NOTE: This not an APRS® tutorial. To understand APRS® capabilities and learn more about its usefulness in an emergency communications setting, please visit http://www.aprs.org or do a search on “APRS Introduction”
using any major search engine on the web.
What is PinPoint?
PinPoint allows you to visually track people and assets using Amateur Radio (”Ham Radio”) equipment. It uses standard mapping software and off the shelf radio equipment to offer those tracking capabilities and uses the APRS® protocol.
Why would you want to track people and assets?
For instance, during an emergency like a large scale forest fire, an incident commander could track where his people are deployed in the field
and where certain assets (like fire trucks) are located, and visually direct them using an area map on a computer screen. The system allows for short message exchange, weather reporting and various other
types of messages. It’s a very interesting mode and definitely one of my personal favorites.
Did I come up with APRS®?
No, but a gentleman by the name of Bob Bruninga (whose amateur call sign is WB4APR) did some time ago. APRS® is a protocol built on top of packet radio, which is a way
to send digital information (letters, numbers, etc) over an analog medium (radio). Very similar to using a modem with a telephone line to get dialup Internet access, amateur radios (a transmitter and a
receiver in one housing, also called a transceiver) use packet modems to send and receive digital information. APRS is a registered trademark of Bob Bruninga, WB4APR. If you have any questions about the workings of APRS®
that you can not find anywhere on the web, send me an email and I will try to help you to the best of my abilities.
Why did I write PinPoint?
I like packet & APRS® as a transmission mode and application. It’s a very flexible protocol that definitely has a place in emergency management. In it’s current incarnation of version 1.0.2,
PinPoint offers a lot of features (more than most other APRS® software) and it is free for individual use. PinPoint is currently not a full implementation of everything APRS® has to offer, but I am working
towards a full implementation over time. You can find a lot more about APRS® at Bob Bruninga's web site, which is located at: http://www.aprs.org.
What does PinPoint look like?
You can see a screenshot of PinPoint in action here
What is the cost?
PinPoint itself is free, but if you like it, I would like to ask you to make a donation to ARES® district 24. All proceeds from PinPoint will be going to the
ARES® D24 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Try it out for a while and decide if you'd like to send a donation.
You can click on the Donate button below to make a donation using PayPal, or send a check made out to "ARES of Douglas and Elbert Counties" to
7751 Saxebourgh Drive, Castle Rock, CO, 80108 and put Donation in the memo field.
Please note that making a donation to ARES® D24 does not create any obligation, liability or warranty on behalf of the author of PinPoint.
License
PinPoint (“the software”) is free for use by individuals. No warranty is expressed or implied. By using the software you agree to the fact that the author can in no way be held liable for any kind of damages
resulting from direct or indirect use of the software. By using the software you also agree to the fact that you are using this software at your own risk and you understand that it should not be used in cases
where a human’s life depends on it or loss of property is at stake.
System requirements for using PinPoint
Microsoft .NET framework 2.0 (can be downloaded from http://www.microsoft.com). Not needed when running Vista (built in).
Adobe Reader (can be downloaded from http://www.adobe.com).
At least one COM port for your TNC and GPS, or two COM ports if connecting the GPS and the TNC directly to your machine. Most USB to COM converters will work just fine.
Microsoft MapPoint 2004 or MapPoint 2006. Download the free 60-day trial by clicking here.
PinPoint has been tested with Windows XP and Windows Vista, but should run on Windows 98, ME and 2000 as well given the above software has been installed prior to installing PinPoint.
Feedback
Under the Help menu item, you will find a Send feedback menu item. If you click on it (and you have an email program installed), Pinpoint will gather some specific system information and include it in a
message body that you can add anything to that you like (bugs, feature/enhancement requests, praise). There is no confidential information being sent via email. Just enough to help troubleshoot in case you are having any problems.
You can certainly use the feedback button to request additional future functionality, or just send an email with a quick question. Once you click Send, make sure to go into your email application to Send/Receive email to ensure the
email is going out. With Outlook, if you click Send while the main Outlook screen is not open, the email will sit in your Outbox until the next time you connect to the email server.
If you need general help with APRS (not specific to the use of Pinpoint), please use the web or your peers as your first resource to find any possible answers.
Feedback is always welcome and can also be sent directly to
.
Installation
Ensure you have the required software installed first. See the system requirements section to see what you will need for PinPoint to operate correctly.
Download the files (see below), double click on the file called Setup.exe and follow the prompts.
No changes are necessary during installation.
The default installation options will install PinPoint in the c:\Program Files\PinPoint directory. Please do not change this path, since PinPoint expects to be installed in the c:\Program Files\PinPoint directory (for now).
Note for installing PinPoint on Microsoft Windows Vista (any edition)
PinPoint works great on any version of Windows Vista, but you'll need to make a small tweak to ensure all options work. When done installing PinPoint on Microsoft Windows Vista, navigate to the c:\Program Files\PinPoint directory,
right click on PinPoint (application), and select the Compatibility tab from the menu. Enable the ‘Run this program as an administrator’ option and click OK. This will allow PinPoint to change the system time and synchronize
it with the GPS. If you chose not to set this option, PinPoint will run just fine, but it will not be able to synchronize your PC to GPS time. Not setting this option will also interfere with logging (debugging) options.
Configuration
Start PinPoint by double clicking on the PinPoint icon on your desktop. Once PinPoint has loaded, go to the Pinpoint screen, select the Help > General Help menu. This will bring up a document that will walk you through basic configuration and features. If you are presented with an error while starting up PinPoint, please check that all the required software has been installed.
Download PinPoint 1.0.2 (build 11-25-2007)
You will need to download the following two files to your local machine. Then, click the SETUP.exe file to install it. Make sure you have installed the pre-requisite software first.
Download the setup file by clicking here. Save this file to your local hard drive.
Download the program file by clicking here. Save this file into the same directory on your local hard drive.
Read the release notes that indicate what's changed since the last release by clicking here.
More versions of PinPoint, including occasional 'beta' versions can be found by clicking here.
Updates
PinPoint will be regularly updated with new features and bug fixes (I depend on your reports for that). Don't be afraid to send me a suggestion for a new feature. If I can accomodate it
and some others have suggested it, I will make an effort to include it. Send me a quick email at
if you would like me to send you an email when a new version of PinPoint is available.
Please remember that this is something I do in my (very limited) spare time, so please don't be offended if it takes me a while to get back to you.
What's coming next?
Here's just a few things I will be working on next:
Proportional Pathing
Network / path analysis features
Enhanced map icon set (currently fairly basic)
Rotating status text (like D700)
Standardize APRS objects and implement Frequency Objects
Enhancements to the group chat APRS protocol
Enhancements to the Direction Finding (DF) functionality
Trip computer
Severe weather alert overlays on map using APRS multi-line protocol
Incident tracking capabilities
iGate functionality (rx/tx)
Weather station interface
CWOP station reporting
Support for Frequency Objects
D700 frequency control (limited remote control)
Decaying packet algorithm
Reply-ACK dialog messaging
Enjoy!
73 de Frank, ABØWV
Last updated 3/24/2008
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