InterceptRadio.com Forums

The Federal Way Amateur Radio Club has placed 1 each 2 Meter voice and 70 CM voice D-Star "DV" type repeaters on the air in Federal Way. These are the FIRST Gateway connected D-Star repeaters placed in operation by HAMs in Washington State. (There is a 70CM D-Star repeater in the RF black hole that is known as ICOM America HQ)

The 2M repeater currently shares the 147.040 pair with the analog repeater. The 70CM repeater is on 443.850 and does not share the spectrum with any local analog stuff.

These repeaters are Gateway connected, meaning there are currently more than 90 repeaters in various parts of the US and other countries that may be accessed from any point in the connected network.

In simple terms, D-Star voice operation can be compared roughly to a manually initiated "NEXTEL"-ish type "direct connect". Like any other HAM radio, the D-Star does not automatically "affiliate" with a D-Star repeater (like a cell phone / NEXTHELL), however once you have keyed up through a D-Star repeater, any "direct connect" transmission that is sent to your call sign will be routed to you through the last repeater you keyed up on. If your radio is on and in range, you get the call.

Also, most D-Star radios will send approx 900 baud or so of serial data while transmitting.

Like any HAM radio, you may also transmit to all parties on the repeater. Instead of selecting a specific call sign, you select CQCQCQ as the callsign you are calling, and it does an "all call" on the repeater just as you do every time you transmit on an FM repeater.

MOST IMPORTANT, the voice message is sent via a true digital carrier, so audio is pretty darn clear even in far field transmissions. Of course, like many digital signals, at some point you are "in" or "out", however in between, the audio is crisp and clear, without most path initiated noise we typically see in FM.

73,
Nick
N7QOR

Is this going to evolve into a new generation of HAMs that are afraid to transmit to an entire repeater because they're so used to using the direct calls?

_________________
I taste copper.
Comments, views, opinions - and trails of destruction - are my own.

Has anyone heard anything about the Tualip Tribes getting some sort of grant for Races/ARES, and going to go D-Star?


Honestly, for myself, Im not that interested in it. Just more stuff to go wrong, or complicate things.

_________________
Respond on Tac 3

Sounds kinda like IRLP

Was kinda neat to use... Talked to a guy in England on UHF. :D


That should be a neat project to play with... 8)

_________________
"A well regulated breakfast, being necessary to the healthy start of the day, the right of the people to keep and eat food shall not be infringed."

My personal hope is that this evolves into new uses of HAM radio that we haven't thought of yet.

The technology goes far beyond the brief description listed above.

I have always felt that the beauty of HAM radio is, there is no "one way" to do it. There are many modes, uses and preferences in HAM, and from my experience so far the D-Star technology is opening new doors we haven't seen in this hobby for quite some time.

Remember when HAMs were in front of technology?
(I don't, I think I wasn't born yet, but I hear it happened one time)

Lots of HAM's are probably happy with what they do now. I guess this isn't for them.

This stuff is so fresh that new stuff is popping up all over.

Meanwhile, I get to do some things I dreamed of 15 years ago when I was first licensed.

73,
Nick
N7QOR

I would prefer P25 over D-STAR any day! It is cheaper, more equipment out on the market, better quality of equipment and P25 is backwards compatible (a P25 repeater can do DV and AV while a D-STAR repeater can just do DV only). The main problem with D-STAR is that it isn't cheap. $600 for a D-STAR radio(s) compared to $150 to $300 for P25 radio(s) starting out. There would be a select few that are willing to go out and pay ICOMs price so 3 to 5 people can talk on DV. To me it isn't worth it. There are very few people who are interested in DV (P25 or D-STAR) in the Seattle area. To me thats disappointing considering that we have companies like Microsoft, Boeing and ICOM where the demographic for DV interest would be higher than other cities. Comparing this area to the eastern part of the US, they average three P25 repeaters per state. As far as the Tualip Tribes RACES, they have purchased about ~$14,000 worth of D-STAR gear. Last I have heard, they are waiting for shipment from the dealer (not ICOM).

Anyone working on a 2m P25 repeater? I'm not interested in D* when I already have digital equipment that's truly interoperable...

Flash

How about P25 in the 70cm band. Any Repeaters out there. I know there is one in Portland.

_________________
Michael R.
AD7TH

Is that what all that data noise on 147.040 is?
I had to lock it out on all my radios due to the digital noise.

On the 147.040 repeater just enter a receive tone of 103.5 the same as the transmit tone and you will only hear the analog traffic and not the digital noise.

Vince.

Thanks for the tip.

I don't dare put a spendy dstar rig in my soft top Jeep.
:(


Edit

Hmmm wont we be transmitting on top and jaming the digital users if we cant hear them?

FWARC has added 443.850 in D-Star.

Both 147.040 (DV) and 443.850 (DV) are gateway connected.

They link the 443.850 to a "reflector" most of the day, similar to a linked analog system, only a heck of a lot cleaner signals.

Of course with any digital voice mode, you are "in" or you are "out".

From my observations, it is pretty clear that the P25 has quite a bit more error correction. The D-Star seems more prone to the digital distortion that occurs when sync is lost. Also, D-Star seems to have more difficulty with re-synch during a lost transmission.

On the more positive side, the D-Star to APRS gateway is smoking fast. We did some testing at field day and found that about as quickly as you can hit refresh on your browser, the page is updated from the last D-Star transmission. One club member has the 92AD handheld with the cool new GPS speaker/mic. It is pretty impressive.