PicoAPRS V4: A Tiny APRS Ham Radio - iGate, Digipeater, TNC
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- Опубліковано 15 жов 2024
- I don't know of a smaller radio that pack the features that the PicoAPRS brings! You can find them DXEngineering: www.dxengineer...
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Finally, people in prison will be able to participate in the hobby.
Lmao.
I hope they aren't using the tacticool whips in there! 🤣
GPS beaconing is not going to be helpful... you know where they are already... or maybe it is very helpful...
Most prisoners wouldn’t get past the redlight review for licensure by the FCC
@@ianlombardo9758 The red light review is for unpaid fines isn't it?
I have the v2 and v3 and I was admittedly taken aback by the price of the v4. Yes the color OLED is nice and the inclusion of WiFi and Bluetooth is pretty slick. The built-in speaker for phone operation and a microphone has undoubtedly also contributed to the increased price.
I wish I had throwaway money to add this to my collection but I admit this is low on my wishlist.
I was looking to pick one up until I saw the price tag. For $20 more I'd pick up a full blown FT-5DR.
Ft5 is great. But doesn’t function as a TNC or have useful data Bluetooth or wifi.
@@HamRadioCrashCourse Why doesn't yaesu put proper bluetooth 5.2 instead of their 2009-esque garbage bluetooth? I would love to connect it to the bluetooth phone systems in the cars but of course it fails. Besides this I like it since using the sd card and the programmer software is very easy and similar to the 400xdr so there was no learning curve there. Firmware updates are archaic though, those tiny switches are so infinitesimally small I have to have my wife manipulate them for me.
I use a signal stalk glow in the dark antenna on the ft5d and use half a watt to talk to my pistar anywhere inside my 3747 ft^2 house unless it's the far bathroom, then 1 watt and 1 watt again from outside except in the middle of the backyard it has pretty good line of sight to the closet with the pistar in it through the gigantic window in my office. My office is in this room so I can see without cameras wtf my German Shepherds are singing the songs of their people at. There are also cameras back there with 2 way sound so I can cajole or excoriate them into stopping or whatever other makes sense at the time without going downstairs.
This is SO much better than the FT-5DR. I sold mine, menus are junk, bluetooth is junk, APRS is junk, this is so much easier
Josh, thanks for the nice review! I have informed Taner to take a look at your video :)
Greetings from Germany, Ekki, DF4OR, WiMo Product Management
Surprised by how many folks are upset by the price. AFAIK, no other device can do all the things this thing does and it's coming from an individual designer, not an established manufacturer that can benefit from economies of scale. Very excited to see more devices like this in the future and I'm sure costs will come down. I hope the big radio brands take note.
Exactly!!!
What does this $400 unit do that a $50 digirig can't
I was gonna get it but I ended up getting the ftd5r for like $367 a few months ago . I did get pico APRS v3 for like 100 something bucks they are so much fun
Where's @K6ARK... he'll make that handheld/APRS smaller! Great video Josh, I need to start playing with APRS again.
Remember the Alinco credit card radios? TINY! I had a DJ-C1 2m 300mw radio. Tucked in my pocket at work.
I have a DJ-C5!
Those were cool, I had the DJ-C5 too! Had a tiny charger. Used mine at Hamfests, it always attracted attention, it would have been a nice rig for cross band repeat at home 😊
Interested to see what the new model can do. I have the prior version of Pico APRS. If used in an area near other digipeaters or igates, the PicoAPRS beacon will be picked up, and this device is usable. This is mostly going to be urban / suburban areas. Otherwise, 1W is too little power. My QTH is somewhat remote from any digipeaters/igates, and this device cannot hit them. However, my TH-D74 w/Smiley antenna can easily hit these.
I velcroed this unit to my drone and found that the direct line of sight advantage of higher altitude is not enough to overcome the low power. Not sure if a larger antenna would help, there are other slightly longer antennas available from Comet, etc. A larger antenna would lessen the size advantage of this device, and raise the cost, of course.
I classify most of my ham / rf gear either as a tool that is useful and reliable, or a gadget, like my HarckRF w/Portapack. I tend to view the PicoAPRS more as a gadget that a tool.
An easy way to connect to a computer and especially a phone is what all radios should do. Yes, 1W is limiting, but I agree this is a wonderful tool for APRS and Packet winlink. Too cool.
I have my Pico set up as Network Kiss TNC with PinPoint v2 on my PC. Cost a bunch, but who else has a 2-meter radio with usable built in TNC. Rock solid product. Will take it on a road trip along the Blue Ridge parkway this Spring.
