[aprssig] d-700 and icons and AVRS!

[Robert Bruninga]

>> ... the D710 is the only one with the tune feature. 
>> I assume the D72 will have it as well.  
>> The tune feature has a very limited audience.

Standing alone, out of context, that statement is not correct.
The FTM-350 has the same button but is called the QSY button.

And secondly, the "TUNE" or "QSY" feature is a very important
concept in the present/future of APRS initiated back in 2001
with the AVRS concepts (www.aprs.org/avrs.html) AVRS brings
together APRS, IRLP and Echolink and allows voice operations
more like a ham cell phone system, that is, you can talk by
voice between any-two APRS users by simply entering a callsign
and a QSO request anywhere in the world if the guy is on the
air.

The QSO message request goes to the APRS-IS where it handshakes
with Echolink/IRLP or any other VOIP system and finds the
nearest IRLP/Echolink/VOIP system and then sends a QSY message
to the other operator for his radio to QSY automatically to the
nearest node and "answer the QSO call"...

All the parts have been in place since 2001, and all we need is
a motivated programmer to write the "AVRS engine" that watches
the APRS-IS for the QSO request messages, then gets the node
locations and freqs from the IRLP/Echolink systems and then
sends back the correct QSY (tune) messages to the radios.

This is all part of the grand APRS plan since 2001.
- Getting local FREQ objects on the air is part of it
- Getting IRLP/Echolink objects on the air is part of it
- Getting the QSY/TUNE feature in APRS radios is part of it
- Getting a single motivate programmer is part of it
- Getting users to use do it is the hardest part of it..

Bob, Wb4APR