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

[Jason Winningham]

On Aug 2, 2004, at 1:39 PM, Earl Needham wrote:

>> 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.
>
>         Can't do it, because you only get 7 hops.

Those weren't random examples, those were packets I saw over the  
weekend.  Most were WIDE4, 5, or 6, but I have seen 8 and 9.  I looked  
a couple of calls I could remember up on findu. Here's a couple:

WX6X>APW247,KB0WZI-3*,WIDE5-5,qAo,K5QQ-1:=3712.05N/09316.01W_PHG3020/ 
WinAPRS 2.4.7 -MOGRNSGF -247-<530>
N9UT-9>APZ188,WIDE4*,KB9YVN,IGATE,qAS,KB9YVN:! 
3831.71NN08715.11W#PHG8560/W-R-T-IN Washington

These two are 400 and 275 miles, respectively, from my station.  IMO  
the first is definitely excessive and the second may or may not be,  
depending on how much ARPS traffic you have in your area (I think it is  
for our area and for his).

> however, there are certain ops out there that are going to do whatever  
> they want regardless of how it impacts anyone else.

Yep, and that's why I asked about configuring a digi to drop those who  
have that attitude.

>  However, at first glance,  
> http://www.findu.com/cgi-bin/near.cgi?call=KG4WSV shows that KE4ROC-7  
> is less than half a mile from your position.

Yep, and an IGate/digi another mile past that.  Huntsville is pretty  
well covered, as far as I can tell.

>   You're not able to use that digi?

Not when I'm at home.  I have a ~30 mile commute, and only a few  
digipeaters have very limited coverage until I get over half way to  
work.  There are digis north, south, east, and west of Decatur but none  
_in_ Decatur, and the coverage is not good.  I don't know how to get  
findu to draw a map around coordinates, but if you look around  34  
32.810N  087 03.750W you'll see a hole.  Try  
http://geo.aprsworld.net/map/near.php?lat=34.54683&lon= 
-87.06250&name=KG4WSV&bbox_size=1&maps=yes

I do have contact info for a couple of the local digipeater operators  
and will talk to them before I put anything up.

Thanks again to all who responded; WA8LMF's essay was what I was  
looking for on that subject.  I'd still like to see a good book with  
all this stuff in it. (:

-Jason
kg4wsv