APRS display

[Richard1295]

Hi,

Where is the comment text in the aprs information bubble changed in Cumulus?

The attached file shows this text as eCumulusFO.

Richard

[steve]

It's not configurable. It's one of the parameters to the data upload, as defined here: http://weather.gladstonefamily.net/aprswxnet.html

It identifies the software and hardware in use. Re-reading that page, it looks like it ought to include the Cumulus version too. The 'e' isn't part of the data, it's the identifier for the parameter, so whatever that is that you've shown shouldn't be displaying the 'e'. I think the idea is that software should parse the string and display something sensible, rather than the string itself.

Unless I've misunderstood the spec, of course.

[beteljuice]

Seems to be a straight forward string to describe the kit (no pre-fix or suffix)

http://www.wxqa.com/activecwd/C20120309.txt

[steve]

So what is the 'e' for on the page which is supposed to be the official spec (AFAIAA)? I note that WUHU also uses it.

But in any case, even without the 'e', the strings aren't particularly descriptive.

[Richard1295]

Hi Steve,

I got this reply from the gladstone site:

---------------------------------------------

You'll have to ask that question to the author of aprs.fi as I don't know how his parser works. But, looking here,

http://www.findu.com/cgi-bin/find.cgi?call=mb7usy-1

I note that the model of the weather station is not contained in the packet, so I don't see how anyone would know the model number.

Russ

------------------------------------

so don't really know where to go now.

Richard.

[steve]

I don't really understand that reply. I've encoded the station model as 'FO' = Fine offset. I suspect that I couldn't find an existing abbreviation, so used that. What's missing is the Cumulus version number. But as other software doesn't seem to be adhering to any spec that I've seen, I'm not sure that matters.

Looking at other sites on aprs.fi, all it seems to do is print whatever's on the end of the packet, so pretty much all sites have what is effectively junk.

Is this actually causing a problem?

[mcrossley]

I may be getting this all wrong but doesn't the official spec. on page 63 say the first character is the software followed by 2-4 characters identifying the weather station hardware? Or is that the wrong spec?

http://aprs.org/doc/APRS101.PDF

APRS Software
Type
A Weather Report may contain a single-character code S for the type of
APRS software that is running at the weather station:
d = APRSdos
M = MacAPRS
P = pocketAPRS
S = APRS+SA
W = WinAPRS
X = X-APRS (Linux)
Weather Unit
Type
A Weather Report may contain a 2–4 character code uuuu for the type of
weather station unit. The following codes have been allocated:
Dvs = Davis
HKT = Heathkit
PIC = PIC device
RSW = Radio Shack
U-II = Original Ultimeter U-II (auto mode)
U2R = Original Ultimeter U-II (remote mode)
U2k = Ultimeter 500/2000
U2kr = Remote Ultimeter logger
U5 = Ultimeter 500
Upkm = Remote Ultimeter packet mode
Users may specify any other 2–4 character code for devices not in this list.

[Richard1295]

Steve, it's not causing a problem; I just thought I could put some information in that space, such as the weather station model (which is W-8681, not a Fine Offset).

It's just that I don't like mysteries, so thought I'd ask.

I also didn't understand the answer I got from Russ on the gladstone site.

[steve]

I could make it so the string at the end is more descriptive, but I'm reluctant to change anything without a proper spec. The 'S' parameter isn't mentioned on Philip Gladstone's site, for example.

A W-8681 is a Fine Offset; they're the manufacturers.