[aprssig] SCOUTS to RF Broadcast Server???

[Bob Bruninga]

> CQSRVR is up and running.  It is very simple...
> It supports 2, count them, 2 commands:
> CQ groupname messagetext
> U groupname

Wow, that was fast.  Nothing like a rainy day!  Great work.. And just in time for JOTA!

I had to paint my mother in-laws apt so, I am just now getting to catch up on email via her dial up, so I may be behind on email and not keyed in on the latest discussion on this topic.  But, while painting, I thought of several things along these lines:

1) I was thinking along the lines of messages would be addressed TO the actual <groupname>.  This way, it works more like the way APRS MSG GROUPS were originally designed to work.  And these messages would work directly on RF too.  A message to SCOUTS is a message to SCOUTS whether it goes via the CQSRVR or goes locally on RF.   Also, by basing the system on this method, there is no dependence on the "CQ" keyword.  Beacuse many messages may not be CQ types.

Here I am thinking of the ham radio SATERN network operated by the Salvation Army.  Once they login to the CQSRVR, from then on their messages between other SATERN members should not require the key word CQ.  Simply addressing the message to SATERN should be sufficient.

(Same goes for the original SCOUTS group)... etc

2) In response to the initial CQSRVR logon of a station, the response from the CQSRVR should mention something along the lines of "Remember to add <groupname> to your MSG GROUPS".
(This is how the original APRS message group concept was designed to work.)

3) I wonder if the logoff command could be something with more ham radio legacy... Maybe "SK" or "73" instead of "U"?

4) Originally I thought that 24 hours was just about perfect.  But then you notice that in my suggestion, I changed it back to 12 hours.  My thinging was along the lines of this:  Ham radio is global.  Some events are global, but in general, during a 24 hour day, half of all ham radio operators are in the dark and/or asleep.  So, even though a ham has gone to sleep, the global event continues.  But only the half of the globe in waking hours might really be reading their mail, and the other half may have bailed out and gone to sleep.  No reason for the global CQSRVR to keep chugging out all those packets (QRM) after half the stations have quit.

By setting it for a 12 hour timeout, this does decay the QRM faster, while still allowing for the all night event if someone wants it.  With a 12 hour decay,  a station can still participate for 24 hours or more, by just making sure to be active before he goes to bed and continuing with a message when he gets up in the morning...

Guess it wouldnt work for my daughter tho... sometimes she sleeps past 12 hours!

But anyway, a 12 hour timer would more quickly decay out the QRM.  Hummh... what good is a pile of up to 12 hour old CQ messages when you wake up, because they might now all be asleep.   Maybe eventually depending on QRM levels, this decay time could be much shorter?  On field day, maybe it is set to only one hour?  Anyway, for now, I could go with 12 hours as a starting point?

Thanks Pete!
Just some thoughts.
Bob, Wb4aPR