[aprssig] Dstar and everything else on APRS

[Bob Bruninga]

> D-star is not a replacement for APRS but another 
> form of communications. And there is the APRS 
> plug ins... Pete has written a APRS crossover 
> so d*star posits can appear on Findu.

Exactly.  APRS was never intended as an end in itself.  Just a way of monitoring everything going on in HAM radio and interconnecting all sources of info.  I expect to see on APRS in my local area:
- all other APRS stations
- all other APRS mobiles
- Dstar mobiles
- The Locally recommended voice repeater freq
- ANy NET in progress
- Any meeting in progress
- an Announcent of any meetings this week
- an announcement of any local hamfests coming up
- the location and freq of the local DX cluster
- the location and status of the local ATV repeater
- the location and freq of the local IRLP node
- the location and freq of the local Echolink node
- any Skywarn sites, nets, or activities
- the local weather
- etc...
- the occasional MAIL-FOR beacon from any BBS

There is plenty of room for these DIRECT or 1 hop packets.  What kills APRS is when someone beacons these over 2 hops and 6 states....

Bob, WB4APR
- local DX clusters