I discovered pocketAPRS recently and wanted to try it with my old Palm m100. It is at least 6 years old, so I wasn't sure if it was up to the challenge.

One of the most difficult things of this project, was finding the pocketAPRS software! Unfortunately the project was discontinued in 2004, making it difficult to track down. If you do enough Google hunting and searching, you should be able to find a copy some place on the net.

I installed pocketAPRS on the Palm, using the Palm Desktop... just like installing any other piece of software for the Palm OS.

Next I needed to figure out how to physcially connect the Palm m100 with the Kenwood TH-D7A. The Palm m100 I have came with a serial sync cable which looks ike this:

On Saturday I attended the "Intro to Amateur Radio and Emergency Communications" class put on by The Southern Peninsula Emergency Communication System (SPECS). It was an interesting class, which included simulated emergency communication "nets". It was worthwhile going, and I would recommend others to check it out as well.

Although you can buy cables "pre-made" for connecting the GPS to the Kenwood D7, it seems to be in the spirit of ham radio... to build your own.
Hopefully these pictures will help you see what I did to get mine working.

Page 6 of Kenwood's Documentation on Connectors was very helpful. However it doesn't really say what to do with the "serial" port end of the cable. The TH-D7 manual mentions which holes are what, but obviously it can make a difference on which viewpoint (solder-side or connector-side) and whether it is a male or female port.

This cable has allowed me to connect a Magellan Meridian GPS and a Garmin etrex Legend to the D7. (NOTE: This was for use with the existing manfacturer cables that provide connections from the device to a DB-9 serial cable).

View of the front of the connector-side:

EchoLink Cable for HT - $40

N8ARY has basic circuit diagrams for building the setup necessary to use an HT with EchoLink. Its pretty basic and simple to do (from the looks of things). I am sure it is something most "hams" could figure out, but its always nice to have something to reference when building yourself. The site is not fancy or galmorous.

FreeTrack 2.02 - GPS to APRS Tracking Encoder

"This encoder will turn serial NMEA data from a GPS receiver into APRS format AX.25 data packets.
By using this hardware with a 2 meter ham radio and the freely available APRS computer software, you can track the location of the GPS on a map in real time. Latest release now supports the mic-e compressed data format for much smaller packets.

I struggled to get APRS working with my Kenwood TH-D7A/G. The following things were done. I haven't confirmed all of them were necessary...

I've been told that many people misunderstand the proper etiquette behind ham radio. Many people think that it is a hobby which involves a lot of talking. In reality, I'm being taught that it is more about listening. This makes a lot of sense, and is indicative of the culture I've found in ham radio.

As a new ham licensee, I obviously want to learn the proper procedures and protocols... as well as follow the above suggestion. I wanted to find a way to be able to quietly listen to Kenwood TH-D7A/G without annoying my co-workers. I found a great adapter to go from the 3/32" mono phone jack on the Kenwood, to 1/8" stereo headphone (RadioShack PN# 274-381). What I really like about the adapter is that it takes the mono and makes it stereo... so I can listen with either side of the headphones... or both.

I purchased a Kenwood D7A/G at Ham Radio Outlet today. The built-in APRS and TNC should make it a useful rig to learn amateur radio technologies.

I finally found my callsign in the FCC ULS database! I've been assigned KI6ETL. I think its a pretty good callsign. I don't see the need for a vanity callsign yet. I might consider one if/when I get my General Class License.

I passed the Technician Exam with a 35/35! I never thought I'd actually get my license. I called the family and shared the news. I had kept it a secret, so they were all pretty shocked. My dad (W6SYW) has been nice enough to ship an old rig of his... an Azden PCS-3000