I plan to buy a handheld radio with APRS to spot. the cheapest that I think is reasonably good is the FT1D … does someone have it and can say something if it works well with it?
73
DD6FM - Marco
Hi Marco,
FT1 is out of production so you will need to look if someone sells it.
I have a FT1x and bring it on every activation. APRS position beacons are great for chasers to estimate how much much time I need to the summit.
I have spotted to APRS2SOTA but the entry of the details is a bit inefficient using the rotation dial or the keypad (like on old Nokia phones).
So yes it works. Is it fun. No
Here a video how to edit and resend a message:
For me the last resort in case there is not even phone reception to send a spotting SMS.
The other alternative would be to use APRSdroid to generate the audio and send it via a non APRS handheld.
This was discuss here recently.
Or the Pico APRS system:
73 Joe
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hi marco,
APRS2SOTA has become my first choice for selfspotting! i love the idea of not having to use the mobile phone and totally rely on my ham radio equipment. but you should keep in mind that an i-gate needs to be in reach to relay your message to the internet. for my hikes with poor aprs coverage i built myself a portable i-gate … see more info here:
i use a kenwood th-d72 for aprs. i have two previous sent messages stored (one for hf, one for vhf) as some kind of a template and edit it. if you have a tx i-gate in reach you instantly get a confirmation message that you have been spotted.
73 martin, oe5reo
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I too have a Yaesu FT1-XD and use it for spotting when there is no phone or Internet signal. While it has been a lifesaver for spotting, I must agree with Joe, OE5JFE, that it works but is not fun to create messages with the keypad and thumbwheel.
I just wanted to add that if you create a test message at home and send it (even if it doesn’t reach an igate), it is much easier to edit that message on the summit than it is to create a new one. If your test message is complete, all you should have to edit on the summit is the frequency. Doing it this way saves a little time.
Hope that helps. 
Ron, KI4TN
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all right, thank you all for your answers … i will consider what is the best solution for me. it is true that if you don’t have a keyboard it might be a bit incomprehensible … maybe the ft2 is the better choice
73 ! Marco
I also have an FT-1D that goes with me on all my SOTA adventures. I have used it for APRS spotting and it has saved many activations. I don’t find the lack of a keyboard to be a problem - you simply edit the last spot message you sent. It’s really not a problem.
I will also add that using APRS2SOTA you can get a list of spots that have been heard recently. This is VERY useful if you are hunting for S2S. The command is /SPOTS
Read more about that in the ‘Other commands’ section here:
https://www.sotaspots.co.uk/Aprs2Sota_Info.php
73,
-Josh WU7H
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I have one and found the APRS function hard to use. I primarily use my InReach to spot.
Here are two links worth checking out:
Tx problems
*This one caused me a lot of issues till I found that post.
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Thanks ! Oh thats very useful with the command /spot !
73
Marco