[aprssig] !x! (was: IS-to-RF proposal (rev b))

[Steve Dimse]

On Dec 30, 2011, at 11:40 AM, la3qma at aprs.la wrote:

> Quoting "Steve Dimse" <steve at dimse.com>:
> 
>> A quick check of LB9KE-7 shows aprs.fi ignores it and APRSWorld  respects it (the latter has a posit from Dec 6 that did not include  !x!). That aprs.fi never got called on it shows just how few people  care.
> 
> But where should the packet be dropped? By the IGATE and/or by the APRS-IS?
> Because if it's the APRS-IS then APRS.FI is not the "bad guy" here.
> 
> Then we have to look on APRX wich is used by the IGATE receiving LB9KE-7

!x! and x-no-archive prevent _archiving_. They do not prevent the packet from appearing on the APRS Internet System. IGates MUST ignore these tags, only those programs storing the data in a database which is accessed via the internet should look for this. I wouldn't call aprs.fi a bad guy, even in quotes, because if anyone actually cared they would have given feedback that it is not implemented. This feature dates back to findU's early days more than 10 years ago, as I said it was demanded by a small number of folks who were convinced findU was the devil's work. I did it to shut them up. Time has proven they were wrong.

There are separate ways to keep packets off the APRS IS (like RFONLY). Databases need not parse for these, but IGates must.

Steve K4HG