DFC,
The touchdown point is certainly published. It is very obvious and is very well marked on the runway. The PAPI are required to take you towards the touchdown point.
That's not the case here. Runway markings are in standard positions on all runways ie 150m, 300m and 450m, regardless of the PAPI location. The MEHT (min eye height over threshold) for all PAPIs in Oz is published on the Jepp aerodrome chart in the lighting section. Some are as high as 72ft. They are not located relative to the runway markings but rather to achieve a particular MEHT.
Galdian,
IF, and only IF, you accept that a medium aircraft with tech figures only for a 1000' aim point should always use a 1000' aim point (you really want to run off the end of a runway because you used a non standard boeing aiming point with no available data for such an aiming point?? As an expat that will probably see you go straight to gaol, lets discuss it all at a FAR later date!) you follow the G/P to the deck or you understand, and adapt, the papi to what YOU require in your narrow body aircraft.
Fair enough when the GS is available. On those runways where the PAPI GPI is 1300ft or so and the GS is off, you will find that you have at least one thousand metres of extra bitumen over the requirements upon which to land your -800 because the runway/PAPI, as you point out, is set up for big jets. Besides, if you don't follow the PAPI to the 1300' point, how are you going to stabilise your approach slope? VNAV in my machine is very good but not that good. Following the PAPI down until a couple of hundred feet and then stuffing the nose down to land on the 300m markers is not conducive to a good or safe landing.