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I just bought some really nice domains for my #APRS project:
aprs-x.com (also got .org)
axps.org
I plan to use aprs-x for the protocol specification itself and axps for the software I am writing that will run it.
What are you doing with APRS? I'm happy to see somebody doing something with it other than "look at me on the map!"
@kilroy_was_here I am writing a new protocol I would like to see replace APRS, it is designed to be backwards compatible with APRS until the new protocol becomes pervasive enough to turn off backwards compatibility.
The new protocol is design to have better control over routing of packets both in terms of cross-band routing, and long-distance routing (many hops, not using IGates).
Past that core functionality there is a lot of other things that enable I'd like to do int he guture.
@kilroy_was_here The system would still support IGates to reduce network congestion.. but I want a system that doesnt **need** them to operate at long distances. But to do that you have to have some sort of smart mechanisms to address congestion. Which i have some good ideas on
@kilroy_was_here There are also a lot of things I want to do that will help the current APRS network.. like a better tool to analyze the aprs-is information to get better statistics on a station... like right now the same packet from multiple sources is usually dropped on sites like aprs.fi.. i want to include them so you can map every path of every packet and use that info to learn more about your station and other stations performance.
@BigMcLargeHuge @kilroy_was_here
APRS is based on AX.25, specifically the UI frame packet type... It is very similar in some ways to UDP.
I was more speaking from the experience of helping other hams set up IGates or other similar radio to internet interfaces.
It's never, ever, ever as simple as the documentation says it'll be lol. And once you have it set up, it could either be solid and not require any thought for years, or go down and need more tinkering every week.
@kilroy_was_here @freemo that’s just technology. ;)
Source: I’m a senior sysadmin.
Yeah, I know. I wouldn't have minded any of it either if I didn't get calls from these guys going "WHY DOESN'T IT WORK????" and then expecting me to come out at 4:15 AM for free to fix their stupid little IGate.
Don't forget all the "hey, while you're here" 's that all of us who have played tech support have gotten. That turn a 15 minute job into a 3 hour ordeal.
Aaaaaand that's two of the reasons I decided to go into machining.
I just dealt with it until I "rose in rank".
Now most of my time is spent managing the team, the dept. and working on the T3 challenging/interesting stuff.
I'll still do T1 calls, because, if you work for me, you handle them with a smile or work elsewhere.
I feel you on the 4:15am bullshit and the drop everything for free or not.
I'm less than a decade from retirement, so I'll likely stick with IT.
It's been an interesting ride, good and bad, so far. :)
Yeah, I get biting the bullet until you got some seniority.
In my case, I was literally Just Some Guy™. Not running a business, just doing this out of kindness for amateur radio purposes only. No career there. And they were essentially expecting business-class service that they would have paid a princely sum for on the open market.
Pissed me off then, now I just shake my head and laugh at the sheer absurdity of it all.
Yeah, that's a completely different situation and I agree with your take 100%.
@freemo Oooo I like that long-distance routing idea. I'm not against IGates, but at the same time they're one more thing to fail and another source of headaches. I'm all for simple.