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This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.

--- tutorial-location-beacon [2024/07/13 02:08] – created w1cdn
+++ tutorial-location-beacon [2026/02/06 02:23] (current) – ve3qbz
@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+====== Adding APRS locations to beacons ======
+Adding an appropriately encoded APRS string to your node's routine beacon text can be a great way to help advertise your node's availability via the APRS network - BPQ nodes configured for APRS, Direwolf, or even other APRS applications like Xastir connected to direwolf, that are listening on your packet node's transmit frequency can decode the beacon text as if it were a normal APRS packet, and iGate them to the APRS-IS network, where they are accessible to the broader APRS user community.  It also allows you to check sites like aprs.fi to see what other packet nodes configured for APRS are able to hear your station's beacons, what times of day, under what band conditions, etc.  It can be a lot of fun on Network105 (20m HF packet) to see your station's beacon iGated from thousands of kilometers away!
 N6CTA suggests this format for beacons (via Matrix):
 <code>=3405.20N/11748.25WB-0/R -1/B -4/C -5/IRC -7/N DM14cc FARPN</code>
 > This bit is an uncompressed APRS compatible location and APRS icon for a BBS (N6CTA, Matrix).
 > The "!" and "=" at the front have different meanings as well, per the spec, whether or not you can receive APRS messages (VE3QBZ, Matrix).
+''!'' means no APRS messaging, ''='' means APRS-message-capable ([[http://aprs.net/vm/DOS/PROTOCOL.HTM|ref]]).
 <code>=3405.20N/11748.25WB</code>
-> This bit is more or less standard. The rest tells you what SSIDs lead to a particular service (N6CTA, Matrix).
+Latitude and longitude coordinates can be converted to the right format using the tool by NA7Q at https://aprs.wiki/converter/.
+The rest tells you what SSIDs lead to a particular service (N6CTA, Matrix).
 <code>0/R -1/B -4/C -5/IRC -7/N DM14cc FARPN</code>
+Another reference: https://wiki.oarc.uk/packet:bpq_nodes_on_aprs