[aprssig] Digis everywhere

[Robert Bruninga]

AND on the 50th anniversary of the US Interstate system
one could also consider low-power APRS-INFO-peaters
at interstate gateways into major cities.  Most "travelers"
do most traveling on the interstates.

Excellent locations (beaconing once evy 2 mins) would be
inside tunnels, at Toll booths, or anywhere that traffic
is forced to slow down.  These would not be fill-in diigs,
but would be purposefully made low power only to get
to the passing HAM motorist, and not to QRM the local
APRS infrastructure. 

Put them far enough out of town and deep in a valley
out of earshot of the local digi.  Or if your area is wide
enough with few-enough local users, you can just put 
this info in your local DIGI BText.  

Most digi's in southern Maryland include the frequency
of the local voice repeater for travelers and it is nice
to be driving around and see the freq and PL of a local
repeater on the front panel of the radio.


>>> bruninga at usna.edu 07/03/06 10:24 AM >>>
Regarding putting low power DIGI's in Airports:

On Mon, 3 Jul 2006, Dave Baxter wrote:
>Not much gained, for very few people...

Well, I disagree.  Our local airport served 20 million last year.
That is 54,000 per day.  And since the Ham population is
0.2% of the USA population, that is about 770 Hams per
week pass through that airport.  Lets say half of them
are not local, that is a pretty good sized CAPTIVE audience
that has no ham radio means to communicate if he doesnt
know the frequency of the local repeater or the local
IRLP or ECHO node, or if he cannot get his Email or APRS
message out.

A guy sitting in his basement shack doesnt much need APRS
to give him local info.  But the APRS user passing through
an airport does. AND:

*** It is a very high density short range focal point.  AN ideal
location for a DIRECT packet giving the traveler all he needs 
to know.  And being short range, it has a guaranteed chance
at updating his HT, and similarly it has an extremely small
impact on the surrouiding APRS infrastructure.

Its a cheap kill.

But only if you believe that Ham radio has any future at all.
If one thinks that "why bother" they all have cell phones,
then surely this hobby is on a dead end course to extinction!

Bob, WB4APR




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