Fwd: Re: [aprssig] Lets Fix New-N now!

[Robert Bruninga]

> Part of the problem stems from folks...[who] have to
> settle for older tnc's that only will support relay 
> and/or wide....and... NO uitrace support.  ....
> until you can readily purchase tnc's with full APRS 
> support at HAMFESTS ...for say...10-35 dollars, 
> this situation will continue to exist.

I dont understand.  No one needs a "full APRS" TNC
except someone who is going to put up a permanent
full-time digi with very wide area coverage.  In fact,
"users" dont even need a TNC now with AGWPE
and the client software out there now.

> In this area, there is maybe 10 stns showing up 
> [on] a 32 mile screen.  As a result, I find that 
> most digis in that range do NOT support the n-n system...

In a 32 mile area with only 10 users, all you need is
one digi.  Surely one person in that area can find 
a new TNC.  It only takes one to put up a fully
functional modern APRS Digipeater, or ask somone
to burn a $5 ROM to use any old TNC...

> I use [the path of]
> RELAY,WIDE,WIDE1-1,WIDE2-2.  Any less and
> I make it to an Igate less than 50% of the time. 

That may be a big part of the problem.  There are 
all kinds of problems with that path.  No wonder
you are not getting out.
1) RELAY and WIDE are obsolete and not supported
    anywhere else in your state (I think)
2) Even if you have a local RELAY, the next WIDE 
    in that path which should get into the rest of
    that excellent New Mexico system is obsolete 
    and that is why your statoin is being ignored.
3) That path violates the rule of "no WIDE1-1
    anywhere except the first hop
4) That path is 5 hops long and is probablly not
    welcome in the surrounding states.

> Until the n-n system becomes the standard and 
> not the exception, it makes no sense to change 
> my paths.

Sorry, but somthing like 86% of all digis in the
world support WIDEn-N.  So it pretty much is 
the standard and it is only in your own best
interest to get on-board.
 
Maybe we have confused people by all this discussion
here on the SIG about all the TNC's and New-N
fixes, but make sure that all users know that
this is for stand-alone DIGIpeaters only.  Users can 
use ANY TNC with APRS... anywhere...

de Wb4APR, Bob