[aprssig] APRS Messages and Operating Codes (Q & Z)

[Bob Bruninga]

> I'm an ARES/RACES amateur radio operator in Berkeley California.  
> I've been advocating for the use of APRS messages...
> I'd like to use it as a form of "two-way" paging and also 
> for a fire patrol that we do three times a year.

You betcha.  The problem is getting old fuds to consider using a keypad to
do text messaging.  Kids eat it up and have no problem with it.  But many of
our best old fud volunteer hams just can't get over the hump of using their
fingers to communicate... (on a keypad)...

> One of the things I've kind a backed into is ACP-131.  
> There are some parallels between military missions and RACES.
> I've been thinking about how to use those.  I was curious 
> if you have seen this done elsewhere in the APRS community.  
> If there are some lessons learned, I'd be curious to hear about them.

Wow, I just looked at ACP-131 and am amazed that there are nearly 200 pages
of Qxx and Zxx codes.  Lots more than the QRZ,QRM,QSY and QTH we hear
often...  Such a means of encoding would certainly work well if the tables
are built into APRS, but otherwise I cant imagine getting a QXP signal and
without a book, knowing what to do with it.

I'm posting this on the APRSSIG to see what experience others have with the
ACP-131 Q and Z codes.

Bob, WB4APR


73,

			--Bruce (KI6UKZ)


Robert "Bruce" Carleton
rbc at rbcarleton.com
510-764-9427 (Home)
510-207-2592 (Cell)