[aprssig] Re: Overlay symbols -- WAS: New FINDU cgi for searching by SYMBOL

[Robert Bruninga]

>>> WA8LMF2 at aol.com 12/6/04 11:41:13 PM >>>
> > * I used the normal blue dot with an outer blue circle around it.
>
>So you're trying to overlay something that looks like a Target Stores

>logo but in blue?  I'd think that would make any character overlaid on

>such a busy background almost illegible.  How about just a solid blue

>circle?

That's what it is, a solid blue circle with a thin ring around it.
Did you look at the .GIF file?
 http://www.ew.usna.edu/~bruninga/aprs/Overlayed-symbols.gif

>> * All digis are supposed to use the overlays these days...

>What does that fact that digis should use overlays have to 
>do with this issue?  

My list was a list of overlay symbols.  Since all digis should use
the overlayed DIGI symbol, it seemed pertinent.

>Is the "WX Site (green digi)" supposed to be a solid green star 
>identical to the overlay digi symbol ( Alt-#) ?

No, when a WX station is also a digi, it should use the normal
"blue" circle, but then the circle should be Green instead of blue.
as shown on the .GIF image above.  This is a little tricky though
and it should  be elaborated:

If the WX symbol is in the alt table but no overlay then it should
just be a green WX symbol showing that it is both a WX station
and a high-site digi.  But if an overlay is applied, then it remains
blue because the assumption is that the modifier character has
something to do with its WX, not with its digi function.  For examle
we thought that there would be classes of WX stations:
C for Citizens WX
N for NWS calibrated sites
H for home stations
B for stations at balloon launch sites
or any other 26 such possibilties....

 > RE: oi  BOXn digi - what is this?  I had previously understood this
 > symbol to apply to very local or interior digipeater.
 >
 > * yes, but it is still a box with an overlay which could be used
 >   for other purposes..

>SO is this just a solid box with no digi star inside it? (In my last
cut 
>on the symbol updates, Rev F set on my web site, I had fitted a
standard 
>digi star inside an outline of a house with a pitched roof.)

I like the star inside a box idea.  But I would leave the roof off of
it
as long as there is room for the overlay character to go and still
be readable...

>Bear in mind that given the limitations of the programs I am revising

>the symbol set for (UI-View, UI-Point, APRSplus, JavAPRS and FINDU), I

>working with a cell of only 16x16 pixels.  This severely limits the 
>complexity of symbols that need to have legible characters overlaid on

>them.

Yes, its unfortunate, though understandable, that all APRS
clones chose to use static, unmodifyable ICONS for their
symbols instead of scaleable, pointable, colorable vector
graphics as originally intended.

Ill look at your set and see if I see any inconsistencies...
thanks for your work on them...

Bob




Stephen H. Smith                wa8lmf (at) aol.com

Home Page:                      http://wa8lmf.com 

New/Updated Symbols for         http://members.aol.com/wa8lmf/ham 
UI-View and APRSplus:



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