As I'm sure many of you have heard, discontinuation of the ESD-protected
MOSFETs used on the OpenTracker+ have required changes to the board.
I'm not happy with the substitute we're using now, and I'll probably
have to change the board again.

Using the parts I want to use would mean going with surface mount
packages for those two transistors.  I wanted to see how folks felt
about that possibility.

The other option is to just discontinue the OT1+ entirely.  The only
reason I've kept it around since the introduction of the OTUSB has been
to offer a through-hole kit for those who want to build the board
themselves.  This is a much smaller portion of our sales than in the old
days - it's been a long time since we routinely shipped 10-packs of kits
for club builds.  I still want to support the kit builders if I can, but
it's a constant fight against component obsolescence.

In any case, we won't be offering the assembled OT1+ any more - the
OTUSB does everything the OT1+ does and a lot more, and requires less
assembly labor.

Scott

> Scott (good name)
>
> Setting up a new remote didi/wx station here and came across this same
> issue. We are planning on deploying it in the next week. Just wondering
> if you have a fix worked up for this yet?

I'm looking at that now.  Positions, status text, weather, and telemetry
should really all be configurable separately.  That shouldn't be too
hard, but status and telemetry intervals are already stored in a packed
format and changing it will break backward compatibility with otwincfg.

There will also need to be commands to trigger each manually.  I'll
probably do this with special parameters to the BEACON command, like
BEACON W for weather.  That will require an extra flag or two in RAM,
but it shouldn't be a major deal and won't break compatibility with
anything else.

This sort of thing will be easier in my next-generation tracker, which
will just have an internal webserver instead of a PC-based configuration
program.

For the moment, I might just implement the BEACON changes.  That way you
can set the automatic rate as low as you want, and trigger the other
beacons through scripting.

Scott

Fixed it!  An update will be coming later today.

The problem was that the 'end of address' bit has always been
pre-encoded as part of the source callsign.  I've changed it to be set
on the fly now.

Scott

On 10/7/2011 7:47 PM, notrobbage wrote:
> I have VK6RN-3 configured to alternate paths. Each path is approximately
> 15 minutes. Profile 1 path is "WIDE2-2" and P2 path is _empty_. The idea
> was to keep the wide beacon to every 30 minutes and a local beacon every
> alternate 15 minutes which won't be digipeated.
> Beacons using the P1 path are good.
> Beacons using the P2 path are broken and look like this monitoring over
> RF with AGWPE:
>
> *1:Fm VK6RN-3 To APOT21 Via -8 <I R1 S6 pid=31 Len=27 >[10:24:16]
> 52,167,254,000,000,00000010*
>
> The header is quite broken and isn't a UI. The payload appears to be the
> remains of a telemetry report. It's easy enough to replace the empty
> path with "WIDE1" or similar but I think it needs fixing anway. The
> latest firmware is installed.
>
>

> Setting up a new remote didi/wx station here and came across this same
> issue. We are planning on deploying it in the next week. Just wondering
> if you have a fix worked up for this yet?

Ok, I've got a fix coming out later today.  BEACON now supports two
extra modes:

BEACON P sends only a position, no weather
BEACON W sends weather, no position

If you want complete control, you'll have to disable automatic
transmissions and use the BEACON commands in a script.

Scott

On 03/11/11 05:23, Scott Miller wrote:
> Fixed it!  An update will be coming later today.
>
> The problem was that the 'end of address' bit has always been
> pre-encoded as part of the source callsign.  I've changed it to be set
> on the fly now.
>
Good stuff. I've been using an alternate path of "NULL" for a couple of
weeks. :-)

--
Rob, VK6UFO, VK6RN

Build 55862 is up for both the T2 and the OTUSB.  For the T2, it's still
marked as a development build because there have been MANY internal changes.

For the OTUSB, analog inputs are now referenced to the MCU's internal
bandgap reference.  This means more accurate readings despite variations
in supply voltage.  I tested two units in the temperature chamber and
after setting TEMPADJ, the readings were within 1 degree C from -30C to
+40C, and not more than 3 degrees off over the entire tested range of
-195C to +80C.

BEACON P and BEACON W now beacon only position or weather packets,
respectively.  You can use these in scripts for better control over what
packets get sent when.

