[OZAPRS] Digipeaters and iGATE's

[Matt VK2RQ]

> On 19 Oct 2014, at 2:58 pm, Owen Duffy <owen at owenduffy.net> wrote:
> 
> 
>> On 19/10/2014 9:42, Liz VK2XSE wrote:
>> ... Unlike Owen, I would digipeat, because users of Kenwood 700 and
>> 710 gear like to see who is travelling around at the same time as they
>> are (maybe strike up a conversation on the voice repeater as well).
> Interesting you mention that.
> 
> It had occurred to me when I ask the question "why digipeat if also an
> iGate".

Remember that at its most basic level, APRS is designed to be a real time tactical communication tool to allow stations within a particular area to share information and track assets. Stations broadcast their position and other information of interest over connection less AX25 UI frames so that people nearby with a radio, TNC and computer can receive the information and summarise it on the computer screen. In order to increase coverage, a wide-area digipeater may be set up at a good location like of top of a hill, so that it can pick up those transmissions and send them out to everyone in the coverage area. Maybe there are some black spots in the coverage area, so you may set up some local "fill-in" digis to pick up transmissions in those black spots and retransmit them so the wide area repeater can hear and distribute them. In case you want to cover an even wider area area, you can set up another wide area digi in range of the first, with its own set of fill-in digis if needed. The idea is that by switching on your radio, you can pick up all activity in the area, and get a local tactical view within 10mins, and an overall view of the whole area within 30mins.

Note that nowhere here is Internet mentioned. Someone thought it would be a good idea to collect information heard in an area and report it on the Internet, so that all the information could be consolidated and accessed by anyone anywhere in the world. From this the concept of I-Gate was born. Any station which has an internet connection can be set up as an I-Gate, including a digipeater.

So, are you operating a digipeater that is part of a coordinated strategy to provide update over RF to people in the local area? Then this is fine, and if you happen to have an internet connection available at that digipeater, then I-Gating is a good thing to do you keep people on the Intenet updated also. That is, a digipeater that  I-Gates as well is a good thing..  However, if you are setting up an I-Gate to collect packets and report them on internet, but the station that is not part of a coordinated attempt to provide updates to users via RF, then digipeating may simply cause congestion and be counter-productive. In this case, it is better that the I-Gate does not digipeat.

73, Matt VK2RQ