[aprssig] "Best" packet decoder solution

[Lynn W. Deffenbaugh (Mr)]

In all communications I've read, it has been tracked down to a KPC-3+ 
(note the +, the non-+ doesn't seem to have issues) running in KISS mode 
for an extended period of time where that period shortens in the 
presence of heavy traffic.  It was once thought to only be the latest 
(V9?) ROM version, but I've seen it also mentioned as affecting V8 ROMs.

It has been seen in UI-View as well as Xastir, and I have no doubt that 
my own APRSISCE/32 would be affected as it seems to be a delay in 
delivering the received packets out the KISS port.  The software on the 
outside of the COM port has no way to affect this.

Someone recently suggested that possibly just dropping the KPC-3+ out of 
KISS and back in might recover from or prevent this delay.  However, 
given the difficulty in even seeing that the delay is happening, this 
would be a very difficult thing to prove and I'd hate to rely on such a 
recovery on some remote installation.  Cycling power on the KPC-3+ has 
been shown to reliably break it out of whatever confused state it gets 
itself into.

Lynn (D) - KJ4ERJ - Relaying my memory of what I've read

Wes Johnston, AI4PX wrote:
> Please tell me more about the delays.  Do they just affect KISS mode?  
> Do they affect in-tnc digipeating?   Do they affect CONVerse mode?   
> This could be the delay issue we've been chasing for years.... the 
> issue that I've thought was UI-View all this time!
>  
> Could it be???
> Wes
> ---
> God help those who do not help themselves.
>
>
> On Mon, Dec 27, 2010 at 15:00, Lynn W. Deffenbaugh (Mr) 
> <ldeffenb at homeside.to <mailto:ldeffenb at homeside.to>> wrote:
>
>     I have seen the KPC-3+/KISS issue discussed several times on
>     multiple APRS mailing lists, but my best reference is the direct
>     experience of Richard Sharp (KQ4KX) who maintains the WC4PEM
>     digi/IGate network in Polk County here in Florida.  WC4PEM is a
>     KPC-3+ running in KISS mode and if he doesn't reboot the TNC every
>     week or so (sooner if APRS traffic gets heavy), it begins
>     introducing delayed packets into the APRS-IS network.  The easiest
>     way to see this is on packets that include a timestamp.  The
>     packet will appear once via some other IGate and then again via
>     WC4PEM with a 1-5 minute (yes, it has been up to 5 minutes) delay.
>       The problem is only known to exist in KPC-3+, the non-plus and
>     other Kantronics units do not seem to have the issue.
>
>     I have not experimented with the difference between AGW PE vs
>     PEpro.  I only quoted my experience with PEpro because that's what
>     I run with all of my testing.  I'm still hoping that the Pro
>     version gets updated to catch up with the free version because I
>     need to be able to specify a split input and output sound card
>     channels complements of the differences in the way Windows 7
>     handles my audio devices now that I've added a Signalink USB.
>
>     The Pro version's KAM tone support works really well for me as I'm
>     running it on 30m HF side-by-side with APRS Messenger (2100hz)
>     with both of them running through an instance of my APRSIS32 for
>     map visualization and Igate functions.
>
>
>     Lynn (D) - KJ4ERJ - Author of APRSISCE for Windows Mobile and Win32
>
>     Stephen H. Smith wrote:
>
>
>             I have a KPC-3+ here, but I haven't yet hooked it up to
>             anything for comparison to the TNCs listed in my previous
>             e-mail.  I haven't made time for this because apparently
>             the KPC-3+ also has trouble when operated long term in
>             KISS mode which is my preferred TNC interface.
>
>
>         Where have you encountered KISS issues with the KPC3?   I have
>         a KAM (VHF side is essentially identical to a KPC3 while the
>         HF side uses two independent switched-capacitor tone detector
>         channels like classic RTTY "TU"s) -and- a KPC3+ in my ham
>         "super server"  VHF/HF  igate-UIwebserver-APRN-Echolink
>          setup.   Picture and details here:
>
>         <http://wa8lmf.net/EPIAserver>
>
>         Both run in KISS mode and have run for months at a time
>         without any problems.    The KAM in KISS mode provides two
>         logical KISS data streams (one for HF, one for VHF)  on a
>         single physical serial port.  They are then separated by AGWpe
>         into separate AGW logical ports which are then used by
>         different copies of UIview.
>
>         -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>
>         Finally, you say you found AGWpe Pro to be the best performer.
>          Have you compared it to the freeware version?    I had
>         assumed the main difference in the "Pro" version was the
>         fancier GUI.   Is there an actual difference in the decode
>         performance?
>
>         I have been considering buying the Pro version, but mainly
>         because it's HF mode uses the standard 1600/1800 Hz  KAM/TNC2
>          HF tones instead of the 2100/2300 tones of the freeware
>         version.  (The higher tones can present problems with the
>         limited passband of many HF SSB transceivers.)
>
>
>
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