[aprssig] 20th century radio (was: APRS MileMark data base)

[Jason KG4WSV]

On Sun, Apr 13, 2008 at 5:21 PM, Bob Bruninga <bruninga at usna.edu> wrote:

>  Because 95% of important things that impact an event and that people need to see, will never have APRS GPS gizmo's attached to them!

Yeah, we can't afford them because we blow $200 a pop on a KPC-3+,
then some more on burning a PROM to get them functional.

>  No, providing real-world communications in support of events is not just about making our jobs easier, but to provide BETTER information than they currently have now about the situation.

If you have better methods and better equipment, you can do a better job.


>  In my area, maybe 10% maximum of all volunteers that show up at these events or situatinos have any APRS abillity at all.  The other 90% don't.  Do we ignore them?

I have noticed on our balloon chases (which frequently combine asset
tracking with SAR type activity) that those who do not have APRS
capability typically provide less help than those who do.

Part of using the tools we have is doing an after-action assessment,
and figure out what is useful and what to leave at home next time.

>  APRS had automatic DF interefaces to ALL existing DOppler DF units since 1995.

Bob, the rest of the world abandoned DOS years ago.  If you want to
provide something useful for the APRS community, do it in linux, or
even Windows (if you must).

And since when did APRS-DOS = APRS?

>  Maxwell's equations have not changed since the 1800's.

Maybe not, but our understanding of them and the technology available
to us has changed just a wee bit since then.

>  FEC would be nice, but what exactly about a LAT/LONG, a course and speed, and a few bytes of text message would benefit from "better protocols", "Higher data rates (but shorter range)", and better modulation (at higher cost) provide?

Maybe it would provide the capability for more
stations/objects/messages on the air, for a start?  Maybe more data,
like vector objects to indicate storms, spill areas, recommended evac
routes, even complete maps or radar images?  D-STAR managed to get
voice and data on the same frequency (too bad they used proprietary
codecs to do it).

Shorter range is your (apparently intentional) mis-assumption.  Yes, I
would be an idiot to change to a more inferior technology, but that's
not the direction I meant we should go.  I have no idea where Maxwell
says that more efficient modulation techniques cost more - I guess I
should have paid more attention in physics class, and less attention
to things like those commodity ICs that do GMSK on 70cm.

>   (and an experimental playground for testing new ideas).

_Thank_ you.  That is my point, and we (APRS) are NOT doing anything
NEW.  Nothing.

>  The point of this thread was to the OPERATORS to learn to USE what they have effectively while they wait for the wunder-kids to bring out something new.

Maybe I'm in the wrong place then - where is the new stuff being
developed?  Not in ham radio, and certainly not in APRS, as far as I
can tell.

-Jason
kg4wsv