Hardware Implementation of APRS Based Tracker with Application in Engineering Education

Abstract

The article presents a hardware implementation of an APRS (Automatic Packet Reporting System) based tracker for determining the location of an object in real time. It was developed and tested in the educational process at the Faculty of Physics and Engineering Technologies of University of Plovdiv “Paisii Hilendarski”. Students acquire lasting knowledge and develop skills for working with APRS trackers connected between GPS and radio stations that transmit data in the global APRS network. Combining modern microcontrollers with appropriate software and APRS technology, a device with many current applications is obtained.