[aprssig] DX-cluster Messaging? (CC-cluster)

[Robert Bruninga]

>> It's the same in APRS, with 40,000 users, maybe 
>> only 00.1% actually send a message...
> 
> Maybe that's because it's difficult to use 
> and mostly doesn't work.
> 
> EMAIL messages get through about 50% of the 
> time, at best, even in an area with good 
> igate coverage. I rarely get the ACK back that
> tells me the message was received. 
> Car-to-car is far worse.

Lots to be done, but we have got to keep working on it.
Problems are
1) Congestion due to mobiles thinking APRS is a vehicle tracking
system that must give them good tracks at high rates.  Wrong.

2) Lack of Igate coordination.  Hence congestion between igates
3) Too many one-way igates with NO WAY for the users to tell
4) Lack of understanding the nature of ACKS
5) Excessive expectations

> I would suggest that concentrating on the 
> infrastructure, rather than adding more 
> congestion to the channel, would yield more 
> valuable results.

Agree.  We have been working on the infrastructure for years.
But all people do is keep adding more trackers...  And many
could care little about missed packets and lack of two-way and
reliable Igates and proper Igate settings.

Getting more people to use messaging and then seeing how much
work there is still to be done, might start opening their eyes
as to what they cn do in their area to make things work better.
There is much to be done.  And everyone needs to do what they
can...

Bob, WB4APR