[aprssig] APRS RX-I-GATE software: aprx

[Rich Garcia]

So you are telling me a ham would limit the installation of a digi for 18
euro's while they still would not blink an eye to spend thousands or tens of
thousands more for a radio?

We may not have to pay any special fees for digi's or repeaters the only
extra we need to pay is a license renewal or vanity callsign fee if we have
one but not very often. But still, for someone involved in amateur radio I
find it hard to belive that 18 euros a year would prevent them finantially
being able to accomplish something they really have an interest in, as a
digi or repeater. People are not made of money BUT we all have to admit that
amateur radio is not a cheap hobby ANYWHERE in the world and if someone
choses this hobby to take part in chances are they can afford a small sum
like that if they were intersted.

I would venture to say that INTEREST is probably more of the reason for lack
of digi's than the funds. If you were to say that a lack of tower space (ie:
free or reduced cost) were the problem then I can agree with that. It's a
very common problem we have here in the United States.

Rich

-----Original Message-----
From: Matti Aarnio [mailto:oh2mqk at sral.fi]
Sent: Saturday, February 14, 2009 5:00 PM
To: TAPR APRS Mailing List
Subject: [aprssig] APRS RX-I-GATE software: aprx


I am not sure of what licenses automatic unattended transmitters need in
USA,
but here they require special automatic station license

  "Pay 18 euros per transmitter per year to FICORA licensing management.
   Thank you."

That is, every digipeater has to pay that for every channel it transmits on.
This has made APRS digipeaters rather RARE in here, same with TX-IGates.

Furthermore, because TX-IGates require rather complex configuration, they
are very hard to get working correctly, as many have observed.

A year ago I wrote simplified RX-Only IGate that can be left unattended and
free of special licenses:

  http://wiki.ham.fi/Aprx.en

It is so simple to configure that even non-nerds are able to do it.
It sits even on very small systems, like NSLU2 and WRT54GL.


I have also looked at extending it with TX-IGate capability, but required
igate algorithm is damn complicated, and specification is quite unclear.
( http://www.aprs-is.net/IGateDetails.aspx )

It is no wonder that people have such problems with TX-IGates...

  73 de Matti, OH2MQK

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