[aprssig] Re: Tactical Value? [was: VX-8R Symbol/SSID

[Pentti Gronlund]

Robert Bruninga writes:

> I am not familiar with APRS in those radios.  The only radios I
> know of that have embedded APRS in them are the D7, D700, and
> D710.  The Alinco DJ-135 could be a tracker, and that is why I
> said 1.1 Manufacturers have embedded APRS in their products.
> Though with the OT add-in module, I would upgrade that to much
> better than 1.1.

We created a tracker out of Nokia/Mobira surplus phones some years ago:

http://oh3tr.ele.tut.fi/english/moppeacademy/mprs.html

The predecessor of the Nokia phones, Mobira, used to be affectionately
called 'Moppe'. It's a common Finnish name for a pet dog, so some R58
trackers display the rover icon :)

> > What will be next we have mobile symbols next we 
> > will want a Model Overlay for Chevy, Toyota, Honda, 
> > Ford, Mazda etc
>
> You can do that today.  APRS was designed with plenty of
> flexibility to do overlays for anything the users wanted to do
> with them.  If one wants to use the F overlay on a car for a
> FORD, they are entirely welcome to do that.  If they want to
> load a graphic into their software so that the AUTO with an F
> overlay displays as a FORD trademark, they are welcome to do
> that too..

I'd like to have the Saab Scania Griffin logo for my cars :)
 
> > From what I have read we are tied to the current 
> > APRS spec because of the limitations with the 
> > 5000 odd Kenwood radios out there because they 
> > are not upgradable.
> 
> Hummh, and so Kenwood has responded by giving us the D710 which
> is.  And a whole lot of new features that vastly improve the
> mobile/travelers experience.  Now it looks like Yeasu is also
> responding.  To me the glass looks more than half full and is
> filling up slowly but surely.
> 
> > Lets not force other manufactures to go the same route...

I have been wondering why Kenwood was the only manufacturer for
such a long time.

Bob, can you tell us, was it because of your copyright and perhaps
for your strict specifications? Maybe the other companies thought
that the APRS radios were just too complicated to manufacture? Or 
was it just because of the strategic planning of the others of not 
to make expensive low-volume radios?

You know, D710 is still priced close to 1000$ here in Europe. Not
everyone can afford to it. And the user interface is just what you 
can expect of a radio telephone. 

> Who knows.  Maybe we might see somone doing something
> interesting and different in ham radio..  But just watching
> someone drive around was never the goal of APRS.

Well, it definitely is where most of us find some use for APRS. 
Maybe you'd better to get used to the fact :)

Of course the other features like messaging would be nice to use,
but most of the mobile equipment isn't yet up to it. And the ones
that are, have an user interface dated back to the birth of short-
message services in the GSM mobile telephone network in early 90's.

Benjamin OH3BK
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