Query - Best way to use this firmware for Foxhunting applications.

[darksidelemm]

Hi,

I do a lot of Amateur Radio Direction Finding (ARDF / Foxhunting) activities, and the UV-K5 looks like it might be a great way of getting new people involved in the hobby, very cheaply.

Your firmware's spectrum analyser 'detail' display gets fairly close to being usable for fox-hunting, especially with the ability to adjust the receivers gain settings to avoid overload when close to the fox, however there are some ways it could be improved:

• Allow the user to enter a frequency for monitoring in the detail display. (Maybe I missed this functionality? I didn't spot this ability in the manual)
• Add options for some kind of running averaging or running peak-hold option, over a timeframe of maybe 1-2 seconds. We regularly use fox-hunt transmitters which pulse on and off at a fast rate. The update rate of the RSSI combined with the pulsing results in a completely unreadable display. You can see an example of receiving a pulsed fox transmitter here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/b7HSZkJoMTNp8DFH7

I wrote some fairly comprehensive notes on what kind of functionality would assist with ARDF in another (now archived) repository here: Tunas1337/UV-K5-Modded-Firmwares#46 (comment)

Keen to hear your thoughts.

73
Mark VK5QI

[armel]

Hi Mark,

I have moved your issue to the discussions. I prefer to keep issues for problems.

Allow the user to enter a frequency for monitoring in the detail display. (Maybe I missed this functionality? I didn't spot this ability in the manual)

It's possible. Suppose you want to enter the frequency 145.500 MHz, press key 5, then enter 1️⃣ 4️⃣ 5️⃣ ＊5️⃣ 0️⃣ 0️⃣ and confirm by pressing M (you can also use EXIT, which works like a DEL key, in case of a typing error).

Add options for some kind of running averaging or running peak-hold option, over a timeframe of maybe 1-2 seconds. We regularly use fox-hunt transmitters which pulse on and off at a fast rate. The update rate of the RSSI combined with the pulsing results in a completely unreadable display.

Ok, but I have no experience with ARDF/Foxhunting. It's difficult for me to implement features I don't use. Last but not least, with only 15 bytes left, adding this functionality will be difficult without removing other features.

It would probably require developing a firmware specifically dedicated to ARDF/Foxhunting. But I’m afraid I wouldn’t be the right person for that. But my source code is Open Source. Maybe another developer will want to work on it?

Regards,

Armel, F4HWN.