[aprssig] WB4APR Comments on SYMBOL tables

[Robert Bruninga]

More on symbols:
>>> "Stephen H. Smith" <WA8LMF2 at aol.com> 12/6/04 5:26:06 PM >>>
>You can see my current symbol assingnments at:
>  http://members.aol.com/wa8lmf/aprs/APRS_symbols.htm 

Here are some comments I see on the individual symbols themselves:

I)    In general there is inconsistency  in the direction the mobiles
are pointed.  If they are fixed and dont point in azimuth, then
they should all point the same way.   And in general, most
APRS users are "right-to-left" thinking, so I think the fixed
oriented ones should all point to the right.  (though, I would 
welcome user software that would flip the pixels left-to-right
if they have a heading to the west)...

II)    OK, I did an exhaustive comparison of every symbol and here
are my comments.  These are based on the best interpretation 
of what the symbol was supposed to convey at the time the
symbol was created and most versatile use:

Primary:
1) Make Scouting symbol look more like the Tenddrfoot
    Fleur-de-lis and make it gold
2) Your motorcycle is shown as a jeep?  /<
3) Make the Eyeball bigger (if possible) and/or
    give it eyelashes to help expand it
4) Id make the little red school house bigger and
    with a door and a bell on the roof.  It looks like
    just a simple house now.
5) Make the on-line PC have the letters PC in the monitor /L
    (or maybe IS for Internet System?  but PC would have
    ( more uses...)
6) Can you add rabbit ears to the TV? /T
7) **** I propose an APRS SPEC change since PBBS's
    and BBS's are basically the same and we have more
    use for your MAIL symbol than we do for PBBS***
    So keep your symobl and I will propose a change  to
     the spec.    (*** SEE NOTE IN NEXT EMAIL***)
8)  The hang-glider is different from my hang glier  which
     was a top down view of a colorful wedge shaped wing 
     and would point in the direction of travel.  Maybe if you
    made the hanging man a little smaller, it would look 
    more like a glider?
9) The Mic-E repeater needs a symbol /m which was 
    originally the small letters MIC vertically to look thin
    like a tall antenna
10) THe 18 wheeler truck looks very good and to scale
      but makes it too thin and small.  I'd shorten and 
      fatten it a bit to make it bigger & more visible /u
11) The VAN symbol looks more like a panel truck.
      I'd round off the back  /v
12) The /z symbol is TBD, but the symbol you show
      is good for the alt \z table Shelter

Alternate Table:
1) \/ should be an overlayable red dot for numbered waypoints
2) The \C Coast Guard "CG" is OK, but mine is the more
    graphically interesting Orange Life Ring with the white
    rope around it.
3) The \O should be a rocket
4) The \a diamond should be larger, be blue, and overlayable with
    a central character and also have a white filled big circle around
it
5) The \c shape is good, but the coloring should look more like the 
    1950's Civil Defense symbol, that is,  the background circle is
blue
    the triangle white and be overlayable.
6) Id make the HAM store be more of a store-front than a house.
    Maybe a rectangle with the "HAM" in a sign across the top
    like an window front store with a sign wall-to-wall across above 
    the windows
7) I like your Box-n symbol, but make it a square instead of 
    a house shape \i and leave room for overlay
8) The \k is now an SUV
9) The \u is supposed to be an overlayable truck. THink
    of a BOX STEP-VAN kind of truck with a large side
    surface for the overlay character.  Your existing
    /v van symbol would do if you made it slightly taller and
    reduced the size of the cab a pixel 
10) The \v is supposed to be an overlayable VAN. see #9, 
       but somehow make them slightly different.
11) For the \z ... use symbol you now have for the /z with
     rooom for overlay...

Thanks!  This is the most exhaustive comparison I have
ever had the time to do before.  I am glad we are doing this.
>From this exercise, I also have to make 6 changes
in my symbols to better match yours, so there is plenty
of work to be done....

thanks
Bob