[aprssig] Is the APRS Spec for APRS Data Type Identifier just randomly ignored? Should it be?

[Curt, WE7U]

On Tue, 16 Aug 2005, James Washer wrote:

> I should have known better than to look at  data coming over
> APRS-IS.... however....  I find that MANY packets contain a data
> type identifier(DTI) that is reserved per the spec, or is misused,
> etc.
>
> For example, DTI 'A'-'S' are marked "do not use" but I see
> countless packets like this:
> WA6LDQ-3>BEACON,W6BXN-3*,qAo,K6TJS:APRS Digi in Bear Valley Springs 11 Miles W. of Tehachapi @ 5885 ft.
> WHTNY>BEACON,WIDE,WIDE3-3,qAo,KX5N:APRS digi on Whitney Mt. @ 2000 ft. near Lost Valley Bridge. KE5PL-1>BEACON,qAR,K5WTC-10:APRS for West Texas bjmcdaniel at att.net b0 VE5ADR-4>APRS,WIDE,WIDE,qAR,VE5DGD-4:APRS Digipeater serving Southern Saskatchewan. Email ve5dgd at rac.ca

These two are being sent to BEACON, so are not APRS packets (unless
you consider BEACON as an ALTNET).  The other possibility would have
been a Mic-E formatted packet, but these are not.  These should be
mostly ignored by APRS stations I believe.  This means they just
clutter up the air a bit for no net gain.


> And these, where DTI 'T' is supposed to be used for telemetry, but we see packets like this..
> W6BXN-3>APTW01,WIDE,qAo,KF6HJO:TARCWX
> W6BXN-3>BEACON,WIDE,qAo,K6TJS:Turlock Amateur Radio Club WIDEN-n Wx W6PVG-3>BEACON,WA6LDQ-3*,WIDE3-3,WA6YLB-4,qAo,KF6HJO:Tehachapi Digi @ 7600 feet
>
> So, should I just give up and accept that people mis-configure their boxes... or should I make an attempt at automating something to send polite email to these folks?

They should be encouraged to put their info beacons into the format
of APRS packets, either as status packets or as comments to position
packets.  APRS clients would then decode/display this information
readily.

--
Curt, WE7U.   APRS Client Comparisons: http://www.eskimo.com/~archer
"Lotto:    A tax on people who are bad at math." -- unknown
"Windows:  Microsoft's tax on computer illiterates." -- WE7U
"The world DOES revolve around me:  I picked the coordinate system!"