On 6/3/2010 10:50 PM, Gary Pearce KN4AQ wrote:
It is good in that way. I think it will cause a problem with call sign
routing if people adopt it frequently (M for mobile, B for base...) -
they
will be "unfindable" (my spell checker claims that's not a word) by
anyone
who doesn't know what ID character they're using. The beauty of call sign
routing is its simplicity. I know this isn't new - it's just that most of
us are only learning about it now. It's a wrinkle of complexity that
has at
least two sides, it seems.
73,
Gary KN4AQ
__._,_.__
Gary makes an important, albeit subtle, point here. The "random" or
cachet use of the "id" character confuses the issue for the person who
just wants to contact a specific station, e.g. K7VE. If I use a
different "id" character when I'm at home, mobile, portable, marine, or
aeronautical, any other station wanting to contact my station would have
to try all of the "id" characters until they found the one that was
actually in use.
The only time to use more than the simplest, e.g a space in the "id"
character, is if a station actually has two, or more, /*_simultaneous_*/
operating positions on different modules (either on the same or
different gateways) or to designate DD operation as opposed to DV
operation. The other case, is like the recent question about a club
that wants to use the club callsign on multiple radios that are likely
to be operating simultaneously or at designated and differentiated
locations.
Too often people think of them as SSID from AX.25 packet days. D-STAR
is not AX.25 packet, D-PRS is not APRS. While they be similar in some
of the functions they do, they are unique and different from their cousins.
Any attempt to "standardize" on certain "id" character letters to
designate a class of operation, is local and only confuses the issue.
We see this already with the use of the "id" character on D-STAR modules
and reflectors -- many operators consider the A, B, C and 23cm, 70cm, 2m
marriage sacrosanct, but in reality they don't have any relationship
whatsoever other than "herd mentality." What if you have an Icom
controller attached to four 70cm modules? They can't all be the "B"
module. If you have 2 cars, then are they both "M" in the "id" character?
Keep it simple, one should just use the blank "id" character unless one
has a compelling need.
--
John D. Hays
Amateur Radio Station K7VE <http://k7ve.org>
PO Box 1223
Edmonds, WA 98020-1223
VOIP/SIP: [email protected] <sip:[email protected]>
Phone: 206-801-0820
801-790-0950
Email: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>
