MIC-E Settings

MIC-E is a device that is placed in-between your microphone and the radio.  The mic-e has two modes of operation, automatic and manual.  In Automatic mode the mic-e will wait the programmed time frame before it transmits the lat/long and other data.   This will occur without your intervention.  In manual mode that mic-e will wait the programmed time frame but waits to transmit the data until you have pressed PTT and released it.  When you release the PTT the mic-e will grab PTT before it drops and then transmit the data.  

    On the mic-e have several different knobs.  Going from right to left you have posit, message, path, and  manual/automatic knobs. 

    The posit knob is a multiplier for the PERiod setting that you program in.  For example, if you set your PERiod rate to 2 minutes and the posit knob at 2, then the mic-e will wait every 4 minuets before it transmits.  This knob will allow you to determine how often you transmit.  If you are mobile at 60 MHP then setting the knob to 1 or 2 would be ideal.  If you arrived at your destination then you would want to rotate the know to 16.  Since you are not moving you dont need to transmit as offten.  If you work a bike ride then you want to judge the situtation and adjust the knob to you needs.

    The message button will determine what sort of text/status the mic-e will send out with each transmission.  Please remember that the last 3 postions will send out an emergency style beacon that will center the maps of the APRS software to your location.  This is fine for an emergency but not for regular usage.  A car stranded in a snow storm for example would be a good use for the emergency beacon.

    The path knob has control of the unproto path that the mic-e sends out.  When you set the VIA parameter, you have the ability of programing seven different digipeaters.  You obviuosly dont want to have seven calls in the unproto and the mic-e will not send out more than four of them.  See the example below of how I set up a mic-e.

    The auto/manual swith determines how the mic-e will behave.  In auto mode the mic-e will wait the time set by the PERiod and the posit knob before it transmits on its own.  In manual mode the mic-3 will wait that time frame and after you key the ptt it will then transmit.

thumb nail of MIC-E programmer.