[aprssig] NetNodes, the future

[AE5PL Lists]

And why have NetROM, TheNet, and Rose all but disappeared?  Because they
provided a difficult interface where prior local knowledge is mandatory
(among other issues).  Why has APRS prospered where other packet
networks have failed (Bill, you touched on this in your post)?  Because
I do not have to configure my radio or TNC for local operation (one
configuration works almost universally (RELAY,WIDE or WIDE2-2).  And how
do I communicate with the rest of the world?  By simply addressing a
message to the remote station (no path settings required).  Have you
ever tried to figure out paths on a Kenwood D7 or D700 while mobile?
Not something to be done by the faint of heart (or the driver of the
vehicle).

Well, gee.  We don't want to use the Internet.  Ok, look at Germany for
an example.  They are running APRS over a RF backbone by using IGates
interconnected over reduced feeds.  They still have Internet
connectivity, but it is not critical to area operations.  And it is
highly unlikely that Internet access will be lost over a 100 mile+ area
("the most reliable communications with people in the area affected by
the tsunami is text messaging").  Why is the last quote of a news report
true?  Because the data networks are still functional as they are less
exposed to individual line outages.

It sure would be nice to get back to KISS (and I am not talking about a
TNC setting) and ENcourage APRS use, not DIScourage it.

73,

Pete Loveall AE5PL
mailto:pete at ae5pl.net 

(Do we set up for I35, I30, I20, or I45 linking?  What about US75?
Hmmm.  Decisions, Decisions, Decisions.)

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Robert Bruninga
> Posted At: Tuesday, December 28, 2004 9:27 PM
> Subject: [aprssig] NetNodes, the future
> 
> The thing we really need is NetGates.
> 
> These are simply a TNC and a radio hooked to the internet but 
> they look to the RF user just like a TheNet or NetROM node.  
> Thus, they are a global level-4 AX.25 packet radio Network 
> that is independent of application and transparent to the 
> existing RF system.
> 
> About the only thing that has to be different is the node list.
> It can't be 3500 nodes deep.  The basic node list would have 
> to be organized around distance.  If you ask for nodes, it 
> will give you a list of the 10 nearest.  Other than that it 
> has connectivity to every node in the world.  All you need to 
> know is its callsign.
> 
> That would be HAM radio at its finest.  It wouldn't mater if 
> the node was in the next town by RF or the next state by the 
> internet.  It appears like a NetROM or TheNET node with 
> one-hop connectiivty to the RF node.  Which I suggest we call 
> a NetGate.
> 
> If I knew how to write the code, it would be sure fun to do..
> 
> de Wb4APR, Bob