[aprssig] CQ Field Day via CQSRVR

[Rick Green]

On Mon, 22 Oct 2007, Robert Bruninga wrote:

>> At 06:45 10/22/2007, Robert Bruninga wrote:
>>> Being able to do national CQ's with managed
>>> load limiting would have been a great new
>>> capability to bring APRS to Field Day.
>>
>> I thought you always preach that APRS is for
>> local tactical communications...
>
> Yes, but when all there is locally is a bunch of one-way
> broadcasters and no human operators present that one can find,
> one may have to go further to find a real human operator.
>
> In some areas where the missinterpretation of APRS as a one-way
> broadcast vehicle tracking system has taken over APRS, I wonder
> if anyone with a situation or emergency or need for contact
> could ever really find any help?
>
> Lets get back to communicating... Operator to operator..  Its
> what ham radio is all about...
>
  Yes, it's what ham radio is all about.  APRS is just one aspect or 
technique that hams use.  It doesn't have to be all that ham radio is. 
Local, tactical, situational awareness seem to be the keywords I've heard 
over and over.  CQ DX is better handled with different techniques.
   The concept of a digipeater was written into the ax25 spec as a 
*temporary* kludge, until a real routed network layer was developed.  The 
only 'direction' an APRS digi knows about is 'outward', and that sounds 
like broadcast to me!
   If you're disseminating information to the local community, APRS is 
easily the 'best practice' among the digital modes.  If your need or 
desire is one-to-one communication, use the operator presence information 
to select the appropriate mode, QSY, and accomplish your communication.

-- 
Rick Green, N8BJX

"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little
temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
                                   -Benjamin Franklin