[aprssig] Lubbock Paths?

[Bob Bruninga]

I think I remember hearing some occasional comments that travelers through Lubbock texas disappear off the APRS map.... Tonight I think maybe I found out why?  I tried contacting the only APRS call I can find on the web site, but QRZ has no email address for that call.

This web site seems to suggest that Lubbock has correctly gotten rid of all the old stuff (RELAY,WIDE,TRACE,etc) and has implemented the SSn-N for West Texas (WTXn-N), but there is no mention of WIDEn-N suport?

> http://www.orgsites.com/tx/w5lcc/_pgg6.php3 

Does this mean that anyone driving through from anywhere else will disappear off the face of the earth in Lubbock? 
If this omission is intentional, then I wonder what is going on.  If WIDEn-N works and this is simply an editorial omission, then I appologize for making an issue where there is none.

I see no advantage to WTX2-2 compared to WIDE2-2...  Makes no sense.  APRS is for travelers and especially visitors using WIDE2-2.  WIDE2-2 is not going to go any farther nor do any more damage than WTX2-2.  But not supporting WIDE2-2, leaves visitors and travelers in a black-hole?

The intent of a sectional WTXn-N should be for distribution of specialized event or NET traffic to all participants in WTX section, without spilling over into adjacent dis-interested communication sections.  In that sense, the intent of WTXn-N would be to allow much bigger hops like WTX3-3 or 4-4, etc for this special traffic while limiting routine stuff to WIDE2-2. 

In fact, the real advantage of something like WTXn-N is to allow someone to use WTX7-7 so that a check-in to a WTX weekly hour-long net can be seen by other checkins to the net in other parts of WTX.  In this  case, the size of "N" does not matter, since the intent of the packet is to hit every digi in WTX.  So N does not matter.  Once they are all hit, the packet dies anyway whether it is 7-7 or 4-4 as long as all digis are hit in the section.

So I see no advantage to forcing all users to use WTXn-N for small values of N, when the nationwide WIDE2-2 will do just as well. 

Is this why we have heard of problems drving through Lubbock?
See the web page.

Bob, Wb4APR