[aprssig] Weather Stations and Net Neutrality

[Bob Bruninga]

Discussing rates is meaningles without also mentioning HOPS.

> Most of our 11 weather stations...
> are digipeaters on hilltops. 
>
> At any rate [no pun intended],...
> We transmit weather every 5 minutes 
> and ... find this service to be valuable 
> to our supporters and especially the NWS.

a 5 minute rate DIRECT is perfectly acceptible.  But a 5 minute rate from a digi-hill top using a path of WIDE2-2 is eauivalent to a mobile with a 3 hop path.  THis is considered uncacceptible in many areas.

We must fine tune our network to make sure we do not have legacy systems operating at 5 minute rates that are using abusive hops or at least hops that do not consider the surrounding terrain, location of IGates and NWS stations.

If the co-located WX/DIGI system is TRUELY New-N Paradigm compliant, then the UNPROTO path is set to DIRECT. THis is the path that is used by the BTEXT which is supposed to contain the locally receommended Frequency Object.

This same path will be used by the attached WX station.

If, however, the UNPROTO path for that digi TNC is set to anything greater than 1 hop,  (Equivalent to a 2 hop user path), then serious questions arise as to whether the intent of the New-N paradigm are really being considered by the local sysops.?

Of course, there are exceptions to every rule.

But any digi with an UNPROTO WIDE2-2 path (Equivalent to 3 hops) is not welcome in most areas... especially flooding the resulting multi-state area every 5 minutes with weather.

I ask everyone to look at their local WX station.
Look at the PHG data for that site.
If it is a high-digi site, look at its path.
If it is anything over WIDE1-1, then question it...

Of course, if 2 hops is necessary to get to the NWS, then use the path of WIDE2-1,DIGIX. THis gives two hops to the NWS site in the direction of DIGIX, but only 1 hop everywhere else (equivalent to a 2 hop path in most areas)...


Something like that.

Everyone of us needs to look at our local networks for legacy systems that are not being good stewards of our bandwidth and then help in the fine tuning to improve performance by fixing legacy systems with unfair high rate/paths.

Bob, WB4APR
I will