Aloha Josh, as much as I love your videos and your recommendations for products, I won’t go near this one with a 10 foot pole unless it transmits on 2 meters with at least 3 watts or at least 2.5 watts.
I really don’t care if it’s the size of a deck of cards as long at it works at least 2.5-3 watts of power in order for me to buy it at that price.
I must be able to check into local nets and conduct a decent QSO with fellow Hams without being criticized about my lack of audio clarity.
This radio sounded like crap in your video and I’m sure it’s a lot worse in person.
The only thing this radio has going for it is the SMA connector so that you can connect a real antenna to it. The downside is that he has the SMA connector backwards, the SMA post should be stick out from the antenna, not stick up from the radio.
When you finally break off the antenna getting in and out your vehicle, you only need to buy a new antenna instead of having to buy a new radio.
Using a camera battery might sound like a great idea but my experience with these types of batteries is that they have a very short lifespan and have to be replaced often, maybe once a year.
I don’t care if it has 70cm or not, but 2 meters, 2 meter SSB and 220 mhz would be ideal.
I’ll just wait for the real HT version of this radio, however long that takes for that kind of money. 😢
Radio sounds fine. There was RFI when I held it over my car. When it was next to me the audio is completely workable.
@@HamRadioCrashCourse That's what I thought was happening. 👍
All I heard in my head was Josh's podcast audio drop "Let me spend your money!" This looks like an amazing little unit with great APRS implementation. I may have to get one 😁
Josh, That's a nice radio, but not at $399.00.
Most ham channels have turned into "look at the latest, most expensive, toy that i got for free"
I’d definitely pay 100-150 though
@@joel6221 Ive recently culled my subscriptions. Anyone pushing TID Radio, Radioddity/TYT/Retevis and AliExpress and Bangood. Im on the fence with Xiegu because I dont know if they use oppressed labor or have the peoples Army dictating spyware like TIDradio does.
Whether you can justify the cost depends on how much you're into APRS. That device is an all-in-one APRS device, so if you wanted to play with APRS, one of those talkies wouldn't be a bad idea as it would give you a convenient test device for experimenting with that functionality. For the most part, it has all the technology one would require.
Been watching this device for years. It was under $150. The Mobilinkd was last seen at $124.95. It appears that PicoAprs functions with RadioMail (I'd like to see the dance you had to do to get it working on bluetooth). If the March Mobilinkd comes back at $300 (restock with newly sourced boards) PicoAprs might be interesting for the extra functions.
What a cool little device. A bit expensive for what it is, but still a cool little device.
That is super-cool...
My APRS participation mostly involves Kenwood TM-D710A/GA's running in my car/truck. Also a TH-D72A when flying. Never bought the TH-D74A since DStar is not that active in my area and Kenwood removed full-duplex capability useful in satellite QSO's and the cost. If I had a need for the PicoAPRS I would buy one but not just for the heck of it. Nice presentation!
I bought it directly from Wimo and saved $72 over the DX Engineering Price! That includes express shipping from Germany!
The 1w isn’t really a problem you can easily buy an amplifier relatively inexpensive 5w/10w
I need "Fill in Digi" for GMRS repeating in my Jeep during hunting season, Parked on the opposite hill side from the one we are pushing, with a great antenna on the jeep the information from the GMRS-PRO would be shared with much less trouble from the folds of the earth. It is exciting to see APRS seeing some activity and progress.
The digipeater is nice for portable area packet that is nice. I like that radio i am going to have to save for that Radio.
In the early years of APRS there were several trackers that used 1 Watt transmitters, probably before your time, but they worked well.
Very cool. I suppose if someone sent me one for free I would be more forgiving of the price vs quality also. FT5D is a much better value.
I really like this, I have been looking for a way we can track SAR teams without using cellphones when we don’t have cell reception. We used cellphones for team tracking when we have cell service but that’s only about half of our missions or less.
You can do that with the group monitor function on the yaesu HTs, we use FT5Ds for this with the glow in the dark Signal Stalk antennae.
A Man and his Toys....lol I can see why you would like this. Fantastic for such a small package. I take it that the radio does not have squelch on 2 M FM ? If I didn't already have one, I'd buy a FT-5D for the same price, but is sure would not be as small. The Digipeat feature is really neat also. Have fun with it Josh ! Some amazing things being done these days with SDR radios ! I know this radio would frustrate me with it's short comings. Too much distance to transmit in Idaho in most places with only 1 watt. No matter how small the radio is, you still need a full 1/4 wl antenna to have some efficiency from 1 watt. Still a fun looking package ! Geek Out my friend.
