SYMBOLS.txt 6.0             APRS DISPLAY SYMBOLS


    APRS supports a number of different display symbols for differentiating
objects on the map.  The symbol type is indicated by the 44th character in the
APRS standard position report.  Although these special characters are
automatically inserted into the APRS position reports, they are specified here
for manual TNC stations.  Remember that any TNC can still show up on APRS maps
and displays as long as a properly formatted APRS position report is placed in
the TNC BText.  By placing one of these special characters as the delimiter
after the LONGITUDE field, a station with only a dumb terminal can control his
appearance on other APRS displays.  For more information on manually formating
APRS reports using only a dumb terminal, see the README.DUM file.  The
following table describes the symbols available and the special characters
used to represent them.  Notice that there are several generic shapes without
designated descriptions, so that users can tailor their symbology to the
particular APRS net application.  If you have any suggestions for other
symbols, please send them in...

NOTE!  Any particular symbol only has the meaning defined by the APRS net that
is using it.  So DO NOT INFER that an EMERGENCY or QUAKE symbol is a bonafide
emergency!  I particularly like to use the QUAKE symbol to indicate a location
of special interest to everyone.  The quake symbol is simply a bull's eye.
At Dayton, for example, we used the Bull's eye to mark the location of the
HARA arena!  Specific symbols like TORNADO and HURICANE which ARE specific
shapes should use the object name of TEST or similar if not real, to avoid
exciting people unnecessarily...

SYMBOLS ON MAPS!  Not only can APRS symbols represent stations and objects
off-the-air, they can also be permanently embedded in maps.  To embed a label
in a map, simply make the first three characters of the label be a $ followed
by the symbol character, followed by a hexidecimal number from 1 to F that
indicates the desired color for the symbol.  The remaining 8 characters can
be used for a conventional label at the same location.  An example are the
VORTAC nav-aids in Alaska.  The Anchorage VORTAC appears as ANC on all maps
below 128 miles. The label entry is $VFANC,LAT,LONG,128.

AREAS ON MAPS!  New in version 6.0, you can define BOX/CIRCLE/LINE or TRIANGLE
areas in all colors, either open or filled in.  They can be any size from 60
feet up to 100 miles.  Simply move the cursor to the location, press HOME,
move the cursor to te lower right corner of the AREA and hit INPUT-ADD-OBJECTS-
AREA.  You will be prompted for the type of area shape, and the color.  Please
note that AREA shapes can only be defined by selecting the upper left corner
first, then the lower right second.  The line is an exception.  It is still
top to bottom, but the lower point can be to the left of the beginning point.
These symbols are useful for defining areas on MAPS in real-time to everyone
in the net.  For example, defining the area for a search-and-rescue, or adding
a special ROAD or ROUTE for a special event.  Be cautious in using the color
fill option, since all other objects in that area that occur earlier in your
PLIST will be obscured.  AND you do NOT know the order of other stations P-
lists.  See the section below SHAPES, BORDERS, etc for details.

SYMBOLS WITH STAND-ALONE GPS TRACKERS:  Since the stand-alone GPS/PACCOMM TNC
trackers output the raw GPS data over the air, instead of an APRS formatted
position report, there are two methods that I have included for you to be able
to specify the symbol type.  The first, is to simply place the desired symbol
character surrounded by braces as the first 3 characters of the TNC BText.
Once the BText has been received, all stations will begin to use that symbol
for all position reports from that station.  Secondly, there is a default
SSID convention which will be used if no other position data is available
according to the following table:

       SSID     DISPLAY SYMBOL
       -4       Bike
       -5       Helo
       -6       Yacht (sailboat)
       -7       Aircraft
       -8       Ships (powerboats)
       -9       Cars
       -10      Space (orbiting objects)
       -11      Balloons


The actual symbol character used in the APRS position report formats are
shown in the following table.  The special character is the character that
represents the symbol and is what is transmitted as the 44th character in an
APRS formatted position report:

