[aprssig] Smart TNC's vs. KISS and computers was (no subject)

[Sean Jewett]

On Sat, 19 Feb 2005, Larry Cerney wrote:

> [Larry Cerney] I'm with Herb.  What we need is a new up to date TNC.  The
> computer I run here at home for my I-gate knows just as soon as I step on an
> airplane and crashes.  Last week my machine was down for about 12 hours and
> I was out of town.  Had to wait for my wife to get home to talk her through
> starting it all back up, I know put the programs in startup.  The issue here
> is running a digi in kiss and having to depend on the computer to handle the
> digi'ing to me is crazy.  Why have two very different devices interdependent
> upon each other?  I had left my TNC and UI-View in KISS mode and when the
> computer went down so did my digi although the TNC and Radio was still
> working, they were only acting as power sinks.  I got home and the KPC3+
> went back into digi mode and UI-View mode went back to None.

I'm sorry, but relying on Microsoft based products is getting for what you
asked for.  I know some people have wonderful uptimes with their Microsoft
systems, in particular running UIView.  However, those are few and far
between.  I have deployed several linux based floppies running aprsd and
have yet to have any of the failures you speak of.

Until someone can duplicate the feature set of Digined ala UIDIGI there's 
not much in the way of choices out there.  

I think ultimately the question comes down to, at what point do we want to 
switch to commodity hardware or keep purchasing TNC's whose lifespans in 
the big scheme of things are ultimately numbered?

Between Hansen's TNC and the potential for soundcard based TNC's there's 
really not much reason why we should continue down the path we've walked 
for much longer.  The obvious solution, if it can be made cheap enough is 
something with the smarts of digined that can interface with TNCX.  
Unfortunately I don't hear much in the way of people being ready or 
willing to offer up that solution.  If I were to do it I'd use computer 
hardware myself, mainly because I don't have much interest in learning PIC 
programming and all that comes with it.  As many have pointed out, 
computers with more than enough power are available for cheap, if not 
free. 

None of the answers are necessarily the best, but at some point we need to 
realize how we're cornering ourselves in the face of many many options.

Sean...

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