College of Engineering Unit:
The GPS dog tracker is a 3"x4" device that is attached to a backpack/harness. The tracker box is equipped with a GPS module that will acquire the GPS location of the tracker every 2 minutes and store this in a data log for examination by the user when the tracker is charging. The GPS module will be used to obtain the current date and time as well as the longitude and latitude. The tracker uses a micro-controller to encode the date, time, and location using the Automatic position reporting system (APRS) protocol. This encoded message will be transmitted over radio-frequency (RF) on 144.39Mhz under an FCC granted amateur radio license. The owner will use a receiver module to decode the RF transmission from the tracker unit. The user will be able to display the GPS coordinates on their mobile device to display the tracker's location relative to their location. The tracker unit must transmit for at least 8 hours and have a transmit range of at least 1 mile. The goal is for this GPS Dog Tracker to be a possible alternative to commercial GPS do collars that use cellular networks and require a yearly subscription for their services.