[aprssig] APRS Symbols

[Bob Bruninga]

> How do we get 3200 symbols?

As I have posted many times, the original addition of an overlay byte back in 1995 or so was intended to expand the symbol set to 3200 or so.  WinAPRS was opposed since it would require separate graphics for every new symbol, since they only do ICONS and could not easily do overlays onto basic symbol shapes.

So we compromised to only 15 symbols with overlays.  But in APRS1.2 we have proposed going back to that original concept and allowing overlays on all characters.  Kenwood has moved forward with this, and implemented it in the D710.  I hope other authors will follow suit.

For example, we have recently added the overlay of "O" to the home station or WX station or any other base station to indicate OPERATOR PRESENT.  (Though we hope this will be AUTOMATIC detection of operator, and that people will not set it permanently or we are back to where we are now, Lights on, but nobody watching...)

We have added  "Skier" to the HUMAN/PERSON symbol, etc using this expansion capability...

Bob, Wb4APR