Eagle Scout Icon - Was Re: [aprssig] APRS data for Scout Events

[VE7GDH]

KC0MP wrote...

> Bob being an Eagle Scout I think it's great that you being the APRS
> guy are trying to use it in BSA events. One question I have is I know
> we have a Boy Scout and Girl Scout "icon" but would it not be cool to
> have a Eagle Scout Icon for APRS??

...and I keep asking for a "skier" symbol every few months too. I know
there is a limit to how many can be added, but if there's room for tractor,
snowmobile, bank, restroom, truck stop, snowmobile, drizzle, two for grid
squares and other little-used symbols etc. and there are a number (14-15?)
unused characters, why can't there be a skier symbol too????? If KC0MPs
suggestion goes through there will be THREE symbols for scouts... boy, girl
and eagle.

Quoting from Bob's reply... "So we only add new ones when we think
that a reasonable number of the 30,000 APRS users would be able
to take advantage of it." What about removing ones that are NOT
being used by the 30,000 or so APRS users to make room for
ones which will be used more often? Also, who is the "we"? I know
the spec mentions an "APRS working group" but is there one?
With no disrespect to Bob, I think that decisions about APRS should
be made by the general APRS community and not by one person.

Not a complete list, but worldwide, right now NO-ONE felt there was an
urgent need for use of any of the following symbols:

\9    gas station
\X    pharmacy
\D    drizzle
\P    parking
\$    bank or ATM
\+    church
\r    restrooms (although could be used in emergencies)
\U   sunny (you would think that it would be sunny most places
                 at least during daylight hours if it wasn't drizzling
                 or anything worse there. Maybe this one means
                 it's not smoggy.)

Little used ones...

/t    truck stop    there were three on the map. Most truckers drive the
      same routes over and over and know where the truck stops are.
      Even if they don't, they are commonly find right on the side of the
      road.

\;    park/picnic - three worldwide

/F    tractor or farm vehicle - four. One was in a residential area. Two had
       a verified TCPIP connection. One had an unverified TCPIP connection.
       One was a UI-View user on RF and actually looked like it was near a
       farm.

\R    restaurants - four worldwide.

On the contrary...
/[    jogger - over 229 worldwide. Presumably all on foot, but I would be
      willing to bet that not very many of them were actually jogging.

/p    dog - 27 users there (woof)
/)    wheelchair or disabled - 11
/e    equestrian (horse) - 13

There were also four shuttles (/S) whizzing around, but I don't think
they were the ones used by NASA. They are kinda like a helicopter I
see driving up and down a nearby highway all of the time.

I'm not writing this because I like getting flack from Bob. I'm writing it
because I think there is still some room for changes to the accepted
APRS symbols.

73 es cul - Keith VE7GDH
--
"I may be lost, but I know exactly where I am!"