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I
read Doug Hilton’s comments from the “ARES District 6” article in
the VOX from April with great interest. It was clear to me that the APRS
Tactical Communication system can easily fix just about all the problems on
the Emergency Net. Having to repeat callsigns 5 or 6 times to check into
any net is unacceptable. Not being able to get HAM’s to use the proper
international phonetics is just another confirmation that we are all human
and suggests we need better methods. Have I
failed to communicate effectively over the years that we already have an
effective communication tool in our Amateur Radio tool box? APRS
can solve these issues and provide an effective tool that has been
addressing those needs for many years.
Now that I have cleared my lungs, lets take a look at the ways APRS
addresses each of the points that were made in the ARES District 6
article in April’s VOX:
- 1. NCS
making 5 or 6 attempts to get the correct callsign from check-ins.
- 2. Operators
using unconventional phonetics.
- 3. Priority
messages wait for 10 or 20 stations to check-in.
- 4. Taking
check-ins is a time consuming process to get name, location, and
callsign correct.
- 5. Delay time
between check-ins.
- 6. Inefficient
transfer of information.
The
APRS tactical communication system addresses each of these points
and many more. How does it address these points?
- 1. Getting the
correct callsign is a thing of the past unless the sending operator
mistypes it. The APRS network will quickly sort out multiple
check-ins as the same time. 10 or 20 stations could be logged into the
network in a fraction of the time it takes to do it by voice. The
bottom line is there is 10-100 times more bandwidth available for the
important information from multiple stations. Emergency traffic can
actually be passed while stations are checking into the net very
easily.
- 2. There is no
need for phonetics in the APRS world. What you see on the
screen is what you get. In addition, there is no need to write
anything on paper at the NCS station when using APRS,
because it can be logged automatically in a file for archival or sent
to a printer for automatic documenting.
- 3. Priority
messages suffer due to the way a voice network and human interaction
work. This is the most limiting factor of any voice network. It is
only as good as the operators and the protocol allow it, but it is a
time consuming process. Priority traffic on APRS is built into
the core operation of the system. New traffic takes precedence over
older traffic. Some may argue that APRS uses an un-connected
protocol. This is true and it is the main reason that it is so
efficient. New messages take priority and traffic is re-transmitted by
an decaying rate while new messages are re-transmitted more often
taking priority. Personal messages are acknowledged by sending a
message back to the sender to stop sending it. Bulletin messages are
the beauty of APRS as they are sent in the same decaying
rebroadcast format and everybody receives it virtually at the same
time with the broadcast protocol. Thus, newer bulletins take priority
in any time critical event.
- These
messages DO NOT wait for check-ins or anybody else. They are
multiplexed in between check-ins in case of a REAL emergency
situation. I can remember on the old connected packet BBS network when
weather bulletins took forever. When the weather was bad the number of
bulletins brought the network to a crawl. It would take all night to
get all the weather traffic using that old protocol. Today, we utilize
that same equipment employing the APRS unconnected packet
protocol and that problem is gone. Weather bulletins are sent in real
time from the NWS and broadcast to every APRS packet
station for all to receive immediately. With some weather bulletins
you will be informed exactly how far and in what direction you are
from the maximum area of concern. This is immediate information and it
waits for no operator to send the message or announce it over a voice
repeater. How many times have we experienced storms in our area and
the voice net woke up after the threat had passed through the area.
This simply does not happen with APRS because APRS users
are informed immediately as those NWS messages are broadcast.
In fact, with all the weather nodes available on APRS you can
set trigger points for wind speed, temperature, and barometric
pressure to sound an alarm on your APRS station remotely.
- 4. With APRS
you can reduce the check-in time to a fraction of what you experience
today. If those 10-20 check-in stations used the APRS network,
the check-in time could be less than 2 minutes, nobody would have to
repeat their information (unless they typed it wrong), your location
information would be automatic and your APRS symbol would be
placed on the map. I know I have refrained from checking into the
voice net many times because of the lengthy process. Any station can
send priority traffic at any point, even during the check-in process.
It is easy, effortless, and better utilizes the bandwidth for
increased traffic when needed. Voice nets will never compete with the
speed of traffic passing on the APRS digital network!
- 5. The delay
between check-ins is a waste of bandwidth. There will be dupes on a
voice network and there will be dupes on an APRS network. The
advantage is the APRS network automatically takes care of those
dupes rather quickly by the design of the protocol and no human
intervention is required. Any delay is wasted bandwidth that can be
used more efficiently to transfer information.
- 6. Inefficient
transfer of information on a voice network can be a thing of the past
with the APRS network. Information is sent as the sender
intended. No repeats are necessary that the protocol does not already
address.
-
After digesting this material, I read Rolf’s article titled “Madison
County ARES / RACES Update” in the April VOX concerning weather spotter
training. Here is another example of where APRS is a practical tool
for the services of the Amateur Radio Community. APRS is already
weather oriented. No other tool in the Amateur Radio Community contains the
weather reporting capabilities of APRS. NWS weather bulletins
are broadcasted in real time on the APRS network. Those who utilize APRS
maps will see counties highlighted in red or yellow indicating areas with
watches or warnings posted in addition to the bulletin itself. You always
know how far you are located from the maximum area of concern. All this
information is available on the APRS radio network as well as the
Internet APRS network since they are seamlessly integrated. Weather
is unpredictable at times and the APRS tactical communication system
fits the mold on VHF or UHF to contain traffic to a specific area or event.
The Internet is nice but it is not required in a tactical communication
system where digipeaters can be easily installed to make any necessary
connections with conventional radio equipment. APRS knows where you
are located, which takes away any guesswork by simply looking on a map and
physically seeing your location relative to any activity that may be of
concern. In the end, APRS is really an informational awareness
system and it performs its function very well.
What better tools do we have for a tactical communication system? The APRS
infrastructure has grown and continues to grow in popularity with new
digipeaters being added to this tactical communication system. We have
solutions to serve the public interest not just a bunch of toys. Although, APRS
is a pretty cool toy.
Am I picking on the HAM radio population?
You
bet!
The status quo or old fashion methods may be a little dated for our nets to
run efficiently. Does this make you mad? It should! It should make you so
mad that your blood starts pumping uncontrollably to the point you get on
you feet and think about the problems and the solutions. If we do not have
the solution, then what service will replace us along with our valuable
radio spectrum? How do you spell the value of Amateur Radio?
Happy APRS Packeting
73’s de Tim - N8DEU
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