[aprssig] Future Concept for APRS (NOT Tracking only)

[Robert Bruninga]

>> Vehicle tracking is not of much interest to 
>> most hams.  Most hams want to do 2-way 
>> communications, not watch some tracker 
>> drive around with no way to talk to him...
> 
> Like it or not, tracking *is* what most 
> people want to do with APRS.

Be very careful of wording.  I said "most-hams" (which includes
the other 95% of hams who could care less about vehicle
tracking.  You are saying something much different which is that
"most-aprs-users" do (which is vehicle tracking)...

That is the big misconception of APRS all across ham radio (not
just the APRS users).  Everyone is 95% wrong about thinking it
is a "vehicle tracking system (and weather)" only.  Whereas it
was designed to be a universal single channel 2-way
communications and information service across all users, all
systems, all applications, and all activities in the local area
to keep all hams (no matter their interest and activities),
informed of what was going on around them in HAM RADIO, not just
in deaf trackers and deaf weather stations.

> Thinking from a "product" point of view, 
> it is *the* differentiating feature of APRS, 
> when compared to other modes of operation. 
> It's what sells APRS. 

No.  It only "sells APRS" to mostly internet junkies that like
to see themselves moving around on neat internet maps.  It
ANTI-SELLS APRS to the vast 95% majority of HAM RADIO operators
who see no value in just vehicle tracking to them, and no
benefit to them.  And if we don't start including that other 95%
of ham radio in our philosophy, we will forver be a video game
internet side show to the real ham radio.

> And it *is* the thing that works best in APRS.

True.  I agree of course.  But we already have those people that
want to be tracked in APRS, it's the other 95% of operators in
every club and in all of ham radio that will never get excited
about vehicle tracking, but would be very excited if they
realized that APRS is a RESOURCE to them in THEIR OWN mobile to
SEE what is happening around them:

* Where is everyone else?
* What is the local voice traveler repeater here?
* Where is the nearest echolink/IRLP node?
* What are their frequencies and TONE?
* What nets are in progress right now?
* Can I check into the net with an APRS message?
* What hamfests are coming up... Where
* When is the local NET?
* When is the local monthly meeting?

THOSE features have benefit to the other 95% of ham radio.  And
remember, those other 95% have already REJECTED APRS because
they have no interest in broadcasting their position one-way
blindly, but they are not aware of what APRS is SUPPOSED to be.

> [Vehicle tracking] doesn't suffer that badly 
> from the loss of a few packets here and there. 
> The digipeater network was not properly 
> designed for messaging, so it doesn't 
> really work too well.

Not true.  The real way to say that paragraph is to say that
MOST CLIENT programs did not fullly -and- properly implement the
messaging algorithms and so what most people experience with
these crippled clients is poor performance.

> Besides, the most popular and most affordable 
> APRS devices can only do tracking. The messaging-
> capable rigs are still a bit expensive.

But we are talking about the FUTURE of APRS, not the simplistic
lowest common denominator.  And most of the problems we see
today are because of people taking simplistic short-cuts to
minimum functionality and not fully implementing the protocol
properly.

> Things could be different, if affordable 
> messaging-capable devices were there...

And with Kenwood and now Yaesu, and HAMhud and Byonics and
Argent Data all now making two-way texting in their
radios/devices, we are getting there... (Where we were 10 years
ago before everyone began mass installing one-way APRS dumb
trackers everywhere...

The FUTURE is seeing APRS in every mobile including what every
modern communicator is handy with.. That is text messaging.  It
works and works well in all aspects of human operations.  APRS
was designed to do it, we need to quit promoting TRACKERS for
vehicles with HAM operators on board, and delegate trakers to
where they are most useful, and that is assisting at events
where we cannot get enough hams to be on every moving platform
and need to track thinks other than humans.

Bob, WB4APR