[aprssig] -IS to RF Igating (was: APRS on Android)

[Gregg Wonderly]

On 1/24/2011 8:24 PM, Bob Bruninga wrote:
>> Consider using alternate Channels with higher
>> bandwidths and that there is far more of interest
>> than just the local traffic...
>
> True, but does it need to be on RF? And can a driver of a vehicle absorb it
> or make any use of it?  If not, then most off it (out of area) should be
> kept on the internet for the shack potatoes.  In the shack, most everyone
> has access to anything from 56 Kbps to megabytes.  In the car, its only
> 1.2kbps.

Not really, with smart phones and devices like the iPad running over the 
cellular network, the mobile operator has every opportunity to use APRS 
information with no radio and has a much larger amount of bandwidth available 
then 1.2kbps.  This allows them to easily navigate between maps, web sites and 
email.  Even laptops with cellular modems are becoming very common from what I 
hear people discussing.

Times are changing.  There are nice, under $100 devices that go from wifi to 
RS232 (terminal server the size of altoids box.  Using smart devices and these 
things will allow portable igates to be everywhere.

Gregg Wonderly
W5GGW