I recently experimented with a LoRa APRS module to see what kind of range and coverage it could offer in my region. To my great surprise, LoRa APRS is extremely effective, and often provides coverage in areas where there is no cellular coverage at all.
Most of the available firmwares are designed primarily to be used as a simple tracker. I’m not really interested in that function. What I wanted was the ability to send and receive messages, and, most importantly, to spot myself.
I designed it so you can spot yourself directly from the device, without using any other equipment. No smartphone needed. Just a few clicks on the module and you’re spotted!
The firmware is based on EA2OY’s work. It’s simply a fork that keeps all the original features, including the tracker, repeater, and other functions.
What you need :
A lilygo t-echo
Flash the bootloader
Flash the firmware
Enter your callsign in the configuration tool.
Any suggestion appreciated, as it’s an early release.
Bluetooth is now working. It was disabled in the original firmware because it made the device reboot in a loop. That’s fixed. You turn it on in the T-Echo menu and pair your phone with a PIN.
An Android app (Android 8 to 15) that talks to the T-Echo over Bluetooth:
Summit search: type a few letters of the name or the reference (vign gives F/PO-001 Vignemale), or browse association → region → summit, or list the summits near the T-Echo’s GPS position. The whole SOTA summit list is built in, so it works on a summit with no mobile coverage.
Spotting: pick the frequency, mode and an optional comment (QRV, QRT…), then send. You see the APRS2SOTA acknowledgement and its “Spotted” reply, and the T-Echo’s own SOTA screen updates too.
Settings: the whole T-Echo configuration from the phone, no computer needed.
Everything is on GitHub (firmware, app, step-by-step guide with screenshots):
What you need is the same as before: a LilyGO T-Echo, flash the bootloader and the firmware, set your callsign. Then, if you want the app, install the APK and turn Bluetooth on.
Feedback and reports from the field are very welcome, beta test app
I’m aware of this, but this is “just” an APRS tracker, since it’s very difficult to spot yourself / send a message from a device like that.
With a T-Echo and my firmware, you still get the tracker, but you can also easily spot yourself from the device itself in a few clicks and / or now from a simple, intuitive app on your phone, paired with the device.
