[aprssig] Text Messaging Radios now

[Robert Bruninga]

> 
> RE: www.aprs.org/FT51-TH78.html   AND:
>> The format is #NNN#MMMMMMMMMMMM# 
>> where NNN is the group number callsign, 
>> and MMMMMMMMMMM is the numbers representing 
>> the alphabetic letters.
> 
> OOPS! On that document, the second 
> "MMMMMMMMMMM" is missing 
> an "M" - should have 12.

Thanks for looking at this.  As you can see, I am rapidly trying
to catch up on my docs and ask for help in refining this new
application.  for the last several months of talking about these
radios, I was only narrowly thinking of these radios in a
two-way only message excange.  And I was completely overlooking
the more readily useful special-event scenario where most data
goes into the Net control, and so this vastly multiplies the
functionality for these radios since ANY DTMF HT can transmit to
them, not just other models of the same radio.

> Also I [was] hoping to see the DTMF key 
> algorithm used by these radios, but it 
> fell short just a bit.

Yes, I need to update those web pages now with this new
excitement to make it easy for people to synthesize a message
from their existing HT for display on those HT's.  I also need
to test this, since I found an old TH78 and just need time to
work on this..

I am hoping some other people with these radios will help us out
here...

Thanks
Bob, wb4apr

   I recall an extended discussion, 
> here, about this not too long ago.
>   "2-Key" ok. I got that, but it doesn't say which 
> sub-algorithm is used for Q & Z.   One must infer that it is 
> QZ1 rather than PQRS7/WXYZ9 , no??  (since it makes no 
> mention of the fourth letter used in the PQRS7/WXYZ9
algorithm.  i.e.
> 
> >> "...press the desired letter key, ABC, DEF, GHI, etc 
> >> and then press the "A" key if the letter was the first 
> >> one listed on the key.  Or press "B" key if it was the 
> >> second letter, or press the "C" key if it was the third 
> >> or press the "D" key if it was the numeral for that key."
> 
>   I also must assume that by "A" key, "B", key etc, is refers 
> to the fourth column keys.  Might be better to explicitly 
> state that as well.
> 
> - - - 
>   Long thought observation for which this is a good 
> example/segway...  While this is indeed interesting, and 
> perhaps, arguably totally cool, it is another complication to 
> APRS.  I think one of the significant reasons APRS is not 
> correctly 'catching on' is that; as I have found over the 
> last 5-7 years I have been playing with it; there are 
> increasingly more and more things that have to be remembered 
> and understlld.
> TNC setup, Good Pathes, E-Mail format, WinAPRS e-mail format, 
> CQ server operation, TTAPRS...  all cool stuff, for us geeks, 
> but geek-fodder none-the-less -- even for a ham.
> 
> --
> 73, Steve, Ham, laserist, photographer, house-builder, 
> writer, Engineer, Manager, teacher, lecturer, husband, 
> Father, Geek, K9DCI
> P.S.  Is Segway really a word and where does it come from??
> 
> 
>       
>