APRS as a Gateway for CWOP

[billybob]

Automatic Position Reporting System (APRS) as a Gateway for CWOP

Background:  APRS IS (aprs internet system) was originally designed so that a user connected and sent and/or received a stream of data, i.e. stay connected for a long time.  The idea of short time connections to send just one packet of weather data was added later.  The idea is that you connect,
verify that you are connected, send your packet, wait a short time and then disconnect.  

The list of active servers in the APRS IS is at:

http://ahubswe.net/aprs_stat.asp

The following are APRS servers accepting weather observation traffic, "AP" and "CW" (subject to change):

aprswest.net      port 23
ahubca.net         port 23
aprseast.net       port 23

Note:  Port 23 is reserved in APRS IS for weather traffic.

Weather Display FTPUPD currently "auto rotates" to ahubca.net when the primary APRS server (ahubwest.net) is not accessible.

Once ahubwest or ahubca accept the APRS message from Weather Display, the message format is checked, duplicate messages deleted, and the message is forwarded to the rest of the APRS system and ingested by the FINDU server.

[Fred]

I'm confused!

I have just changed my WD to report to aprseast since it since at last check that ME, where I am, is on the east coast.  Then I read over the info on the aprseast & west sites and it sounds like I should really use the west coast server.

Does it really matter, and if so, which one should I be using.  My only connection is via the internet.  And I currently have no interest in the mobile radio location function of aprs.

Fred, WA1DLZ

[billybob]

Fred,

I think the geographical distance isn't a big deal since we are talking about a relatively very low data volume.  The motivation to send to ahubwest and ahubca is their dup and format checking.  Its my understanding that aprseast works OK, but doesn't do the error checking.

With Brian's latest FTPUPD, you don't have to force a connection and he points to ahubwest as a default.

Hope this makes sense!

DaveH

[billybob]

More comments from Russ (KB0TVJ) and Dick (KB7ZVA):  

Everyone (CWOP) should connect to aprswest.net or ahubca.net at first irregardless of where they are located.  These two servers have dedicated weather ports (23).  The other core servers (first, second, and third) should only be used if these two are down.  aprswest and ahubca servers have solid connections to the core servers with little to no data seems to be lost.

Level 1 servers (core) have enough to do with a zillion connects happening. We must keep in mind that FIFO (first in / first out) is the way the internet works. It would be nice to think that everyone was first... but it doesn't work that way, ESPECIALLY ON A BUSY CORE. Port 23's main advantage is that anyone connecting there 'sees' all data.

There is another port relating to port 23, port 10154. 10154 is a bidirectional dump port. It stores wx data over the past 30 mins. When you connect to it you get a very impressive non-stop feed of wx stations. After it finishes dumping what it has learned, it continues to function just like port 23.  Only the most recent data is used in the dump.

[NA4V]

New to the forum...FYI ahubeast.net does the same error/dupe checking as aprswest and aprsca.   The only difference is they have a dedicated port (23) for WX information.

FYI...ahubeast.net will be changing to aprseast.net next week...and have a port 23 for wx connections....
Mark, NA4V

[billybob]

Mark,

Sounds great, thanks for the hard work with ahubeast!

DaveH

[NA4V]

billybob/others...I just finished configuring/mirroring my port 23 configuration with Dick's/Phil's (APRSWest/APRSCa).  We are now all fully interconnected.  So regardless were someone connects...we all get the same data and fed to the APRS IS/CWOP network.   As stated before, I will be switching domain name to fall in line with the other javaservers (plus have a better DNS server to route to me to boot...)

Will be offically APRSEast next week.....woohoo...

[NA4V]

FYI....
APRSEast (aprseast.net:23) has officially joined the WX dedicated servers of APRSWest & APRSCA for WX information being feed to APRS IS system....

[billybob]

Mark,

Thanks much to you, Dick, and Phil for making the CWOP front door (APRSWXNET) so hugely stable!  With the system backup between the servers and the roll-over code Brian has developed, users almost always can get their data to NOAA.  

To the CWOP members, please use the following servers to send your data:
aprswest.net port 23
ahubca.net port 23
aprseast.net port 23

DaveH