[aprssig] MGATES for IS-Mobiles

[Lynn W. Deffenbaugh (Mr)]

On 12/28/2011 5:34 AM, Steve Dimse wrote:
> Any mobile phone software author that wishes to support this feature just need to implement a special class of message that is sent once every 30 minutes. Easy.

Easy, yes.  Unobtrusive, not really.  I would ask that APRS-IS software 
authors please consider carefully overloading the APRS messaging system 
with periodic messages specifically designed to go nowhere.  There will 
be better ways to get periodic posits onto RF eventually, the demand is 
too great to ignore and that's part of the reason for the resistance.

And please remember that in some clients, messages directed to any -SSID 
for a specified callsign are received and displayed for all instances of 
that callsign per earlier descriptions of the way things "should" work.  
In fact, my D700 running as KJ4ERJ-11 will pick up, alert, and display 
RF messages directed to any of my other -SSIDs.  Consider the poor 
hapless digipeater operator that also runs mobile in the same area that 
you're software (or user) has selected as the "target" for 
posit-generating message spam.

Talk about driving people even further away from APRS messaging?  This 
would certainly have that effect as thousands (eventually) of APRS-IS 
users begin flooding random, supposedly non-manned stations with QRM 
messages just to trigger a semi-desired side effect.

In my opinion, the APRS-IS mobile user already has a distinct advantage 
in that s/he has seemingly 100% packet reception and decode ability.  
The APRS-IS user sees everything received by any IGate from the local 
(and even remote) RF environments.  I agree that it would be nice to 
find a safe, non-impacting way to make said stations visible on RF-only 
stations, but let's try to accomplish that goal somehow without 
generating TWO packets (message + posit) on the RF instead of just one 
(the desired posit).

In the meantime, if you run an APRS-IS-only client and want to show up 
in the local RF environment, contact your local IGate operator and get 
his/her reaction and support.  Nearly all existing IGate software today 
can already gate specific stations from -IS to RF.  Just be ready to 
provide reasonable assurances that your XYZ client software won't go 
nuts with transmitting packets because it's the IGate operator that has 
responsibility for the RF-transmitted copies of those packets.

Lynn (D) - KJ4ERJ - Author of APRSISCE for Windows Mobile and Win32