Amateur Packet Reporting System   144.390Mhz

The LaPorte County Amateur Radio Club supports APRS. But what is APRS?

Amateur Packet Reporting System (APRS) is a digital communication system utilized by amateur radio operators to exchange messages and track locations utilizing GPS.

APRS is a well-known technology among hams, with numerous applications in emergency communications, tracking, and weather reporting. APRS is a digital communication system. It functions by sending small packects of data via radio.It's designed for exchanging messages over short distances or radio to radio. It was developed in the 1990's by Bob Bruninga. WB4APR/SK. Some hams operate their APRS stations that connect APRS to the Internet. These radios are called Gateways or I-GATES. Then there are APRS stations that act like 2 meter repeaters. These are called Digipeaters.  Rather then connecting radio to radio for short distance, digipeaters work in the same way a repeater works by sending and receiving data packets over a greater distance. A network is created when several digipeaters are within range of each other. When a I-Gate is with in a local network, packects can be exchanged from that I-GATE with in a network of stations or digipeaters and  transmitted over the internet to other I-Gates in another local network. To control the overloading of packects, each station is configured to only repeat new packects.If there is good coverage of digipeaters, packects could be sent cross counrty, but with gaps in the networks, I-Gates fill in and send packects world wide.A number of radios sold today have GPS and APRS software built in. You can also use your Andriod phone to connect with a app called APRSDRIOD