[aprssig] APRS client software for NON-KISS tnc's?

[Heikki Hannikainen]

On Wed, 29 Apr 2020, MJ Inabnit wrote:

> A friend has had the good fortune to acquire a TS-2000 Kenwood all-mode
> radio with the built in TNC.  I've been looking for Window's client
> software that will use this TNC with command mode, not KISS.

Many packets on APRS channels contain non-printable characters. The 
command mode interface of a TNC is designed to be an user interface (of 
the 70's or 80's style), and not an application programming interface, and 
as such, it does not support passing arbitrary data packets intact to an 
application. Using TNC2 mode TNCs easily causes modified duplicate copies 
of packets and comes with other data corruption risks.

All APRS operations should be done with KISS TNCs or other APIs which 
ensure a binary-clean data channel. I would certainly hope to see that 
there would be no further software development for the non-KISS TNC2 mode 
interfaces, or other encouragement to use TNC2 mode in iGates.

   - Hessu, OH7LZB (aprs.fi)