6M, APRS, and disasters - Re: [aprssig] PropNET Lessons Learned [was: 6m MSnetwork (aprssig: to exclusive) PerformanceMonitoring!]

[Robert Bruninga]

> I'm not sure that gating email from disaster 
> areas is particularly useful, not when there 
> is probably no acknowledgment...
> ... Even if my internet connection was down, 
> I think I would have used HF on a voice net 
> to communicate my traffic.

Problem is that HF voice takes two full time operators on both
ends which is a pretty big consumer of resources for backgruond
traffic...  My excitement about the 6m MS receivers at USA APRS
Igates is so that the receive end is already fully automatied
(24/7) and the sending end is simply independently stuffing in
stuff into the TX que at his convenience without having to spend
hours monitoring nets to find a moment to pass traffic.  And
this does not tie up the other automated systems such as the
WinLINK system which will be pretty busy.

> I suspect there would be times where a portable 
> IGate could be quite useful to the area.

My thought here is that as the APRS 144.39 packets DO still work
locally direct within the disaster area, but don't have the
links to get out, that what used to be "IGATES" could fire up
full-time transmitting the local picture OUT of the area via MS
to be captured all over the USA into the APRS-IS.  Think of this
as just a long haul backbone out of the area.

This is not to put down HF in any way. The 6m MS mode is just
another tool in the pouch.

Bob, WB4APR