[aprssig] The new N-N paradigm summary (fwd)

[Cap Pennell]

I'd simply like to register my opinion (before slipping off on a trip, so
unfortunately I won't see any replies).  I think this is a short-sighted
idealistic plan, in search of a problem.  That would be okay, and I haven't
complained before now because it seemed like another harmless idea.  But now
that it's become an idea to move away from WIDEn-N it has too much potential
to cause excessive harm to our existing modern fully WIDEn-N capable VHF
network in California (and throughout the Western US).  The existing full
WIDEn-N network in California and adjacent states _is working_.  I've seen
different problems on the East coast where not all the digis are WIDEn-N
capable, but that's not the situation in the Western US.  The WIDEn-N
network _works_ for hundreds of APRSers here.  It works _beyond_ the "ALOHA
circle".  It works _with_ our high altitude WIDEn-N digis.  The "reduced
throughput" problem on VHF is tolerable, and declining.  There really aren't
many severe negative consequences of "reduced throughput due to packet
collisions on VHF" except slow message ACKs for those keyboarding.  The VHF
WIDEn-N APRS network is amazingly resilient!  Warnings of a VHF net "death
spiral" have been greatly exaggerated.  More of our users are learning that
simply WIDE2-2 is a good path for general use, and it works.  It's better
than a path that includes any commas.  Using only WIDEn-N or TRACEn-N
produces no dupes.  Kantronics TNCS do not do any dupe checking on packets
other than with pure WIDEn-N and TRACEn-N paths.  RELAY or WIDE or TRACE
aren't much needed, and digipath commas cause loss of dupe-checking in our
Kantronics TNCs. Going back to RELAY,WIDE (or worse yet RELAY,WIDE,WIDE)
would be a step backward in California.  For years, we've been educating
local users that using only WIDE2-2 or TRACE2-2 will do the job for the VHF
community of APRS users, especially considering very few places in
California are more than 2 hops from an IGate.  This has slowly been paying
off in our fully WIDEn-N capable network over the past few years,
especially.  Most users have learned to avoid overly broad digipaths (if
they've learned anything) by now.  Many have learned to avoid commas in
their digipaths.  We're making good progress, and our VHF traffic load is
_declining_, despite new stations appearing regularly.  The Western US,
besides being more complete as a pure WIDEn-N network than the East, is just
different topographically, too.  Interstates?  We have high digis
overlooking the LA Basin that cover big stretches of 5 or more interstate
freeways at once, and I-5's 800 miles in California can be covered by only a
few WIDEn-N digi hops.

So, why lose (throw away) this progress we've worked so hard for so many
years to produce?  Is there really some new "enforcement" plan or idea that
is worth more than all the courteous effort that's already been expended in
educating ourselves and our fellow hams on VHF?  I don't think so.  I know
some feel frustrated with the slow effort of education, elmering, and some
aren't much good at it.  But I think "nationally" throwing out WIDEn-N in
favor of LINKn_N or equivalent is like throwing the baby out with the
bathwater.
73, Cap KE6AFE