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tracking my model sail boat on a long journey with GPS — Parallax Forums

tracking my model sail boat on a long journey with GPS

whiteoxewhiteoxe Posts: 794
edited 2009-09-27 20:32 in General Discussion
I have a three foot model sailin g boat , very sturdy and sails extremely well . I have used binoculars to not lose it then paddelled out on a surf ski a long way to retrieve it.

I dont know much about the gps yet. I want to fit the boat with a gps and set it off across the world, or maybe a few miles [noparse]:)[/noparse]

How could I keep trck of its location from the shore line ?· Is this even feasable ?

Comments

  • SRLMSRLM Posts: 5,045
    edited 2009-09-26 04:15
    You would need a module onboard the boat that has the GPS and a RF transmitter. Next, you need a module on the shore that has a RF receiver and some sort of display device so that you can see the data. It might be possible to have just the four main components, without a microcontroller if you a) match the baud rates (9600 is probably the most likely) and b) don't need anything except for coordinates (no flexibility).
  • Chris SavageChris Savage Parallax Engineering Posts: 14,406
    edited 2009-09-26 05:18
    Another option would be a GSM module. You could call the boat and request its coordinates as a text message to your phone.

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    Chris Savage

    Parallax Engineering
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    ·
  • LeonLeon Posts: 7,620
    edited 2009-09-26 06:05
    Just use a Telit GE863-GPS or GM862-GPS - GSM and GPS in the same module. SFE makes a board for the GE862.

    Leon

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    Amateur radio callsign: G1HSM
    Suzuki SV1000S motorcycle
  • Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514
    edited 2009-09-26 06:33
    OT, greenspinner, but having tried one myself for a time, I'm in awe of anyone who can simply stay upright on a surf ski, let alone retrieve a three-foot sailboat with one! smile.gif

    -Phil
  • whiteoxewhiteoxe Posts: 794
    edited 2009-09-26 06:42
    heee heee, well I thought I was going to drown a few times as itis one of those where you are buckled into the seat! But e ventually that gives you much better stability [noparse]:)[/noparse]
  • dev/nulldev/null Posts: 381
    edited 2009-09-26 13:25
    You won't get far with a GSM based solution at sea. GSM antennas are high frequency short range. If you want to wander off shore you need a sattelite based solution, like Iridium or Inmarsat.

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    Don't worry. Be happy
  • W9GFOW9GFO Posts: 4,010
    edited 2009-09-26 17:06
    You could get a Ham license then use ARPS.

    Rich H

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    The Servo Boss, a 12 channel servo tester kit from Gadget Gangster.
  • kelvin jameskelvin james Posts: 531
    edited 2009-09-26 18:25
    If you haven't seen it yet, a SPOT with some hacking / micro control of the function buttons would be pretty cool. It has a tracking feature that sends out the gps location via sat every ten minutes that you can view from a web page with google maps.
    Whether it can be water-proofed would be an issue. And you would want to make sure the SOS is disabled, having a rescue team save your boat would be an expensive error.
    Not recommending this, just a possibility it could be done.



    www.findmespot.com/en/
  • whiteoxewhiteoxe Posts: 794
    edited 2009-09-26 19:49
    Ha, I think that half the country would be laughing at finding a toy boat resuscued out at see , I can imagine the news headlines, but unfortunatley it would probably be the other half that put me in the cooler for the expense of the 'rescue' [noparse]:)[/noparse]

    Thanks everyone, plenty of ideas here to work with.

    cheers,
    Mick.
  • stamptrolstamptrol Posts: 1,731
    edited 2009-09-27 12:47
    You can also put a Blackberry on board running the free gps tracker app. Probably in a watertight plastic box, given the cost of the unit!

    You can then use free Instatracker app on your base computer to track locations on a Google map.

    Its accurate, easy to install and is fascinating to watch.

    Cheers,

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    Tom Sisk

    http://www.siskconsult.com
    ·
  • Carl HayesCarl Hayes Posts: 841
    edited 2009-09-27 19:59
    W9GFO said...
    You could get a Ham license then use ARPS.

    Rich H

    Or APRS.· You could even do it without a ham license if you use appropriate frequencies and power levels -- but everyone interested in electronics ought to get a ham license anyway.

    On the boat you need a GPS receiver, a TNC, and an FM transmitter.· The GPS can be anything, preferably small,·that puts out NMEA-0183 signals over a serial interface; the TNC probably ought to be something really small and light like a TinyTracker, though I use a Kantronics KPC-3+ because that's what I've got; and the transmitter can be almost anything at all.· At intervals the system will transmit a short packet that contains latitude & longitude.

    On shore you need an FM receiver, a TNC, and a PC.· The FM receiver can be anything at all that is able to receive the signal from the boat; the TNC can be, for example, a Kantronics KPC-3 or KPC3+; and the PC needs a serial interface that the TNC can talk to, and should be running any of a number of programs that can interpret the APRS packets and display the boat's position superimposed on a map.

    There's tons of information easily available; google "aprs tracking" to see some of it.

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    · -- Carl, nn5i@arrl.net

    Post Edited (Carl Hayes) : 9/27/2009 8:07:30 PM GMT
  • Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514
    edited 2009-09-27 20:32
    Carl Hayes said...
    ...but everyone interested in electronics ought to get a ham license anyway.
    Frankly, they've made it so easy now (here in the 'States, anyway), there's hardly an excuse not to.

    Here is a compact system that could be be adapted to transmitting GPS coordinates. The handheld transceiver is a Yaesu VX-2 operating on two meters. (Yaesu also makes some waterproof handhelds. This one is not.) It's connected to a (soon-to-be-released) Propeller Backpack board, that peforms the PTT and Bell 202 (1200-baud AFSK) mod/demod functions:

    attachment.php?attachmentid=64041

    The APRS protocol has not yet been implemented on the Prop (so far as I know). It would make a great project, but it's probably not necessary for a simple tracking app.

    The inspiration (and support) for this project came from Ken Gracey and his original thread here:

    ····http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php?p=759557

    -Phil
    2m_ht_plus_prop.jpg
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