[aprssig] (Ab)Use of APRS for telemetry? Anyone doing it?

[Robert Bruninga]

>I think the APRS telemetry system is a bit too 'heavy' 
>for most simple systems to implement. 

That sentence is a little harsh. Just to clarify that statement:

Well, its main advantage is that it is built-in to every one
of the thousands of Kantronics KPC-3+ TNC's and
every one of the original Mic-E's and Mic Encoders
and it is simple and human readable:  FOrmat is:

T#SSS,111,222,333,444,555,xxxxxxxx

Where SSS is the serial number
111-555 are the 5 channels of analog values (0-999)
and xxxxxxxx is the status of 8 bits.  

Also the KPC-3+ TNC gives the user 3 on/off password 
protected ON/OFF switch functions.  

In fact, we use Kantronics TNC's as-is as the basis
for the satellties we have been building using just
this built-in telemetry and command control...

de WB4APR, Bob