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

[Greenhalgh, Christopher K.]

> On Fri, May 23, 2008 at 01:18:19PM -0400, we recorded a 
> bogon-computron collision of the 
> <cgreenhalgh at studentaffairs.osu.edu> flavor, containing:
> > Then...the internet. As its use gain momentum, I watched as more and
> > more APRS stations where disappearing. Now, over the years, 
> I see a lot
> > of the stationary APRS stations abandoning RF, to inserting their
> > location/weather data via the internet. 

> We had an Igate briefly that would gate them back to RF, but 
> it went away 
> due to equipment problems.

I operate a very high-profile digipeater, and iGate out, but will not
iGate in, and hope nobody locally will do so either. That would only
encourage folks to take down their RF. There is some talk here of some
folks who are even abandoning RF in there vehicles...pushing their GPSR
data into a cellular internet connection...sad indeed.

> Even then it was not complete, 
> because many of 
> these direct-to-internet "ham" WX stations are connecting to 
> APRS-IS without 
> authenticating, and therefore have TCPXX in their paths 
> prohibiting their 
> being gated.

Yup, and most don't even know it. Another peeve of mine, is most of
these stations around here, use the QTH/vertical antenna symbol...which
indicates they are on RF. There should be a required symbol for those
stations.
 
> Now, there is NO local APRS weather station data making it to 
> RF, and that means
> that when I'm mobile there's no way to get at that data.  Very sad.

Exactly. And as an APRS "purist", I don't iGate in traffic from home
either, so I never see them, period.

73, Chris.