[aprssig] [ui-view] APRS Radiation sensor

[Lynn W. Deffenbaugh (Mr)]

The spec says, and has always said, that weather MUST be the _ symbol.  
I can't speak for aprs.fi or libFAP, or any other parser, but I know 
that my spec-based parser within APRSISCE/32 only looks for 
weather-formatted data in the weather-symboled packets.

APRSISCE/32 solves the weather vs normal station symbol issue by 
supporting weather OBJECTS rather than weather STATIONS.  The main 
station can be any symbol that you want and the weather information is 
sent out as a position-based object with the weather symbol.  Two for 
the price of one.  So, if you've got a station advanced enough to be 
formatting weather-type packets, you probably have a station that can 
beacon the balloon for tracking and the weather object for weather.

But are you really transmitting Weather data if it's "just a thermometer 
or radioactivity sensor"?  In that case, I'd call  it telemetry and send 
out the definitions before and after the flight from a ground-based 
station and let the telemetry carry the data.  It's certainly not 
weather that the weather services around the globe would be interested 
in if it's coming from 60K feet.

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

On 3/25/2011 8:51 PM, Bernard Van Haecke wrote:
> Hi Bob,
>
> Making it mandatory to use a special symbol (or one of a set of 
> special symbols)
> for an APRS packet to be interpreted in one or another way may seem 
> redundant.
> The weather report strings already adhere to a specific format.
>
> Should the use of a specific symbol be mandatory or just optional?
>
> I.e. what if a balloon carries a simple or elaborate weather station 
> (with just a thermometer
> or a radioactivity sensor)?  can they still use the balloon icon AND 
> use the weather report
> format?  how about small boats, camping tents, space shuttles :-) ? 
>  They all have their
> icons.  It would be nice if they can still use their more meaningful 
> icon regardless of their
> packet payload, whether it's weather data or other things.
>
> Do sites like aprs.fi <http://aprs.fi> only show weather charts when 
> the /_ symbol is used?  I think
> it would be interesting to know.  I hope they don't and they look at 
> the packet payload
> instead.
>
> 73
>
> Bernard KI6TSF
>
>
> On Wed, Mar 23, 2011 at 12:27 PM, Bob Bruninga <bruninga at usna.edu 
> <mailto:bruninga at usna.edu>> wrote:
>
>     I  updated the APRS12 addendum to this standard for Radiation.
>     http://aprs.org/aprs12/weather-new.txt
>
>     Bob, Wb4APR
>
>     -----Original Message-----
>     From: ui-view at yahoogroups.com <mailto:ui-view at yahoogroups.com>
>     [mailto:ui-view at yahoogroups.com <mailto:ui-view at yahoogroups.com>]
>     On Behalf Of
>     Bob Bruninga
>     Sent: Tuesday, March 22, 2011 3:28 PM
>     To: 'TAPR APRS Mailing List'
>     Cc: 'IZ6RDB'; 'Guido Trentalancia'; jjesson at voyager.net
>     <mailto:jjesson at voyager.net>; 'sylvainfaust';
>     ui-view at yahoogroups.com <mailto:ui-view at yahoogroups.com>
>     Subject: [ui-view] APRS Radiation sensor
>
>     How about this for Radiation Telemetry:
>
>     - 3 digits.  Either in a WX report or in a Telemetry channel.
>     - In a weather report the identifying byte would be "X".
>     - So X123 would be 12 times 10^3rd nanoseverts
>
>     Using Tapio's idea (below) of 2 digits of precision and one digit
>     of decade.
>
>     Bob, WB4APR
>
>
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