It has squelch. I had it turned off.
What app are you using on the smartphone to mail via winlink?
Josh, is there an attachment point for Picoaprs v4 so you attach it to a lanyard or a clip? How do you have yours attached?
$100 sure i'd grab one.... $400? OMG no. My Xiegu G90 didnt cost that much. (or my TruSDX, or my SW-3B, or my ft-2980, or. or... (i like cheap radio gear, what can I say?)
So cool!
German innovation. love gadgets.
Is the VX3 really known to die if you try charging a dead battery with the radio?
It’s like those compasses you could get from a crackerjack box. ‘It could save your life!’ Remember that?
Cute. Expensive. Great feature set. I'm guessing that it doesn't (currently) do repeater offset or CCTSS tone generation? (Standard 600kHz offset shouldn't be too hard to add, though it might require regional firmware versions. Squelch tone might be out of range of the audio conditioning.)
Update includes repeater programming and ctcss tones.
It's too bad they didn't add 2M FM offset and PL functions for repeater operation... or did they?
Are you able to send SMS messages from the device via SMSGTE like on D74?
3:48 THANK YOU!
Neat, but crazy expensive..oof Does ALOT though. Very cool!
I like it for 300 dollars but idk about 400. If it goes on sale you bet
I’ll be waiting for them
Hey KI5IGE here. I'm trying to do a weather balloon with my dad and I'm wondering what the best APRS solution is for tracking.
Thank you for the video. The last time I did anything with APRS was with a TinyTrak3 a whole lot of cables and GPSMap76CS and an Alinco DJ-V5. I have a question for you if you don't mind answering (thank you in advance). I am interested in just tracking only. I am currently looking at a recumbent trike, and would be interested in tracking my ride. I am also interested in putting a tracker in the car. Can you recommend something that is inexpensive that would work? The car one would only be used when out and about and parked. If the car gets stolen, I'd know where it is. The trike would be so my YL could see where I am.
The project is still in the planning stages so any advice or suggestions would be helpful.
I was thinking a small solar panel on the trike to keep things charged up and running. For the car, maybe something in the back window? Your thoughts and ideas are appreciated. I also have a used cellphone with no SIM card if that info helps any.
Guess you're busy. :)
Get a FT3D instead - yes, it can't do everything but then again it can do more for same $$$ or less...
It has no TNC capability.
Just picked up an FT5D, but this is small enough that the wife wouldn't even notice it... (Evil music plays in the background) This looks super cool. I'm with you, love the gadgets. And with Mobilinkd not in stock, this may be the next best alternative. 73- KK7IWW
Okay!!! New to the Ham world, crypto is thinking about using this tech for transactions!!! Yes really! How do I reach out to you?
Fill in Digi , could be used to create a multi point mini network, ie one tx , digipet , digipet, digipet, rx so you could have a team and create a multi link /hop network to extend/ create a network where one does not exist?
That's a neat little radio.
Hey Josh - is that battery the same BL-5C battery that the Tecsun PL-368/CountyComm GP-7 radio uses?
No it’s not.
Might be an EN-EL12 type. 1.7 x 1.3 x 0.3" / 4.3 x 3.3 x 0.8 cm. If so - very inexpensive.
@@Jody_VE5SAR I think you’re correct. Makes a lot of sense to use a commonly available battery.
Taner posted that the Fujifilm NP-48 is compatible.
Josh, does this radio mean you don’t the Mobilinkd TNC4 to do 2m Packet Winmail
Hi, PicoAPRS V4 includes a BT TNC like Mobilinkd and also a 2m transceiver. So you need just a PicoAPRS V4 & a smartphone/tablet or PC.
Also no cables required!
I would use that for field day.for packet. Aprs not into yet but packet radio is great.
Definitely noticed that AVE ruler, a man of culture I see.
precisely.
What is the battery life like on these please?
This makes me supremely giddy! I love the form factor! So cool. Thanks for sharing, Josh.
KD9TUV
The only thing standing between me and this radio are my reading glasses! 🤓
I may have missed it, apologies if so... Is the 2m simplex only, or does it have full repeater capability?
Simplex only.
Are there any similar handhelds (APRS incl. TNC) that also does 70cm as well as 2m? Eg FT5 doesn't do TNC.
With a TNC? No.
What’s the battery life like on receive and just beacons?
Cool but too expensive…especially at 1W output
The manual states it changes the path to the ISS when changing the APRS frequency to 145.825. Have you tried it to see if it actually does?
I have not.
