[aprssig] LoRa GPS tracking

[Dana Myers]

On 9/6/2022 5:55 AM, Steve Dimse wrote:
> If you do this, please keep this experience in mind. There should be a written, precise, and unambiguous specification (harder 
> to do than it sounds) for the reformatted data, such that any LoRa report will produce one and only one APRS packet. 

No truer words, Steve.

As Scott mentions in his note, there's an important dichotomy between LoRa (the physical
layer) and LoRaWAN (a complete network scheme). Adopting LoRa radios without LoRaWAN
means we're probably grafting a new radio into the APRS infrastructure as we know it today.
It also means we're basically "going it alone".

The more interesting effort to me is grafting LoRaWAN into the APRS realm. At the risk of
biasing discussion, I'm thinking of "APRS bindings" on top of LoRaWAN packets, and brokering
them with APRS-IS (which is the de facto APRS broker today). To be sure - I haven't formed
strong opinions on the specifics. I *do* find the Helium network compelling - basically a
million hotspots operated by individuals with a potential revenue incentive to keep those
hotspots on the air.

It raises a number of technical issues, but the harder problems are likely administrative (any
effort to mix licensed and unlicensed operation experiences this).

I'll go into more detail in response to Scott's note.

Thank you, Steve.

73,
Dana  K6JQ