Differences in the Beacon options:

UISS has 3 possible Beacon menu’s. This depends on the type of registration:

No registration

Freeware

Donationware

Beacon Settings

Whatever UISS version (registered or not) you are using there are always the following options available:

1)       Activate or de-activate the beacon

2)       The interval of the beacon in seconds

3)       To select the field or fields which contains the data to transmit via the beacon
a) Use TX Data =
b) Use APRS position
c) Use APRS message
d) Use Mheard list (the list that contains the heard stations)
d) Use a data file (external text file)

4)       Edit or change the data file you want to use (the file that contains the text you want to transmit)

Time interval in seconds:
Can be set between 2...9999 seconds.

How the beacon works:
The text that will be transmitted by the beacon is the text that is visible in TX-data field, APRS Pos field, APRS Message field and/or the Mheard list. These can be found in the Monitor window (UISS Main screen).

Changing the text in the TX-data line will change the text transmitted by the beacon.

Which type of data field you want to use to transmit with the beacon can be selected in the beacon menu by ticking the appropriate field(s).
You can select one or more beacon fields (text to transmit). If you select more then one (or all) then every beacon interval will transmit the next selected type of data (rotating sequence).

  [] Use TX-Data            : use the current TX-data text as beacon  

  [] Use APRS Pos        : use the current APRS location and text as beacon

  [] Use APRS Message: use the current APRS message contents as a beacon

  [] Use Mheard List       : use the current Mheard list as beacon text.

  [] Use Data From File:

You can use any text file to transmit as beacon data. You can specify the path manually or simply by browsing your HD.
Only one line will be transmitted and may be 80 characters long.
Default the first line of the file will be transmitted unless you check “TX second line” which will transmit the second line. Virtual Weather Station writes the weather data in APRS format.
The UISS Beacon will open the file on every beacon interval. The file contents can stay unchanged or can be updated by an external program (like VWS or any other that is able to write a text file).
[EDIT] : to edit the file you want to use as a beacon text
[TX second line] : enable it if you want to use the data from Virtual Weather Station or if you want to use the second line of text as beacon data.
The option "TX second line" is used for transmitting the text from the second line in the selected file. If the option is unchecked then UISS will look at the first line.
[Add APRS Pos] : to add your own APRS position that you have entered in the APRS settings.

Note:

·          UISS uses the file ‘BEACON.DAT’ as default beacon data text when you select “Use Data From File”, but any other path or file can be used as long if it is a text file (ASCII-file, like for example Notepad uses).

·          You can use as many beacon files as you want,.

·          The “Use Data From File” option is also ideal to transmit beacon text from third party files and so will also allow software developers to make "live" data programs to be used in UISS

Virtual Weather Station

The program "Virtual Weather Station" is a software package that can write the current weather status in a file. This file can be used in UISS to be transmitted as a APRS compatible weather broadcast. It writes the weather data on the second line of the file. The filename that VWS uses for this is "wxreport.txt" and can be found in it's working directory.

An example of the contents of such a VWS file:
Sep 05 2002 13:38

280/003g003t065r000P000p000h77b10197

So enable “TX Second Line”!!!

How to Activate the Beacon:

You can activate or de-activate the beacon in several ways:

1)       By double clicking the Beacon field in the main screen of UISS.

2)       Via the beacon settings

When the beacon is activated you will see: BEACON ON

When the beacon is not active you will see: BEACON OFF
When the Autobeacon is active you will see: AutoBeacon

When the Intelligent beacon is active you will see: BEACON ON

Extra Freeware registered option:

Automated Beacon

In this example UISS will start the beacon to transmit at 13:48h and continue till 13:58h after which the beacon will stop to transmit.

The Automated beacon allows you to set the start- and end time in which the beacon should be activated. UISS will start the beacon when the start time is reached and will stop the beacon to transmit when the end time is reached.

In short: Automated Beacon is a registered freeware option which allows you to activate the beacon between certain times.

Extra Donationware option

Intelligent beacon (beacon on heard)

This feature allows the beacon to activate itself when hearing packet activity and stops after the packet activity ends. You could call it “Beacon on heard”.

When packet activity is heard the beacon will start to transmit with its current settings (type of data to transmit, interval etc.). When no more packet activity is heard after a certain amount of time it will stop itself. This way your (autobeacon) wont needlessly be transmitting for hours with an interval of xx seconds…

You can enter a call to let the Intelligent Beacon activate only when it hears that call! You could call it selective activation hi.

Activation String:

·         Enter a call (or a part of a call sign) on which the Intelligent beacon should react upon (start transmitting)

·         Leaving it empty will let the Intelligent Beacon react upon any type of heard packet activity.

·         Enter a * in the call-box will enable the Intelligent beacon to activate itself when hearing a digipeated frame

When the Intelligent Beacon is listening (activated) you will see the BEACON ON in purple instead of red.

You could also use this feature for automated replies. Example: you set the activation string to the call of a station you want to send a message to (and only that particular station). In one (or all) of the available TX-boxes (TX-Data, TX-APRS Pos, TX APRS Message) type your message for that station. When UISS hears the station you entered in the activation string it will transmit the message (beacon will start and send the selected data boxes text).

Note: Intelligent Beacon is a registered option for people who donated to AMSAT do to UISS or to the UISS project and requested this special feature by mailing me (as not all countries allows unattended transmissions, you need to be sure your local HAM/FCC regulations permit it!).

Links of interest:

UISS Home