[amsat-bb] Re: Advertising Shuttle Retransmission Faclities on APRS

[Robert Bruninga]

> I guess your idea must have some merit 
> but I've never seen/known anybody to drive 
> around monitoring APRS beacons.

Interesting... but that is what APRS was designed to do.  To be
an information exchange, distribution and display system for
mobiles.

Unfortunately, I fear you have been missled into the incorrect
view of APRS as a "vehicle tracking system" which has nothing to
do with what it was designed for.  APRS was around since the
1980's and GPS was only folded in in the 90's when they became
cheap enough.  But tracking GPS modiles is only a small side
benefit of having full tactical situational awareness, Local
Frequency recommendations,
Satellite's-in-view/frequencys/doppler,  global messaging by
callsign and global email text messaging from the front panel of
your APRS radio.

Its because of the proliferation of tracking devices that has
misslead most casual observers into only seeing maps of
vehicles.  If that's all they see, they are not seeing the local
info displays that the APRS radios present to the mobile
operator.

Kenwood has been abismal in their full page ads, because they
never show any of the local info displays!  They only show a
dual band radio, mention APRS and GPS in the text, and leave the
missinterpretation up to the 98% of  readers who have never
experienced APRS...

Another local NET that should be advertised to mobiles is
whenever an AMSAT net is in progress.  Just send out the beacon
and do not be surprised if your fishing brings in some mobiles
from other frequenceis checking into the net...

Please see the web page on these misconceptions:
www.aprs.org/APRS-tactical.html

Bob, WB4APR

> Robert Bruninga wrote:
>> Therefore, a TNC should be connected to
>> the Retransmitter that activates an APRS 
>> beacon on the local APRS channel whenever 
>> it is keyed.  This APRS beacon will alert
>> all mobiles on the front panel of their 
>> APRS radios in range that the retransmission 
>> is in progress.