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| layout | title | description | date | written | tags | excerpt | redirect_from | ||
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| page | Building an APRS network with garage door openers | My adventures bridging packets between On/Off-Keying and FM-based networks | 2021-05-17 15:00:00 | 2021-05-17 | project radio aprs | [words go here] |
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Lately, I have been experimenting with AX.25 and the Automatic Packet Reporting System built on top of it. Through these experiments, I have learned a lot, and built quite a few fun projects.
APRS has a bit of a data-rate-limiting issue. Most (almost all) packets sent across the network are sent "UDP-style", and since they may or may not actually reach their target, stations re-broadcast the same packet data 5 or so times for each packet sent. Now, imagine 100 stations all trying to send data on the same radio frequency, at a fairly small interval. Not much can actually get through. This was my first piece of motivation for this project.
Secondly, APRS transmitters are expensive. Common boards like the PicoAPRS and ARP Labs LightAPRS cost $100 to ~$300 CAD.
Solving the first problem, as you might with a standard computer network, why not build a subnet for local data? For the second, there have to be cheaper radio transceivers and computers in existence right?