"Gear" information in the data stream?

Since HPT has tables that let you manipulate applied torque, etc., I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the OS knows what gear it's in :secret: :)

So, wrt to CAN BUS signaling and gear position (and I'm dealing with the E69)... is that a piece of data that gets polled by whatever component is interested in gear position at any particular time? Or is gear position broadast into the data stream by the computer based on whatever input it receives from the trans? Or, does this information even ever make it across the bus at all?

More questions... if this information does get tossed into the data stream, when does it happen? At gear shift change? At some cyclical interval? At odd intervals as the computer deems appropriate?

And then... does anyone know what that frame looks like? Does "gear position" have a unique 11 bit identifier? Or do I have to look for something more generic there, like "xyz status," and then open all such frames and look at the data to find out what gear I'm in?

Why all the questions? ... I'm trying to determine the practicality of identifying gear selection via the CAN BUS versus a more archaic mechanical method of physically "locating" shifter position and/or gear position in the transmission.

Suggestions? Ideas? Blank stares?