[aprssig] APRS as a Situational Awareness tool

[kb2scs at optonline.net]

Hi All 
           My comments intertwined

----- Original Message -----
From: Robert Bruninga 
Date: Monday, January 14, 2008 6:44 pm
Subject: RE: [aprssig] APRS as a Situational Awareness tool
To: 'TAPR APRS Mailing List' 

> > And what program do you propose be used for 
> > this... something that already exists, or is 
> > this an invitation for someone to write a new 
> > one?
> 
> I think ANY APRS program or clone can pretty well be used as the
> map display. And just about anyone in the club can use those
> functions. That has rarely been a problem since that seems to be
> the focus of most clones. 
>
 
SNIP

> Too many clones simply focused on the maps, and just figured
> transmit at afixed rate and they were done. Extremely simple,
> but not at-all what APRS transmission was all about as a SYSTEM
> and a network.
> 
> Many of the following parts of the TRANSMIT algorithms were left
> out of many clones making APRS hard to use in real time:
> 

Added at end of each line where APRS-SCS complies

> - High initial rate (8 seconds) for any new data       APRS-SCS       
> - Continuous decay (doubling of time to next pkt)   APRS-SCS
> - 10m final rate if path is direct or one hop             APRS-SCS
> - 30m final rate if path is 2 or more hops                APRS-SCS
> - Decay applies to GPS input too (parked cars)        
> - Decay also applies to OBJECTS, WX and own station APRS-SCS
> - Smart (redundant and delayed) acks for messages    APRS-SCS
> - embedded reply-acks to greatly improve message throughput
> - proportional pathing (lower rate for higher hops)     APRS-SCS
> - Message delivery time out -and- RETRY-ON HEARD  
> - ALOHA circle automatically computed & displayed
> - Aloha circle determines max hop count
> - Warnings against improper settings                       APRS-SCS
> - Transmitting PHG data so we can SEE the RF network  APRS-SCS
> - Transmitting the user-activity bit if present
> 
> Well, I guess I also complain about displays too..., I may as
> well list the DISPLAY processes that were left out of many
> clones:
> 
> - the 8 or so Symbol color attributes          APRS-SCS
> - Moving or dead reckoned versus fixed.     APRS-SCS
> - message or non message capable (trackers vs users)  APRS-SCS
> - Fresh, stale or Old versus new                 APRS-SCS
> - Objects versus stations                           APRS-SCS
> - own objects versus other station's objects     APRS-SCS
> - Special, priority and emergency stations        
> - Display of stations activity bits (user present)
> - Vicinity plotting for packets without position info
> - Position ambiguity for things with less precision
> - A consistent and easy to see map RANGE scale    APRS-SCS
> - Display of PHG data for network visualization        APRS-SCS
> - Display of the stations individual ALOHA circle
> 
> Oh well, I run on...
> 
> Bob, WB4APR

I do not know why APRS-SCS has such a low user base. (I think I am the only one). I would have a better understanding of the reason if I had gotten comments.
But I have heard nothing. Even having some one tell me that "This program sucks" would have been welcome. At least I would have known that someone used it.

If anyone wants to try it here is where you can down load APRS-SCS

http://www.tapr.org/~kb2scs

Please read the web page. A lot of instructions are there to make your and my life easier.

Also please read the what's new page. A lot of How To Feature information is there also.


73 John KB2SCS