[aprssig] NetNodes, the future

[Robert Bruninga]

>>> HamLists at ametx.com 12/29/04 7:08:54 AM >>>
>NetROM, TheNet, and Rose all but disappeared?  Because 
>they provided a difficult interface where prior local knowledge 
>is mandatory (among other issues).

I disagree.  They died because of the internet and not everyone
had a TNC.  Now everyone (with a sound card) has packet.  ANd
the NetROM interface was not difficult at all.  In fact, any other 
isssues completely go away in my proposal for a compatible
NETgate system because:

1) The local NETgate would show up on local APRS as a local
    object on 144.39 so everyone always knows the call and freq.

2) No other knowledge is needed because once you connect to
    it, the only other thing you need to know is the call of the
person
    or station you want to connect to (worldwide).

3) And all of this is totally transparent to the user whether it is
   via RF or via the internet.  In fact, a NETgate could have both.
   The "node list" could contain a list of all local RF nodes as usual
   (if any) and the only thing new is that it would contain an entry 
   called NETgate.

4) If NETgate is in the nodes list, then it is actively connected to
the
    NETgate system and you have connectivity anywhere on the planet.

5) The new code that is needed is for nodes to do just like IGates do
and
    that is to maintain a LOCAL list, so that it know's who's calls it
is
    responsible for..  What could be simpler...

>It sure would be nice to get back to KISS and ENcourage 
>APRS use, not DIScourage it.

Sorry, I have to disagree here too on two counts:

1) APRS is only for the emergent brief-one-to-all types of info
   sharing amongst everyone on channel.  THink of it as the
   "calling channel" and alerting channel.  It *cannot* also
   be the bulk traffic channel.

2) APRS is full in most areas and cannot be used for any form
    of point-to-point packet delivery.  Encouraging such use
    just leads to failure both  of delivering such traffic and for
    everyone else on the frequency that gets QRM'ed

3) What could be simpler (KISS) than connecting to a local
    node, and then connecting to the desired user (anywhere
    on the planet) for point-to-point applications?

AND the beauty of the NetROM/TheNET interface is that it
is transparent to the application so that this system can be
used for ANYTHING digital...

4) Having such a system in place is the perfect adjunct to APRS
because, again, APRS is the real-time glue that gives the
end users worldwide the real-time knowledge of who they
might want to contact and where they are...

Bob, WB4APR

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Robert Bruninga
> Posted At: Tuesday, December 28, 2004 9:27 PM
> Subject: [aprssig] NetNodes, the future
> 
> The thing we really need is NetGates.
> 
> These are simply a TNC and a radio hooked to the internet but 
> they look to the RF user just like a TheNet or NetROM node.  
> Thus, they are a global level-4 AX.25 packet radio Network 
> that is independent of application and transparent to the 
> existing RF system.
> 
> About the only thing that has to be different is the node list.
> It can't be 3500 nodes deep.  The basic node list would have 
> to be organized around distance.  If you ask for nodes, it 
> will give you a list of the 10 nearest.  Other than that it 
> has connectivity to every node in the world.  All you need to 
> know is its callsign.
> 
> That would be HAM radio at its finest.  It wouldn't mater if 
> the node was in the next town by RF or the next state by the 
> internet.  It appears like a NetROM or TheNET node with 
> one-hop connectiivty to the RF node.  Which I suggest we call 
> a NetGate.
> 
> If I knew how to write the code, it would be sure fun to do..
> 
> de Wb4APR, Bob

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