[aprssig] NM, Dallas and Ohare trip report

[Bob Bruninga]

Chicago:  Visiting one of the busiest airports in the country at Ohare in
Chicago, and could not hear a single APRS digipeater.  No connectivity.

Dallas:  Visited Dallas Airport and got good signals but noticed two
distinct issues:

1) The digi I could hear had at least a 500ms TXD which was cutting channel
throughput in HALF.  

2) When I looked it up the digi showed a HAAT of over 600 feet, yet APRS.FI
showed it in someones residential backyard.

3) I never got a local frequency recommendation

4) None of the stations I did see, had any frequency or contact information.
Fully 1/3rd of the APRS users were just symbols.  No other information or
status in their packets. Very little info of any value.  No frequency
objects for the traveler, the one D710 I saw had not frequency info, etc.

Different areas have different personalitites that evolve.  Some areas, the
APRS channel is a  wealth of useful local information with a human face.
Some areas are just trackers with no human content.  And those in those
areas do not know how the other half lives...

Just some observations.

By the way, New Mexico is the envy of the APRS world, lots of flat areas,
lots of mountains, lots of digipeaters all consistently organized, and not a
lot of congestion, so there is lots of APRS value.

Of course, this was only a 30 minute sample, so of course, I was like the
flea on the elephant and my comments are to be taken with a grain of local
salt.

Bob, WB4APR