SYMBOL TYPE     SPECIAL CHARACTER  COMMENTS
------------    -----------------  -----------------------------------
BOXES               0-9            Useful for close in ops since each one is
CIRCLES             A-K            unique and therefore you don't need calls
AIRPLANES           '              Also for all -7 SSID's (heaven)
ADVISORY(smallcrft) <      
AMBULANCE           a
ANTENNA (radio)     r
AREAS               l              Can be Circle,Line,Box etc
BBS                 [
BALLOONS            O
BIKES               b
BUS                 U
CALLSIGNS           c              Results from Callsign database in DX mode
CIRCLE              o              Default for NMEA reporting stations
CLOUDY              (              "
DIGIpeaters         #
EMERGENCY           !
FIRE                :              added for stations in Calif
FIRE DEPT           d
FLOODING            w              "
FOG                 f              "
GALE WARNING        g              "
GATEWAY             &
GRID SQUARE         q              four digit
GRID SQUARE         ?              six digit
HUMP                )              Generic shape
HURRICANE           @      
HELO                X
HOSPITAL            h
IOTA                i              Islands-On-The-Air
TCPIP               }
Jay (J)             ,              Generic shape
JEEP                j
Kross               +              More like a RED CROSS
Location            .              generic
MAILBOX             ]              PBBS's etc
NODE's              x
OBJECT              /              Default symbol
PARTLY CLOUDY?SUNNY p              "
POLICE              P
PORTABLE            ;              Looks like a tent
QTH                 -
RAIN                "              "
RAIL                =              trains, etc
RecreationalVehicle R
SAIL                Y              like a yacht
SHIP                s              Also for all -8 SSID's
SCHOOL              K
SNOWFLAKE           *              "
SUNNY               $              "
SLEET               e              "
TRIANGLE            \              DF STATION: CSE and SPD will show BEARING
TORNADO             t
THUNDERSTORM        `              All of the following symbols are included
TRUCK               k
U                   u              Generic shape
VEHICLE             >              Also for all -9 SSID's (engn, engn, #9)
VAN                 v
VORTAC              V              Aircraft naviagtional aid
WEATHER             _              (I used underline for ground conditions)
DX Cluster          %
YACHTS  (sailboats) Y              for SAILBOATS
Z                   z              Generic shape


4 Char grid SQ      q              No symbol for 4 digit Grid Square reports
6 Char grid SQ      ?              No symbol for 6 digit Grid Square reports
                                   (this preserves the ambiguity of GS rpts)
                                   (note that these symbols are  NOT  xmted)

Note that Weather stations will always show up as blue.  This overides all
other APRS colors.  Weather stations will also not be dead reckoned since
their course and speed indicates wind conditions and not station movement.
I also made the sun show up as yellow overriding all other color conventions.

SHAPES BOUNDARIES AND BORDERS

     In version 6.0, I have added a new format for specifying special areas.
These shapes can be a rectangle, circle and triangle (for now) and can be any
color and any size from 100 miles down to 60 feet.  Since these shapes will
be used to draw borders on the maps and to indicate boundaries, etc, they will
not move.  Therefore, I have used the CSE/SPD field to provide the additional
information needed.  Here is the definition:

    $CSE/SPD...   Normal Field description
    lTyy/Cxx...   Where:  l (lower case L) is the symbol for "LOCATION SHAPES"
                          T is the Type of shape:  0=circle, 1=line, 2=elipse
                                                   3=triangle 4=box
                                                   add 5 to these => color-in
                          C is the color from 0 to 15.  For colors geater than
                            9, the / is replaced with a 1.
                         yy is the sqroot of the latitude offset in 1/100ths
                         xx is the sqroot of the longitude offset
                                 
These offsets are ALWAYS positive to the right and down, except for the
special case of a lower right quadrant line, these are given the Type of 6
and are drawn down and to the left.

EXTENSION ALPHABET:  Also in version 6.0 I have begun the definition of a
alternate symbol alphabet.  This alternate alphabet is indicated by the @
character to replace the / character between the CSE and SPD fields.  This
adds the restriction that new symbols that are NOT moving will still require
a $000@000 course and speed field where, before, it was optional.  So far,
I have NOT defined any new symbols to use this alternate alphabet.  But if
you just GOTTA have that special symbol, lemme know.  Now there is room to
add it.

