CHIRP

I forgot to include that I tried the query with a distance of 200 and 300 in case this is using kilometers instead of miles

Yep, I know, but the API does not.

I've been thinking about this all day and I've just cooked up what might be a reasonable workaround until/unless we get the ability to get larger data sets from repeaterbook. CHIRP caches the RB data so it rarely has to hit the API after it has data for a region. How about if you're doing a proximity search (lat, lon and distance) CHIRP just includes all the cached data it has in that search? On a cold system that has no cached data, searching for MA, with a suitable lat,lon,distance will only return MA results. But, if you've ever queried for NH, then the same query will include NH repeaters if they're within the range circle, along with VT if you have ever queried VT, and so on. It's a little more obscure than just being able to unselect the state, but it would at least be predictable. Thoughts?

I would say chirp could just let you select multiple states and it would query what it needs (i.e. doesn't have cached) but the RB API has some very tight rate limits on it and a programmatic multi-query will get you on the throttled list pretty quick.

Hi Dan,

Your clever solution appeals to my laziness :). I'm concerned about how to explain this to others. Can you add a pop up or similar to the proximity query explaining how to get multiple state results? Or an explicit option that says only use cached results and explains how to populate the cache?

Another option is to add an explanation that multi-state results are not supported and require the user to export RB's proximity results into Chirp.

Regards
Mike

Yeah, like I said, it's a bit obscure for the user. I thought about trying to let them select multiple states as long as they're cached, but it'll also be complex and confusion to explain to the average person why you can select some multiple states and not others.

Maybe just an "include cached results from other areas if they match" check box with a tooltip would be sufficient. Or, just not say anything and those that know will know and those that don't will just do multiple queries. Sometimes trying to be flexible ends up biting me in "support costs" :)

But yeah, I'll do something around this.

Hi Dan - it looks good - just need somewhere to explain how to populate the cache and explain the lifetime of a cache entry

"Downloaded before" is "how to populate the cache" and the lifetime is infinite for the purposes of including in another query. This box is already pretty busy and I don't think it's important enough of a feature to consider redesigning it. If you think it's still obscure, I can just shelve this and wait for a potential API change sometime in the future.

Hi Dan

I understand and agree with your point about the pop up is busy and a redesign.

As a compromise, Is there a place I could create a write up on proximity search in the Chirp documentation? I'm thinking the write-up would have notes on:
1 - RB API doesn't support proximity
2 - how to populate the cache
3 - example of a multi-state search

If not, I'm ok with adding your original solution or doing nothing until RB adds proximity to the API.

Regards
Mike

Okay I added ExternalDatabases as a template with a section to explain the details. I've made the label before the checkbox to enable this a link to that page/section. I've also added you as a wiki editor so you should be able to edit that page. Do you have enough info to presumptively fill that out a little?

Hi Dan

Great! I put a draft recipe and explanation in ExternalDatabases , let me know what changes you want me to make.

Regards
Mike