Using ALTPATH with a blank path in one profile but not the other now
works correctly.

For the T2 this is not a critical update, but I very much recommend it
for the OTUSB if you didn't already update last week - there's another
fix that corrects a problem with the USB stack freezing under certain
circumstances.

Scott

The CDM750 has been used with several types of TNC's and can be used with the
OT+. The actual connector on the back of the radio is 20 pins but with an
HLN9457/HLN9457A 16 pin accessory connector kit, you can grab the pins you need.
This is the specified connector kit for this radio.

Looking at the back of the radio with the heatsink fins facing up the connector
pins on the top row are odd numbers 1 through 19 from RIGHT TO LEFT. The
connector pins on the bottom are even numbered 2 through 20 from RIGHT TO LEFT.

OT+..Function....CDM750 accessory connector
------------------------------------------
1....Audio Out...4 or 7 (see note below)
3....PTT.........5
5....Audio In....13
6....Ground......9

Note: Pin 4 is for Microphone Audio in at 80mV RMS for 3KHz Deviation.
Pin 7 is for a flat transmit audio in at 150 mV RMS for 3 KHz Deviation.

Larry
K7YBZ

--- In tracker2@yahoogroups.com, "Peter Summerhawk" <peter.summerhawk@...>
wrote:
>
> Morning,
>
>
>
> Anyone ever hooked a tracker into the port in the back on the radio? And if
> that have can someone contact me and let me know how they did it?
>
>
>
> Thanks,
>
>
>
> Peter Summerhawk-N0WRE
>

I'm trying to receive messages on my Tracker2 FC/301D.
I set RING to ON but I don't see any text on APORT.
APORT is set to AUTO.

Do I need to look on BPORT instead?

Leigh/WA5ZNU

On Wed, Nov 2, 2011 at 2:49 PM, Peter Summerhawk
<peter.summerhawk@...> wrote:

> Anyone ever hooked a tracker into the port in the back on the radio?
> And if that have can someone contact me and let me know how they did it?

Are you aware of the Wiki that is used as a repository of information
about the Argent equipment?

You can find it at:

http://wiki.argentdata.com

There's a page about radio wiring diagrams as well:

http://wiki.argentdata.com/index.php?title=Radio_Wiring

There's also a page that has a diagram showing the pin out connections
between the OT pin out and the Motorola 16 pin accessory connector:

http://wiki.argentdata.com/index.php?title=OT-Moto

--
James
VE6SRV

--- In tracker2@yahoogroups.com, Scott Miller <scott@...> wrote:
>
> Build 55862 is up for both the T2 and the OTUSB.  For the T2, it's still
> marked as a development build because there have been MANY internal changes.
>
> For the OTUSB, analog inputs are now referenced to the MCU's internal
> bandgap reference.  This means more accurate readings despite variations
> in supply voltage.  I tested two units in the temperature chamber and
> after setting TEMPADJ, the readings were within 1 degree C from -30C to
> +40C, and not more than 3 degrees off over the entire tested range of
> -195C to +80C.
>
> BEACON P and BEACON W now beacon only position or weather packets,
> respectively.  You can use these in scripts for better control over what
> packets get sent when.
>
> Using ALTPATH with a blank path in one profile but not the other now
> works correctly.
>
> For the T2 this is not a critical update, but I very much recommend it
> for the OTUSB if you didn't already update last week - there's another
> fix that corrects a problem with the USB stack freezing under certain
> circumstances.
>
> Scott
>
Thank you Scott.
Will be updating the new weather station/digi here before it is deployed.

Scott KB7DZR

RING just makes the terminal bell ding when a message comes in.  Are you
seeing any traffic at all?  With MONITOR ON, you should see every packet
decoded.

