The path affects RF only. Digis don't know if/when a packet hits an IGate, so if there's an un-used path component and they're set up to respond to it, they will. The APRS-IS duplicate detector will only propagate the first packet to be introduced, so you'll never know how many digis and/or IGates subsequently dealt with your packet.
So, every packet you send with a WIDE1-1,WIDE2-2 will be digi'd by practically every digi that hears it simplex (WIDE2's typically act on WIDE1 as well). A simplex-local IGate may have also heard the packet and gated it to the -IS on your original transmission, but the RF doesn't know that, so a WIDE1*,WIDE2-2 packet is digid back onto RF. A wider circle of digis will now (hopefully) hear the packet, especially WIDE2 digis. They'll repeat it as WIDE1*,WIDE2-1 in a much wider circle. A bunch more IGates will hear that transmission and their duplicate detector (the original packet having already propagated to them) will simply ignore it. You'll never know that happened. But all of the WIDE2 digis in that much wider circle will hear it for the first time so they'll also act on it, retransmitting now as a WIDE1,WIDE2*. By now, you've probably lit up a 300+ mile radius from your actual location and, in many areas of the country, have hit 6 or 8 or more IGates. WIDE1-1,WIDE2-1 is sufficient in most areas, especially near major cities. When you get out in the sticks (fewer and further between), you might benefit from WIDE1-1,WIDE2-2, but in many of those areas, just getting simplex to the first digi is the hard part. If you can make it there, you'll probably make it to an IGate, even with WIDE1-1,WIDE2-1. I really wish we could tell the difference between an original WIDE2-1 that was used up vs an original WIDE2-2. If I could do so reliably (really difficult with the proportional pathing people out there), I could do some serious analysis of whether or where WIDE2-2 was actually necessary to get to an IGate. Of course, one of the major purposes of APRS is mobile awareness. This is the primary reason I use WIDE1-1,WIDE2-1 in normal situations, but bump it up to WIDE1-1,WIDE2-2 on road trips. That way, people monitoring the RF-side, will see my mobile approaching and departing from a larger distance. But when I'm staying in one area, I drop back to my normal WIDE1-1,WIDE2-1 so as not to pollute the surrounding countryside with my day-to-day movements. Lynn (D) - KJ4ERJ - T2-135/DR-135 as KJ4ERJ-9 and KJ4OVQ-9 [email protected] wrote: > Thanks Keith and Lynn: > > I'll read that info > > If I set the 3 hop path, does it ALWAYS go three or will it stop as soon as > it hits an I Gate? > > I thought it stops when it hits the IGate. > > Or, if it gets to multiples, and some are digi's, will they keep it going out > to the path max? > > Curt > > --- In [email protected], "Keith VE7GDH" <ve7...@...> wrote: > >> Curt KU8L wrote... >> >> >>> I am going to go back and read my info on the difference this makes >>> in the handling of my beacons... At this point I don't recall the >>> difference in effect of WIDE1-1,WIDE2-2 and WIDE1-1,WIDE2-1 >>> >> The difference is that the first is a three hop path and the second is >> a two hop path. The recommended path for mobile stations in North >> America is WIDE1-1,WIDE2-1 but there will be places where a longer >> path is needed, either to reach another other station on RF, or to make it >> to an IGate where it is more than two digi hops to the next IGate. >> >> 73 es cul - Keith VE7GDH >> -- >> "I may be lost, but I know exactly where I am!" >>
