[aprssig] Universal APRS messaging

[Robert Bruninga]

We have a golden opportunity for new programmers in APRS...

Since 9-11 and the Katrina situation, a primary motivation for
APRS has been to make sure that Amateur Radio operators can
always find each other, in place, time, and frequency and
establish communications.  This must be a fundamental and
universal mission of APRS.

Now that we are making progress on the frequency aspect with the
many initiatives of the www.aprs.org/localinfo.html project, and
the www.aprs.org/aprstt.html project bringing in all radios, now
it is time to move on to the final stage which is making sure
that we can communicate callsign-to-callsign using any and ALL
devices and mechanisms.

This means, palm devices, PC,s, notebooks, Iphones, everything.

I admit that I have not kept up with the many initiatives by
many individuals in APRS to try to use these other devices for
sending and receiving APRS messages, but now I would like to
collect a directory of such applications and put the links on
the www.aprs.org web page.  These do not need to be full-up APRS
applications, but they should have a minimum APRS messaging
capability.

Help me build this list:

LIST OF APRS APPLICATIONS FOR UNIVERSAL APRS MESSAGING:

PC's, Macs - Run numerous native APRS client applications
APRS>Email - WU2Z engine handles all APRS to EMAIL
Email>APRS - This nut has not been fully cracked
WinLINK    - Handles bidirectional email
PalmPilot - Pocket APRS (no longer supported?)
OLPC      - APRS-xo by Jack Zielke
Wince's   - APRSce...
Iphone    -
IM        -
TextMsging-
Etc...    -

The goal is to be able to send and receive (small) amateur radio
APRS text messages aywhere in the world by callsign alone.
This is a big project, because it will be hard to provide the
security concenrs we all share over th epotential for abuse...
But we do need to be working on it!

My motivation comes from the simple fact that as ham radio
operators, we must be able to establishe communications using
whatever tools we have available, and cell phones and text
messaging are everywhere.

My motivation comes from my weekend trip to Monterrey Mexico
where I gave an APRS presentation to their IEEE attended by
about 100 students from many technical universities.  They all
had cellphones and wanted to know why APRS could not be used to
communicate with them?

Duh... Good question.  We need more people in ham radio working
on these projects...

Thanks
Bob, Wb4APR