The EYTraker unit is a complete real time APRS tracking solution by providing the user with an onboard GPS device, a 4G LTE module with SIM card holder and an integrated micro-controlled management system to control the OEM modules.

There is no need for any additional radio or GPS equipment, the EYTraker does all the tracking, in a small form factor, directly onto aprs.fi or any APRS compatible software systems, ANYWHERE in South Africa!

The tracking unit will operate across South Africa where there is GSM coverage. This fact being the big advantage of this tracking unit, there is no need to be within the range of an APRS digital repeater for this unit to function and relay position.

The firmware for the current EYTraker units is open source that can be made available upon request via email. This is to protect the APRS network from unlicenced users.

Current available tracking units:

EYTraker V8 LTE

EYTraker V9 LTE

EYTraker V11 LTE

The EYTraker was ported to a larger microcontroller and by utilising the 4G or LTE network for data transport the tracking reliability has increased.

SimCOM A7600 module

The LTE unit is used in favour of a more cost-effective CAT 1 LTE module.

SimCOM A7670E module

The v9.xx firmware was ported to a more powerful ESP32S3 controller using the more cost-effective CAT 1 LTE module.

SimCOM A7670E module

Firmware V8.21f - A7600 LTE Module

Firmware V9.20 - A7670 LTE module

Firmware V11.21 - A7670 LTE module

Microprocessor: SAMD21

Microprocessor: SAMD21

Microprocessor: ESP32-S3

Other projects:
EYBridge	EYTraker USB Configuration App	ESP8266 Automatic Rain Gauge
The EYBridge project allows you to visualise your EYTraker units in a web-based environment and allows you to expose numerous tracking data endpoints to your MQTT broker that will allow integration into Home Assistant or other applications. Tracking data is obtained from a APRS java server. It runs on any ESP32 Dev Module with the full .bin install file provided in the download section. A new innovative remote management configuration environment is also included for EYTrakers running firmware 11.16 and higher.	The new EYTraker configuration application allows trackers with v9.20 and v11.20 or higher firmware to connect to the tracker via the USB cable to allow for configuration of the tracking unit. It’s coded in Python with the source made available to run in Visual Studio Code or as a precompiled .exe file. Flash Utility The Flash Utility can be used to flash the ESP32S3 in the EYtraker V11, the ESP32 and the ESP8266 units. It can be downloaded from the download page.	More details coming soon…in the meantime you can browse to the download page and download the ESP8266 .bin file and the detail manual explaining the design, how it works and implementation.
More other projects:
Nano SDR Receiver	GPS Discipled Oscillator	PrePaid Helper
The Nano SDR Receiver is an adaption of the very popular uSDX radio that you can use to better understand SDR radios and how the work under the “hood”. The receiver has been tested on 40m and 20m with good reception results for USB voice and FT8 decoding. Full source code and design details are available on the download page	The GPS Disciplined Oscillator is an older project that is no longer feasible due to the VCO chip becoming obsolete. It is shared for further learning. All the download detail that includes the source code can be found on the download page.	Prepaid helper is an ESP8266 based project that counts the flashes from your prepaid meter and generates various MQTT payloads that can then be imported to Home Assistant. The display interface is fully webpage driven including options to display and update your current remaining prepaid credits including daily and monthly consumption. A real-time energy consumption estimate is also displayed. The download page has the full .bin file and 3D printed part files. You can use the EYTraker flash utility to program the ESP8266.

Legacy tracking units still active but deprecated:

EYTraker V4 2G

EYTraker V5 Pro 2G

EYTraker V6 2G

All three of the legacy units are based on the Telit GM-862 GSM/GPS Module on a custom PCB using a PIC18F252 microcontroller.

All three of the legacy units are based on the Telit GM-862 GSM/GPS Module on a custom PCB using a PIC18F252 microcontroller.

This unit was updated with a switch mode power supply and also featured a messaging microcontroller.

This version of the EYTraker uses the GSM 2G network to connect to the APRS internet servers and can by unreliable due to 2G network congestion and oversubscription. There are two versions of this model based on the temperature measurement method being analogue with a LM35 or digital based on DS1820 IC.

SimCOM SIM808 module

Firmware V4.14 – Telit 2G/GPS Module

Firmware V5.12 – Telit 2G/GPS module

Firmware: V6.37 - SIM808 2G Module

Microprocessor: PIC18F252

Microprocessor: PIC18F252 + 16F84

Microprocessor: ATMega 328

Availability

Due to the configuration of the EYTrakers, the units can be constructed and configured without any complexity by any amateur with basic project construction knowledge. I do make complete units available from time to time so drop me an email to discuss.

Please look at the EYTraker V9 page or EYTraker V11 page for more info on the components need to construct and configure the tracking units.

The Download page has all the firmware .bin files and the USB configuration application

The ESP32S3 version of the LTE board can be purchased from Micro Robotics but they can be out of stock from time to time.

Getting stuck guidelines:

If you get stuck with any of the projects, read this first:

· All the firmware and software referenced for the projects can be found in the download section. There is detailed revision documentation included for all the published firmware to explain why there are numerous version available.

· Ensure that you select the correct USB COM port in the USB configuration and Flashing utility otherwise the programs will not work correctly. The programs are not digitally signed so the executable files will be flagged by MS SmartScreen but click on More info and run anyway. The programs are virus free.

· There are two types of .bin firmware files in the download section. Use the FULL versions if flashing with the Flashing utility and OTA.bin files when updating from the web-based firmware. The ESP8266 use the same file for both update instances so the firmware files are named OTA+FULL.bin.

· Only use the “Erase entire flash before programming (factory-clean install)” option in the Flash Utility if your intent is to remove all the EEPROM and NVS data.

· The correct USB COM port drivers must be installed. The CP2102 USB to UART chip is used on the ESP32 boards. A Google search will show you the path.

· If you do not have an MQTT broker available and want to test the firmware, you can use test.mosquitto.org on port 1883 with no authentication (no username or password).

· Consider downloading MQTT Explorer to view MQTT published data. This is very handy application to troubleshoot and visually get a better understanding of MQTT data.

· On the EYTraker units, ensure that the GPS and GSM antennas are correctly connected. Active GPS antennas work better than the small ceramic antennas that ship with the PCBs. Ona new install the GPS can take a few minutes to download the satellite ephemeris data and will not connect immediately. By patient.

· All the units output detail Serial data on their USB COM ports that can be used for troubleshooting. Best option here is to use the Arduino IDE serial monitor or consider a program like TeraTerm since Windows does not ship with serial monitors like in the old days.

· If you still getting stuck, send me an email so we can try to resolve the issue.

More information

The APRS-ZA Java server now has a fixed IP address and is hosted by GamCo in Rosebank. This change will provide power supply and network connectivity redundancy for the APRS community in South Africa.

Status Page: http://www.aprs-za.com:14501

The APRS identifier for the EYTraker has been updated to APCLEY from the original APGPRS. This identifier conforms to the APRS identifier list. The list can be found here: APRS UNProto List

***** Please Note: EYTraker and EYBridge are only available to Licensed Radio Amateurs *****

Please drop me an email if there is any additional information that is not covered on this website.

Realtime APRS tracking HERE

APRS^TM is a registered trademark of Bob Bruninga (SK) WB4APR.

Last Updated: 13 September 2026

Contact: hennie.zs6ey at gmail.com