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I'm an Extra Class Amateur Radio Operator that was first licensed as a No-Code Tech in 1993 • I built this website in 2016 to share some of my experiences in Ham Radio, fun stuff like APRS and setting up a Raspberry Pi 2/3 with a TNC-Pi 2 to send out signals locally and even through the International Space Station • I'll link out to some very knowledgeable Hams that have helped and inspired me to build antennas, antenna mass/polls, and configuring the Raspberry Pi


N9SIR Logo



Raspberry Pi



My very first Raspberry Pi APRS station

Raspberry Pi 2 with Coastal Chip Works TNC-Pi 2, HamMadeParts TNC
Cable
and Baofeng UV-5R V2+ (Not pictured is the portable roll up
Nelson dual band Antenna & GlobalSat BU-353S4)


I used Xastir on very old PC running Ubuntu with a sound modem,
it was natual choice to run Xastir on the Raspberry Pi too.


I'm now using a U-Blox 7 VK-172 GPS and a Leixen VV-898 for the APRS Station.


I recently dedicated a Tram 1481 Antenna for the APRS Station.


I've added many Bells and Whistles to my Raspberry Pi APRS base station,
like booting into Xastir, better maps and much more.


I ended sharing my Xastir image files, give YAAC a try !


Want to know more about APRS UNPROTO Paths ?

Excellent Resource for UNPROTO Paths


Want to know more about APRS SSID ?

Excellent Explanation by Bob Bruninga, WB4APR



Raspberry Pi Logo



QRPi (20M WSPR-Pi) on the Raspberry Pi 2

A post shared by Tony B. (@crx.ninja) on


I just started running WSPR on a Raspberry Pi 2 with QRPi (20M WSPR-Pi).


There is some good instructions on how to install and run the WSPR program on your Pi,

I'm going to make it easier with this Image File and simple instructions:


Download the Image File • UnZip the Image File • Format a 8GB Micro SD card I'm using SD Card Formatter • Write the WSPR-Pi.img file to the formatted 8GB Micro SD card (I'm using Win32 Disk Imager) • Connect QRPi Whispering Pi board to your Raspberry Pi, connect an antenna to the board and use the following Commands to start transmitting:


Go to a Terminal window (Ctrl-Alt-t) or Putty into your Raspberry Pi
At the command line type: cd WsprryPi
Hit: Enter
At the command line type: sudo ./wspr -r -o -s YOURCALL YOURGRIDSQUARE 20 20m
Hit: Enter


Example of my TX command: sudo ./wspr -r -o -s N9SIR EM86EA 20 20m


Get your Grid Square: HERE or HERE or HERE


Check if you're transmitting at: www.wsprnet.org
Be sure to switch to 20M, enter your Call and refresh the map !
Make an account at wsprnet.org while your there too..


Please Note: I could not WSPR using VNC, I'm using Putty to issue the commands. If you're having trouble establishing a Putty SSH connection to your Raspberry, here is the fix. The above Example of my TX command will transmit every minute which is too much to run unattended and/or around the clock, I usually only run the QRPi for about 5 minutes then take it off the air. I achieved good results just running the QRPi for 5 minutes at 6am and another 5 minutes at 6pm on the same day to see my propagation. Here is my latest results. I'm currently researching how to only TX every 30 or 60 minutes, once I figure it out I'll post the command here.




Raspberry Pi Logo



Want more modes for your Raspberry Pi ?
FLDIGI + WSJT-X + QSSTV + FLmesg
(shipped image file/instructions to US in a week)





APRS GoBox




Short Preview Video of the APRS GoBox:


A video posted by Tony B. (@crx.ninja) on



Longer Video of the APRS GoBox:



Built with a Monocular Night Vision Ammo Can (Case OD: 6" wide x 13" tall x 11" long): Price $29.99 • 35Ah Battery (12V UPG Universal Power Group 45976 Sealed Lead Acid): Price $64.99 • Raspberry Pi 2 Model B: Price $39.50 • TNC-Pi 2 (Coastal ChipWorks): Price $65.00 • Official Raspberry Pi 7" Touchscreen LCD Display: Price $79.00 • TNC Cable-MIC Jack to DB9 & 1/8" Spk Plug (eBay: hammadeparts): Price $19.95 • Jetstream 2M/70cm (10W) Used Price $40.00 • I will charge it in the field with a 45W solar (3) panel setup with a battery controller (Harbor Frieght): Sale Price $119.99 • The total GoBox cost (not including the solar panels/charger, miscellaneous connectors and power wires) was $338.43 • I really enjoyed designing and building this project, I purchased all the parts over a six month period to spread out the cost • My next project will be getting this Go Box to also operate FLDIGI by adding a USB to the front panel, to plug in an USB sound card with a "EASY DIGI" Sound Card Interface to a Baofeng (8W) BF-F9 V2+ operating transmit By VOX..



