Re: [sarex] ISS Unproto Destination Address

["Stan Vandiver" <stan@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi again all,

Bob's (WB4APR) suggestion will work... we can add up to 8 "callsigns" after 
the VIA in the unproto path.  But I also agree that we should not create overly 
long packets.  Every bit counts... it is easier to get digipeated if you send 
smaller packets.  That is what I tell all newbies.

So everyone must weigh out for themselves "how big" of a packet to transmit, 
just as everyone must weigh out "how often" to transmit.  If you get your 
signal digipeated, you're communicating... if you don't, you're QRM (which we 
all are some of the time).

I find good days and bad days on the digipeater.  Sometimes it seems like its 
the best I can do just to send a blank line (which would include my name and 
callsign in the header).  Other days I could probaby transmit a text file.

Callsign, name, and QTH are all important parts of a QSO exchange. You 
never know which APRS Igate is going to pick you up to get you posted to the 
ariss.net map... so it makes as much sense to send grid square with every 
transmission as it does to send the name (if you care about getting on the 
map - which some people don't).  I send the grid almost every time (in the 
packet body) unless I'm having trouble getting through.

So the question seems to boil down to, "Do we want to encourage CQ as the 
standard TO destination (with VIA [name]) and >GG##gg/- in the body)?"

UNPROTO CQ VIA NOCALL,STAN

would give me a minimum transmitted packet of 
W4SV>CQ,NOCALL*,STAN:>EN61oj/-

The question then becomes, "How many of these Kenwood radios are using 
this feature, on any given pass?"  Not that there are thousands sold... but how 
many are turned on, with a live operator watching the display?  Will these 
users not get enough of  a demo from the other APRS users that are active on 
any given pass?  I don't think a pass goes by where I don't see at least some 
APRS activity going on.

Is it worth it for the rest of us to crunch 2 more characters into our packet 
string?  Two characters doesn't seem like much, but its about a 20% increase 
in characters in the header for me (NOCALL plus STAN equals 10 
characters). And these extra characters will factor into the sum of QRM 
also... from all of us transmitting it.

Hmmm.... beats me.

73 de Stan/W4SV
CQ VIA NOCALL,STAN,EN61OJ,LAPORT,COUNTY,44YRS,WX,CLOUDY



On 23 Sep 2001 at 9:10, Bob Witte  KB0CY wrote:

> > From: "Stan Vandiver" <stan@Vandiver.com>
> > Subject: Re: [sarex] ISS Unproto Destination Address
> >
> > Hi All,
> >
> > Maybe I'm under the mistaken impression that ariss.net *only* takes its
> > positions from the body of the packet, either in grid square or LAT/LON
> > formats. I don't remember that it parses the header of the packet to get
> the
> > position report.
> 
>   Stan,
>   After looking again at the data on www.ariss.net, I think you are correct.
>   I see packets that have the grid in the destination result in
>   station listings without their location. (I sent an email to the
>   author to verify this but have not heard back yet.)
> 
>    Bob KB0CY

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