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ZL3AI > APRDIG 12.02.04 12:56l 241 Lines 9521 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
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From: ZL3AI@ZL3VML.#80.NZL.OC
To : APRDIG@WW
Subject: Re: Weather & OS Query.
From: Gerry Creager N5JXS <gerry.creager@tamu.edu>
Date: Mon, 09 Feb 2004 23:32:19 -0600
X-Message-Number: 5
*Lyris Rant: Line limitations are not the listmanager's responsibility.
Period.*
Now, on-topic.
OK. I was trying to be good.
I *do* use Linux every day. On about 60 machines. Since not all of 'em
are on a UPS, they tend to reboot every time the University has a power
failure. My reboot at home yesterday was to invoke a new kernel, after
a 183 day run. I've not personally had more than about 400 days of
uptime on Linux because some gremlin conspires with another to cause
cascading failures at some point, usually related to a UPS and
commercial power, or a grad student tripping over a cable that was
velcroed out of his way...
I run a plethora of programs, ranging from Xastir to a web-based mapping
server, pretty much all the time, at home. I don't see the dismal
results you're reporting.
IMNSHO, if Frank wants to retain a Windoze platform, he should
investigate XP, but he'll probably have to investigate new hardware,
too. If he's adventuresome, I'd suggest a Linux install: RedHat's
Fedora Core 1, despite early rumors to the contrary, has done pretty
well for us in my research lab. Xastir works well for an APRS client,
and talks to most of the weather stations we know about. And, with an
output spec, it can be made to work with the others.
One should be careful attributing glowing reports of OS performance
solely to the uninitiated. You might find there are those of us who
have a bit of history in the field...
73, gerry
--
Gerry Creager -- gerry.creager@tamu.edu
Network Engineering -- AATLT, Texas A&M University
Cell: 979.229.5301 Office: 979.458.4020 FAX: 979.847.8578
Page: 979.228.0173
Office: 903A Eller Bldg, TAMU, College Station, TX 77843
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Subject: Re: Has any one talked to Microsoft ?
From: Jeff King <jeff@aerodata.net>
Date: Tue, 10 Feb 2004 01:03:41 -0500
X-Message-Number: 6
I didn't write the first part, looks like you jumbled my words and your
words, but I hear what you are saying.
I truly do think APRS could be applied for more real public service, it
would just take some 3 dimensional thinking. Tracking assets in developing
countries, etc etc. The whole idea of a ad hoc tracking network is what
makes it so unique as compared to most traditional AVL networks. Plop it
down, and away you go.
In the U.S. the new MURS radio service could be applied to a low cost AVL
network using APRS like techniques. I've heard of at least one group
demo'ing APRS with school buses, this might be a area of some real synergy
that could both benefit the hams as well folks who really need this kind of
service. Also during the MURS rulemaking process, there was a company that
was pushing "kid finder's" using APRS like devices.
--
Jeff King, jeff@aerodata.net on 02/10/2004
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Subject: Re: Xastir/UI-View and Toporama Maps - longish
From: Adi Linden <adil@adis.on.ca>
Date: Tue, 10 Feb 2004 00:15:36 -0600 (CST)
X-Message-Number: 7
Thank you for the reply. A lot of information here. Since posting the
question I wrote a couple of perl scripts that create .geo files for
Toporama maps.
Loading a Toporama image into Xastir is painfully slow on my desktop. I
don't dare think about how long I'd have to wait on the P100 notebook.
Perhaps the fact that these images are 3200x1600 pixels has something to
do with that. I've converted an image to .xpm since that seems to be the
native bitmap format. No noticable difference. Perhaps I'll try cutting
the large image into multiple smaller independent sections, maybe that'll
help?
Adi
va3adi
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Subject: Re: Xastir/UI-View and Toporama Maps - longish
From: Curt Mills <archer@eskimo.com>
Date: Mon, 9 Feb 2004 22:11:52 -0800 (PST)
X-Message-Number: 8
On Mon, 9 Feb 2004, JD Erskine wrote:
>UI-View will allow for a moving map display centred on a station you
>select, yourself, someone else.
So will several of the other programs. Xastir and APRS+ can for sure.
Xastir recenters when the station gets too close to the edge of the screen.
If it recentered every time the station moved, you'd be spending all your
time drawing maps.
>I plan
>on posting the BC and AB .inf files, not the images, sometime Real Soon Now.
Please! I can probably give you a place to put them.
>One thing that is easy to do with these raster images is create copies of
>different sizes.
