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<p>So whilst researching for a different APRS project, I stumbled
across...<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.aprs.org/info/echo-irlp-win.txt">www.aprs.org/info/echo-irlp-win.txt</a> which proposes APRS objects
for EchoLink, IRLP, Winlink nodes<br>
It's pretty much <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.aprs.org/info/freqspec.html">www.aprs.org/info/freqspec.html</a> for repeaters,
and a particular class of <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.aprs.org/localinfo.html">www.aprs.org/localinfo.html</a></p>
<p>It says:</p>
<p>
<blockquote type="cite">
<pre>It is hoped that a central server will be written for these
objects as well so that they can be consistently generated into the
APRS-IS and then only gated back to RF locally. [...] For more info,
contact Mark Herson <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:n2mh@n2mh.net">n2mh@n2mh.net</a></pre>
</blockquote>
</p>
<p>I've mailed Mark, but not yet heard back. In the meantime, I see
about 150 unique IRLP objects in the last few days, which is about
10% of them. These packets are in a WHOLE BUNCH of different
formats, few follow the specs above, many of them are not even
valid objects, some of them were MOVING, which is not completely
impossible, MIGHT even make sense for EchoLink but seems REALLY
unlikely for IRLP... and in any case, none of these are
"consistently generated" by "a central server".<br>
</p>
<p>I also emailed Dave Cameron VE7LTD (IRLP guy) and he's not averse
to the idea of me doing this for "all IRLP nodes", essentially
polling status.irlp.net and doing the translation / gating to
APRS-IS via "a central server [...] consistently generated" etc
etc. He also drew my attention to the somewhat bigger concept of
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.aprs.org/avrs.html">www.aprs.org/avrs.html</a> + <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.aprs.org/avrs/AVRSspec.txt">www.aprs.org/avrs/AVRSspec.txt</a> which also
seems to not exist right now, but seems to be somewhat of a
superset of the above, not just "putting all the repeaters on the
map" but also using APRS messaging and position info to "tell me
my nearest repeater(s)" and even "I want to speak to SOMECALL,
please find THEIR nearest repeaters that can connect to MY nearest
repeaters and send them instructions on how to do so". This
doesn't HAVE to be the same "central server" but might benefit
from being so - they certainly both need to collect a lot of the
same repeater info.<br>
</p>
<p>As far as I can tell, NONE of this requires any particularly
special functionality on any of the repeaters, if this "central
server" can collect all the "repeater status", process them, spit
them back out to APRS-IS? ARVS requires CALLER and realistically
CALLEE to both support APRS Messaging, and expects enough igates
to "do the right thing" with both "local" APRS-IS objects they
haven't seen on RF, and APRS Messages to stations they have. Fair?<br>
</p>
<p>So... I'm interested in writing AT LEAST the first part of this -
a "central server" to put "all IRLP nodes" on the APRS map. I may
later extend to include EchoLink, DSTAR, Winlink, any other types
of repeaters that seem to offer an appropriate data feed, merging
/ de-duping where possible, and as a "stretch goal" maybe to do
the whole "tracking everyone else's location and trying to route
QSOs" of AVRS. I have a very reliable very well-connected "central
server" I can use, it already takes a fairly full APRS-IS feed,
and in my day job I design secure scalable global internet/cloud
infrastructures. I've also coded IRLP and APRS apps before.</p>
<p>I'm posting here looking for advice... Specifically:</p>
<p>1) Good idea? Bad idea? What happened to Mark's "central server"
or to the AVRS server that seems to have been demonstrated at
least once? Why did they go away?</p>
<p>2) Beacon time - all the examples on the above pages seem to
imply a 10min beacon time would be appropriate, but if I sent
"only" active IRLP nodes and "only" every 30min, it would add
about 1% load to APRS-IS. Presumably more like 3% if I did every
10min, with up-to-date "status", MUCH more if I included
EchoLink/others. I'd probably start with a subset (selfishly,
probably VA3/VE3 IRLP first) and see what it looks like in
practice. Thoughts?</p>
<p>3) Any other history / URLs / specs / past discussion I should be
aware of?<br>
</p>
<p>4) Other advice? Tips? Caveats? Suggestions? Should I run away
now before it's too late? :-)</p>
<p>Thanks, and 73!<br>
Nick VA3NNW<br>
</p>
<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">--
"Nosey" Nick Waterman, VA3NNW/G7RZQ, K2 #5209.
use Std::Disclaimer; <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:sig@noseynick.net">sig@noseynick.net</a>
Trying to establish voice contact ... please *yell* into keyboard.
</pre>
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