[OZAPRS] Brisbane tracking

[James Cameron]

G'day Ashley,

Welcome, fellow software engineering professional, to the amateur radio
community.  We could do with some software improvements in APRS
generally, so I hope you join in.

I'm a bit late in the day with my reply ... but thought I'd write
anyway.

If you were transmitting using your own callsign, then you were probably
packet filtered.

The digital repeaters (digipeaters) are run by people who are obedient
to the License Conditions Determination (LCD) Part 9 section 41:

"The licensee must not operate an amateur repeater station to transmit a
signal to another amateur station if the originating station is not
authorised under its licence to use the repeater output of the amateur
repeater station."

So it isn't a kind of a vigilante thing where someone shoots the tyres
of cars that overtake beyond the speed limit.  They are required
by regulation to filter you; to prevent your packets from being repeated
over RF.  There's nothing that requires them to prevent your packets
from being received and forwarded to the internet, AFAICS.

It's LCD Part 6 section 29 and 27A (2) that prevents you from
transmitting APRS.  Emission mode and automatic control.

The only ways you can use APRS with a foundation license are:

- receiving, (snore),

- transmitting only via the internet, not by RF, or;

- transmitting in an emergency.

(However, it isn't clear how the people doing the packet filtering know
whether it is an emergency or not.  On their head be it if your Mayday
doesn't get through.  ;-)  Obviously you should use another mode for a
Mayday, or use the emergency to justify entering a shorter callsign!)

Meanwhile, you can use the same digital mode on other frequencies as
part of other license types.

You could upgrade, but I advise against it.  While you get to be able
to send APRS packets, and you get a band or two and a bit more power to
play with, it really isn't worth it.  Stay at foundation level.  Also
cheaper.  ;-}

-- 
James Cameron
http://quozl.linux.org.au/