Help Wanted - Documenting APRS Use Cases
Why do you care about Use Cases?
APRS, like many other protocols, can be overwhelming! It isn’t easy to know where to start.
When someone asks you about APRS? What’s the first thing that comes to your mind? What is it that you use APRS for? How did you learn that using it for that purpose was even possible?
Do you have to configure every menu option as you use your APRS-enabled radio, TNC, or APRS-based application to accomplish what you set out to achieve? Are there options in your radio you still don’t know what they do? Be honest!
The first thing that interested me about APRS was when someone told me you could use an HT to send messages to other hams on earth through a digipeater on the International Space Station!
I might not have been all that motivated to learn about APRS had someone told me to go read about it on the Internet.
What’s this button do?
Mature products and services possess many features that users can use to help them achieve their goals. However, many of these products and services are very sophisticated and contain functionality that most users may never use. How do you separate the useful features from the rest? Unfortunately, that’s not an easy question to answer.
One thing is for sure - it’s that the 80/20 principle reigns supreme in almost all cases.
80% of users use 20% of a product or application's capabilities.
Here’s a more practical example that may help you understand this concept.
You order a new HF transceiver. You open the box, and the allure of buttons, knobs, dials, and gorgeous displays, are both exciting and overwhelming at the same time!
Then, you find the product manual. Usually, manufacturers only include a small section of the User Guide. The rest is available online or in PDF format, so you can view it offline or print it out.
Not only does it save the manufacturer a lot of money on printing (and increased shipping costs from the additional weight), but they also know that most users only use a small portion of the product's capabilities.
Why did you buy this transceiver? So you can get on the air! But, in returning to the opening sentence, what are the minimum requirements for getting on the air? It’s probably safe to say that any HF transceiver lets you get on the air!
But what about when you need to work a pileup? Well, that’s when you realize the overall potential of the rig. You leaf through the manual to discover what feature(s) the transceiver has to help you break through that pile-up.
Do you need those features on a daily basis? Probably not, but they’re there if you do!
Why is this important?
Take a system like APRS. APRS, in and of itself, is a mature protocol. It was built atop AX.25, which was already mature. Bob Bruninga (WB4APR) identified things that he felt APRS would allow an amateur radio operator to accomplish that AX.25 didn’t set out to achieve in the first place.
Think about the way(s) you use APRS. How much of the overall capabilities of APRS do you think you use for your intended purpose(s)?
The fact that an APRS-enabled transceiver can be connected to a weather station is excellent for someone who cares about sharing the weather. However, the capabilities APRS affords a weather station owner probably don’t have much applicability to someone relying on APRS for positioning information during a search and rescue operation.
Where is he going with this?
Now, pretend you’re a new ham radio operator. You just got your callsign. One of your friends told you about APRS and it sounds interesting, so you decide to learn more about it.
Where does one start? There’s a massive amount of information available. What’s important? What’s not so important?
Well - it all depends on what you want to do with it! How do you identify where it’s useful?
Many people learn through example. Reading about how others are using APRS can be immensely powerful!
Together, we have the power to change the way APRS is introduced to hams (new and old).
Enter the Use Case!
We typically use the term "Use Case" in product development.
However, Use Cases can provide applicability and context to someone who has never touched APRS!
We’re bending the definition a bit in that we’re looking for help documenting practical examples of APRS and maintaining them so that anyone who wants to learn about APRS has a resource they can tap to get started.
How do hams learn that they can use APRS to:
- Share their position on a map during a race
- Send messages to their friend’s phone via SMS?
- Obtain a list of repeaters close by when traveling
- Spotting for SOTA/POTA
- Keep in touch with family and friends
And there’s so much more!
Please take some time to let this sink in. Ask yourself:
- “How do I use APRS?”
- “What is it about APRS that makes me excited?”
- “How do I explain APRS to others when they ask?”
- “What can I share with others that might help them see the benefits of APRS?”
Your Mission…Should You Choose to Accept It
Plain and simple - tell us how you use APRS!
- Why did you choose APRS over another protocol?
- What benefits do you receive from it?
- What sort of equipment do you need?
- How does it need to be configured?
- How do you interact with the equipment once it’s configured?
- How often do you use APRS?
- What external systems have an effect (positive or negative)
Use Cases and the Use Case Template
The next step is to develop a template to ensure uniformity and consistency in the Use Case documents. We want your help! Please reach out to the Foundation via our Contact Us form on our website.