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APRS  UI-View basic set up

For an introduction to APRS please have a look at my "APRS Introduction" page via the button on the left of the screen.  

This page is specifically about how to get UI-View up and running for the first time.  Please note that Roger Barker G4IDE (SK) has set up defaults for most parameters in his software and you should ALWAYS read his excellent help pages.  To access help, just hit F1 while the window that you are changing is open and the appropriate help explanation is then given.

Sadly Roger died of cancer on the 8 September 2004, but I am sure that such an advanced and user friendly software application will continue to be the best in the world for many years to come.  Add-on utilities continue to be written and enhanced, plus the "family of UI-View users" is continuing to support it via the Yahoo eGroup.  A couple of days after Roger became Silent Key there was a spontaneous tribute by the global family.  The following screen grab shows UI-View Objects placed mid Atlantic, each with its own message of condolence.  Also a book of condolence was set up at http://g4ide.ham-radio.ch/ 

I would also like to highlight that with software as flexible as UI-View and with a world of "experts" you will undoubtedly find many different opinions on how to do things.  This page is really just a way of getting you started, so that you can then start to experiment with what suits both you and other amateurs in your locality.  If you think I have it wrong, then just send me an email.  I am also not going to go through every detailed step, but just enough to help you follow the main stages.

Step 1

The first steps are to download UI-View and connect your PC to a TNC, either an external TNC such as the KPC3+, or an internal TNC in a Kenwood rig.  You can also use a sound card in your PC and the AGWPE software which will make your sound card work like a TNC.  See the LINKS page for a step by step guide on AGWPE.

You can download a 16 bit version of UI-View to get started with.  It has almost all the functionality of the 32 bit version and will, I am sure, prove to you that it is worth paying the one off registration fee of £10 to get the 32 bit version.   Since Roger became Silent Key the registration fee has been a voluntary donation to a local charity, preferably Cancer Research.  All the information on download locations and registration sites is also on my LINKS page.  If you are only going to use internet feeds and not a TNC / radio, you will need to download and register the 32 bit version, which will also provide you with an APRS server login ID.  I know people using UI-View on every flavour of Microsoft Windows from 95 to XP / 2000, so don't worry about compatibility.

Once you have run the installer for UI-View you will need to set up some basic screens to tell the software what type of TNC you are using and your own station details.  The following screens are the main ones to check in order to get up and running.

Step 2

If it is the first time that you have run UI-View on your PC, you will be prompted through some of the setup screens.  I will run through them in the order that they appear in the SETUP menu.  The first is the SETUP - COMMS SETUP screen:

I use this configuration with a TM-D700 and it can also be used with a TS-2000.  If HOST MODE is set to NONE, you will see another option TNC type.  TNC type can be used to select a number of TNCs (including the TM-D700) and UI-View will automatically run a command file to set up parameters in your TNC.  As there are so many TNCs, this is certainly a screen that is worth reading the UI-View help file: press F1 to see it.  It is worth pointing out that the Baud Rate is the connection speed between between the TNC and the PC, not the data rate over the air, which is 1200 on the 2m band.

Step 3

The second setup screen is SETUP - STATION SETUP:

Put your callsign in the top left hand box.  Most people do not put an "SSID" on their home station.  The SSID (Source of Symbol ID) is a hyphen followed by a number normally in the range 1 to 15.  In the early days this was used to define the icon used, but today there are numerous conventions around the world.  A common SSID in the UK is -9 for a tracker in a car.

The Latitude and Longitude are in the format dd.mm.nn<C>. "dd" is two digits for degrees. "mm" is two digits for minutes. "nn" is two digits for decimal minutes. 
NOTE - decimal minutes, not seconds i.e. 30 seconds is .50 as there are 60 seconds in a minute. "<C>" is either "N" for North, "S" for South, "W" for West or "E" for East.

The Unproto Address field is the subject of much debate as it depends on local radio conditions and it is worth seeing what other locals use and match their settings.  As I have always stated on this site, if you think I have it wrong, then just send me an email.  Watch in the white "monitor" box at the bottom of the screen when you are up and running and you will soon start to work out what everyone else does.  In the UK many amateurs use TRACEn-N, whereas in the North America most use WIDEn-N.  Have a look and my introduction page for a more detailed explanation of WIDE vs. TRACE.  The following show some common settings: 

UNPROTO Settings

APRS,TRACE7-7
(Digi's via 7 hops -  this is an acceptable UK setting - but is not recommended in North America)

APRS,WIDE2-2
(This digi's via 2 hops, but uses Wide digi's - Mostly used in the North America)

APRS,RELAY,TRACE3-3
(Good for local mobile operation in the UK)

APRS,TRACE7-7,WIDE7-7
(Do NOT use this setting.  Although it can be configured, it congests the frequency and I am lead to understand that it causes some TNC's to crash)

APRS,TRACE6-6,WIDE7-7
(This is for world domination and will go though as many digipeaters as possible, but will not help with congestion of the frequency!  Think very carefully before using this setting and please check with local experts in your country)

Finally add a short beacon comment and confirm the other settings are as shown in my screen grab.  It does not need to have a location reference, because you have already provided your Longitude and Latitude!  I mention the datum I am using is Ordnance Survey because many people use the WGS84 datum.  Maps can be aligned for either datum commonly used in the UK (or others for international). The difference between the WGS84 and OSGB is approximately 100m, so it really only matters for detailed local maps.

