[aprssig] APRS and Big Data

[Stephen H. Smith]

On 1/1/2017 1:14 PM, Robert Bruninga wrote:
>
>
> I always wanted CHAT mode in Echolink and other amateur radio systems to simply
> inject any messages to APRS users into the APRS-IS.  That way, even if they
> were not on-line with echolink, but were mobile in their APRS mobile, they
> would get the chat text and could respond.

Echolink DOES have an APRS status-reporting function in it that can beacon the 
node's presence and whether it is currently active or not.

The problem is that, as implemented, it is essentially useless!   It assumes 
exclusive command-line control of a classic TNC2-style interface.  There is no 
easy way to interface it's TNC access, along with other APRS applications, to a 
single TNC.  You have to use an entire second hardware TNC & radio, separate 
from any other APRS setup you have.  Further, there appears to be no way at all 
to use a freeware soundcard "soft TNC"  like UZ7HO, Direwolf, etc (all of which 
present only AGWpe, KISS or KISS-over-IP interfaces).

Nearly a decade ago (!), I actually wrote the author of Echolink. I suggested 
adding either a KISS interface (so it could be used with inexpensive new-gen 
no-command-line TNCs like TNC-X, TinyTrack 4, Opentracker, etc), or an 
AGW-Packet-Engine-style interface (so it could use the TNC-sharing capabilities 
of AGWpe that allows multiple APRS applications to use one hardware or 
soundcard TNC simultaneously).  I never got back any response whatsoever.

I suspect Echolink,  like so many other ham applications from the "Windows XP" 
era of prolific ham software development (early 00's to early 2010s),  is now 
"abandonware".

The most recent version of Echolink is copyrighted 2007 -- now a FULL DECADE 
without updates. (Through it DOES WORK on Win7/8.x/10 x64.)  ]

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

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