Setting up your own iGate for ~$65

[Kahuna]

Ive been playing around with getting this to work and Im almost there. It will will take me a few more weeks of experimenting with USB sound modem dongles. But for those of you ARPS folks who want to iGate on the cheap, I can see no simpler way than one of these Raspberry Pi's.
My instructions on how to get this going for the noob.
Ill report back when I have a reliable USB soundmodem working. Meantime the software works, gate is up, and its pretty cool to play with.
Enjoy,

[humptybump]

Mike - this looks like a cool project and I will be following your progress. I've been using APRX for a while now and find it very very stable.

I did my iGate with an old HT I found on eBay for about $40 and a used OLPC XO-1 (often available on eBay for around $75 +/-).

It's been up for about 15 months now - write up.

[AllThumbs]

I've been looking for an excuse to play with a Pi! Now I have one.
What scanner would you suggest for a cheap buy?

I bet you saw this post on the C-audio:
http://asliceofraspberrypi.blogspot....ut-device.html

[n18pf]

Has anyone tried one of these: http://tnc-x.com/TNCPi.htm

It is supposedly a TNC that mates directly to the RASPi. I've got one on order to check out. I'm curious how it relates to a USB sound card.

I've been using APRX on a RASPi with a KPC-3 for about 9 months and it has been extremely stable for the last six months or so (took me a while to work out all the bugs!). If I can get a small, low power igate solution worked out, I may try to get one installed at the airport.

Fun Stuff!

[krwalsh]

Wow, nice use of the RaspberyPi and APRS.

I wonder how difficult it would be to use one of the USB stick software defined radios (SDR) to set up an iGate. That would be a really tiny package.

[deej]

I have a full two way iGate setup using a RPi and a Byonics TT4 (which is about the same size as the RPi) which is tied to a spare mobile rig, running the Xastir software.

They have under development a TT4 with a built-in frequency agile 2m radio, and I am hoping to get one of these when they are released. I predict being able to build a full two way iGate in a package about the size of four RPis including the power supply.

-Dj

[n18pf]

Just to follow up. I finally got around to building and testing the TNC-Pi. It works great as an Igate. It piggy backs directly on the Raspi - no separate connectors or power supplies. I simply pulled the radio DB9 out of my KPC3 and plugged it into the TNC-Pi and it was up and running. Very cool.

I wrote up some instructions on how to get this combination up and running using APRX in case anyone is interested. Actually, they are the instructions for me to rebuild mine in case I have an issue with it. I didn't want to have to re-invent them later!

No affiliation with either the Raspberry Pi or the TNC-Pi folks - I just thought it was a great combination (at least until Byonics gets one that includes a radio!).

Enjoy!

[rpellicciotti]

Originally Posted by n18pf

Just to follow up. I finally got around to building and testing the TNC-Pi. It works great as an Igate. It piggy backs directly on the Raspi - no separate connectors or power supplies. I simply pulled the radio DB9 out of my KPC3 and plugged it into the TNC-Pi and it was up and running. Very cool.

I wrote up some instructions on how to get this combination up and running using APRX in case anyone is interested. Actually, they are the instructions for me to rebuild mine in case I have an issue with it. I didn't want to have to re-invent them later!

No affiliation with either the Raspberry Pi or the TNC-Pi folks - I just thought it was a great combination (at least until Byonics gets one that includes a radio!).

Enjoy!

I would really like to have a parts list and instructions that you have developed. I am interested in installing one of these at my airport.

"rick" at "rocket-boys" dot "com"

[gnuse]

I just wish these posts were written in "plain English".

[Gash]

I just opened the fridge and found some raspberry pie. mmmmm. pie.