[aprssig] AVRS Online

[John Gorkos]

The AVRS responder described at http://aprs.org/avrs.html is online and 
running, and all code is current in the SourceForge project.  I'll be adding 
usage information this weekend on the SourceForge page, but the bottom line is 
pretty easy:
Message "?" to "AVRS" to get a message with the closest EchoLink OR IRLP node 
sent back to you, as well as two objects sent to the APRS-IS stream 
representing the two closest nodes.
Message CALLSIGN to "AVRS" to initiate a voice-over-Internet link to a distant 
station.  AVRS will find the best path (EchoLink or IRLP) and send two 
messages:  one to your target, asking them to QSY to the appropriate frequency 
and stand by for a QSO with you, and the second message to you telling you to 
QSY to your closest node and the node number of the distant node you need to 
bring up.  
Please give it a try, and email me with any issues or problems.  Right now, 
the node selection algo uses a "shortest total path" to determine the best 
node, and doesn't differentiate between nodes based on frequency (i.e. if you 
ask on the 2m APRS frequency, you may get a 440 node in response).  Total path 
length is based on distance from you to the closest node plus the distance 
from your target to his closest node.  
Target callsign does not need an SSID.  For targets with multiple SSIDs, right 
now I'm just grabbing the station with the most recent transmission.   I'm 
working on an algorithm to make the selection based on SSID, stations that are 
moving, stations that have a history of RF messages, stations that indicate 
message-capable based on = or @ in their positions, etc.
I'm also working on the item-in-message format.  Should have that at the end 
of the weekend, depending on my football-watching schedule and how exiting the 
games are.
Again, the source code for all parsers and AVRS logic is at 
http://sourceforge.net/projects/avrs/

Since I've never really used EchoLink or IRLP, and don't have any friends 
anywhere else in the world, I'm a little stymied to actually test this.  
Please help me.

de AB0OO
John Gorkos