Gary,
It's downloading to my iPhone now...what...you knew I would (hehehe)
I'll bet Tom has too, since we were the ones to test Tracklog in a race!
First off, a caveat: don't want Allen to think I've become a VHS/Byonics traitor...no way! I kinda doubt this could fully replace a good APRS transmitter, as it still depends on a good GPS
and cell connection (or so I believe...I know that's been a subject of debate, no intent to fire that one up again!). Also, it appears the app does not run in the background (at least on my 3G version), so if I was to use Skycharts, another app, or make/receive a call, the tracking looks like it will stop...I think.
Now to test the actual tracking and the texting feature. Kinda crummy here today, but over the next couple days I have a $100 hamburger mission to complete for my Father-in-Law who's up visiting, and maybe I can talk guccidude1 Dan into downloading the app ($1.99 though, I'll have to twist his arm
). So...
I just configured the app, using my HAM call sign KF7GWS. The app allows you to pick an icon, so I picked an airplane, at it assigned a -4 to the back of my call. It allows a message, so I put my N# in that block. The app also allows some configuration of beacon timing (or selection of preset 1, 2, or 5 minute intervals) and several other settings, some of which I don't fully understand...or understand how it would affect the packets being sent (i.e., gate server, port number, range filter and distance...maybe Allen, Sam or Pete can comment). Here are two screen shots of the settings page (too long to fit in one screen shot):
Here is a shot of the app's main page, showing the various selection keys, along with lat/long, number of beacons sent, and time till next beacon:
Finally a shot of the map it plotted. Pretty much spot on for my current location. The default plot shows other stations in the area, but I'm not sure if that is others using this app, or other APRS trasnmitters in general. ust off this screen shot was a car that showed a driving plot, and I wonder who in the 'hood has a weather station! Of note, it shows the map within the app, so it doesn't swap to Safari to show aprs.fi. It has a search function, and I brought up my last flight as well, within the app. It seems faster that viewing the map on the browser, but then again, I have a 3G signal and a wifi connection here. In flight performance would be the real acid test.
The texting page shows an input box with another block for a call sign to send it to. I haven't figured out how the text would be received by the recipient. Maybe if you knew another user had his iPhone on this app, you could send it to them, or perhaps there's a way it gets put into a packet of sorts and sent to the HAM user...just don't know how they would receive it. I'll have to defer to Pete to see if this is anything like his NexGen APRS invention.
At any rate, it's interesting, but without a lot of testing and proof of concept, I don't think I'd count on it for consistent tracks over all types of terrain (and changing cell phone coverage), or for that safety backup (good tracks down low) during a forced landing that we've talked about in several threads.
But it
is a gadget!
OK, enough geekin' out...I've got a flap-twist situation to go look over!
Cheers,
Bob