[aprssig] How should this work -> TRACE WIDE2-2

[VE7GDH]

Maiko VE4KLM wrote on Sept 13 2005

> Let's say that my system recognizes WIDE2-2, but not
> the TRACE digi call.
>
> A station on RF sends a MIC-E frame as follows :
>
> STATION > UXXXXX via TRACE via WIDE2-2
>
> question 1: should my system digi this as a WIDE2-1, or
> should my system ignore this (since TRACE is the immediate
> destination call, not WIDE2-2) ?

Stephen's answer is correct. However, if you are going to buy into the "new
paradigm", you should realize that RELAY, WIDE, TRACE and TRACEn-n
are obsolete (at least in North America) and shouldn't be used... i.e. you
should not be supporting TRACE. However, from your comment, it sound
like you may already be not supporting it.

I would suggest contacting any stations in your area that are using paths
including any of the obsolete aliases and try and convince them to get
onboard as well. APRS takes cooperation to make it work. Lots of time has
been spent hammering this out and the consensus is that the sooner everyone
updates their system, the better we will be.

There are still some stations / digis near where I live that haven't updated
yet, but enough have that a real difference can been seen now. The frequency
is much less busy than it used to be, but improvement can still be made.
Even if the frequency isn't saturated where you live, you can do your part
by making the APRS network as compatible as you can be adopting the "new"
settings and contacting those around you - especially digi operators - and
bringing them up to speed as well.

See http://web.usna.navy.mil/~bruninga/aprs/fix14439.html for an explanation
of the "new paradigm" settings. If you are using a KPC-3+ for your digi 
(doesn't look like you are), see www.nwaprs.info (the old URL was 
www.nwaprs.org) for a site that gives a really clear explanation of the 
suggested settings. There are links to both the "fix 144.390" and NWAPRS 
sites in the "APRS Links" section at the bottom of the main page on the 
UI-View32 site at www.ui-view.org.

73 es cul - Keith VE7GDH
--
"I may be lost, but I know exactly where I am!"