[aprssig] Re: The best resolution of position from APRS

[KC2MMi]

<<Obsolete to me means something that has
been replaced with something better.>>

Look it up, Bob. That might be a common misperception, but there is a difference
between saying "The kenwoods have been obsoleted by cell phones" (or any other
specific thing) and saying they are obsolete per se. Obsolete doesn't mean
something has been replaced--just that it is not up to the times, or more
formally "it is no longer in use". By that standard the Kenwoods will never be
obsolete until the last user throws away the last one, or turns it off, of
course.

And speaking of NAVITRA and how you convinced Kenwood to tag on APRS to that
equipment...Yes, look at what Japan is up to now. Look at cell phones, SMS, GPS,
and the integration of positioning devices and communications there as well as
elsewhere.

Now tell us, what can a D700 do with APRS, that a newer gizmo selling at 1/4 the
price can't do better, faster, more flexibly? Communicate directly to another
D700 with no supporting infrastructure? Yeah, we know. One pro versus a whole
list of cons. Not impressive. Obsolete is the right word, even if it still is
the best of its kind out there.

My car can't find its own way home without me. A buggy horse can. Nevertheless,
the horse and buggy have been obsolete for a hundred years.

Celebrating the obsolete while embracing what's new and better isn't at all
impossible. Refusing to accept anything new...

Many of us love the Kenwoods, love APRS, but find it is simply no longer state
of the art, or anything close to what other systems are offering. We's rather
see improvements that allow for "new and better" to gracefully supercede the
old, than see it all turned off and scrapped.