Scott

On 11/2/2011 8:41 PM, Leigh L. Klotz, Jr WA5ZNU wrote:
> I'm trying to receive messages on my Tracker2 FC/301D.
> I set RING to ON but I don't see any text on APORT.
> APORT is set to AUTO.
>
> Do I need to look on BPORT instead?
>
> Leigh/WA5ZNU
>
>

--- In tracker2@yahoogroups.com, "offtracks1" <worldroamer@...> wrote:
>
>
>
> --- In tracker2@yahoogroups.com, Scott Miller <scott@> wrote:
> >
> > Build 55862 is up for both the T2 and the OTUSB.  For the T2, it's still
> > marked as a development build because there have been MANY internal changes.
> >
> > For the OTUSB, analog inputs are now referenced to the MCU's internal
> > bandgap reference.  This means more accurate readings despite variations
> > in supply voltage.  I tested two units in the temperature chamber and
> > after setting TEMPADJ, the readings were within 1 degree C from -30C to
> > +40C, and not more than 3 degrees off over the entire tested range of
> > -195C to +80C.
> >
> > BEACON P and BEACON W now beacon only position or weather packets,
> > respectively.  You can use these in scripts for better control over what
> > packets get sent when.
> >
> > Using ALTPATH with a blank path in one profile but not the other now
> > works correctly.
> >
> > For the T2 this is not a critical update, but I very much recommend it
> > for the OTUSB if you didn't already update last week - there's another
> > fix that corrects a problem with the USB stack freezing under certain
> > circumstances.
> >
> > Scott
> >
> Thank you Scott.
> Will be updating the new weather station/digi here before it is deployed.
>
> Scott KB7DZR
>
Testing the newer firmware and I must me missing something. It wants to stay in
profile 2 and uses the path for its Call. I have started with a new setup even
and it still only uses the path for the call.
Scott KB7DZR

> Testing the newer firmware and I must me missing something. It wants to
> stay in profile 2 and uses the path for its Call. I have started with a
> new setup even and it still only uses the path for the call.
> Scott KB7DZR

OTUSB or T2?  Can you send me your configuration file?

Scott

--- In tracker2@yahoogroups.com, Scott Miller <scott@...> wrote:
>
> > Testing the newer firmware and I must me missing something. It wants to
> > stay in profile 2 and uses the path for its Call. I have started with a
> > new setup even and it still only uses the path for the call.
> > Scott KB7DZR
>
> OTUSB or T2?  Can you send me your configuration file?
>
> Scott
>
Sure Will do.

I did get it to show the call by putting the call in the path box.

Oops.  Fixed it.  Updated firmware has been posted.

Scott

On 11/3/2011 10:29 AM, offtracks1 wrote:
>
>
> --- In tracker2@yahoogroups.com <mailto:tracker2%40yahoogroups.com>,
> Scott Miller <scott@...> wrote:
>  >
>  > > Testing the newer firmware and I must me missing something. It wants to
>  > > stay in profile 2 and uses the path for its Call. I have started with a
>  > > new setup even and it still only uses the path for the call.
>  > > Scott KB7DZR
>  >
>  > OTUSB or T2? Can you send me your configuration file?
>  >
>  > Scott
>  >
> Sure Will do.
>
> I did get it to show the call by putting the call in the path box.
>
>

--- In tracker2@yahoogroups.com, Scott Miller <scott@...> wrote:
>
> Oops.  Fixed it.  Updated firmware has been posted.
>
> Scott
>
> On 11/3/2011 10:29 AM, offtracks1 wrote:
> >
> >
> > --- In tracker2@yahoogroups.com <mailto:tracker2%40yahoogroups.com>,
> > Scott Miller <scott@> wrote:
> >  >
> >  > > Testing the newer firmware and I must me missing something. It wants to
> >  > > stay in profile 2 and uses the path for its Call. I have started with a
> >  > > new setup even and it still only uses the path for the call.
> >  > > Scott KB7DZR
> >  >
> >  > OTUSB or T2? Can you send me your configuration file?
> >  >
> >  > Scott
> >  >
> > Sure Will do.
> >
> > I did get it to show the call by putting the call in the path box.
> >
> >
>
Scott

That fixed it, thank you very much. They are coming today to pick up this
weather station. I still need to figure out the new settings for the weather and
position beacons.

I do have an issue with the profile switching now. I have it set so the voltage
at 12.4 it changes to profile 2. The same set up works fine with the original
firmware shipped with the t2. I sent the file to you earlier.

Now once powered up the profile changes to profile 2.
The voltage is set to change to profile 2 when at 12.4. The power supply is at
13.5 and it still switches over to profile 2.