It's super cool and tiny but I'll be waiting for DX Engineering to send me a free sample too!🤞😆
Does KISS tnc only do APRS or can you work packet with it? I've never been to impressed with KISS tnc's in the passed (Kenwood TH d74 comes to mind) while radios with a real TNC ( Kenwood th-d72) are great. I think it speaks volumes that I'm selling my TH-D74 but keeping the th-d72.
Yeah. It does packet. I showed using it for packet Winlink on the video.
Where in SoCal are you located?
What app are you using on the phone? Looks a little better than what I am using...
RadioMail. See my last video posting.
Would make u a friendly wager, I could get an APRS message out from that location. 😊
Any luck using this to do WinLink via the RadioMail iOS app while connected via WiFi?
I demonstrated that on the video.
@@HamRadioCrashCourse Cool! I guess I got distracted by something and missed that part. Watching again now. Cant wait to get my hands on one when they come back in stock. 73!
Does it work on USBC with ATAK-CIV APRS plugin?
Oh. 1w but simplex only so no repeater? That’s tough in a rural area.
I'd be a lot more excited about this device if it put out 5w. I fear that 1w is not going to help me much if I try using it in the backcountry in Utah.
Then it would be larger.
Tether to the IC-705 for TNC purposes???
What software is that on your iphone?
Radiomail and APRS.fi
got the same Razer mouse ;)
cool. thx
The price is pretty steep. I still want it.
Don't mind me, I'm just here for that #SmallBoiRadioLife.
#ButDoesItDo2mSSB???
BLE will be implemented in the next software upgrade.
I have the Beta. It’s working at the moment.
@@HamRadioCrashCourse pretty amazing that a maker is rolling out software updates so frequently to accommodate the users. Very refreshing.
What is this sorcery!?
One cautionary note I'll make about these devices is to be careful if you run one of these 24/7 connected to power if it's serving as a stationary device for like an iGate, etc. I've learned the hard way, almost twice, on the v2 and v3, that the batteries can and will begin to bloat just like cell phones or laptops that are left on a charger 24/7. I have a repair I need to make to the delicate case of my v2 as a result of a swelled battery that I caught in time before it got really out of hand, and also caught my v3 with a battery that was getting hot before any damage was done. Fortunately there are replacements available for each of those from third party sources since the battery used is not unique to the various Pico models.
Can you run the radio without a battery if it's connected to a USB power source?
@@jeremyboxdotcom I had experimented with this and discussed with Taner on my v2 unit. If you reduce power to "low" (0.5 watt), I recalled that it seemed to run without issue via just USB power. If running on "high" (1 watt) the unit will often reboot when you transmit. The proposed solution was to use a supercapicator connected to the internal battery connector and it will charge enough to maintain 1 watt operation without disruption. I have to get around to testing it again to see if it holds up soundly but in theory that should overcome the potential for a swollen battery if it's running nonstop.
will it work APRSDroid app?
Yes, of course!
pretty slick but eh 1 watt 400 bucks. i can think of much better ways of spending that cash
Is this radio open source based?
Example:
Socorad32
Arduino based and all open source.
$399? 🤣😂🤣
small costs money.
@@p4rsec My wife says otherwise lol
The AvE Ruler!!!!!!
真不错 就是贵了些
Soooo question: FCC?
It's not doing anything that's illegal unless you are operating it without an amateur radio license.
I wish I could afford one, lol. But yeah, it looks like a great device, and probably well worth the money
Love the ruler..... :)
👍👍😊
I have to disagree with you about the automatic firmware updating in radios or any device. I hate that Apple and Microsoft do this. It happens way too often that there is a bug in the update and they use the public as beta testers. Sometimes the bug only affects a small number of people and then the company has even less incentive to fix it. While it is more work, I really prefer to do my own updates AND I need the capability to roll back to an older update / firmware version.
RIGHT TO REPAIR!!!!
Nice but, little "pricey" to me.
A Pico radio for not such a Pico price tag.
Wait for it to appear on AliExpress for 60% off.
It's not expensive because of the new OLED screen and the Wi-Fi and BT components, those cost less than $10 combined. You're paying for the developer's time
Needs UHF!
400 doll hairs yea okay lmfao
I'm tempted to sell my FT3DR and get one of these.
399.00 American !?....... NFW
A NanoAPRS with a slightly bigger form factor for my fat thumbs, a little more power, HDMI, keyboard attachment, speech to text, and half the price, and I'm definitely going to get one.
Too much for what it is
jesus $399.99 who would buy that when you can get the same on a better system?
Because nothing does in one unit what that little radio does on the market today.
We are looking to get into APRS!