[aprssig] APRS Weather hops and rates

[Jesse (KC5LOS)]

NWS here in Texas (CORPUS) does not have access to the APRS information 
nor the ability to decode the information. They are not even using the 
CWOP info either. There are no plans to take advantage of this 
information either.

When asked, I tell everyone 10 mins with a WIDE2-1 to keep it local and 
still gives the WX station a opportunity to beacon out. And we are not 
clobbered with nothing but WX station data. IF NWS wanted to use the 
data I don't see them needing it any faster than 10 mins since their 
radar loops every 10 mins or so. Our Digis are spread out (1 per 
populated county as of current) and so its not hard to keep things 
local. But we strive to atleast get what we hear to a IGATE. We have 3 
IGATEs serving the area between Corpus and Laredo with 2 running as a 
backup in montior only mode. So the WX data makes it to that and then to 
the internet. Those willing to work with the APRS group usually will get 
directed paths to cover the local areas they are in and local area being 
60 miles.

Brian Webster wrote:
> One of the things we need to consider here is that the Weather service
> offices are using the WX data in many cases, off the air not via the APRS
> Internet stream. In Binghamton NY they like the off air APRS because it
> gives them a secondary method for obtaining any weather data should their
> normal systems become inoperable. In a wide area disaster the internet may
> not be up and therefore I-Gates not sending the data. Since the
> reorganization and reduction of NWS offices the direct path data would not
> reach those offices. I think a 15 min interval and 2 hops is not the end of
> the world for many areas.