NADSD was discontinued in 2000.
This page is maintained to provided historical information about the project.
Purpose:
The Tucson Amateur Packet Radio Corp (TAPR), with the support of the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), began providing in 1997 information on digital systems that until now had been printed in the annual ARRL Repeater Directory. Information on digital systems will not be published in the 1997-98 edition of the Repeater Directory, permitting the publication to better focus on its primary use as a guide to voice repeaters for traveling Amateurs.In planning the 1997-98 edition, the ARRL concluded that the Repeater Directory was no longer the most effective medium for this information. Discussions involving various regional digital groups that provide data to the digital section of the Repeater Directory led to the conclusion that TAPR was the logical group to take on the task of a new North American Digital System Directory.
This new database system will describe systems used by amateur radio stations involved in digital communications in United States, Canada, and Mexico. The Digital System Directory will be based on information provided by regional, state, and local organizations as well as individuals in a nearly realtime format. This should allow information to be maintained and updated more frequently than in a yearly publication. TAPR will also work with participating organizations to make this information available on TAPR's yearly CD-ROM as well as some future publication for local/regional groups to distribute.
The purpose of the Digital System Directory is not to manage, coordinate, or regulate the usage of digital systems, but to provide the most up to date and accurate listing of digital systems that can be provided. Neither is it a formal organization, but a mechanism to allow regional groups to provide and share information regarding digital systems.
The Digital System Directory is intended for use by individuals to further their enjoyment of the hobby and by organizations to help plan and develop digital networks.
Frequently Asked Questions
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There were several reasons. First, the RD was originally intended by
those operating mobile to find repeaters. Few folks use the RD for finding
packet stations while mobile. Eliminating the digital listings reduced the
costs to produce it and will make it handier for mobile repeater users.
Second, the ARRL was really in the business of publishing a book and not
collecting the data. Many States were not represented because no one
actively solicited the data and other listings were not accurate.
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TAPR saw that there was a need to be filled when the ARRL discontinued
listing digital information in the Repeater Directory. TAPR sees the NADSD
as an opportunity for Regional Digital Groups to work more closely together
to provide a information collection and distribution system that will have
more accurate information about all types of digital communications. In
past years, data was gathered for the RD in December and 5-months later
became available to the public. The NADSD can be updated as often as
necessary so that accuracy will be high.
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The NADSD team encourages individuals to submit their data through
regional groups when possible. Should this not be possible, individuals are
welcome to register to become NADSD data providers.
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Any services using digital modes are welcome to be listed in the NADSD
for USA, Canada, and Mexico. This includes HF MSO's, HF BBS', Amateur
(digital) satellite gateways, Net/ROM-TheNET nodes, KANodes, FlexNet, TexNet, ROSE,
TCP/IP gateways (to the
Internet and multiple frequencies), BBS', PacketCluster, APRS, etc. If it is
a digital service (excluding personal maildrops) it should be listed in the
NADSD.
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Brian Kantor, WB6CYT maintains the AMPR.ORG domain and a list of volunteers is kept that handle regional assignment of IP addresses. Check the AMPRNet IP address coordinators list 'ftp://ftp.ucsd.edu/hamradio/amprnets' for the full listing of AMPR.ORG coordinators.
Absolutely not. Just like the repeater directory did previously, the NADSD only reports the information provided - and publication does not signify endorsement by TAPR nor coordination to any frequency.
