[aprssig] Paths

[Robert Bruninga]

>>> Patrick Green <pagreen at gmail.com> 06/27/05 7:52 PM >>>
>someone else using WIDE2-2,IL2-2...
>which circumvented the WIDE3-3 limit in 
>our area.  Perhaps another trap needs to be added

Well, here is my perspective:

1) The "limits" we are tryin to impose is to get
     people to understand the limits of the system,
     not necessarily to make sure that someone
    never can communicate over X hops
2) We have to be very careful to separate the
     ROUTINE use and SPECIAL use of a path.
     THe goal is to get everyone to shorten their
     ROUTINE paths to cut down on the load
    on the network so that the people who are
    actually DOING something that day can use
    the path they need for their special event.

3)  Also paths need to be evaluated against
    his location and his immediate mission.  The 
    W2-2,SS2-2 path is a 4 hop path in what
    you say is a 3 hop area.  I would think that
    would be a reasonable path under these
    circumstances:

a)  He is in the corner of a state in a rremote
    area and the central city of that state is
    4 hops away.

b) His initial W2-2 makes sure that any other 
    mobiles or other stations surrounding the
    remote area will see his activty, even if they
    are across a state line.  This solves the
    local distribution objective

c) But now then he needs 2 more hops to get
    his packet into the central area where
    presumably the rest of the participants in 
    his event are situated.  His SS2-2 then
    covers that area too.

So I think that path is jsut fine for a one day
special event or specific communication need.
But if he runs that all the time, then I woiuld
ask him about it...

For example, for Field Day, I ran WIDE2-2,WIDE2-2
because on my map of almost 300 APRS stations
on RF, for the ENTIRE WEEKEND of FD I only saw 
5 other HUMAN-LIVE operators on 144.39.

My other FD station was on 145.01 where I saw 3.

My W2-2,W2-2 for an ACTIVE station with a HUMAN
operator present on a one day annual event should
not be considered an abusive path.  Especially when
you consider that even if "everybody" did it, it would 
still have only been 5 out of 300 or less than 2%
of the stations on the air.

de WB4APR, Bob