KPC3 Version 8.2(early versions) Settings for WIDEn-N 21 Oct 2005 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- update 24 Mar 07 to include TXD 15 and audio level adjust Update 24 Jan 07 to clean up BText recommendation for local repeaters. Hit VER command to see what your TNC ROM version is. If your KPC-3 version 8.2 is version KPC3-3F427265-8.2. or later you only need to make ONE command different than the set-up for a version 8.3 or KPC-3+. That is, add WIDE1-1 to the UIDIGI LIST. Go to the version 8.3 file for all other setups. This is because these 8.2 digis do not mark a WIDEn-N or SSn-N path as used up when they reach zero as they should. By placing WIDE1-1 in the UIDIGI LIST then they will get used up first. OF COURSE, make all the other changes to show APN382 instead of APN383. The remainder of this file APPLIES only to really old Version 8.2 ROMS in old KPC3's (not PLUS+) prior to version KPC3-3F427265-8.2. Digipeaters using these early-8.2 ROMs should be sure to set the APN382 to show they are older TNC's. This is because of a bug in the UITRACE command that requires these old digis to support WIDEn-N only in the UIFLOOD parameter, not UITRACE as is being done under the New-N paradigm. This special file shows the workarounds to allow these older version 8.2 ROMs and old plain KPC-3 TNC's to continue to be used while also supporting most of the New N benefits. Later versions of the Version 8.2 ROM after release xxxx-7265 are OK. You can tell them apart by typing this command: UITRACE WIDE,30 If it doesn't like the presence of the "30" and says "eh?" then it is an old ROM and needs to be set up according to this file. The main anomoly on these earlier 8.2 ROMs was how they handle digipeating: 1) When packets were decremented to n-0, the path was not marked as being used up. No one ever noticed this before, but it prevented these digis from supporting WIDE1-1 for fill-in digis. 2) The UITRACE parameter which supported TRACEn-N did not do proper dupe elimination in some of these 8.2 versions (the ones that don't like the UITRACE WIDE,30 command). The *workarounds* in these early version 8.2 ROMS are to simply add WIDE1-1 as an alias in the UIdigi list so that WIDE1-1,WIDE2-1 for mobiles can be supported, and to only use UITRACE to support SSn-N. There will be some dupes, but they will not be further propogated by any other proper New N digi. Here are the ONLY differences to setting up an old 8.2 digi compared to all the widely published information on the 8.3 digis: Version 8.3: UIDIGI ON, WIDE4-4, WIDE5-5, WIDE6-6, WIDE7-7 UIFLOOD SS,30,ID UITRACE WIDE,30 Version 8.2 (early releases) UNIQUE Settings: UIDIGI ON, WIDE1-1, WIDE6-6, WIDE5-5, WIDE4-4 UIFLOOD WIDE,30,ID UITRACE SS All of the other special New N Paradigm settings for tayloring the DIGI's beacon timing and paths and other settings of the 8.3 will also apply to these 8.2 versions. FIRST: RESET the TNC to factory defaults to get rid of legacy errors. Then set the proper settings for APRS that are not the TNC defaults. Set these as below: INTERFACE - Terminal. So you can enter the remaining parameters HID OFF - These packets are of no value to APRS CD SOFTWARE - For the best collision avoidance method UIDWAIT OFF - To not waste time with multiple slots TXD 18 - To shorten the TX delay by 40% from the 300ms default SECOND, eliminate the settings that are detrimental to the network. 1) UIDWAIT should be OFF. (the default). With it on, your digi is not doing the fundamental APRS fratricide that is the primary mechanism for suppressing multiple dupes. All digis that hear the same packet are supposed to DIGI it at the SAME time so that all those copies only take up one additional time slot. (but outward located digs will hear it without collision (and continue outward propogation) 2) UIFLOOD should remain WIDE,30,ID (this is different from other digis under the New N Paradigm) but avoids the dupe problem of UITRACE in the vesion 8.2 ROM. 3) UITRACE should be SS where SS is your state or SSS ARRL Section abbreviation. This will suport SSn-N routing (or SSSn-N if needed such as WPAn-N for Western PA section, etc)). Only users in the corners or edges of states would normally use this path so that they can use larger N's to communiate in their state without QRM'ing adjacent states. SSn-N can also be used with a first hop of WIDE1-1, SSn-N if needed to help out on the first hop. It also assures that the first hop is identified. 3) Properly set up the DIGI's beacon packet. Use the following trick using the BLT, LTP and LT parameters for frequently alerting local users to the DIGI's status every 10 minutes, but not propogating these packets at high rates farther outward. The recommended way to still cover the same area with decent 10 minute local and 30 minute surounding copies is shown below. Go to the web page for all the details: http://www.ew.usna.edu/~bruninga/aprs/digi-rates.txt BLT 1 EVERY 00:30:00 START 00:00:00 BLT 2 EVERY 00:30:00 START 00:10:00 BLT 3 EVERY 01:00:00 START 00:20:00 BLT 4 EVERY 01:00:00 START 00:50:00 LTP 1 APN382 LTP 2 APN382 LTP 3 APN382 VIA WIDE2-1 <== One hop, without bringing up WIDE1-1's LTP 4 APN382 VIA WIDE2-2 <== equivalent to a user path of WIDE3-3> This results in a local ID once every 10 minutes, one hop every 30 mins and 2 hops every 60 minutes. Remember that 2 hops from a digi hits all the same stations that a 3 hop path does from a home station. There is a different method for digis in very sparse areas that also provides a WIDE3-3 beacon once every 2.6 hrs. See the web page. 4) Your TOCALL in both the UNPROTO and the LTP's should use the TOCALL of APN382 where APN identifies it as digipeater firmware. The "3" identifies it as a KPC-3 and the "82" identifies it as ROM version. NOTE, Identifying ROM versions is very important! See the APRS list of TOCALL versions for other ROMS identifications of this naming convention. 