Scott KB7DZR

--- In tracker2@yahoogroups.com, "offtracks1" <worldroamer@...> wrote:
>
>
>
> --- In tracker2@yahoogroups.com, Scott Miller <scott@> wrote:
> >
> > Oops.  Fixed it.  Updated firmware has been posted.
> >
> > Scott
> >
> > On 11/3/2011 10:29 AM, offtracks1 wrote:
> > >
> > >
> > > --- In tracker2@yahoogroups.com <mailto:tracker2%40yahoogroups.com>,
> > > Scott Miller <scott@> wrote:
> > >  >
> > >  > > Testing the newer firmware and I must me missing something. It wants
to
> > >  > > stay in profile 2 and uses the path for its Call. I have started with
a
> > >  > > new setup even and it still only uses the path for the call.
> > >  > > Scott KB7DZR
> > >  >
> > >  > OTUSB or T2? Can you send me your configuration file?
> > >  >
> > >  > Scott
> > >  >
> > > Sure Will do.
> > >
> > > I did get it to show the call by putting the call in the path box.
> > >
> > >
> >
> Scott
>
> That fixed it, thank you very much. They are coming today to pick up this
weather station. I still need to figure out the new settings for the weather and
position beacons.
>
> I do have an issue with the profile switching now. I have it set so the
voltage at 12.4 it changes to profile 2. The same set up works fine with the
original firmware shipped with the t2. I sent the file to you earlier.
>
> Now once powered up the profile changes to profile 2.
> The voltage is set to change to profile 2 when at 12.4. The power supply is at
13.5 and it still switches over to profile 2.
>
> Scott KB7DZR
>
The profile switching seems to be broken. It always wants to go to profile 2 if
it is used.

Scott KB7DZR

On Thu, Nov 3, 2011 at 1:10 PM, offtracks1 <worldroamer@...> wrote:

> I do have an issue with the profile switching now. I have it set so
> the voltage at 12.4 it changes to profile 2.
>
> Now once powered up the profile changes to profile 2.
> The voltage is set to change to profile 2 when at 12.4.
> The power supply is at 13.5 and it still switches over to profile 2.

There's no option to switch profiles when the voltage equals 12.4
volts. You can choose to switch when the voltage is less than or
equal, or greater than a set point.

--
James
VE6SRV

Thanks, Scott.

Two issues then:

1. I don't see traffic with MONITOR ON.
I'm on the FC-301/D data radio, using
http://wiki.argentdata.com/index.php?title=T2-301 pinouts, port A
connected to a laptop.  I can type commands, such as "monitor on" and see
that they work. However, I see no traffic.
I opened the radio case and the green LED flickers sometimes and stays on
constantly if I key up a transmitter nearby (on a dummy load) on 144.390.
But when it flickers I see no text on PORTA.  I have MONITOR ON, RING ON,
AMODE AUTO, Version Tracker2 Build 54746.  I will try running otwincfg and
see if I can get any more info.

2. Is there a mode like RING+MONITOR that sends to PORTA only messages to
my call-sid?  That sure would be nice...assuming I can get #1 to work.

Leigh/WA5ZNU

> RING just makes the terminal bell ding when a message comes in.  Are you
> seeing any traffic at all?  With MONITOR ON, you should see every packet
> decoded.
>
> Scott
>
> On 11/2/2011 8:41 PM, Leigh L. Klotz, Jr WA5ZNU wrote:
>> I'm trying to receive messages on my Tracker2 FC/301D.
>> I set RING to ON but I don't see any text on APORT.
>> APORT is set to AUTO.
>>
>> Do I need to look on BPORT instead?
>>
>> Leigh/WA5ZNU
>>
>>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>

I installed v55076 and that didn't help but when I reset firmware options
and re-entered everything it started to receive packets.  Thanks!

I still would like to know if there is a way to monitor but only incoming
messages.

