[aprssig] weak signal ISS packet

[Steve Dimse]

On Jan 15, 2015, at 1:57 PM, Bill Vodall <wa7nwp at gmail.com> wrote:

>> I have access to a network that gives me 40 Mbps whenever I want it pretty much nationwide, in my pocket all the time. And it supports APRS, here are my recent travels on findU reported through ATT's LTE and 4G network.
> 
> But is that Ham Radio?
> 
> Personally I believe the best thing we could do for APRS is move the
> APRS-IS from the Echolink model (clients allowed access from the
> Internet) to the IRLP model (using Internet for linking only.)   It
> wouldn't prevent access for folks with phones - but it would have to
> be done differently.

Geez, I thought I'd fought and won that battle in 1997! Yes the APRS-IS is ham radio. Connecting a client via the internet to APRS-IS is ham radio. You don't have to transmit on RF for something to be ham radio. Think Hamvention, club meetings, antenna parties, volunteering for ARRL, and many other things that don't involve RF.

But sure, let's make the system we have less useful than it is now. Great idea!
> 
>> But I'm sure I'm not the only one intrigued by your conversations, what cities have the 100kbps and 20 Mbps amateur networks? I want to know more...
> 
> HamWAN in Seattle region is doing great things:   http://www.hamwan.org
> 
Well, yes, but you would look kinda funny with a handheld device connected to a 2 foot wide antenna. Even funnier than those folks that take photos with their iPads.

Something like this certainly has utility, linking fixed locations as a backup communications system, and it certain is good someone is using ham radio's upper frequency allocations before they get taken away. But really, is it APRS compatible, or something that could grow into being used as infrastructure for APRS? 

> Most impressive Ham Networking System I've seen recently was the
> EuroHamNet presentation from last years DCC.
> 
> EuroHAMNET from the DCC on HamRadioNow -
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytuOqcYgOtg

I'm not finding any quick summary of this, I'll have to take your word that this is the APRS compatible system of which you spoke. Can you write a twenty word summary for those of us too AADD to sit through a youtube DCC presentation?

Something like "Seattle's HamWAN is an amateur network using commercial 802.11 equipment in the 5.9 Ghz band. It has very limited coverage and is not suitable for mobile or portable operations."

Steve K4HG

>