Fred N7FMH wrote... > This path may seem highly unlikely but it is real one: > HT (N7FMH-7) --> Mobile Fill-in (N7FMH-9) --> Fixed Fill-in > PNRDVL) --> N1NAZ-5
I'm confused (because WIDE1-1 should only be at the beginning of the path) but I'll keep reading. Note... a fill-in digi is one that responds to WIDE1-1 only. Perhaps there is some semantics going on in your understanding of digipeaters. Note... a WIDEn-N digi will also respond to WIDE1-1. > Here is a description each station involved: > > HT (N7FMH-7, W1-1,W2-1) sends a beacon. > The only path out is through a fill-in. > Kenwood TH-D7A(G) All OK so far. N7FMH-7 is a D7 and using a path of WIDE1-1,WIDE2-1. I understand the D7 uses W1-1 as an abbreviation for WIDE1-1, and it's at the beginning of the path, so all is OK so far. As mentioned above, you do understand that WIDEn-N digis also respond to WIDE1-1? > Mobile running as a tracker (N7FMH-9, W1-1,W2-1) and fill-in digi > (W1-1). Located where it cannot hit a full (high) digipeater. > Argent Data Tracker2 Are you saying that N7FMH-9 is a mobile tracker (is there any other kind?) with a path of WIDE1-1,WIDE2-1 (all OK) but it is also configured as a digi programmed to respond to WIDE1-1? If it digipeats someone else's beacon but the digipeated copy isn't heard by a WIDEn-N no real harm has been done, but it wasn't really useful. > Fixed station running as fill-in (PNRDVL, W1-1). > Located where it can hit a full (high) digipeater. > Kantronics KPC3+v8.3 All sounds OK there. Fill-in digis should be situated where they can be heard by a WIDEn-N digi. They should also only be situated in areas where mobiles sometimes have trouble hitting the WIDEn-N digis directly. > Fixed stations running as 'high' digipeaters. (N1NAZ, NE1B, AC1U, etc) > Owned by other parties. > > The above is a real scenario. So the question is, what actually > happens when the HT needs the whole path? In your case, that's N7FMH-7. It doesn't matter that it's an HT, but as it's mobile, it's OK to use a path of WIDE1-1. As you mentioned above, it has a path of WIDE1-1,WIDE2-1. If it's heard by a fill-in digi, it will be digipeated. The WIDE1-1 will be marked as used with the WIDE2-1 still available. If a WIDEn-N digi hears the fill-in digi, it will be digipeated. If it isn't heard by another digi, it ends there, but a fill-in digi situated where it can't be heard by a WIDEn-N digi would be kinda useless. Second possibility... it isn't heard by a fill-in digi, but it is heard by a WIDEn-N digi. That digi will respond to the WIDE1-1, mark it is as used and kick it out the other side with WIDE2-1 still available. If another WIDEn-N digi is within earshot, it will be digipeated, marking the WIDE2-1 as used in the process. There will often be more than one within earshot. If so, each of them will respond simultaneously. > I know the mobile fill-in should receive the HT and forward it. If the > mobile forwards it and it hits a high digipeater, everything is > normal. I see that everyday as beacons go through the PNRDVL fill-in. Some people will argue against "mobile fill-in" digis (problems with getting messages from IGates to mobile stations when a mobile digi is involved and the IGate is using the reverse path), but... > But if two (or more) fill-ins are in the path...? Should the HT W1-1 > setting really be W1-2 in this case to handle two fill-ins? There should never be more than one instance of WIDE1-1 in the path. It should only be at the beginning of the path. WIDE1-1 should only be used by mobile stations. WIDE1-2 should never be used. It would be an instance of an abusive / stupid path. In WIDEn-N the "N" should never be more than the "n". The "n" is the maximum desired number of hops. The "N" is the remaining / unused hops. If you see someone using WIDE1-2 they either don't understand proper digipeating or they are trying to abuse the system. The point of a fill-in digi is to help a mobile station make it to a high WIDEn-N digi. If it was permissible to use WIDE1-1 more than once, you would have high WIDEn-N digis triggering every fill-in digi out to its horizon. > Thanks for your insight! I hope some of the above helps. > Now if only I can figure out why the T2 is not running as a > tracker/fill-in. Time to check the setting again! What settings are you using? > The whole point of this exercise is for a trip starting this weekend. > One vehicle will use the HT and the other the T2 as a tracker/fill-in. > The HT is beaconing based on time and the T2 on SB. I figured this > would be an interesting data set. Interesting. The HT has a fixed beacon rate because that is all that it is capable of doing. The more intelligent T2 is capable of SmartBeaconing. The HT will sometimes be digi'd by the T2, or almost always if very close to the T2. The beacons from the HT will sometimes be simultaneously digi'd by the T2 and another digi which could be a fill-in or a WIDEn-N. There could be some other variations. If you are in an area where coverage is spotty, the T2 could go to a fairly high beacon rate but use the NICE command to tell it to hold if it hears itself being digi'd. The T2 could also do pre-emptive digipeating based on some alias tagged on the end of the WIDE1-1,WIDE2-1 that the HT is using, but I've never played around with that. How long is your trip, and what are the start and end points? 73 es cul - Keith VE7GDH -- "I may be lost, but I know exactly where I am!"
