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[W5PB]

Hi all, trying to get the hang of APRS, I’m a new user and just bought my first vhf radio in about 20 years. I have a TH D72A, and have been tinkering with the APRS settings, however, I don’t see my info on APRS.fi. Not sure if it’s an issue on my end. Here are some details

Kenwood TH D72A, with stock antenna, 5 watts out
144.390, band B, with data set to band B
Call sign set as K5GTI-7
Radio set to APRS 12, with “bcon “ (beacon) showing on the screen
Beacon method - Auto
Initial interval - 1 minute
Path is set with two hops wide1-1, wide2-1

I realize the stock antenna isn’t great, (I’m betting a Diamond srh320a)  so looking on the map I found a digipeater and a digipeater/Igate in my area. I drove to those locations on the map, and hung around in the vicinity for 5 minutes each, thinking even with an HT sitting a block away I should be close enough to connect. (One was in a residential neighborhood, ad I saw the antenna) I can receive packets, but I can’t tell if I am transmitting. I have yet to see the red transmit light come on unless I manually key the radio.

[KC0MYW]

I don't have a TH-D72A so can't be much help directly. Perhaps some other users here will be able to give you more specific guidance.

In the meantime, you can check out the in depth manual here: http://www.kenwood.com/i/products/info/amateur/pdf/TH-D72AE_IDM.pdf

Chapter 3 has the configuration steps.

[WD9EWK]

Hi all, trying to get the hang of APRS, I’m a new user and just bought my first vhf radio in about 20 years. I have a TH D72A, and have been tinkering with the APRS settings, however, I don’t see my info on APRS.fi. Not sure if it’s an issue on my end. Here are some details

Kenwood TH D72A, with stock antenna, 5 watts out
144.390, band B, with data set to band B
Call sign set as K5GTI-7
Radio set to APRS 12, with “bcon “ (beacon) showing on the screen
Beacon method - Auto
Initial interval - 1 minute
Path is set with two hops wide1-1, wide2-1

I realize the stock antenna isn’t great, (I’m betting a Diamond srh320a)  so looking on the map I found a digipeater and a digipeater/Igate in my area. I drove to those locations on the map, and hung around in the vicinity for 5 minutes each, thinking even with an HT sitting a block away I should be close enough to connect. (One was in a residential neighborhood, ad I saw the antenna) I can receive packets, but I can’t tell if I am transmitting. I have yet to see the red transmit light come on unless I manually key the radio.

Do you have the GPS turned on? Or have you manually entered a location in one of the position memories? The radio needs to have a position, either through GPS or those position memories, before it will send out APRS position beacons.

[W5PB]

Whoops. Correction - radio is a D74A! Sorry for the incorrect info

[W5PB]

Do you have the GPS turned on? Or have you manually entered a location in one of the position memories? The radio needs to have a position, either through GPS or those position memories, before it will send out APRS position beacons.

Yea, GPS is on, I see the icon flickering occasionally

[WD9EWK]

Yea, GPS is on, I see the icon flickering occasionally

If the settings are as you described, and you are on 144.390 MHz, it sounds like you are on the right track. There are other settings that could get in the way, but I can't rule that in or out based on what you've already described. Do you have a better antenna you can try - a mobile antenna, handheld Yagi, or at least something more than the duckies/whips?

Another option could be to use the MCP-D74 program to download your radio's configuration, then look up my e-mail address on the other site (QRZ) and e-mail that configuration file to me. I can take a look at it, compare it to mine, and see if there might be another setting that is getting in the way.

73!

[W5PB]

Yea, GPS is on, I see the icon flickering occasionally

If the settings are as you described, and you are on 144.390 MHz, it sounds like you are on the right track. There are other settings that could get in the way, but I can't rule that in or out based on what you've already described. Do you have a better antenna you can try - a mobile antenna, handheld Yagi, or at least something more than the duckies/whips?

Another option could be to use the MCP-D74 program to download your radio's configuration, then look up my e-mail address on the other site (QRZ) and e-mail that configuration file to me. I can take a look at it, compare it to mine, and see if there might be another setting that is getting in the way.

73!

Thanks, will do!i have the progrming software from Kenwood

[W5PB]

I noticed my GPS got turned off. I could have sworn it was on!!! Silly mistake, sorry guys. Will re-enable it and try again. I must have fat fingered the wrong menu at the wrong time!

[WD9EWK]

I noticed my GPS got turned off. I could have sworn it was on!!! Silly mistake, sorry guys. Will re-enable it and try again. I must have fat fingered the wrong menu at the wrong time!

Thanks for the e-mails, and sending me a copy of your D74's configuration. I already replied with a mention of the GPS and one other item (expecting to receive a PL tone on the VFO you're using for APRS). I turned on the GPS, cleared the tone setting for the APRS VFO, and changed the call sign to WD9EWK-8 so I could test your configuration properly here. I was able to see packets being digipeated, and was picked up directly by an APRS gateway a few miles north of me.

http://aprs.fi/WD9EWK-8

I use one of the two PF buttons as an on/off switch for the GPS. I don't run the GPS all the time; only when I'm doing APRS on the move, or just want to get my position without looking for my Garmin GPS (or turn on an app on my mobile phone for the same thing). Otherwise, it's an additional drain on the battery pack that isn't always needed for my uses.

73!

[W5PB]

Patrick, got your email last night. I'm out of town right now, but was able to change some settings on the radio. Turned GPS on and turned off the CT tones. Radio now automatically transmits in beacon mode, so that's progress. There is a digipeater near my current location, but wasn't able to get in on my HT. Will keep trying when I get back home. Will let you know either way what happens. Again, your help is appreciated!

[WD9EWK]

Patrick, got your email last night. I'm out of town right now, but was able to change some settings on the radio. Turned GPS on and turned off the CT tones. Radio now automatically transmits in beacon mode, so that's progress. There is a digipeater near my current location, but wasn't able to get in on my HT. Will keep trying when I get back home. Will let you know either way what happens. Again, your help is appreciated!

Do you have a different (better) antenna you can try with the HT? Based on testing your settings last night, with the GPS on and CT off, your settings worked fine - I saw my packets being digipeated around Phoenix from a couple of different digipeaters, and was heard by an APRS gateway. The raw packets I saw through the gateway showed the WIDE1-1,WIDE2-1 path you had in the configuration file.

Good luck, and 73!

[W5PB]

Not yet, as I just purchased the radio over the weekend. I did purchase an aftermarket "rubber duckie" antenna made by diamond but haven't tried it out at home. I'm thinking I could home brew a yagi without much trouble though

[WD9EWK]

Not yet, as I just purchased the radio over the weekend. I did purchase an aftermarket "rubber duckie" antenna made by diamond but haven't tried it out at home. I'm thinking I could home brew a yagi without much trouble though

Try that other Diamond antenna. If you want to build a Yagi, WA5VJB has some designs on his web site:

http://wa5vjb.com/references.html

73!

[W5PB]

Many thanks for the help. I can finally report success. Will check the map to see how far I could travel with my HT and still be heard by a digipeater, but I did see my call on the map.

[W5PB]

Will have to do some reading to learn how to interpret what I'm seeing on APRS.FI, but interesting to note that while the igate near me was able to hear my packets when I drove near it's QTH. But when I held my HT up while standing in the back yard, that same station which was a couple miles away didn't receive my packet but a digipeater about 16 miles away did.