Step 4

Next is the SETUP - STATUS TEXT:

You can either put a short line of information, or you can do what I do which is send the best DX.  This is done by ticking the box.

Step 5

Next is SETUP - STATION INFO:

Hopefully self explanatory, if not hit F1

Step 6

Leave the WX Station Setup at its defaults and then have a look at the SETUP -DIGIPEATER SETUP.  Even if you do not intend to run as a digipeater it is worth having a look as it helps to understand how other stations can configure (and mis-configure) their digipeaters.  If you are running the 16 bit unregistered version of UI-View you will not be able to access this screen.

The above is how I normally run my station.  To explain the boxes - "Enable digi" is the on / off button i.e. no check and your station is not a digi, checked and it will digi depending on the settings in the other fields.  PLEASE read the comments about running a digi on my APRS Introduction page.  You can really mess things up for other stations if you do things wrong or if you are located where a digi is not required.  I live very close to a 24 hour digipeater MB7UJ which has similar coverage, so there is no point in my station clogging up the frequency with unnecessary re-transmissions.  Hence I have not checked WIDEn-n or TRACEn-n and the only way that my station will digi is if somebody puts G4IQI in the path for their beacon or message.  My station recognises this by having my callsign in the Alias(es) field.  See the next paragraph for more Alias options.   You can see from the screen grab above that I have "Alias substitution" checked, this means that if my station digis a beacon or a message it will add my callsign (in the "Sub alias" field) to the path (except for WIDE or WIDEn-N, which does not allow you to work out the path).  I have a dislike of people putting a location name or nickname in the "Sub Alias" field as it makes it very hard to work out the path a transmission has taken, whereas callsigns are plotted on the map and you can then easily see the path.  Some add-on software packages, such as UI-Path even have to have a look up table to convert from nicknames to real callsigns to allow paths to be plotted.  In my view, it would be much better if everyone just used their callsigns.

If you are in a location with no other local digipeaters and you want to help improve coverage for other stations then you can set your station like the following screen grab - obviously using your own callsign!

This configuration will respond to all other stations that want to use a digipeater, including cars which normally use RELAY (in the UK) to act as the first helping hand onto the wide area network.  Have a look at the diagram and explanation on my APRS Introduction page or click here for just the diagram if you are not sure what RELAY does.  Due to frequency overload in many parts of North America, it is now suggested that stations that run digi's should edit the uiview32.ini file.  If you want details of how to do this then click here to read the text file written by Hasan N0AN.  Hasan has explained how to trap what are considered in North America to be "Abusive Paths".

Step 7

Next setup screen to look at is SETUP-APRS COMPATIBILITY:

This is how I have my station configured

Step 8

Then have a look at the SETUP-MISCELLANEOUS options screen.  The default settings are the best place to start with this screen, however for information this is how I set mine.  The Refresh Preference is not set to "Immediate" for two reasons.  Firstly is if you are taking a full global feed from the internet APRS servers your PC will struggle to keep up and secondly I like the "vapour trail" effect that the two minute refresh has on mobile stations.

Step 9

If you want to connect to the internet APRS servers you will need to have a registered version of UI-View (see the LINKS page for how to register and please remember to make a donation to a local charity).  Within the UI-View registration email is an APRS Server validation number.  Please note that this is not the UI-View registration number.  It is really worth reading the help pages to work out how to enter servers and update the list.  I manually entered ahubswe.net:14578 as it provides a filtered feed just for the UK.

Step 10

Everything should now be up and running. There are many other configuration screens that you can use, but if I covered all of them this would not be an introduction to UI-View. 

You should see other stations on the maps provided with UI-View and you can start to do things like double clicking on stations to see more information from them.  Also you can right click on the icons to see a list of actions, such as send a message.  If you are only interconnected to an APRS Server i.e. no TNC or rig, you will need to tell UI-View to connect to the server when you are connected to your Internet Service Provider.  You do this by clicking on the ACTION menu and then CONNECT TO APRS SERVER.  This can be automated using FILE - SCHEDULE EDITOR so that it logs on as soon as UI-View is launched by running APRSSERVE_CONNECT.

You will probably want to load additional maps, or start using mapping software such as Microsoft MapPoint with another application from Roger G4IDE, called UI-Point.  Ask other stations locally about maps - they will probably already have a few to get you going, or there are may web sites with downloadable UI-View maps.  You can always make your own maps by dragging a bitmap image onto the UI-View screen and entering two calibration points, either top left and bottom right corners, or two specified points.  With care the maps can be aligned very accurately. As always, have a look at the help instructions by pressing F1, for more detail on maps.

UI-View is supported via a Yahoo eGroup if you can't find the answer in the help screens, or you can email me and I might be able to help.

Step 11

Have a look at some of the screen grabs on my UI-View add on software and downloads page.