GPS Speaker mics

[wuzafuzz]

Something like this would be really cool for ground teams and for GBD plotting.

http://www.firecache.com/prodinfo.asp?number=90.5100

http://www.efjohnsontechnologies.com/products/portables/speaker_mic

I know, it's expensive and we can still phone home with coordinates, but my inner geek is drooling!  Kind  of like APRS on steroids. 

[arajca]

Unfortunately, these don't appear to work with our handhelds. We do not have the 5100 ES series, just the plain 5100.

[cap235629]

yes they do. I was at last years NASAR conference and it had a LONG discussion with the owner of the company

[IceNine]

SMS, mobile email, or for the lucky few Google Maps on Android powered devices are all much cheaper alternatives.

[wuzafuzz]

SMS, mobile email, or for the lucky few Google Maps on Android powered devices are all much cheaper alternatives.

For position reporting?

[wuzafuzz]

Unfortunately, these don't appear to work with our handhelds. We do not have the 5100 ES series, just the plain 5100.

The first link, for the Inifinity product, specifically lists the EFJ 5100 series, along with many current and recent Motorola portables.  Apparently that one has interchangeable cables so it can work with many different makes and models.

It's still more expensive than I am likely to spend on my own.  Unless others are using them, there's no point.

[billford1]

We got a couple of speaker mics that were made for our ef Johnson HTs. They're awesome. Don't bother with the holster. With the speaker mic you've got your hands free and you can hear easily when someone's trying to call you. You also don't have so much risk of dropping your radio when it's clipped to your belt the whole time.

[Major Lord]

c. Communications equipment provided through National Headquarters will not be modified in any manner without prior approval from the National Technology Center (NTC). Approved modifications will be documented and posted on the NTC Communications Program website. Modifications are defined as:
(1) The alteration or removal of components provided as part of the originally issued system or package design.
(2) The interfacing of any external components which are not a standard option or accessory obtained from the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), or designed in cooperation with the OEM, to directly interface to the equipment through existing connections utilizing vendor-provided or common off-the-shelf interface cabling.
(3) The alteration of equipment circuitry in a manner which was not part of the OEM design or included in OEM documentation.

This would pretty much seem to be a ban on GPS Speaker Mics unless they are OEM, or are specifically approved for use with our radios. Of course, this only applies to Corporate Radios. Member-owned equipment would narrow the range of utility quite a bit. Simple low cost APRS encoder/decoders would allow us to use the no-cost APRS protocol and mapping software. Too bad.

Major Lord

[wuzafuzz]

c. Communications equipment provided through National Headquarters will not be modified in any manner without prior approval from the National Technology Center (NTC). Approved modifications will be documented and posted on the NTC Communications Program website. Modifications are defined as:
(1) The alteration or removal of components provided as part of the originally issued system or package design.
(2) The interfacing of any external components which are not a standard option or accessory obtained from the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), or designed in cooperation with the OEM, to directly interface to the equipment through existing connections utilizing vendor-provided or common off-the-shelf interface cabling.
(3) The alteration of equipment circuitry in a manner which was not part of the OEM design or included in OEM documentation.

This would pretty much seem to be a ban on GPS Speaker Mics unless they are OEM, or are specifically approved for use with our radios. Of course, this only applies to Corporate Radios. Member-owned equipment would narrow the range of utility quite a bit. Simple low cost APRS encoder/decoders would allow us to use the no-cost APRS protocol and mapping software. Too bad.

Major Lord

Wow.  Section (2) seems unnecessarily restrictive.  In fact it would seem to prohibit the repeater linking several wings are already using to great effect.  (I'll take a link over a highbird 10 times out of 10.)  I understand National wants to keep people from modifying Corporate owned gear, but connecting external accessories shouldn't be that big a deal.

When I started this thread I wondered if the restriction on data would be the limiting factor. 

I suppose I should turn myself for committing the following sins:

• Connecting a Motorola speaker mic to the EFJ 5100.  They function identically, but we have rules.  Try finding an EFJ version on eBay.  Good luck.
• Using a Motorola battery on an EFJ 5100.
• Using a Motorola battery charger.
• Connecting the EFJ 5100 to an external antenna.
• I have used and controlled linked repeaters. Maybe my wing has a waiver and I can sleep better at night?

Innovation, within reason, should be encouraged as long as it doesn't harm our gear or prevent us from working with other units.  Sigh.  It seems our innovation is limited to the uniform combo of the week. 

[Major Lord]

I suppose if we found a GPS speaker mic that worked well, we could apply for an NTIA exemption. None of the GPS Speaker Mics out there use the APRS protocol, so we would have to buy licenses for multiple copies of the mapping software, to accommodate missions being run from varying locations. Some of the GPS MICs require additional hardware on the receive end to parse the data into mapping datum.

I was able in testing to send 1200 Baud position data using MIC-E over our repeater, and if we had members in various parts of the country with an always-on internet connection, setting them up with an I-Gate would be a trivial matter. Using highbirds as tracker/digipeaters and setting up I-gates in the remote areas, we could set up a CAP-secure mapping page, like aprs.fi, but with restricted access. For a system that just lets aircraft and field teams send data ( as opposed to having real time mapping GPS receivers for every member in the field) we could set up a system for about 30.00 per radio ,or a little more if they need a GPS too.

Major Lord

[arajca]

c. Communications equipment provided through National Headquarters will not be modified in any manner without prior approval from the National Technology Center (NTC). Approved modifications will be documented and posted on the NTC Communications Program website. Modifications are defined as:
(1) The alteration or removal of components provided as part of the originally issued system or package design.
(2) The interfacing of any external components which are not a standard option or accessory obtained from the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), or designed in cooperation with the OEM, to directly interface to the equipment through existing connections utilizing vendor-provided or common off-the-shelf interface cabling.
(3) The alteration of equipment circuitry in a manner which was not part of the OEM design or included in OEM documentation.

This would pretty much seem to be a ban on GPS Speaker Mics unless they are OEM, or are specifically approved for use with our radios. Of course, this only applies to Corporate Radios. Member-owned equipment would narrow the range of utility quite a bit. Simple low cost APRS encoder/decoders would allow us to use the no-cost APRS protocol and mapping software. Too bad.

Major Lord

Wow.  Section (2) seems unnecessarily restrictive.  In fact it would seem to prohibit the repeater linking several wings are already using to great effect.  (I'll take a link over a highbird 10 times out of 10.)  I understand National wants to keep people from modifying Corporate owned gear, but connecting external accessories shouldn't be that big a deal.

When I started this thread I wondered if the restriction on data would be the limiting factor. 

I suppose I should turn myself for committing the following sins:

• Connecting a Motorola speaker mic to the EFJ 5100.  They function identically, but we have rules.  Try finding an EFJ version on eBay.  Good luck.
• Using a Motorola battery on an EFJ 5100.
• Using a Motorola battery charger.
• Connecting the EFJ 5100 to an external antenna.
• I have used and controlled linked repeaters. Maybe my wing has a waiver and I can sleep better at night?

Innovation, within reason, should be encouraged as long as it doesn't harm our gear or prevent us from working with other units.  Sigh.  It seems our innovation is limited to the uniform combo of the week. 

5. Yes, we have approval from National.