KD0TLS: Metro update 5/26/23

  Well, let's see if I can write a post without the local self-righteous Good Guys assembling an online lynch mob. 

 First, a more general bit of news. SMSGTE is down indefinitely. For those who don't know, this is a popular gateway service allowing APRS messaging to be sent to cellphones, and vice versa. SMSGTE is collateral damage in the FTC/FCC war against robocalls and spam texting. By nature, it can't offer the verifications needed by new regulations to ensure against misuse. I would just note that using APRS to spam-text thousands (if not millions) would be extremely inefficient and slow, compared with injecting that traffic into the cell network directly (as spammers do). SMSGTE has been a novel way for many amateurs to get into APRS messaging, and it's provided comms for people in remote areas. I can only hope some solution can be found to bring it back. 

 Now, let's look at the local messageable station map today: 

metro messageable stations 5/26

 Metro APRS messaging traffic continues to be strong. New, smaller-scale gateways have made handling that traffic more reliable and robust. And new, smaller-scale digipeaters have made it easier to relay message traffic back and forth along the fringes of metro coverage. The weekly APRSThursday event has been responsible for much of this growth in traffic, giving local operators a reason to try out messaging (especially RF-based messaging) for the first time. 

Let's look at the new developments in the metro infrastructure over the past month: 

• W0PZT-1 in Medina has switched over to digipeater-only operation. Previously, it was a gateway (one of the core metro gateways, in fact) that digipeated when traffic levels were high. Now, it digipeats virtually everything in the metro -- even packets that are already gated -- all of the time. Some people think this is a big improvement, and these people are also very vocal about silencing even the mildest criticisms of this change. So, adjust your opinions to conform to theirs... or else. 

• K9GCC was a promising TX gateway that popped up in Falcon Heights last month. It has since faded away. 

• N9MEC-8 was a TX gateway operating out of Apple Valley last month. Apparently, this was just testing for its new home in Wisconsin. It now handles traffic for WI digipeaters and provides RF-based messaging capability for the area. This is a positive development for WI, which has always been very "digipeater-heavy" in its coverage.

N9MEC-8's new home

• N0MQL-1, the relatively recent addition to Anoka County and it's only I-Gate, has seen a considerable increase in coverage and traffic lately. It now is approaching a number of packets handled close to W0YC-5 (30.8k, with 28.6k for N0QML-1). N0MQL (Kelvin) has told me that there have been no improvements to the station that would explain this. The map below is only part of the story, as it leaves out direct coverage down to southern MN. It may be caused by propagation, or it may be that there's simply more APRS traffic in the north-east fringes now that a solid gateway is in operation. To be clear, this is direct coverage -- not traffic relayed by a digipeater. It will be an interesting development to watch, given the situation with W0PZT-1.

N0MQL-1 direct coverage 5/26

• More big news: K0JDD-1 in Woodbury has returned to the air. Thanks go out to SEMARC for notifying K0JDD (John) that his gateway had ceased operation. APRS coverage for the south-east metro has been restored, and this TX gateway is even reaching a fair bit into Wisconsin now. 

K0JDD-1 direct coverage 5/26

• A new RX-only I-Gate has appeared on the scene in St. Paul. KF0JXO-10 is a small-scale gateway in the Macalester area, and it's starting to handle digipeater traffic, too. This kind of I-Gate, while being far from a "mega-station", adds redundancy to the metro infrastructure, helps balance the load on the metro's gating capacity, and often makes low-power operation (i.e. HT) viable in the local area. It also gives new entrants to APRS valuable hands-on experience, while making a contribution to the amateur community.

KF0JXO-10 direct coverage 5/26

• Yet another very welcome addition to the local APRS community is W0MHR-1 in Maple Grove. This is a project by K0LWC (Matt), as an arm of his new club. It's still early days for this TX I-Gate, but it's already providing solid coverage up to Rogers and down to Wayzata. With the demise of W3JF in Brooklyn Park, I had wondered if the north-west metro would ever have some kind of anchor gateway. And, with W0MHR-1 being a TX gateway, it handles RF-based APRS messaging for that part of the metro, too! This is important with the recent changes in W0PZT-1. W0MHR-1 is also maintaining a few APRS objects locally, and it's nice to see the community-oriented spirit of those efforts. I'm hopeful Matt will continue to lead by example and promote responsible, enthusiastic operation among local amateurs. 

• Yet another small-scale I-Gate has appeared in Apple Valley. N0ZSY-10 is a DireWolf station, and it appears to be capable of TX -- though it describes itself as an RX-only gateway. As with KF0JXO-10 mentioned previously, these low-coverage I-Gates have potential to make notable contributions to local coverage. Hopefully, this station won't fade away like so many others in the past. We need more gateway coverage in the south metro fringes.

• KD0VJS has appeared on the scene quite recently in Circle Pines. This is the only digipeater in Anoka County, and already has proven capable of reaching several metro gateways or digipeaters. One interesting thing about it is that seems to be a Kenwood D710 mobile rig running only 5W RF output. As I've previously noted, Anoka County has long been without any APRS infrastructure at all. While some parts of Anoka County were covered by the fringes of Hennepin and Ramsey APRS infrastructure, it wasn't until N0MQL-1 stepped up on the eastern edge that there was any gating capacity at all. Many operators in Anoka County have been relegated to internet-based (-IS) APRS operation. We certainly need more of this, especially to the north and west parts of the county. 

KD0VJS coverage 5/26

 Summary 

 There have been some significant steps forward in the last month. Losing the gateway coverage of the Medina W0PZT-1 station will be an "adjustment". Having a huge "dumb" (non-networked) digi added to the local scene creates more noise than benefit. As a community, we will need a few more RX-only gateways to handle the increase in digipeated traffic, and a few more TX gateways on the fringes of the metro to make up for the loss of a major TX gateway. The south and south-west metro are particularly weak. Lakeville, Eagan, Victoria, and Chaska are all places where even small-scale solutions could make a big difference. Don't make the perfect the enemy of the good. A spare HT and a Raspberry Pi board could be the difference between amateurs connecting to the network or not. The years have proven that we can't rely on Old Guard clubs to take the minimal steps needed to ensure solid metro coverage for APRS or straight packet. They simply don't take it seriously. 

 I've mentioned local operators in this post who have taken it upon themselves to provide coverage and services to the local community. Several others not mentioned here have established valuable stations that enable mobile coverage and home operation. As I've said before, APRS is a network; it's not about one large station doing everything. Instead, it's about many smaller stations making contributions that allow a much larger pool of amateurs to participate in one aspect in the hobby. 

 In many cases, local amateurs set up gateways or digipeaters for their own use, but it ends up providing a benefit to a much wider community. It's never been easier to set up a station that will provide these benefits. You don't need a $400 rig and a $300 TNC to do that. An old analog scanner and an old computer will do that. Your spare HT and an RPi board make a TX gateway. No, it's not as glamorous as running a repeater. It's also not as much work or expense.