[aprssig] information of voice repeaters on APRS

[PE1RDW]

On Sat, 30 Mar 2013 17:20:01 +0100, Kristoff Bonne  
<kristoff.bonne at skypro.be> wrote:

> Hallo Andre,
>
>
>
> (inline comments)
>
>
> On 30-03-13 15:36, PE1RDW wrote:
>> Responded inline
>
>>> However, if I am correct:
>>> - the information send to the APRS node is not really standardised (it
>>> seams to be an "object", but information like frequencies, supported
>>> modes, ...) are in freeform text.
>
>> It is very much standardiced, the problem mihgt be that not everyone
>> follows that standard: http://www.aprs.org/info/freqspec.txt
>
> Ah! I did remember seeing that spec, but when I looked for it later on,  
> I didn't find it anymore.
>
> However, it only seams to be related to FM repeater. How would one use  
> this for D-STAR, MotoTrbo, TETRA, or other systems. (I'm interested in  
> this because I work on the VHF/UHF modem for codec2 based DV).
>
Simple, just use only the frequentie field and put the rest of the info  
like dstar dmr etc. in the comment after it, tone and offset can be  
ommited or forced to off and simplex.

> What I am also missing is multiband repeaters. Where I live, we have a  
> FM repeater with both a 70cm  and a 6 meter transponder (both in  
> fullduplex) connected together.
>
if they are 3 repeaters linked together just created one for each band and  
use the comment to indicate they are linked.
>
>
>
>
>
>>> - There does not seams to be a way to query the APRS network "give me
>>> a list of repeaters"
>
>> Because APRS is primary a local RF network you will have to look localy
>> on rf for that info, in places where the digipeater is a TNC sitting
>> somewhere the prefered way is for that info to be transmitted every 10
>> minutes, in places where the local digipeater is on a PC then it is
>> simply a matter of activating a QRU server on that, DigiNed has had that
>> for years and is very capable and I understand software like aprs-IS/32
>> can give QRU functions as wel, using a centraliced QRU server on
>> internet is troublesome for this because you can not send a directed
>> object to someone (technicaly you can but no current aprs capable radio
>> I know of handles objects in messages correctly)
>
> Well, if there is a standard that is flexible enough and that is  
> supported abd used by everybody, this should give us more cloud to go  
> the radio makers and tell them "this is the standard, it's now up to you  
> to implement it".
>
It has happened with the qsy function based on frequentie formats but to  
often there are errors in implementation like happened with yeasu. future  
handheld might implement the object in message proposal but most likely it  
will have to be moved beyond the simple proposal that it is now.
>
>> Some info can be found on http://www.aprs.org/localinfo.html but for
>> some reason bob never puts any info on digined on his pages.
>
> Well, if I look at this from the point of view of a handheld, I'm not  
> interested in listening in on the APRS frequency all the time. What  
> would be ideal is that you just do a query on 144800, get one or  
> multiple replies and then QSY to the actual repeater-frequency.
>
> So a "query" based system would probably be the most usefull.
>
true, but offcourse a balance will have to be made as to who responds and  
with what, when Tiny Web Pages where introduced only the THD7, TMD700 and  
hamhud where the targets, and I think only DigiNed and aprsdos implemented  
a server, freq objects where not even envisioned then, if you see a  
digined digipeater try sending a ?help to them big change you will get a  
responce if you are in local range of them, digined only respondes when  
the incomming path is limited to 1 or 2 hops depending on configuration. I  
will check the digined source when I have time to see what it takes to add  
a responce to general queries to QRU, probably not to much and after that  
a simple patch can be made and send out to everyone and to PE1MEW and  
PE1DNN for including into the official version.
>
>
>
>
>>> There also seams to be a type-of-object "voice repeater", but I cannot
>>> find the exact information in the specification on what is exactly in
>>> there?
>>> Does it also contain information like modes; is it extendable towards
>>> digital voice (including non-D-STAR systems)
>
>> That would be frequency format it can be used for anything you want
>> including irlp echoling dstar voice nets etc. the reason it is not in
>> the current specs is because it is an proposed extention, maybe time to
>> go over the 1.2 proposals add the non controversial additions to the
>> specs and wrap it all up in a complete specs so people don't have to go
>> hunting all around for what has changed after the 1.01 specs pdf.
>
> OK, but if I look at the speed of new features appearing on DV (like the  
> CCS function of the D-STAR repeaters, TETRA repeaters, Mototurbo  
> repeaters), I'm a bit pluzzled how to fit all this into a spec "carved  
> into stone".
>
> Why not simply use XML?
>
my guess is that Bob rather uses html and text files, offcourse specs that  
can change daily are not good either, authors are having to shoot a moving  
target to often already with the latest additions as is.
>
>
> 73
> Kristoff - ON1ARF
>
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-- 
73 Andre PE1RDW