183 interfacing
standard for GPS units and low power. That means your Kantronics TNC is ide-
ally suited as a mate for your GPS unit. Over time, a number of software pro-
grams will be developed by amateurs to use packet and GPS. One shareware
program that has emerged already is the Automatic Packet Reporting System
(APRS), written by Bob Bruninga. An APRS system may consist of a GPS unit,
a computer, and (optionally) a packet unit. In APRS, NMEA data, from a GPS
unit, is passed to the computer, and it is the computer’s job to display the infor-
mation and, if desired, transmit that location via a packet unit using unproto
packets. The TNC may receive the NMEA information directly; hence, it may be
combined with a GPS unit alone to broadcast position via packet radio.
GPS Equipment Requirements
To set up a packet GPS station that can be tracked, you’ll need the following
equipment:
•
a transceiver and antenna,
•
A Kantronics’ TNC that supports the NEMA-0183 interface standard.
•
a GPS unit with an NMEA interface and portable or external antenna.
More than 50 vendors produce GPS units and most offer NMEA data
interfacing which is essential.
Packet Modes of Operation
GPS NMEA Interfacing Capability
User’s Guide
180
KAM’98 v 8.3
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