Hacking APRS to warm my camper van whilst I’m still in the pub (emf2026)

This brief talk will describe a personal remote-control protocol that can be run over APRS and potentially other similar location messaging protocols. APRS is an amateur VHF/UHF ad-hoc, wide area, resilient digital mesh network relaying position information. Amateur APRS networks operate using AX25 packet radio at 144 & 432MHz and can have a similar range per node to UHF LoRa and Meshtastic networks. I designed this protocol to remotely operate appliances in my house or my van, all within the terms of the amateur licence, without the use of public cellular networking or Internet WiFi nodes. My requirement was for a cheap off-the-shelf means to relay data two ways from inside a pub to my camper van 2-3 miles distant. The talk will include a description of the overlay protocol and its implementation using a Raspberry Pi Zero and a cheap Baofeng handy talkie (HT). I will explain how a couple of simple Bash scripts running over Direwolf on the Pi translate my adapted APRS messages and then are used to control a wide range of electrical appliances. The talk includes a demonstration of remote control of a couple of units in my van which is located some distance away. The talk will focus on APRS, and a theoretical and practical comparison will be made between APRS running over conventional AFSK and over LoRa. Other options including Meshtastic on the licence free and other frequencies will be covered. Licensed to the public under https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ about this event: https://www.emfcamp.org/schedule/2026/156-hacking-aprs-to-warm-my-camper-van-whilst-i-m-still-in-the