[aprssig] Kantronics MT1200G

[Alan M Fudge DVM]

I have Kantronics MT1200G- purchased this spring with intention of 
APRS/digipeating with search and rescue and also packet for emergency ham 
comm. After no response from email and fax from Kantronics support- I 
finally got around to phoning for helpful support for com setup

Forgive me for calling the comm protocols as archaic, but as a mostly Mac 
user (but purchaser of Vista laptop for SAR mapping, comm, and ham stuff), 
and with Hyperterminal Private Edition installed, I am struggling to 
understand the manual for the correct string to beacon APRS via a HT or 
mobile an the MT1200. I am reading other packets but probably don't fully 
understand the manual.

this is the string I have for GTEXT: 
$GA$$CHKSUM$$LAT$$LONG$$UTC$$DATE$$ALT$
-is that correct? Any errors?
Also I was dismayed to learn from the nice gentleman at Kantronics, that 
while digipeating was listed in the manual and promoted for this product, it 
is a future feature that is under testing and a future firmware upgrade. Is 
this typical for this vendor? And I have been waiting for months for a 
review on this product that I have not been smart enough to figure out yet. 
Makes me think about buyer's remorse and that I shoulda just bought a 
Kenwood mobile for the APRS
(have a Byonics Minitracker/Icom HT for foot)

Thank you.

Alan M Fudge DVM
K6PUG
El Dorado Sheriff Search and Rescue, California