Glossary

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A

APRS-IS(APRS Internet Service)
The global internet-based backbone that connects APRS IGates and servers, allowing packets to be shared worldwide beyond local radio range.

B

Beacon
A periodic transmission from a station containing its location, status, or other data.

D

Digipeater
A "Digital Repeater" that receives a packet and immediately re-transmits it to extend the signal's range. Modern systems use "New-N" paradigms (like WIDE1-1) to control how many times a packet is repeated.

I

IGate(Internet Gateway)
A station that acts as a bridge between the local RF (Radio Frequency) network and the APRS-IS. It typically receives packets over the air and "gates" them to the internet.

M

Mic-E(Mice-encoded)
A highly compressed packet format used to reduce transmission time by encoding GPS data into the address fields of a packet.

O

Object
A virtual map item (like a meeting location or weather hazard) posted by a station to the network for others to see.

P

Path
The routing instructions in a packet (e.g., WIDE1-1, WIDE2-1) that tell digipeaters how many hops to take.

S

SSID(Secondary Station Identifier)
A numeric suffix added to a callsign (e.g., -9 for a primary mobile, -7 for a handheld) to distinguish between multiple devices owned by the same user.
Symbol
The graphical icon (like a car, house, or ambulance) chosen by a user to represent their station on a map.

T

TNC(Terminal Node Controller)
The hardware or software "modem" that converts digital data into audio tones for the radio and vice versa.
Telemetry
Data transmissions regarding the status of equipment, such as battery voltage, temperature, or signal strength.
ToCall
The destination address field in an APRS packet, which is usually used to identify the software or hardware device type rather than a specific recipient.