[aprssig] Tactical call signs

[Joel Maslak]

On Apr 23, 2007, at 8:07 PM, Matt Werner wrote:

> For digis I have seen and/or operate, the callsign IS in the packet.
> My point is that it doesn't need to be in the 'from' field of the
> packet, just somewhere IN the packet.


My reading of the regs in the US (they are different elsewhere) is  
that you have to identify during a communication.  You don't have to  
identify every transmission - think about how you use a 2 meter  
repeater.  It's not at the packet level, it's at the "conversation"  
level.  You don't say your call sign every time you hit the release- 
to-listen button.

I look at this and feel that if someone is making an effort to make  
sure that someone else knows who is transmitting, I am not going to  
be terribly picky.  Sure, I could yell at a repeater user who doesn't  
identify until 11 minutes into a repeater conversation, but I don't  
think that kind of nit-picking does anyone any good.

As long as people would know who is transmitting, the intent of the  
law is met.  Yes, you should identify every 10 minutes, and, yes, you  
should think of what is (and isn't) sent via IGates and digis.


> If retransmission of a message occurs without proper id of the station
> of origin it isn't a violation - the first retransmitting station is
> liable for any violations contained in the message though.  The lack
> of ID isn't a violation in itself unless the originating station never
> IDs.  That isn't the case here though as the callsign is in the
> packet.


Agreed.