Technology, Innovation & Telecomm

Anyhow, ARF is a device that has an on-board database of all of the repeaters that the ARRL knows about. Each record of this database contains Latitude and Longitude information about the repeater, so that when the user connects a GPS unit to ARF (or uses the optional built-in GPS), it can immediately tell them about the repeaters that are nearby. This location feature is always available, updating the list of nearby repeaters as you move. Since there are various types of repeaters, ARF allows the operator to filter on these and other parameters to provide a list of up to 16 of the closest repeaters meeting those criteria.In addition to providing information about the repeaters on a 4×20 LCD, ARF can program various radios from its on-board serial port. This allows the operator to select one of the repeaters that ARF has located and have the radio be immediately capable of using that local repeater. This feature is extended as well, by a “scan” capability. ARF can walk through the list of repeaters it’s found, programming the radio as it does so. The scan rate is programmable and can be sped up or slowed down by the simple twist of a the device’s main control knob. If there is activity on a particular repeater, the operator can quickly stop the scan and begin using that repeater.

ARF has an on-board speaker that can announce the call sign of each repeater by means of Morse code. The speed that the code is sent, as well as the “sidetone” frequency can be configured. ARF also supports what is known as Farnsworth speed. This allows the operator to select a high character speed, with a slower pace between each character and word. This feature allows one to more easily “copy” the code characters, while spacing things at a more comfortable pace.

ARF is packaged as a kit, designed for those with intermediate-level soldering and construction skill. There are two surface-mount components on the board, only one of which the user must mount. That part is a fairly large-pitch component and can be mounted easily with appropriate care. The other surface-mount component is the microcontroller. This part is pre-mounted on the circuit board so that the builder doesn’t have to worry about it. The remainder of the components are through-hole types, so construction is simple. The basic kit includes all of the components and circuit board. No case or cabling is included. There is an optional aluminum case and an optional on-board GPS for those who want a complete solution.

All aspects of ARF’s firmware can be updated, including the resident software and the repeater database. These packages will be available from the ARF website once the kit is ready for sale.

I expect to have the kit ready for purchase some time in February. It will be undergoing some field trials in the next few weeks, in order to shake out any pending problems. As things progress, I’ll be providing more information in future posts. There are other features to the product that I’ll be describing in future posts as well, so stay tuned.

One last note. I consider ARF to be simply one of many possible applications for the hardware. Thus, you’ll note that I will be separating the ARF firmware from the hardware platform in my future discussions. I have other ideas for application firmware that can be used on this platform, so ARF will hopefully be but the first of many others to come.

If you’re an Amateur Radio operator, this is a great product to have and use. I hope that you’ll agree!

Categories: Ham Radio, Software Development, Technology Posted By: Administrator
Last Edit: 14 Jan 2007 @ 06 24 PM

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