Solar Power APRS Weather Station

[@coblaze1]

that was oddly satisfying to watch. Thanks for the great video!

[@raczbela3414]

I am Hobby Meteorologe from Switzerland, and i love Weatherstations! Thanks for this fantastic Video.

[@Devin82m]

Cool build, my only concern is all those holes not having gaskets.

[@gamingforlive2150]

My concern is the fact that he cramped all wires into that small solar charge controler

[@DIGITALHEXCODE]

That's a great idea. You can purchase a used commercial or amateur radio for much less than new. There are also cheaper new radios than the one I use. I use the 2300 now since the icomm 2200 has been discontinued. I found that it lasts a very long time in the field under continuous operation. Just make sure the radio you choose can transmit at the power level you need. Also I wouldn't get one with a fan for cooling as they tend to fail after a few years of continuous operation.

[@cmritchie04]

why would you use a ham radio on a fixed frequency when you can get a cheep commercial radio?

[@DIGITALHEXCODE]

All holes should be drilled to the same size as your screw threads to prevent water intrusion. If you feel water may still get in you can apply a dab of silicone in your screw holes to seal them. You can also drill a small hole on the bottom of your box to drain any condensation that may be in there if humidity is a problem in your area.

[@DonaldOhse]

Your link is broken to the APRS Setup Guide.

[@1OTDM]

Interesting how these days so much more is just done using a RaspberryPi. It would emulate the TNC, require far smaller battery packs, and probably also run on a smaller panel. Plus you could have a USB SRD plugged right in and it would handle broadcast/receive. With a wifi stick, you could control it remotely using SSH.

[@JJRicks]

Big props for adding sutitles, thanks!

[@davidjudkins7374]

Very interesting and a very nicely done video. Thanks for the very interesting presentation!

[@DIGITALHEXCODE]

The infrastructure for amateur radio community is already in place. If you want to set up your own private system on a commercial frequency, you would also need to install repeaters and a gateway but it could be done.

[@beej2001]

I think what cmritchie04 is saying is, instead of spending $250 for a brand new ham radio, with a VFO, you could have purchased a cheap used commercial radio for $50, and had it programmed to the APRS frequency. One of the main differences between ham gear and commercial gear is the ability to change to any frequency in the amateur band with the twist of a knob. Since that is a feature this application won't need a commercial radio programmed to a fixed frequency would have been cheaper.

[@adamreader6759]

i love this video and trying somethink like that too. in your video you are talking to the tnc with the pc what software are you using

[@DIGITALHEXCODE]

In the video I use SuperStrut brand which is carried by Lowe's (a home improvement store in the US) but you can also use UniStrut brand which is carried by Home Depot (another home improvement store in the US). Any brand of strut channel should work just fine. The telescoping antenna mast is a pole but more appropriately it is a mast. Of course that may not be the case for British, Canadian, Australian etc.

[@va3vad]

Why not to use the Kenwood D-700 or the D-710 APRS ready radios? Just connect the weather station to the radio the TNC and software is installed in the Kenwood unit. Program the radio only.

[@I-am-EmJay]

Not all weather stations output the data in the right format for APRS - this is why they are using the software - there are other solutions such as finding a weather station that is APRS compatible. And using a D710 would be pricey as a stand alone weather station.

[@MisterTwister55]

There is very good reason NOT to use the 700/710. I bought a 710G for exactly this purpose. Connecting the radio to the weather station was super easy and data started flowing immediately but it didn't send out a complete set of data. One thing it was missing was peak wind gust over the period between transmissions. If you have an anemometer, wind gust is one of the most important measurements. So I bought a wx3in1 mini and hooked it up to a Motorola commercial radio...now everything is perfect.

[@n5yiz]

Excellent video!

[@shikorie]

Excellent video! Good Work!! i'll do this in Tunisia but can you help me ? ,from where can i get this equipments? Thank's

[@DIGITALHEXCODE]

In the video I am using Procomm Plus but you can use hyper terminal too.

[@HVinduction]

You forgot to fuse the wiring!

[@KY4TRK]

your link is no good anymore.

[@P25AES]

Very nice KK4NEF

[@meterbatesp5367]

C'est très intéressent !!!

[@DonHavjuan]

Feels like you're using someone else's money with these component choices, making it cost 2-3 times more than it needed to.

[@mottechretired]

Taking the PCB out of the TNC without using a wrist strap........that's a NO-NO.