Leigh/WA5ZNU

> Thanks, Scott.
>
> Two issues then:
>
> 1. I don't see traffic with MONITOR ON.
> I'm on the FC-301/D data radio, using
> http://wiki.argentdata.com/index.php?title=T2-301 pinouts, port A
> connected to a laptop.  I can type commands, such as "monitor on" and see
> that they work. However, I see no traffic.
> I opened the radio case and the green LED flickers sometimes and stays on
> constantly if I key up a transmitter nearby (on a dummy load) on 144.390.
> But when it flickers I see no text on PORTA.  I have MONITOR ON, RING ON,
> AMODE AUTO, Version Tracker2 Build 54746.  I will try running otwincfg and
> see if I can get any more info.
>
> 2. Is there a mode like RING+MONITOR that sends to PORTA only messages to
> my call-sid?  That sure would be nice...assuming I can get #1 to work.
>
> Leigh/WA5ZNU
>
>> RING just makes the terminal bell ding when a message comes in.  Are you
>> seeing any traffic at all?  With MONITOR ON, you should see every packet
>> decoded.
>>
>> Scott
>>
>> On 11/2/2011 8:41 PM, Leigh L. Klotz, Jr WA5ZNU wrote:
>>> I'm trying to receive messages on my Tracker2 FC/301D.
>>> I set RING to ON but I don't see any text on APORT.
>>> APORT is set to AUTO.
>>>
>>> Do I need to look on BPORT instead?
>>>
>>> Leigh/WA5ZNU
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>> ------------------------------------
>>
>> Yahoo! Groups Links
>>
>>
>>
>
>

Hi,

I'd like to add a geiger counter to my T2 in my car and report the counts per
minute while using Smart Beaconing.

As far as I can see there is no simple way to do this, the only way I found to
get a CPM output is to report telemetry every 60sec and reset the counter when
transmitting.

I've read in the archives that the free version of Codewarrior should be able
now to build the T2 Firmware, can somebody confirm this? I'd like to do some
other edits too.

73s de OE1RFC,
Clemens

On Thu, Nov 3, 2011 at 5:35 PM, Clemens Hopfer <datacop@...> wrote:

> I'd like to add a geiger counter to my T2 in my car and report the counts per
> minute while using Smart Beaconing.
>
> As far as I can see there is no simple way to do this, the only way I found to
> get a CPM output is to report telemetry every 60sec and reset the counter when
> transmitting.

So, you're using the counter input to keep track of the counts, I
assume. When the counter is enabled, that value is reported in each
packet sent, but it would be a raw value. If you clear the counter on
each transmission, and you are using SmartBeaconing, you could clear
your count before a minute is up.

You might be able to use a script to loop for 60 seconds, and then
read the accumulated count total, and store it in another variable,
and then clear the count. You might be able to fashion a way to come
up with a running average as well.

Now, how to report that value is a bit of a challenge. You wouldn't
want to report the count every minute on the APRS channel 24 hours a
day. That's going to be a lot of load on the network.

> I've read in the archives that the free version of Codewarrior should be able
> now to build the T2 Firmware, can somebody confirm this? I'd like to do some
> other edits too.

I pulled down Code Warrior, but have not yet figured out how to get
all the bits in place to be able to build my own firmware from source
yet. I haven't been after it really hard either though. A little write
up on the process involved would be nice... I hate reinventing the
wheel.

--
James
VE6SRV

Greetings Clemens,


Out of curiosity, what is your goal? Just counts? Measuring background? This
is one of my interest as well.

I attached a PNG of counts over time from a radiation monitor in a fixed
location. The result of a pedestrian walking by with a CS137 source in their
pocket increased the counts and in this case to almost double. A larger
source would have caused more counts and a smaller source would have caused
less counts.

The insets are histograms. The X is the number of channels and the Y is the
counts per channel. Each channel corresponds to an energy. The source in the
PNG will always produce counts in the same channels.

In the test above, a standard Geiger counter was unable to detect the
source, since it registered a natural background of 0.02 mR/hr before and
during the pedestrian incident.

If a truckload of bananas, or kitty litter, pottery, or someone that just
had a Barium Swallow test, went by, an increase of counts may have resulted.
In each case, counts probably do not tell enough of the story; the counts
with energy does.


Best regards,
Fred, N7FMH



-----Original Message-----
From: tracker2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:tracker2@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf
Of Clemens Hopfer
Sent: Thursday, November 03, 2011 19:35
To: tracker2@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [tracker2] CPM Counter telemetry with Smart Beaconing

Hi,

I'd like to add a geiger counter to my T2 in my car and report the counts
per minute while using Smart Beaconing.

As far as I can see there is no simple way to do this, the only way I found
to get a CPM output is to report telemetry every 60sec and reset the counter
when transmitting.

