[aprssig] APRS In the New Orleans Area

[Robert Bruninga]

>>> HamLists at ametx.com 09/03/05 12:06 PM >>>
>Bob,
>Let the folks down there determine what is the 
>"best use of APRS".  All you are doing is adding 
>to the already complex situation down there....
>these posts of yours are just counter-productive.

I dont think so.  Since routine posts on this SIG show
that many users do not fully understand the finer points
of the New-N system, I think my posts could be
valuable to those who may be in the position to do
something if it might apply to them.  to wit:

1) RELAY is no longer supported.  The only kind of
digi that will be useful in re-constituting a network
is WIDEn-N.  I think that was useful to point out...

2) The surviving digi in N.O. is a PacComm using only
specific aliases and one-hop digpeating only.  I think
many people seeing that digi active via FINDU assumed 
that therefore they would see users of that digi.  When in
fact they wont beacuse the only Igate is two hops away.

3) I think my advice that the best way to reconstitute
connectivity into N.O. is for somone outside the
area to point an IGate beam at that digi so that ONE
HOP traffic can get to the rest of the world via APRS-IS.

4) I also think it is prudent for any APRS station that 
finds itself in an area without any APRS infrastructure
to listen to the channel and if there is nothing else there,
for  him to take it on his own initiative to activate his
station as a digi.   (as long as he is far enough from
any other emergency site that he does not desense
other 2m operatios).  And such digs should best be
WIDEn-N.  Or at least WIDE1-1.

5) Since the kenwood is not normally a digi nor desired
to be, and since I know that radio pretty good, I still
think my giving proper adice as to how to set it up
to be a WIDEn-N digi and WHEN TO THEN ALSO
STOP BEING A DIGI is also valid advice.

> PLEASE leave this thread alone and let the people
>being sent in to the area concentrate on the tasks 
>at hand, not on some whim that you would like to see 
>happen.

Yes, people going to the area should volunteer to
the local authorities and do what they are told.  But
sometimes those volunteers might not be fully up
to speed on the best way to re-constitute an APRS
network.  And if that turns out to be their assignemnt
because presumably they have APRS, then my
advice was intended to give them the critical
info they might need to be the most effective in that 
task.

de Wb4APR