[aprssig] time for APRS second generation network?

[Phillip Pacier]

I'm talking idea conditions and clear channels.  Howerver, even if I can
hit 3 or 4 digis consistently, that is still too much!


> As far as EX-1 and JPL-10, here's the background.  EX-1 was the first
> APRS digi installed in the LA area.  Being in the San Gabriel
> Mountains, it covers most of LA county pretty well, except for local
> blockages.  JPL-2 was initially installed on a tall building in
> downtown LA to act as a temporary fill-in digi to support the LA
> Marathon.  It  offered coverage where EX-1 was locally blocked by the
> Santa Monica Mountains/Hollywood Hills.  Once it was there, the owners
> decided to leave it up.  I don't frequent that part of SoCal much
> anymore, but I would guess there's a fair amount overlap between the
> two digis, especially east  and south of downtown LA where EX-1 isn't
> locally blocked.
>

See, I don't believe that the home station RELAYs work all that well
because the average home station doesn't have the antenna necessary to
hear a large enough area.  I like Bob's and your idea to convert some of
the lower level digis to RELAY only.  This we are doing in San Diego as
well - and this way you really don't need to mess with too many of the
high level digis except to relieve them of the WIDEn-N loads.  A packet of
RELAY,WIDE hits a low digi, which has an excellent shot at a high DIGI
which shoots it out, and you can still get 100+ miles on a RELAY,WIDE
packet.  3 IGates will likely hear that packet (in the so Cal area at
least), and thus every basis is covered.  N6NHJ-5, W6JPL-2, N6EX-4 are
good RELAY candidates in my opinion.  They can all see the one ore more of
the higher digis: W6SCE-10, N6EX-1 & 2, WB6JAR-10, and to a certain
extent, ONYX.  K6EEF-10 is another good RELAY candidate for the Desert
area.

73
Phil - AD6NH