Checking in on the status of active amateur radio satellites automatically (work in progress)

I wanted a way to see if there was away to automatically check the current status of amateur radio satellites.

There are websites currently that have some information, but I wanted a way to possibly check the status on particular satellites, and maybe even have it email me, send me an APRS message, or update my website automatically.

Building a receive only iGate using MultimonNG, RTL SDR dongle and a Raspberry Pi

I noticed multimonNG can use an inexpensive RTL SDR dongle (which I have) and decode APRS packets and send them off to the APRS-IS network.

I've been wanting to build some sort of iGate for APRS for some time, and eventually I'd like to include transmit capabilities possibly using a cheap Baofung UV-5R, but doing some research the multimonNG software caught my eye.

Reference for VHF/UHF amateur radio FM simplex frequencies for 6 Meter / 2 Meter / 1.25 meter / 70cm

I've compiled some suggested channels and frequencies to use on these bands

Try something new, these frequencies should be stored in every HT or mobile.  I enjoy messing around with VHF/UHF radios but repeaters usually bore me.  These frequencies are compiled from the ARRL "official" band plan as well as other forums and sites I have come across over time.

Fun things to do with APRS

Email, Text Message, Callsign lookups, are only a few other things that you can do with APRS.

GPS tracking is a well known use for APRS, but there are many other things you can do with your radio and using the APRS network.  I've just started experimenting with APRS with my Kenwood TH-D72a HT dual band radio and wanted to document a few things I've been playing with.

Using a Kenwood TH-D72a HT to send and receive email via APRS

There are several ways to send an email using the APRS network.  In these examples I am using a Kenwood TH-D72A HT radio that has a built in TNC but you can certainly use this information to send emails using whatever APRS setup that works for you.