I have just setup a new Heltec v3 board with the Oct 21st version of the firmware…ready to swap with the board currenlty on the top of G/LD-025. I am very pleased to see a new option - eco mode -available. I have selected eco mode, and now the access point has been disabled, and also the screen…does anyone know if it is possible to access the configuration when in eco mode? Do I have to reflash the firmware to change anything or can I access it some other method?
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Well the cool thing would be able to send it a magic APRS packet that re-enables the access point. Bit like a wakeup ethernet frame to a sleeping ethernet port can wake up a suspended computer.
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I think if you send a message with ?APRSEEM to the igate, this will exit eco mode.
Here is a link for all the CX2RXU igate queries
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I tend to think this one time fuse for the AP is not such a great idea. Far better to always have the AP available for a short period at reboot IMHO.
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Hi Alan, your one is working fine - I noticed your iGate picked up my tracker while I was at a POTA this morning near Newton le Willows. I was down in a railway cutting, so not ideal for RF, but the system still worked. I hope to get a proper antenna mounted for my iGate soon.
73, Simon
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It seems, reading the release notes, that it can be turned off remotely. Although I agree having AP on reboot would make local maintenance a lot easier.
Also the abiity add a pin to the message to enter eco mode may help preventing someone mischievously putting an igate into eco mode without your knowledge 
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104. QUERIES · richonguzman/LoRa_APRS_iGate Wiki · GitHub 
EDIT: now I know someone already added this before
as for the WIFIAP staying on at reset and then turned off is not that simple and because of how boards work it must be selected and saved before turning it one again as the Wifi data loading and libraries needs to be loaded at boot up and if disabled they still consume a lot of unnecessary current.
the eco mode es to use the less posible
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If a PIN is enabled, it should operate as a one-time-pad…a list of pins is loaded onto the device via the AP (before it is disabled) and each PIN can only be used once, and in order
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Hi Simon, yes i noticed you pinged me once! my Igate is pretty ideally located at about 820’ ASL. Although coverage is somewhat limited to the North, East and South, everthing to the west in a 180º arc from NNW to SSE ish is pretty well covered!
Alan
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Guessing you work in cybersecurity? I would never be able to remember a set of passcodes and their current state for various igates and digipeaters. I can barely log into SOTAWATCH.
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The firmware would need to include a query to allow you to check which position on the one time pad was expected.
Just upgraded M0MZB-15 with a new board on the current firmware…but forgot to set it to send the voltage telemetry. So I will have to see if I can deactivate eco mode in the field…
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Well I didn’t manage to deactivate the eco mode in order to allow me access to the AP. I tried using APRSDroid tto send messages. My first couple of ?APRS got a response, but after that I don’t seem to get anything back.
Have been trying to send to my gateway M0MZB-10 from Aprsdroid M0MZB-7 but only occasionally get a response back.
I’ve not used messaging much before so I expect its just something i am doing wrong…my messages dont seem to get through the APRS system and reach my target
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Anyone got a clue on how much data an igate will use. I know it will be a moving number depending on throughput but any ideas would be great, toying between a 2gb a month contact for £5 or 12gb for £23 for 12months but data usage is unknown.
The reason is today m7rtb-3 did not repeat my signal from m7rtb-1 enough to hit another igate but had mobile signal at the parking area.
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adicional info:
if you send the same message to a digi before 28 secs it will be ignored, so if this does not answer right back, send it back again after this time to test
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I would think 2Gb would last a few years.
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I’ve just come back from a weekend at the NT Wasdale campsite. Yesterday I activated Illgill Head G/LD-029. I expected to be spotted from the summit but didn’t expect to see my whole route from the campsite to the summit! @M0MZB’s digipeater did a great job from Seatallan.
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Ha, yes I was watching your progress and you tracked brilliantly!
Alan
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I was watching you too, i put a call out on 2m as you passed over Illgill head, but presumably you didn’t have a 2m HT with you.
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No, I didn’t have any 2m kit with me. I was with my daughters and it needed to be a quick activation. Even when I do carry 2m it’s in my rucksack and only comes out once I’ve set up the slim jim on the pole.
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There are currently two high-altitude balloons equipped with 70cm LoRa APRS flying over the Channel. From an altitude of >12km they should be audible over a range of ~400km (indicated by the blue circles on the map):
They were launched back in August, and have been several times around the world since then. Their operation may be a little erratic, as they are dependent on solar panels, which may be down in efficiency by now!
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