[aprssig] TCPXX (was: RE: APRS-XO proposal)

[Curt, WE7U]

On Mon, 7 Jan 2008, AE5PL Lists wrote:

> APRS-IS can handle both licensed and unlicensed operations, but the
> servers are provided by amateur radio operators for amateur radio
> related use.  The free bandwidth is not offered by the participating
> amateur radio operators as an alternative to the many instant messaging
> systems available today on the Internet (most free).  To this end, the
> APRS-IS servers restrict unlicensed operation to position and weather
> reports only.  Only validated logins may message, insert objects, etc.

This doc disagrees with that assumption:

    <http://www.wa4dsy.net/aprs/aprsdDOC.html#stsm>

It states:

----------------------------------------------------------------------
  "Users of unregisterd client programs can send their own
  station-to-station messages to other Internet users. These messages
  will not go out on the TNC RF channel and the path will be modified
  (TCPIP is changed to TCPXX*) so other hubs will know not to send
  these messages out on their RF channels. Unregistered users cannot
  Igate packets other than their own. In other words, the ax25 source
  call in their packets must match their logon call and "TCPIP" must
  be in the path. (TCPIP* or TCPXX* will not work either)

  eg: assume N0CALL is unregistered and attempts to send the following
  into the server.

  N0CALL>APRS,TCPIP:>TESTING
  This will be converted to N0CALL>APRS,TCPXX*:>TESTING and gated to
  other users (but not to RF!)"
----------------------------------------------------------------------

FWIW:  The above description is how Xastir is written to handle the
TCPXX case.  This sort of operation allows users who haven't yet
registered their APRS software to get on the 'net and do EVERYTHING
that the rest of us can, except get their packets gated to RF.
Messaging between stations is ok.  Objects/items/status/etc packets
are ok.

--
Curt, WE7U: <www.eskimo.com/~archer/>     XASTIR: <www.xastir.org>
  "Lotto:  A tax on people who are bad at math." -- unknown
"Windows:  Microsoft's tax on computer illiterates." -- WE7U
The world DOES revolve around me:  I picked the coordinate system!