IPRS - Internet Phone Radio System 26 July 2002 -------------------------------------------------------------------- WB4APR IPRS is an acronym to describe the potential of a marriage between the global APRS digital network and the global Internet Radio linking project. Combining the first and last letters of IRLP with the final three letters of APRS yields IPRS! As APRS grew to global proportions in the late 90's through the internet connectivity pioneered by Steve Dimse (K4HG), I began looking for ways to add internet voice connectivity to APRS and called it AVRS. Over the same period, Dave Cameron's (VE7LTD) Internet Radio Linking Project has risen to prominance world wide by providing that same kind of global conectivity as APRS but with voice. Taking advantage of the voice connectivity of IRLP, recently we have defined many ideas and APRS formats to be able to use APRS as an adjunct data link to facilitate the end-to-end signalling between end users of IRLP using APRS. Further the mobile APRS data displays make an excellent function for displaying IRLP network data to the mobile user. One of the ultimate objectives of the APRS adjunct to IRLP is the ability of an APRS mobile user to establish an end-to-end voice connection to any other amateur on the planet with no other knowledge than his callsign. Thus, the IRLP system and the APRS-IS (Internet System) could work together to make the end-to end voice connection using the nearest available IRLP nodes. At the Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC) National convention in Vernon, BC on 26 July, I discussed this concept with Dave Cameron and suggested we might define this marriage as "IPRS". This IPRS term will facilitate further discussions about this revolutionary potential! THe following is 3 phased approach could be used to arrive at that ultimate objective. The first is MANUAL, the second is ASSISTED and the third is called AUTO-QSY. MANUAL - APRS user-to-user Call-back message. (Works now today!) ASSISTED - Central IPRS server watches global IRLP and APRS-IS system and when seeing IPRS-CQ, sends APRS-QSY msg to BOTH users informing them both of the nearest not-in-use IRLP node numbers and freqs. Users manually QSY and the caller establishes the IRLP link. AUTO-QSY - End user's radio, on receipt of the APRS-QSY message, will AUTOMATICALLY QSY, and central IPRS server will automatically establish the IRLP node links! The following paragraphs elaborate on the above phases and add additional details to this concept. IPRS-NUMBERING SYSTEMS: Also, we do need to account for the large number of IRLP spin-offs exploding onto the landscape by using a consistent numbering system across all applications. The following APRS messages for now, could suffice for the users to send a call-back message: IRLP: CQ I#### I-Link: CQ L#### EchoLink: CQ E##### eQSO: CQ Q##### IPRS AHUBS: And having IPRS work across a variety of voice systems also suggests that instead of IPRS trying to get inside of the internal link status system of each type system, it might be better to ask all Voice systems desiring to support APRS end users, to put out their IPRS status into a COMMON APRS formatted internet IPRS clearing house channel... An AHUB if you will.. In other words, we put up an APRS-INTERNET-HUB where all IPRS applications simply send their current status in APRS formatted style packets. This is an OPEN AHUB, just like all the APRS hubs are and all IPRS applications can monitor this channel for end user node status for finding active and available nodes for IPRS requests. DETAIL DESCRIPTIONS OF IPRS PHASES: MANUAL - APRS user sends simple message to another APRS user indicating his call-back IRLP number. APRS recepient initiates IRLP call back. This works, NOW, TODAY! The format of the APRS message is simply: From: WB4APR To: VE7LTD Msg: CQI #1234 The meaning is that WB4APR is asking VE7LTD to call him back on his current IRLP node #1234. The APRS message reaches VE7LTD no matter where he is on the planet via the APRS-IS assuming he is on the air. On receipt, and if VE7LTD is available, he will establish the call-back link. ASSISTED - A distributed IPRS server system monitors both the IRLP active node status and also the global APRS-IS stream looking for IPRS-CQ messages. On detection, it compares the positions of the users and the nodes and identifies the nearest non-busy IRLP node numbers to each one. If one of the nearest nodes is connected to a CONFERENCE node, then both users are invited to join the conference in session. This reply message to both end users is tailored to fit on each one's APRS message screen. APRS user: 67 character free field line TH-D7 HT user: 45 char line arranged as 12,12,12,9 TMD700 user: 64 char line arranged as 22,22,21