I've read in the archives that the free version of Codewarrior should be
able now to build the T2 Firmware, can somebody confirm this? I'd like to do
some other edits too.

73s de OE1RFC,
Clemens

I am attempting to get this configuration to work and am having no luck with the
GPS data feeding into UI-View.

The configuration I have is the T2-301,T2-301 Serial + Power Cable and Serial
Splitter Cable.

Port A is connected to UI-View and I can receive data.
Port B is connected to the GPS via cabling that has worked with T2's in the
past.

Both ports are set to 4800 baud.  Port A is set to KISS and Port B is set to
Auto.

With UI-View running I get no info from the GPS receiver.  This tracking is
beaconing W5ADC-6 and will be up most of the time over the next few days.  The
location is currently fixed in UI-View.

Is this configuration even possible?  If so, what am I doing wrong?

Thanks,

Tony
W5ADC

Hi, been observing an strange thing with my T2-135s. They sometime from some
stations heard directly, decode the position beacon to include some rubbish,
i.e.:

LA3R-10>APRX22:!6050��d��@�.40NI0�049.\
36E&W1 og iGate

LD2TR>APNU19:!6210��d��@�.33NS0�041.46\
E#PHG3000 TRONFJELL W3,NORn


When I hear the packet via another digi the rubbish is not there, i.e:

2011-11-05 20:54:43 UTC:
LD2TR>APNU19,LD2LK*,WIDE2-1,qAR,LA3R-10:!6210.33NS01041.46E#PHG3000 TRONFJELL
W3,NORn

And the LD2LK digi is in fact a T2-135 as well.

Anyone got any idea what this can be?

LB5JE

No, you won't get position data from the GPS in KISS mode.  There was
discussion about a standard for passing GPS data in KISS frames, but
that happened after Roger died and as far as I know there's no add-on
for UI-View that will parse it.

Scott

On 11/5/2011 2:51 PM, tony@... wrote:
> I am attempting to get this configuration to work and am having no luck
> with the GPS data feeding into UI-View.
>
> The configuration I have is the T2-301,T2-301 Serial + Power Cable and
> Serial Splitter Cable.
>
> Port A is connected to UI-View and I can receive data.
> Port B is connected to the GPS via cabling that has worked with T2's in
> the past.
>
> Both ports are set to 4800 baud. Port A is set to KISS and Port B is set
> to Auto.
>
> With UI-View running I get no info from the GPS receiver. This tracking
> is beaconing W5ADC-6 and will be up most of the time over the next few
> days. The location is currently fixed in UI-View.
>
> Is this configuration even possible? If so, what am I doing wrong?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Tony
> W5ADC
>
>

I've never seen that before.  Is PASSALL on?  Do the ￿ bits show
up on the screen, and if so, in what program?  Those are escape
sequences and wouldn't be output in that form by the tracker.

Scott

On 11/5/2011 6:25 PM, Hans Jørgen Strandby wrote:
> Hi, been observing an strange thing with my T2-135s. They sometime from
> some stations heard directly, decode the position beacon to include some
> rubbish, i.e.:
>
>
LA3R-10>APRX22:!6050��d��@�.40NI0�049.\
36E&W1
> og iGate
>
>
LD2TR>APNU19:!6210��d��@�.33NS0�041.46\
E#PHG3000
> TRONFJELL W3,NORn
>
> When I hear the packet via another digi the rubbish is not there, i.e:
>
> 2011-11-05 20:54:43 UTC:
> LD2TR>APNU19,LD2LK*,WIDE2-1,qAR,LA3R-10:!6210.33NS01041.46E#PHG3000
> TRONFJELL W3,NORn
>
> And the LD2LK digi is in fact a T2-135 as well.
>
> Anyone got any idea what this can be?
>
> LB5JE
>
>

> I opened the radio case and the green LED flickers sometimes and stays on
> constantly if I key up a transmitter nearby (on a dummy load) on 144.390.

Try setting PASSALL ON and see if it's at least hearing garbled packets.

> 2. Is there a mode like RING+MONITOR that sends to PORTA only messages to
> my call-sid? That sure would be nice...assuming I can get #1 to work.

If MONITOR is off, you'll only see messages addressed to you.

Scott