[aprssig] APRS messaging (was Re: How to do a HIKING APRS event!)

[Lynn W. Deffenbaugh (Mr)]

On 5/10/2011 3:45 PM, Bob Bruninga wrote:
>
> I also like the way the original APRSdos and WinAPRS gave an overlay
> indication in the OUTGOING text box where the 12x12x12x9 and 28x28x22 screen
> wraps were on the D7 and D700.  That way as the sender was typing, he could
> see where his words would split on these small displays.  AND he could avoid
> sending any critical message length beyond 45 characters which would be lost
> on the D7 who received it.

I've got that on my ToDo list, to morph the chat window based on the 
intended destination, but that only works for station-directed messages 
to client-identified platforms, no messages to ALL or CQ or some sort of 
message group that may be received by who knows what.

So, the D7 is 3 lines of 12 plus one more of 9.  The D700 is 2 lines of 
28 plus one more of 22.  What is the D72, the D710, the FTM-350, the 
VX-8s, and the XYZ999 that will be introduced in Dayton this year?  
Where does the "knowledge" of the client end?

> In otherwords, please have your software alert the SENDER of a message when
> he types beyond 45 characters, that additional text may be lost on D7
> recipients.  Thanks.

The spec says max of 67 characters.  I'm really loath to code a client 
with specific warnings based on "known" characteristics of a single 
platform.  Especially when that platform only had 99 stations active in 
the past 2 hours.  Those are the kinds of things that, IMHO, don't 
belong in the client application but in the user's knowledge base.  If I 
do this for D7s, then what about VX8s and HamHUDs and TT4s w/4x20 
displays and OT2Ms with Nuvis, ad nauseum.

Like I mentioned above, for the more popular platforms, I do hope to 
morph the chat to show what each message will look like, but a specific 
warning popup for every message sent longer than N characters is just 
CUA (Consistently User Abusive).  Especially when some other APRS vendor 
decides to (stupidly) develop a platform that truncates at 43 (or some 
other value less than 45) characters.

APRS is like every other Amateur Radio mode, it must rely on some 
knowledge on the part of the user while simultaneously improving ease of 
use (as opposed to nanny-hand-holding).

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

PS.  FYI, out of the 30,872 active stations (17,122 of which were 
objects, therefore 13,750 were devices) in the past two hours, here's a 
partial breakdown:

UI-View: 3,014 = 22%
Kenwood overall: 1312 = 9.6%
     D710 583 (44% of Kenwoods)
     D700 566 (43%)
     D7 99 (7.5%)
     D72 64 (4.9%)
Yaesu overall: 310 = 2.2%
     FTM350 187 (61% of Yaesus)
     VX8R 85 (28%)
     VX8G 33 (11%)
xastir: 282 = 2.1%
APRSISCE/32: 188 = 1.4%

(Note: the Kenwood/Yaesu details might not match the total they were 
captured individually across a minute or two of elapsed time).