A Python script to generate a list of all the UK amateur repeaters for the Yaesu VX-3.

This follows on from my previous script for the Yaesu VX-2.

The VX-3 seems to have some problems talking to VX-Commander. It looks like it’s working, but at the last moment the transfer fails. To be fair, VX-Commander doesn’t claim to work with the VX-3.

So I’ve switched to FTBVX3, which works fine. (Note that it does cost some money, unlike VX-Commander, but it is worth it!)

The script vx3.py takes a repeaters.csv file, and creates a csv file that can be loaded by FTBVX3. It’s then easy to write the file to the VX-3.

To complement my VX Commander repeater list, I’ve now created a Python script to generate Point-Of-Interest (POI) files containing all the UK repeaters (as listed at ukrepeaters.net).

The Python script (repeaterpoi.py) takes the repeaters.csv file from ukrepeaters.net, and produces csv files containing the POIs .

These files are then loaded into POIEdit, and exported to whatever format the GPS requires.

Many thanks to Jon G4TSN. I wanted to build a complete solution for myself, and I used Jon’s .ov2 files to see what format I was aiming for.

To set up T-Mobile GPRS on Windows Mobile 6:

Open Settings - Connections screen.
My ISP: Add a new modem connection.
Name: T-Mo
Select a modem: Cellular line (GPRS)
Access Point Name: general.t-mobile.uk
User name: user
Password: one2one

The ukrepeater.net site helpfully provides a .csv file listing all the UK repeaters, with details of the technical information required to use them (such as frequency, and CTCSS tone).

VX-Commander, a great tool from Jim Mitchell (KC8UNJ), allows you to program your radio using a PC. It will accept a .csv file as input.

However, the repeaters.csv file isn’t in the right format for VX-Commander. So I wrote a couple of Python scripts to munge the data into the required format for VX-2 Commander and VX-7 Commander (as I have a VX-2E and a VX-7R).

The scripts are easy to edit and run. Just dump the repeaters.csv file into the appropriate directory (which you can adjust in the script). Run the script, and the resulting vx2.csv or vx7.csv will be produced. This file can be imported into VX-Commander.

Obviously, vx2.py produces output for the VX-2, and vx7.py for the VX-7.

UPDATE: The csv format has changed, so these scripts no longer work.

Hurricane Rita and Continental Airline

The last part of my trip involved a flight from Las Vegas to Houston on Thursday 22 Sep, and a flight from Houston to London on the evening of Saturday 24 Sep. By Tuesday, it was becoming clear that Hurricane Rita stood a strong chance of hitting Houston on Saturday morning, so it didn’t look like a good place to be going to.

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