[Xastir] Useful without TNC/tracker?

[Jeremy McDermond]

On May 12, 2011, at 6:49 AM, Lynn W. Deffenbaugh (Mr) wrote:

> On 5/12/2011 9:42 AM, Jeremy McDermond wrote:
>> You do not have to authenticate to *receive* data from APRS-IS. Tier2 servers *are* set up so that you have to authenticate ("be verified") to *send* any data through the servers. You can check to see if you're logged in by looking on the server's status page under the "verified" column. This doesn't prevent you sending a posit packet to show where you are for the m/ filter, but it won't be propagated to anywhere, and again you have to send a posit to make an m/ filter work.
> 
> Almost correct, but not quite.  You must authenticate, but do not need to be "verified" to receive data.  javAPRSsrvr will not send anything out to a connected client until the USER xxxx PASS nnnn has been received.  If the PASS is -1 (or otherwise incorrect), you end up authenticated, but not verified and data will be forthcoming.

You are, of course, correct.  I had thought somewhere in my befuddled brain that you could just send a filter command without a login and get a feed.  It appears not from my cursory testing.

> I know I'm picking nits, but I'm also trying to make sure people understand that they can't just connect to a javAPRSSrvr port and expect to receive data.  They must send in a USER xxxx PASS nnnn string no matter what the port is configured to do.  At least, that's been my experience.

Surely.  We definitely want to get the correct data out there for folks.  Apologies for the misinformation.

Again, the other trick is that you won't get a feed on any filter that needs your own position until you send a posit.  So, if you have such a filter and have unchecked "Allow Transmitting?" in Xastir, you probably won't get any data.  Use an r/ filter or another alternative that doesn't need to know where you are. 

Thanks for the clarification Lynn.

> Lynn (D) - KJ4ERJ - Author of APRSISCE for Windows Mobile and Win32

--
Jeremy McDermond (NH6Z)
Xenotropic Systems
mcdermj at xenotropic.com