[aprssig] Ham Radio, Use it or Lose it!

[Rich Garcia]

Well said Brian, and on another note even though people like to argue about
APRS this or APRS that it is APRS that saved packet radio no matter what
anyone will say. Sure there would have been people that would have TRIED to
continue to use packet for "traditional packet" but that would not have
lasted long at the rate we were going. DSRI went away, AEA dropped out but
then came back when bought by someone else, anyone remember Gwyn and Linda
from PacComm, how about the MFJ line? APRS came just in the nick of time to
keep the manufacturers somewhat interested. Kantronics was the only game in
town for a long time unless you bought used. Packet grew because of APRS it
and grew enough that programming guru's saw enough interest and wrote
programs to support sound card based modems.

Software based modems(often known as FREE)then grew the population of hams
trying packet and other software based modes, do you think SSTV would have
grown with Robot 800's or Kenwood VH-1's or whatever they were? Who knows
maybe sound card based modems would have not been as popular as they have
become if it were not for packet and that in turn would have hampered the
dozens of other new exotic digital modes that we have now.

A lot of it may be speculation but a lot of it is not. Either way at least
we as a group are using it, and APRS has helped ham radio in general. Argue
all you want with Bob, I think he enjoys it and it feeds his fire but also
thank him in between rants.

Rich
-----Original Message-----
From: aprssig-bounces at lists.tapr.org
[mailto:aprssig-bounces at lists.tapr.org]On Behalf Of Brian B. Riley
Sent: Thursday, May 22, 2008 8:13 PM
To: bruninga at usna.edu; TAPR APRS Mailing List
Subject: Re: [aprssig] Ham Radio, Use it or Lose it!


  Bob is probably way too modest to say this and it needs to be said.
For  the well over 20 years I have known Bob, he has taken a look
around him and found ways to take what we already have and put it to
use in new ways. He has presented us with a steady stream of ideas. He
has done so in the face of a lot of negativism that would have daunted
a lesser men. Made them pack up and find another hobby. He doesn't sit
back and wait for that "perfect dream solution ... in the future."

A perfect example of this is his suggestion for ground stations to
feed GO-32 downlinks to the network. Instead of someone needing to
configure a fancy system to do it Bob hypothesize a network of dozens
of otherwise idle Kenwood radios each of them with a 19" whip, only
able to copy a few minutes of a pass (high overhead). This requires no
new equipment, no fancy equipment and can be done now. Anyone with a
Kenwood radio can go to his website, read the info and go set it up in
less than an hour. No technological breakthroughs need be waited upon!

I get real tired of listening to people pooh-pooh his ideas about
things we can do now with things we already have because "when we get
that great new technology next [fill in the future time frame of
choice] we will be able to do it better!" That's ridiculous, instead
of doing and achieving there's a whole lot of you who would keep us in
an  almost constant condition of waiting and dreaming!

You know in most states dealing with the DMV is a painful thing. One
of many things I love about living in Vermont is my experiences with
the state AOT-DMV. They have an exceptional attitude; instead of a
stream of reasons why you can't do this or that, they say "Let's see
what we can do to achieve what you want." We could use a lot more of
that attitude around here.

cheers ... 73 de brian, n1bq