If you say APRS is not popular or useful, You are wrong. And the preppers know it. This video shows the Mobilinkd battery powered bluetooth TNC and a $26 HT can get you on the network, show other stations on a map and message to cellphones/email. Check it out..
Previously I ran around the country with a Kantronics KAMplus and 30W on VHF and HF for APRS. This in the 90's through 2004. I have this Mobilinkd setup with the UV5R but into a mobile 5/8 wave antenna. After 5 weeks running this every day I must say this works much better than I expected for 4W. The battery life on the TNC outlasts the radio and the smartphone. I tried to run down the battery but gave up after two days. The only down point is the receive. Receive is not great but it doesn't double with other stations either so it can hear. https://aprs.fi/?c=raw&call=N5ZKK-14
forget the mobilinkd - for $20 you can get the baofeng interface cable that will connect directly to the phone for flawless performance. One less piece of hardware, one less battery to keep charged.
the mobilinkd keys the transmitter vs. using vox that a direct cable would need. unless you know of software on the phone that will key the transmitter via the cable? just found better performance using the mobilinkd vs a cable in my own testing, but YMMV (and MMMBS... My Mileage May Be Suffering )
Or just combine the TNC, Radio into all one unit and get 7w vs the 4-5w of the uv5r. http://microsat.com.pl/product_info.php?currency=USD&cPath=57&products_id=166
Thanks for sharing. I have concluded that the use of this will require an android device to be connected whenever used. This is "useless" by itself? If this does require an always-connected android device, can that android device be disconnected from the internet? That said, what is the benefit to this for $105 ($80 for Mobilink and Cable + $25 UV5R) versus something like the AP510 for the same price?
AP510 is 1 watt... And cannot be used for voice. This can be unplugged, and you radio returns to a dual band unit.
Understood. However the radio (UV5R) will be used only for this use as I have other radios and have no need for another HT at the moment. So, it will not be used for anything else in my situation. So if the only benefit is flexibility to use in a few different ways, with different radios (which is a good benefit in most cases!) In my case I would imagine the AP150 would suit my dedicated needs better? (Dedicated APRS transceiver that will sit in a trunk, and does not need a phone). I should have mentioned - regardless of the solution, I will be using a small HT Amplifier that can convert 1-4w to 20-30w.