With Xastir you can pan/zoom without having to create different
sizes of the raster map. Zooming in/out too far of course gives you
something that isn't very useful, but you can still do it. Probably
best in the Xastir case to leave it in the original size, so that
you don't lose any detail.
>For those who haven't heard of Toporama, on the site are 1:250,000 and
>1:50,000 scale Cdn topos plus some Orthoimages, usually composite/adjusted
>'aerial' views from some form of remote sensing. These are referenced in
>the same area/sheet manner as topo map sheets in the National Topographic
>System.
I plan on playing around there sometime soon. It's exciting when
new map sources show up, particularly because so many good old ones
are drying up or going more commercial.
--
Curt, WE7U. archer at eskimo dot com
http://www.eskimo.com/~archer
Lotto: A tax on people who are bad at math. - unknown
Windows: Microsoft's tax on computer illiterates. - WE7U.
The world DOES revolve around me: I picked the coordinate system!"
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Subject: Re: Weather & OS Query.
From: Curt Mills <archer@eskimo.com>
Date: Mon, 9 Feb 2004 21:55:48 -0800 (PST)
X-Message-Number: 9
On Mon, 9 Feb 2004, Steve Nowak - KE8YN wrote:
>Also, if I forget to reboot the computer at least once a week, the
>system crashes. I'm wondering if Linux would do a better job for hands
>off operation. What Linux version and Xastir (or whatever) seems to be
>the most robust?
Most of the Linux versions are robust. I happen to favor SuSE 9.0,
but most recent Linux versions will work. Subscribe to the Xastir
mailing list so you can get those inevitable startup problems worked
out.
We have people running on FreeBSD, Debian Linux, Mandrake Linux,
RedHat Linux, SuSE Linux, Solaris, MacOSX, and Windows. There are a
few other Linux'es in there as well. Almost all can be made to work
with a bit of effort.
Xastir 1.3.0, released just last week, should work well. I run for
a month at a time with no trouble.
--
Curt, WE7U. archer at eskimo dot com
http://www.eskimo.com/~archer
Lotto: A tax on people who are bad at math. - unknown
Windows: Microsoft's tax on computer illiterates. - WE7U.
The world DOES revolve around me: I picked the coordinate system!"
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Subject: Re: Xastir/UI-View and Toporama Maps - longish
From: Curt Mills <archer@eskimo.com>
Date: Mon, 9 Feb 2004 22:36:13 -0800 (PST)
X-Message-Number: 10
On Tue, 10 Feb 2004, Adi Linden wrote:
>Thank you for the reply. A lot of information here. Since posting the
>question I wrote a couple of perl scripts that create .geo files for
>Toporama maps.
>
>Loading a Toporama image into Xastir is painfully slow on my desktop. I
>don't dare think about how long I'd have to wait on the P100 notebook.
>Perhaps the fact that these images are 3200x1600 pixels has something to
>do with that. I've converted an image to .xpm since that seems to be the
>native bitmap format. No noticable difference. Perhaps I'll try cutting
>the large image into multiple smaller independent sections, maybe that'll
>help?
That works. I have a map of the world that Olivier cut into pieces and
made .geo's for, and it works out quite well. Xastir loads just the pieces
it needs for the view I have.
Another way of optimizing them would be to turn them into geoTIFF's, which
Xastir handles very efficiently, but I wouldn't recommend it for this
instance as it's too much work for the benefits.
You could also convert them to PNG or JPEG format, which would reduce the
size of the files significantly. I know JPEG is a lossy compression, so
you might need to vary the compression ratio a bit to still keep the
quality you're after. I think PNG is lossy as well due to the sizes it
makes, but I could be wrong on that. I prefer PNG myself.
--
Curt, WE7U. archer at eskimo dot com
http://www.eskimo.com/~archer
Lotto: A tax on people who are bad at math. - unknown
Windows: Microsoft's tax on computer illiterates. - WE7U.
The world DOES revolve around me: I picked the coordinate system!"
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Subject: Tweak your TXD!
From: Bob Bruninga <bruninga@usna.edu>
Date: Tue, 10 Feb 2004 09:11:14 -0500 (EST)
X-Message-Number: 11
As Wes says, shortening your TXD from 300 to 100 can improve the network
by 40%! Everyone should do this. DIGIs Too! (test, and if it works,
shorten it)..
On Thu, 9 Oct 2003, Wes Johnston wrote:
>Since the average packet is 88 characters long, we could have a reduction
>of over 40% in the length of our "on air time" if we just take 5 minutes to
>tweak TXD.
>Wes
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