[aprssig] what is RELAY, WIDE, TRACE, etc?

[Jason Winningham]

On Aug 2, 2004, at 10:48 AM, Larry Cerney wrote:

> But you ask about digi operators reigning in users.  We are all
> users with no central control.  Getting on APRS isn't like signing up 
> with
> an ISP.  We all try to operate for the betterment of APRS.

So let's say I'm in north Alabama and I routinely get traffic from 
stations in Indiana, Kentucky, Florida, etc because they're using 
WIDE9-9.  Do I let it go because we're all "just users", do I try a QRZ 
lookup and contact that operator and educate him, or do I try to 
configure my hypothetical digipeater so that I drop packets with what I 
consider hostile paths?  I'm already seeing a lot of Atlanta area 
traffic as compared to local traffic, probably because of a couple of 
mountain-top digipeaters and stations with 3 hops.  On the other hand, 
I see practically no traffic from the Nashville area even when I drive 
around 840, so I wonder if it's because of terrain or if APRS in that 
area has already reached critical mass and imploded.

Thanks to all for the answers.  I've read DIGIS.TXT and some of the 
other references, but most of what I read is "you should do this, not 
that".  I can only assume that the difference in RELAY, WIDE, WIDEn-n 
is in the way callsign substitution and traffic history for duplicate 
suppression is handled.

I asked these questions mainly because I'm considering setting up a 
digi at home (there are none in my area).  I really haven't found 
enough information to make me feel confident I can set up the station 
the correct way.

thanks,
Jason
kg4wsv