Picture of the Go Box running FLDIGI/FLMSG:
(using a HT, I've since re-wired the Easy Digi interface for Go Box radio)







APRS Base & Mobile Stations



Xastir via APX204 - Base Station


N9SIR-1





Xastir via APX200 - Go Box Station


N9SIR-2




Raspberry Pi Logo



Past and present N9SIR* APRS Stations.





Current Project Blog



What's going on in my Ham Shack


I've created a Blog to post about projects,
view/read it here: http://blog.n9sir.com



Please email me is you have a question.





Ham Radio Links



• Getting started in APRS in East Tennessee •



How to APRS in East TN
Instructions from the East Tennessee APRS Yahoo Group


East Tennessee APRS Yahoo Group
A group for HAM's operating APRS in East Tennessee


APRS Passcode Generator
Generator provided by KF5JWC




• Tennessee ARES & District 8 Repeaters •


TNARES Website
Tennessee Amateur Radio Emergency Service


Anderson County Repeaters
Provided by RadioReference.com (2)


Blount County Repeaters
Provided by RadioReference.com (13)


Campbell County Repeaters
Provided by RadioReference.com (4)


Claiborne County Repeaters
Provided by RadioReference.com (0)


Jefferson County Repeaters
Provided by RadioReference.com (2)


Knox County Repeaters
Provided by RadioReference.com (40)


Loudon County Repeaters
Provided by RadioReference.com (0)


Morgan County Repeaters
Provided by RadioReference.com (3)


Roane County Repeaters
Provided by RadioReference.com (3)


Scott County Repeaters
Provided by RadioReference.com (1)


Sevier County Repeaters
Provided by RadioReference.com (19)


Union County Repeaters
Provided by RadioReference.com (0)


Chirp Files for District 8 Repeaters
Download the (.csv) files for 2M/70cm (+GMRS & Satellite on mobile)




• Working Satellites, Info, Apps & Antennas •


SPACECOMMS - Blog
John Brier, KG4AKV Satellite Blog


SPACECOMMS - SSTV
ISS SSTV Reception Hints


Fox Operating Guide
A simmple "how-to" by AMSAT


ISS Fan Club
ISS Frequencies


GoSatWatch
Hands down, the best iOS Satellite Tracker


Building Eggbeater II
2M & 70cm Satellite Antenna by ZR6AIC.


JE9PEL Sat Mode Finder
All Satellites Frequency List Update


ARISS-SSTV images
A focal point for satellite SSTV images.


SSTV Frequencies
Analogue Slow-Scan Television Calling Frequencies


ARISS.com
Amateur Radio Stations heard via ISS (Latest)




• Raspberry Pi Ham Radio Projects •


PiGate by KD0QYN
Emergency Email Gateway


Winlink on the Raspberry Pi
Email client via paclink-unix by KK6DCT


Easy APRS RX only iGate
Raspberry Pi, RTL-SDR dongle and a pre-built image



RTL-SDR Blog R820T2 RTL2832U
1PPM TCXO SMA Dongle Only

Buy on Amazon Buy on eBay


APRS Weather Alert Station
Raspberry Pi running aprx and noaacap by K2DLS


G4WNC Pi – Data Modes
FLDIGI + WSJT-X + QSSTV + FLmesg (image file)


M0JCQ's Ham Blog
Top 10 Amateur Radio Uses for the Raspberry Pi




• Products I'm Using •


TNC-Pi
TNC-X for Raspberry Pi by Coastal Chip Works
★ ★ ★ ★ ★


Low Loss PWRgate
by Jim, KI0BK at FlintHills Radio Inc.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★


QRPi (20M WSPR-Pi)
Raspberry Pi QRP TX Shield for WSPR by TARP
★ ★ ★ ★ ★


Low Pass Filter kit
20 Meter LPF kit by QRP-Labs
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆


Portable HF Magnetic Loop Antenna
Model HF-315 by Caras Manufacturing
★ ★ ★ ★ ★


uBITX HF QRP Transceiver
Low cost, low power kit by HF Signals
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆


uBITX Case by W5BEK
Really nice case and knobs, under $50 too
★ ★ ★ ★ ★


Super-elastic Signal Sticks
Support HamStudy.org and get one of these great antennas
★ ★ ★ ★ ★




• Listen to Live Feeds •


WebSDR
Software Defined Radios on the Internet.


BrandMeister Scanner
Listen to DMR TalkGroups - Worldwide




• Inspiring Hams •


KM4ACK
Excellent videos on installing Ham programs on Raspberry Pi


KD8CEC
µBITX, Raspberry Pi, WSJTX-Portable & Fldigi


K4REF
Great tutorials on Winlink & Fldigi


G8JNJ
Helical antenna design/testing, baluns & tuners.


