[aprssig] APRS for IPad

[Stephen H. Smith]

On 6/12/2013 3:03 PM, Jason KG4WSV wrote:
> some of us like to use_radios_  for our ham radio activities, not cell
> networks and wifi...
>
>
> Apple's aggressive protection of their ecosystem (specifically Made
> For iWhatever, aka MFI) makes it very difficult to connect an iDevice
> to a TNC (or GPS or whatever).  By the time you pay licensing fees,
> etc, a simple adapter between a 3.3V TTL serial port on the 30 pin
> iPhone connector to a RS232/DB9 connector costs $70.
>
> -Jason
> kg4wsv


Not to mention that the ONLY way to get an application into an iDevice is via 
the Apple store.  (At least if you don't expect end users to "jail-break" their 
devices to allow downloads from "unauthorized" sources.)  You can't just put 
your app out for downloading on a site like SourceForge, TAPR.org, a Linux 
repository or your own website.

Even if you want to give the application away for FREE to end users, it costs 
the developer thousands of dollars in charges for specialized development 
tools, yearly charges for access to the Apple Store, etc.  And that's after you 
pay to submit the app to Apple for approval before it goes live in the store, 
with no certainty that it will be approved.

Charges like these are not too significant for mainstream consumer or business 
apps that will sell a significant number of copies, but are a MAJOR obstacle to 
low-budget part-time hobbyist-type developers in a niche field like APRS.


_________________________________________


--

Stephen H. Smith    wa8lmf (at) aol.com
Skype:        WA8LMF
EchoLink:   14400  [Think bottom of the 2-meter band]
Home Page:          http://wa8lmf.net


  Long-Range APRS on 30 Meters HF
     http://wa8lmf.net/aprs/HF_APRS_Notes.htm

High Performance Sound Systems for Soundcard Apps
    http://wa8lmf.net/ham/imic.htm
    http://wa8lmf.net/ham/uca202.htm

"APRS 101"  Explanation of APRS Path Selection & Digipeating
   http://wa8lmf.net/DigiPaths