[MNAPRS] Callsign vs tactical on WIDE digis

[Doug Reed]

Looking at the packets heard and email on other web sites, it looks like 
having an alias as the main digi call is gaining some favor in other 
areas. It isn't required, but some people like to have their main digis 
listed by a location alias rather than callsign to make it easier to 
figure the incoming path.

Personally, I think I prefer having the callsigns in the path, but I 
admit to not knowing the location of all digis by callsign alone. And 
there is something to be said for the ease of following a path such as:
AITKEN> VIA APNXXX LITFAL,KNGSTN,SHOREV

But that begs the next question, should that tactical be the city or 
county name, should it include the state or not? In one old packet 
standard, the default for naming a node was the state abbreviation 
followed by a 4 character abbreviation for the city or county where it 
was located. So the packet path might become:
MNAITK VIA APNXXX MNLITF,MNKING,MNSHRV

I admit I like the state+city version better than city alone, mainly 
because I don't know where all the cities are, like Nashua.

But if we do this, now we have issues with looking up the digi on findu 
or aprs-fi since all we have to work with is the tactical, not the 
callsign. I'm sure there will be some duplicate city names around the 
world. Not as many as there are Andersons in the phone book, but enough 
to upset the tactical naming scheme....

I think that in spite of the annoyance of having to look up station 
locations, I think it might be preferable to stay with callsigns in the 
path rather than switch to using location tacticals.

Any comments or suggestions?

73, Doug Reed, N0NAS.