N0AGI
APRS & Cool Projects


KI4HDU
East Tennessee APRS Moderator




• APRS Tracking, General & Cool Stuff •


VHF Propagation Map
Jon Harder, NG0E Twitter @ng0e


UBSEDS14 Balloon
N9SIR-1 iGated flight in March 2016


US Amateur Radio Bands
Updated on April 25, 2017 - FCC 97.313


FindU.com
Database of weather, positions, telemetry and messages


APRS Direct - East Tennessee
Real-time APRS tracking & weather data


Blog - aprs.fi
What's up on aprs.fi


PositionsReport.de
Position Report Station Info for N9SIR-1


APRS.Link
N9SIR-1 Basic Info


K3ASI
Frequency Chart of most used Modes


Digital Modes Samples
Hear samples of many modes, by KB9UKD.


WSJT-X Program
Downloads/instruction provided by K1JT




• My Next Projects •


Echolink node on RPi
Going to try Fall or Winter of 2018


2 Meter Helical Antennas
two designs by W6NBC



I'm happy to exchange or add
links with other Hams !







Chirp files for East Tennessee





CHIRP - Knoxville & Surroundings Repeaters
Import this (.csv) file for Baofeng HT radios


CHIRP - Knoxville & Surroundings Repeaters
Import this (.csv) file for Leixen & Jetstream Mobiles
(This file also includes GMRS & Satellite voice/packet frequencies)


Download CHIRP Here
Versions for: Windows, MacOS, Ubuntu & Linux






Skywarn - Trained Spotter



National Weather Service
Morristown, Tennesee

Trained Spotter

Tony Bunner

East Tennessee
Forecast Information

Visit: weather.gov/mrx


Become a Trained Spotter
Find a training class near you




Submit a Spotter Storm Report to:
National Weather Service Morristown, TN



View Submitted Storm Report at:
National Weather Service Morristown, TN





East Tennessee Weather



Weather forecast around Knoxville, TN
Map provided by weather.gov




FW0277 - Closest weather station to my QTH


FW0277






UTC Time





Time in UTC:






Locate the ISS, watch ISS Webcams & QSL Card





International Space Station HD Earth Viewing Experiment on Ustream !





Live International Space Station Stream on Ustream !





International Space Station QSL Card:




Make a contact with the ISS? Request QSL Card Here

















View all my ISS SSTV images here


ISS SSTV Schedule








Become a Ham



Check out these online Amateur Radio study guides:



HamStudy.org
Cutting edge amateur radio study tools


HamExam.org
Free Amateur Radio Practice Tests with Flash Cards



Find an Exam Session in Your Area:

http://www.arrl.org/find-an-amateur-radio-license-exam-session






History


Hello, my name is Frank Anthony, but family and friends call me Tony..


A special thank you to Stanley Holliday (WB9ISY), who exposed me to the world of Amateur Radio. Stanley put a 2M HT in my in my hand, after a a few weeks of listening to the local Nets and the rag chewing, I was hooked. He took me to a Hamfest where we found a the No-Code Technician study guide, a few weeks later I took the exam.


I also like to thank Bill Earnhart (W9MNK), who gave me some good advice on studying for the exam. After receiving my license, I contacted Bill on a local 2M repeater and received a my first QSL card from him a few days later.


I earned ticket on February 16, 1993, right before finishing college in Indiana. When I got back to Tennessee, I joined the Oak Ridge Amateur Radio Club (one year) where I ran to an old friend, Todd (KE4EQR - Silent Key). I worked a few events with Todd's Radio Club (think it was RACK, providing communications for Knoxville Track Club), worked some Packet Radio using BayPac Model BP-1 Modem, worked a few Field Day events, then between the start of a family and broken equipment, I stopped keying the mic..


Fast forward to 2015, with my Son gone off to college and us not kart racing anymore, I needed to find a hobby.. So, I decided to get back into Ham Radio. I soon purchased a cheap (2M/70cm) HT and (2M/70cm) base radio and with the help of my friend, Larry Noe (KM4ITU) I finally figured out how to program all the local repeaters. I'm currently using 17' Tram 1481 (2M/70cm) antenna attached to a 20' foam filled PVC mass, I also have three roll-up dual band (2M/70cm) antennas by Nelson Antennas. I've built the $4 dual band yagi for working the satellites and local nets. I also have a really nice (2M) J-Pole that my friend, Joe Johnson (W4OWR) built me a few years ago, trying to figure out how to mount it on my van (with an electric actuator) for camping trips, emergency nets and volunteer events.


Currently, my interests are working APRS (iGate and SatGate), working voice on satellites (QRP), building an APRS Go Box, meeting some new folks, attending a few Hamfests and I'm really look forward to visiting another Field Day in 2017. Now that I'm a Extra Class, I'm looking into building or buying some low cost HF equipment. Hope to have a few HF QSOs with my old neighbor, Keith (N9SIQ) who took the No-Code Tech Exam on the same day I did. I'm currently a Technical Advisor for the University of Tennessee Amateur Radio Club.


73
Tony
EM86ea
APRS: N9SIR-1
#N9SIR on Instagram





Contact Information


Tony Bunner


Click Here to Email Me Anytime


Find me on QRZ



If there is a declared emergency, catch me on APRS,
and/or on the 2M & 70cm Simplex Frequencies.



EchoLink:

Thank you KC2UEZ for echolink.php