User friendliness and Template:Mapsites

[QDP2012]

Good evening Wiki Admins,

With regards to Template:Mapsites:

• After testing, it seems that a premium membership is not a prerequisite for using the fancier site map tool to which the template links, even though the template indicates that one is required.
  
  
• I understand the intent to direct the user's attention to the fancier site/tower mapping-tool, especially if it is a "new feature". Providing a link to the tool seems like a good idea.
  
  
• However, I disagree with the removal of call-sign lists from the Wiki pages that results from template implementation.
  
  Please consider the following points in favor of keeping the lists of call signs, and simply adding the template in addition to the call-sign lists:
  
  
  • Wiki-users have put forth the effort to research, compile, and post, the call-sign lists.
    
    
  • Some lists of call-signs take quite a bit of effort to compile as they come from various information sources.
    
    
  • By simply adding the template and not removing the call-sign lists, Wiki users can benefit from the work done once to compile the list, and don't have to go through the process of compiling their own list, personally.
    
    
  • Mobile devices can easily display the basic list of call-signs found in Wiki pages. But, not all mobile devices can render or let the user interact with the advanced mapping tools.
    
    
  • In my opinion, removing the call-sign lists makes the Wiki less user-friendly, something that should be guarded against.

Just a thought.

Thanks for your time and consideration.

 

[ka3jjz]

Thanks for the correction on the template and needing the subscription. It's interesting - I thought you needed a subscription to see FCC data. In any case, I'll make that change tonight.

Re the callsigns - I don't think it's a good idea to hard code the callsigns. Too many times they go out of service without any corrections by the FCC - so they're not always accurate.

In any case, they almost always came from the FCC listings in the database (and I should know - I'm the one that put them there, in most cases), which always point to the site map. So why not use it? Quite apart from mobile app users looking at the wiki (which I suspect would be very rare...)...and keep in mind the map contains all the callsigns for a system, no matter how many there happen to be (some sites have a heckuva lot of callsigns...). So it relieves the wiki of carrying that load and putting it on the database, where it more properly belongs.

Replacing the callsigns is easy - I'll just revert the article (or you can, since you seem to be riding herd on this (hint hint)) and replace the template. There aren't that many that were changed. Mike

 

[QDP2012]

Replacing the callsigns is easy - I'll just revert the article (or you can, since you seem to be riding herd on this (hint hint)) and replace the template...

Wasn't trying to ride herd; just saw a new template, and thought I'd share an opinion. I don't recall seeing that site-map tool before, or at least used in that way, so I learned something new. Thanks.

Template and related pages have been updated. Hope this helps,