[aprssig] Local Info Objects

[Robert Bruninga]

> o Attempting to send a message to the vast 
> majority of stations that successfully respond 
> to a ping nets nothing.... What surprises me is that 
> a) none of them seem to have canned auto-replys,
> b) practically NONE of the home stations reply 
> (or have auto-reply)  either.  

Which is the way I think it should be.  Any "Routine" canned
auto-reply messages are by definition just spam and QRM.  If
they are "canned" then how can they have any intrinsic real-time
immediate value. They just load down the network with no benefit
gained.  I recommended that they be off.

UNLESS... And this is what they were designed for...  

That is, if at any particular moment, someone expects you to be
at your operating position or you are expecting an important
incoming message and for some reason you are called away, then
that is a good time to post a "temporary" reply message
informing them of the situation and when they can expect you
back, or including the answer to a question you anticipate.  The
key word here for USEFUL reply messages is "temporary" and the
key words for SPAM and QRM messages are "routine" and "canned".

When someone sends someone a message, they get an ACK.  That
confirms receipt.  There is no need for a canned QRM REPLY
message with no value on a routine basis.

Mine is only on when I have temporarily entered specific
immediate information of value in anticipation of an incoming
message that I might not be available for.  Which is very
rare...

Just my 4 cents...
Bob, WB4APR