|
RATS APRS Network
Richmond Amateur Telecommunications Society operates Virginia's largest APRS network, promoting fellowship, best-practices and support for emergency communications. To ensure everyone has access to the network, and in keeping with good amateur practices, please follow these guidelines for APRS activity:
RATS maintains this network through the support of our members, the Virginia Department of Emergency Management/ARCA and generous support from several commercial tower leasing companies. There is always room for more volunteers, more sites and more radios. Please consider supporting our efforts if you have the time and the resources.
Richmond's APRS network began almost 20 years ago with a digipeater in a hotel elevator shaft. In a two-year period from 2006 to 2008 the network expanded to become the largest "single operator" APRS network in the state.
APRS Operating Guidelines
The following local operating guidelines have been adopted and users are asked to adhere to the following:
Digipeater Operational Guidelines
Already running a digipeater? Contact the Technical Committee and we'll help convert your older controller to the newer APRS standards.
Controller Rules for APRS.RATS.NET Nodes
BEACON RATE: 15 minutes (30 for fill-in or smaller coverage nodes)
PATH: WIDE2-1 for major nodes, "direct" for fill-in nodes
No single path may exceed 3 (ie: WIDE3-3) and no path count may exceed 5 (ie: WIDE2-2,WIDE3-3)
Excessive Paths are re-written to WIDE2-2 - IN BETA TEST
Coordinate Blocking of a defined NORTH/SOUTH/EAST/WEST boundary (Geo-Fencing)
Throttling of LAT/LON beacons with intervals of less than 120 seconds (Message Packets are exempted from throttling rule)
No WIDE/RELAY/TRACE allowed