CQ Server

CQSRVR is an APRS server designed to facilitate initial contact between amateur radio APRS stations (hams) worldwide with similar interests. It is not a messaging server, BBS, or any other type of interactive forum. It is a global service and requires unique callsign-SSIDs to be used. It is designed for simplicity and consistency of use.

To use CQSRVR, send an APRS numbered message to CQSRVR that looks like "CQ groupname your message here". "CQ" and "groupname" are each one word separated by a space, and may be any mix of upper and lower case (they are converted to upper case for parsing). "your message here" is the message text you want to be sent to other registered members of "groupname". For example (using TNC-2 representation of actual APRS packets sent and received, RED indicate packets originated from CQSRVR):

AE5PL-10>APRS::CQSRVR   :CQ MYTEST Listening for APRS contacts{01
CQSRVR>APJIC1,TCPIP*::AE5PL-10 :ack01
CQSRVR>APJIC1,TCPIP*::AE5PL-10 :Message has been sent to MYTEST{00
AE5PL-10>APJIC1,qAO,CQSRVR::W5EJL-1  :CQ MYTEST Listening for APRS contacts

Note how CQSRVR generates an unnumbered message to each registered member of the group MYTEST (in this case OTMEMB-1) showing that the message has originated from your station and was gated to APRS-IS by CQSRVR. Any receiving station can then simply respond to the received message and start an APRS messaging conversation with you. This keeps CQSRVR out of the conversation, but still available to broadcast your desire to talk to others.

Every time you send a CQ groupname message to CQSRVR, it "registers" you with that group so nothing else needs to be done to receive messages from other group members. You may only send one CQ groupname message per 30 minutes. This keeps activity for other members to a manageable rate.

To Unregister from a group, simply send a numbered APRS message to CQSRVR with "U groupname" as the text. Again, "U" and "groupname" can be upper or lower case. For example:

AE5PL-10>APRS::CQSRVR   :U MYTEST{02
CQSRVR>APJIC1,TCPIP*::AE5PL-10 :ack02
CQSRVR>APJIC1,TCPIP*::AE5PL-10 :Removed from MYTEST{01

If the group is inactive for 12 hours or you are inactive for 12 hours, you will be unregistered automatically.

Other commands:

• ? - List all active groups
• ? GROUPNAME - Reply with how many are in the group
• L - List all groups I am a member of

These are commands are sent just like the CQ and U commands (the text portion of an APRS message to CQSRVR).

If you have any questions, please contact me directly at pete at ae5pl dot net