[aprssig] Setting up a fill in digi

[Robert Bruninga]

>>> Patrick Green <pagreen at gmail.com> 5/9/2005 3:13:12 AM >>>
>now I've found 2 spots in my house where I can get
> into the local wide. 

Wow, that is GOOD coverage.  I dont think the intent
of the present APRS system is to guarantee HT 
coverage indoors to everyone.  Adding that much
coverage will just totally saturate the channel by
the other 99% of users that dont do APRS while
HT portable indoors (where there is no GPS)...

> The problem with my dad's (fill-in-digi) location is 
>it's covered good for mobiles in the area running 
>50 watts but not well for little 5 watt stations or 
>less running portable. 

Two comments: 
1) In most cases, it is not that the 5W stations
cannot be heard in an area, its that they cannot
be heard "over the top of" the 100% busy channel
heard at the digis.

2) 5W stations dont expect to be heard everywhere
that a 50W station can.  But if they are moving,
there will be other places where they do get in.

Here is my recommendation.
1) Get no board with the New-N-Paradigm and get
all the digis in your area to fine tune their settings.
The 2 to 4 fold reduction in channel loading by
just gettinrg rid of dupes may all of a sudden start
letting the small guys be heard where they couldnt
be heard before.

2) Do a FINDU study within that 5 mile circle of 
your Dad's house and see how many packets
actually get in from there.  (Im not sure how to
do this)...  Maybe Steve has some ideas?

If a fill-in-digi is needed ther, then make it
a WIDE1-1 using a digi that does callsign
substitituion.

Bob