[aprssig] APRS and dstar (why)

[Randy Allen]

On 5/27/2012 17:22, Amateur Radio WB8NUT wrote:
> In either case, you cannot get APRS back to DStar at this time that I
> know of, but then again with my APRS use, when on a handheld like my
> D72, I am not looking so much for where they are, as how close they are
> and can I contact them via voice.

And there's the problem for me.  I use APRS for public service and 
EMCOMM.  Since DStar is currently one way on position information, I'd 
still need to run APRS to maintain situational awareness of ALL the 
stations I want to keep track of, the weather stations, etc,

> Who are the DStar types you are referring to specifically? I have not
> seen that attitude at all among the various DStar people I know, so
> please let me know specifically who you are referencing. I would like to
> follow up with those folks as that kind of an attitude is not beneficial
> to anyone.

I've gotten that response from various people over the past few years, 
and my memory is not good enough to highlight particular individuals in 
case I got the wrong one.  I gave up on the conversation some time ago, 
but I may try to revisit it and if I run into it again, I'll point them 
to you to mediate between us?

> In thinking about this further, I am not sure given the huge amount of
> local APRS activity that you would want all that traffic on the DStar
> network. Considering that just about all the repeaters are capable of
> linking or are linked, can you imagine the traffic if suddently you
> flooded the network with worldwide APRS traffic? So maybe it is not so
> much as it cannot be done, or that they did not want to as it is not
> practical.

I'm not interested in world wide APRS traffic, only in being able to see 
local RF traffic during an event (public service, ARES, SKYWARN) etc.

> Yes a 2820 is very expensive. However my dual band ID-880 at times in
> the low $400 when coupled with a GPS can start providing positioning via
> DPRS. That still puts it under the price of my D710.

It looked like a twin-band (one band at a time), not a fully dual band 
radio to me, so I didn't think it to be a direct comparison.


> Yes, agreed, but not sure anyone is suggesting....at least not me...that
> DStar replace APRS. When I am suggesting is that it can interoperate to
> some degree.

And that "some degree" is where I find the gap of what I would need 
before investing in DStar.  That, and I have had at least one local 
DStar enthusiast state that they had no need of APRS since they had 
DStar now.

> DStar does not require the Internet to operate. The Internet is just
> used as a technology to link repeaters. Other technologies can be used
> to link them.

I was referring to needing internet in order to display DStar on my 
laptop at net control (using APRSIS32), as there is currently no way to 
pull that data off of RF through 144.39 that I know of, at least 
locally.  If I had a DStar radio, I might be able to open another port 
in the software to pull it in of the DStar network, IF it happens to 
cover the operations area, but that seems a bit of a kludge.  I might 
have to investigate that and see if one of the local DStar folks would 
be willing to lend me a radio to test.

> Not sure why TNCs need to be integrated with DStar.

I'm referring to porting DStar data over RF to the local APRS 144.39 
network, and, if I am to have any interest in it, porting local RF APRS 
data to DStar.


> I too held that belief. I looked at DStar for years and said I could not
> figure out the big deal. Then I spent two hours with a guy showing me
> the many possibilities of DStar and all the things most people browse
> over.

I've done some of that, and probably will again, but frankly, right now, 
the price of a DStar rig would also cover some needed upgrades to my HF 
antenna system, or an upgrade to a D710 from a D700 in my mobile, or 
other priorities in my "fun money".  It's not on my "no way" list, but 
it hasn't made it over to the priority list as of now.

>
> Happy Memorial Day and yes DStar and APRS have been very enjoyable for me.
>
> Duffy
> www.wb8nut.com

Happy Memorial Day and 73

-- 
Randy Allen, KAØAZS