5) Your UNPROTO path for the BText should only be DIRECT (APN382 with no VIAs) since it is used for your local BText which should contain information only of *local* value. A good thing to put there is a Frequency OBJECT indicating the best local voice repeater for travelers passing through your area. Be sure to include the frequency and PL. See the web page: http://www.ew.usna.edu/~bruninga/localinfo.html The following BText format has been determined to be the best overall display of APRS club and Traveler Repeaters on the D7 and D700 and HAMHUD displays. The "-" in the frequency name shows it is a minus offset. BText: ;146.835-X*111111zDDMM.hhN/DDMM.hhWrT123 R45m Net 9PM Th AARC BEACON EVERY 10 UNPROTO APN382 This beacon object is sent DIRECT only to indicate on the front panel of D7 and D700 and HAMHUD displays of travelers in the area to alert them to the best voice repeater for Travelers or for other APRS operators. We used to suggest ECHOlink, IRLP or WinLINK objects here, but those should already be on APRS having been originated globally by the IRLP and ECHOlink servers. . Notice how the TONE and RANGE are included to indicate the useable rnage of the repeater and the PL and any other text are formatted to fit nicely the 10x10 byte windows on these front panel displays. 6) IMPLEMENT THE New n-N Paradigm changes. A. Set UITRACE SS to support your SS State or SSSS ARRL section instead of the old TRACEn-N. SSn-N paths allow people on the edges of a state to participate in a statewide (or section wide) net with larger values of N than would normally be allowed. But since the geographic area covered by these digis is limited, then the damage for large n-N QRM is also limited. B. Keep UIFLOOD as WIDE,30,ID to continue support for WIDEn-N. Packets through this digi will not be traceable as they will be in other New-N-Paradigm digis, but this avoids the dupe problem in the UITRACE parameter. Be sure ID is set. C. Remove the obsolete "RELAY", "WIDE", "TRACE", and "SS" aliases in the UIDIGI parameter which are obsolete and generate too many dupes. D. Instead use the UIDIGI alias list to support WIDE1-1 first-hops for mobiles and to TRAP the larger N's. Set UIDIGI as follows: UIDIGI ON, WIDE1-1, WIDE4-4, WIDE5-5, WIDE6-6 These specific aliases for the larger N's will act like traps because this digi will digipeat them once and then no farther. The closer you get to a high density area, the smaller N's you should limit. In typical WIDE2-2 areas, set UIDIGI to include WIDE3-3,WIDE4-4, WIDE5-5,WIDE6-6. Also if you are getting lots of W4-1 packets from a distant city that is not trapping 4-4 at the source, you can also trap those specifically by adding WIDE4-1 to the UIDIGI alias list. For more on this be sure to see how we did it in Los Angeles, and prevented anything above two hops from getting into the Los Angeles Basin. http://www.ew.usna.edu/~bruninga/aprs/fixingLA.html 7) IMPORTANT! Set up the DIGI POSITION PACKET format to clearly inform users what is supported using the CONSISTENT recommendations below so that users can see from any digi exactly what the network is doing in an area: a) Always start with the PHGXXXX b) next, a list of capablities, such as "W3, SSn-N". This means this digi supports WIDE3-3 and below and SSn-N paths only. c) The overlay character between the LAT/LONG in these old 8.2 digis should become an "F" to show that it has been upgraded to the New-N-Paradigm but WIDEN-N support is still in the uiFlood parameter and that packets will not be traceable through this digi. d) If you feel you must use the altitude /A=001377, please add it at the end, not first. Since those first 20 bytes are what the D7 and D700 users see and the other stuff above is more important. In my opinion, Altitude is redundant since the more valuable term of height above average terrain is included in PHG. CONCLUSION: The best way to set up an APRS digi is to FIRST do a RESET or RESTORE to FACTORY DEFAULTS to make sure you dont have any bad settings that have crept into your system. Then the ONLY commmands you have to change are the ones below. For the BText, I assumed a local Voice repeater on 146.940 with a PL of 107 that only goes direct. MYCALL XXXXXX MYREMOTE XXXXXX INTERFACE TERMINAL RTEXT (your secret password string) BText: ;146.835-X*111111zDDMM.hhN/DDMM.hhWrT123 R45m Net 9PM Th AARC BEACON E 10 <== every 10 minutes direct UNPROTO APN382 <== Identifes the KPC-3 ROM and local direct no VIA's HID OFF CD SOFTWARE LT 1 !DDMM.hhNSDDDMM.hhW#PHGphgdW3, SSn-N new digi in kalamazoo, etc LT 2 !DDMM.hhNSDDDMM.hhW#PHGphgdW3, SSn-N new digi in kalamazoo, etc LT 3 !DDMM.hhNSDDDMM.hhW#PHGphgdW3, SSn-N new digi in kalamazoo, etc LT 4 !DDMM.hhNSDDDMM.hhW#PHGphgdW3, SSn-N new digi in kalamazoo, etc all of the LTexts should be identical so the Position Beacon is not always changing and using up the new-posit LOG files on every user's PC... BLT 1 EVERY 00:30:00 START 00:00:00 BLT 2 EVERY 00:30:00 START 00:10:00 BLT 3 EVERY 01:00:00 START 00:20:00 BLT 4 EVERY 01:00:00 START 00:50:00 LTP 1 APN382 LTP 2 APN382 LTP 3 APN382 VIA WIDE2-1 LTP 4 APN382 VIA WIDE2-2 UIDIGI ON, WIDE1-1,WIDE4-4,WIDE5-5, WIDE6-6 UITRACE SS