[aprssig] AX25 Protocol group (Jack Chomley
Stephen H. Smith
wa8lmf2 at aol.com
Mon Jun 2 17:02:10 EDT 2008
Phillip wrote:
>
>
> From what I can gather from his message is, that this appears to be a
> for gone conclusion
> and that these changes are going to happen some time .
>
> This will impact on every application that uses the ax25 protocol if
> I am not
> mistaken.
>
> Does this impact on the APRS spec and those that produce
> firmware for trackers etc.
>
Definitely!!!!
>
> Remembering that there are over 5000 Kenwood D7 series
> aprs capable radios that probably can't be upgraded
>
> UI-View will not be able to be upgraded
>
> Every TNC will need to be upgraded .
>
The problem is that most TNCs CAN"T be upgraded.
All the "classic" TNCs (AEA, TNC2, Pre-KPC3+ Kantronics) etc, that
comprise probably the majority of the APRS digipeater/igate
infrastructure, are essentially orphaned products from the heyday of
packet over 20 years ago.
The TNCs still in current production ( TNC-X, TinyTrack4, Tracker 2, AGW
uTNC, etc.) have the potential to be upgraded since they are in current
production. I suspect UI-Digi for the TNC2 may now be an orphan with
no further development of the closed source code likely.
I am not sure of the implication for KISS-based TNC modes. Since the
KISS mode moves all the construction of the packets and their headers
out of the TNC and into the software on the computer, it may be still be
possible to use "classic" TNCs in KISS mode if the supporting software
is updated. You just wouldn't be able to run them in non-KISS mode;
i.e. as stand-alone digipeaters.
Since many TNCs in KISS mode are operated that way by the AGW Packet
Engine, updating this application would be absolutely essential.
This would probably be the final death blow to DOS APRS since the
program only works with classic full-function TNCs. It won't work with
the modern TNCs that are KISS-only devices. [Unless of course, you want
to spring for a $300 KPC3+, assuming Kantronics decides it's worthwhile
to develop yet another firmware revision (V 10.0 ??) for the KPC3+).
This whole mess sounds similar to the network armageddon looming in the
Internet IP V4 to IP V6 changeover that will be forced on us by the
exhaustion of current IP addresses. [That will obsolete a vast
proportion of the current Internet-using software and hardware.]
Or the chaos just now beginning to unfold in the mandatory
analog-to-digital TV switchover in the U.S. [The much-vaunted
government-subsidized digital-to-analog converter boxes aren't receiving
all the channels users got formerly in the analog mode. I.e. formerly
noisy but still usable analog channels are falling below the digital
error-correction threshold in digital mode and aren't being received at
all -- the usual all-or-nothing perfect-picture-or-black-screen nature
of digital.]
--
Stephen H. Smith wa8lmf (at) aol.com
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