[aprssig] Help explaining packets

[AE5PL Lists]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: David L. Martin
> Posted At: Wednesday, May 11, 2005 10:28 AM
> Subject: RE: [aprssig] Help explaining packets
> 
> No we cannot hear each other.

Actually, you _are_ hearing him via digipeaters and that was my
question.  My question to Ken was to verify whether he is hearing your
packets on RF (which is probably the case) via any path.

> My concern was the number of packets that a single message generates.
> If my first packet generates ten packets, and the destination 
> then sends twenty ACK's, and those twenty ACK's generate ten 
> packets each....
> The only reason we don't see two hundred ACK's from a single 
> message is that the system breaks before it gets to that amount.

This is a valid concern and why I believe IGates should not gate to RF
packets from stations which they have recently heard on RF.  

> I'm working on an APRS diagnostic plan now, I'll send it out 
> once complete.

If you look at the packets without considering their origin, your
diagnostic plan will be incomplete.  You have digipeater anomalies
(duplicate digipeating when there shouldn't be), client anomalies (some
send multiple acks, some don't, some multiple acks get killed with digi
dupe checking), and IGate anomalies (different IGates use different
algorithms for gating to RF).  This simply emphasizes the problems which
can occur when attempting multihop messaging in the current APRS
environment.

73,

Pete Loveall AE5PL
mailto:pete at ae5pl.net