[aprssig] OLD KPC-3's version 5 etc..

[Robert Bruninga]

> Bob, Would KPC-3 version 6.0 have the same/similar behavior? 
> That ROM came out in 1995 and supported GPS to TNC connection.
> I could boot mine up and see how it behaves if you suggest
some settings.

Here is my memory.  Can anone correct any details?

1) From ancient times, all TNC's had a MYCALL and an ALIAS.
That's when we started APRS with RELAY and WIDE for digipeating.
Everyone's TNC was set to the ALIAS of RELAY.  And their own
MYCALL.
At the digipeters, The MYCALL was the DIGI call, and the ALIAS
was made to be WIDE.

2) Then the first APRS TNC's by PacComm in 1996 added
callsign-substitution.  THen the digi could digi on RELAY or
WIDE (or any 3 generic calls) and it would substitute its
callsign into the used-up digi slot.  PacComm called these
ALIASES 1, 2 and 3

3) Then in 1998 Kantronics added WIDEn-N which decremented N on
each digipeat.  That was in the UIFLOOD parameter but there was
no substitution so the packets were untraceable unless TRACEn-N
was used by the user.

4) Somewhere in there DIGI_NED and UIDIGI Roms came out.  The
added up to 8 aliases, 8 substitutions and multiple filters and
paths.  This let any and every digi owner make his digis UNIQUE
to the point that APRS was hopelessly inconsitstent, not
standardized, and hopelelssly fragmented...  A bad situation..
And getting worse with every new idea for filtering, exclusions
and path modification scheme ego's could come up with...

5) Then in 2004 without any new hardware changes we greatly
SIMPLIFIED all APRS paths and simply moved WIDEn-N to the
Traceable UITRACE parameter and called it the New-N Paradigm.
And gave a lot of standard recommendations for all the other
parameters... Including frequency object bulletins for the
locally recommended voice repeater.

The rest is history.  Although, now almost 7 years later at
least HALF of the existing digis have not changed their settings
to match the 2004 receommendations... Sheesh..

So, If a KPC-3 does not have the UITRACE or UIFLOOD or UIDIGI
command, then it can only do #1 above in my thinking, and then
the only network you can build is to make all Wide area digis
respond to the alias of "WIDE2-1" and all fill-in digis respond
to the alias of "WIDE1-1".  Of course the network will work for
2 hops, but is NOT TRACEABLE and therefor un-troubleshootable
except with a lot of talent and testing.

Earl rightfully suggested making the big wide area digis which
also have local coverage without any fill-in WIDE1-1 digis to
respond to both WIDE1-1 and WIDE2-1 by making the MYCALL =
WIDE2-1 and making the ALIAS be WIDE1-1.

But in this kind of netowrk NOTHING beyond 2 hops is possible
without lots of dupes folding back on themselves.  And without
distinct MYCALLS, then point-to-point paths longer than 2 hops
are also not possible.

Bob, WB4APR

> Mike KE4YGT
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Robert Bruninga" <bruninga at usna.edu>
> To: <aprssig at tapr.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, October 26, 2010 1:19 PM
> Subject: [aprssig] OLD KPC-3's version 5 etc..
> 
> 
> > Does anyone remember the old KPC-3's?
> >
> > We have a country that only has old KPC3's....  I know they
do
> > not have WIDEn-N support... But Do they do callsign
substitution
> > (version 5.0 and 5.1)?
> >
> > I'm looking for a way to advise them  (in their limited
network)
> > to at least tier their digis.  But I guess that is what the
> > original RELAY and WIDE was all about.  Every TNC could do
relay
> > and then set only the big ones for WIDE...
> >
> > The New-N equivalent (but using the same old hardware) would
be
> > to set the big wide area TNC's to be "WIDE2-1" aliases and
all
> > the other fill-in-digis to be "WIDE1-1" alias digis.  But if
> > they can only have one alias, then the big digis cannot also
do
> > the WIDE1-1.  But at least it give a 2 tier solution...
> >
> > Been a long time since I thought this one out.
> >
> > Bob, WB4APR
> >
> >
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> 
> 
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