[aprssig] Re: Tracker Smart Pathing: user types, alternatives

[Curt, WE7U]

On Thu, 23 Mar 2006, Robert Bruninga wrote:

> house with internet, then to expect all digis in the
> state to replace their hardware with PC's just
> so they can do the same thing with AUTO...

Good idea putting in another igate.

However, we weren't talking about replacing all the TNC's with PC's
(this time).  I think we were focused on smarter TNC's.  Like
hardware, just smarter.


> Again, not trying to force anyone to use Proprtional
> Pathing -with-Decayed Beaconing, but just thinking
> it will be a nice way to reduce QRM for most people
> who cre more about 1 and 2 hop updates...

How about this for trackers with RX capability, if the goal is to
get posits to the internet:  Periodically (every 30 minutes?) send a
specific query/message to an internet server via your current path.
Something really short.

If no response, increase path length (up to a settable max), retry.
Else decrease path (down to a settable min) and retry.

This would make the tracker auto-adjust to whatever minimum path
gets the posits to the internet.

Yes, I know there are problems with it in all kinds of cases, but it
might be a starting point to come up with something that might work
better.

Actually, igates could periodically broadcast on RF, identifying
themselves as an igate.  Trackers with receive capability could then
figure out which was the closest igate and what length of path was
needed to reach it.  This would be better than the query/response
idea above.

For those that don't care about getting to the 'net, but do care
about getting heard on RF, change to an algorithm where you transmit
then check whether you were digipeated.  If not, set the interval
until the next transmit somewhat shorter.  If so, set it somewhat
longer.

In a mobile environment you may transmit much better than you hear,
so this last might not work out well in practice either.  Defaults
need to be set so that if receive is knocked out the tracker won't
transmit at ridiculously short intervals and kill the channel.

--
Curt, WE7U.   APRS Client Comparisons: http://www.eskimo.com/~archer
"Lotto:    A tax on people who are bad at math." -- unknown
"Windows:  Microsoft's tax on computer illiterates." -- WE7U
"The world DOES revolve around me:  I picked the coordinate system!"