23
June
2025
16:20

APRSdroid and VHF radio as a two-way pager

23 June 2025 16:20

With APRSdroid in AFSK (audio) mode, you can transmit data through the radio in APRS mode.
I experimented with two Baofeng radios and here are the APRSdroid settings.

Settings - Options

  • Call sign - your call sign, for example R1BJK
  • SSID - 15 "General additional stations" or other SSID ("portable station", "Mobile station"). If two radios are used with your call sign, their SSID must be different. For example, -7 and -15.
  • APRS path - empty
  • Connection parameters:
    • Connection logging - ON
    • Connection protocol - Audio (AFSK)
    • Quality decoder - ON
    • Audio output - voice call
    • Frame synchronization prefix - 400
  • APRS symbol - any
  • Voice frequency - space
  • Comment - space
  • Location settings - Enter coordinates
    • Coordinate source - Enter coordinates
    • Latitude: 0
    • Longitude: 0
    • Automatic sending\* - Disabled
    • Minimum update time - 60 minutes (does not affect, because sending coordinates is disabled)
  • Location confidentiality - 4 (DD*) (does not affect, because sending coordinates is disabled)
  • Transmit Speed & Heading - Off
  • Transfer height - Off
  • Keep screen on - Off
  • Notifications
    • Incoming messages: Flashing LED, Vibration
    • Notifications - Own location packages - Everything is turned off
  • If you enable the "Automatic sending" option, the radio station will broadcast coordinates every hour (or every n minutes specified in the "Minimum update time" parameter). This way you can enable the APRS beacon in parallel with the APRS pager. But various options using a GPS receiver ("SmartBeaconing", "send periodically at an interval" or FakeGPS) lead to more frequent sending of coordinates, which leads to a significant drain on the radio's battery, and searching for satellites drains the smartphone. In the article I consider the option of transmitting messages as needed, in “pager” mode. In this mode, the radio station transmits only when messages are entered and sent by a radio amateur - the radio station operator.

 

Usage

To start communicating using APRS you need to transmit at least one packet. Then another station will be able to respond to the APRS packet.

To start a radio communication session, one of the operators must transmit their location once. Which can have latitude and longitude 0.0/0.0. Pressing the "Send Location" button while VOX is on will put the radio on transmit and put you on the air, and other correspondents will have the opportunity to answer the call by clicking on your call sign line.

To listen to the broadcast via a cable from a radio station and analyze incoming transmissions (reception) and transmission capabilities, both radio stations and a smartphone with APRSdroid must be in coordinate tracking mode (button "Start tracking"). Information is transmitted over the air only in tracking mode when the APRS service is running on the smartphone. The message “Stop tracking” should be lit on the screen.

Sending APRS parcels is done using the “Messages” pop-up menu, which appears when you hold your finger on a call sign for a long time. The maximum message length is 43 characters (ASCII, letters 0-9, symbols, A-Z, a-z). The APRS message format is described in more detail in the PDF document https://www.aprs.org/doc/APRS101.PDF see "8 POSITION AND DF REPORT DATA FORMATS".

Messages are transmitted over the air in clear text.


The cable for APRS and smartphone is called APRS-k1. It is sold on the AliExpress and Ozon trading platforms. (Search using the keywords "cable for APRS").

If messages have not been sent for a long time, the oldest ones are broadcast first. After entering the Messages menu, you need to click the button with three dots and click “Clear messages”.

APRS frequencies for Russia are 144.800 and 432.500 MHz in the amateur radio bands: 2m - 144.000...146.000 MHz and 70 cm - 430.000...440.000 MHz. Violation of radio traffic rules (use of incorrect call signs, frequencies) or radio stations without registration prosecuted by law(see Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation, Article 13.4).

If you need work without amateur radio call signs or without a computer or smartphone, there is a project Meshtasik based on LoRa, but without an amateur radio license, the power and type of antenna are limited (you can use an omnidirectional one).