Randall,
D-STAR (Digital Smart Technologies for Amateur Radio) is a digital voice
and data protocol specification developed as the result of research by the
Japan Amateur Radio League to investigate digital technologies for amateur
radio. It connects repeater sites over microwave and internet links to
provide a wide area ham radio network. You don't even need a D-STAR radio to
communicate with D-STAR radios if connected via a gateway.
You can send text messages on D-STAR radios. Avoiding all the technical
methodology if you connect a computer to a D-STAR radio you can send text
messages, files, pictures etc. with supporting software. All you need is
your D-STAR Radio, a data cable, a computer and a software program readily
available to send messages. There are size limitations to your file sizes
sent on the DV Mode for efficiency sake.
The radio will beacon short messages which you can either program into
the radio with software or keyboard enter them. Not efficient but works.
If you connect your D-STAR DV capable radio to a computer it will
actually transmit your voice and computer data at the same time on the DV
data stream. So you can talk and send your data at the same time in the DV
mode. If you have an ID-1 it has both DV and DD modes. in all of the radios
in DV mode your data is sent along with your voice. In the DD mode it is
data only and sent at about ISDN speeds. The DD mode when using a DD
repeater connected to the internet will allow web browsing, e-mail etc. just
like you could do over your home internet connecting except anywhere within
the D-STAR DD Repeater range. I am uncertain how far the range would be
since I don't think we have tested the DD module long distance here. but the
DV range is about 95 miles from the repeater. Oddly enough if you have an
analog signal strength of lets say S3 you may start having difficulty
hearing the transmission. with D-STAR DV Mode it can be heard with a signal
strength of D0. in other words you may not see any signal indication at all
but will have perfect copy. Its pretty much there or goes digital (R2D2).
With a TNC connected you can communicate directly with other digital modes
when in analog on your D-STAR radio.
The moderator is correct, simply yes. the radio will send data, it will
do everything your analog radio will do plus more. You can send APRS data
through the radio, connect a TNC to your radio, or simple connect a computer
using an RS-232 Data cable and with the ICOM programming software or a
program like D-RATS to send messages.
With D-RATS it will also allow you to connect a GPS to the computer and
via the program you can send position information to other D-RATS users, to
APRS stations etc. You can even send e-mail from your e-mail program through
D-RATS to the internet or any cellular phone with text messaging
connectivity if you know how to do it. (NEXTEL
xxxxxxx...@messaging.nextel.com where xxx is the phone number) .
If you just want to send position information you can connect a GPS using
the data cable directly to a D-STAR radio and send your position every time
you key your radio, or at selected intervals. There is a way to have your
D-STAR position relayed to APRS stations too.
Lucky for you since you live in the Texas booneys.. you can still get on
D-STAR using a D-STAR Dongle from any highspeed internet connection. so you
can talk to any D-STAR repeater with a gateway worldwide. You can call
individual D-STAR radios, repeaters, or join in on reflectors (D-STAR
roundtables with multiple repeaters linked).
What D-STAR radio is not is a TNC. But like with any analog radio you can
connect it to a TNC and you have the same capabilities. But with the added
digital modes you have more state of the art communications, the ability to
use less bandwidth in digital modes, send voice and data simultaneously, and
in many cases better distance than on analog. So with D-STAR you don't need
a TNC to send data. messages. just a cable and a computer with software.
Hope that helps a little bit more in understanding D-STAR. Watch some of the
U-TUBE videos too. They will demonstrate a lot of D-STAR capabilities. Below
are some D-STAR links too that are using some of the D-STAR capabilities.
. D-STAR
<http://www.dstarinfo.com/Calculator/DSTAR%20Web%20Calculator.aspx>
Calculator
. D-STAR Users .ORG <http://www.d-starusers.org/>
. D-STAR Link Directory <http://www.d-star.cc/>
. D-STAR <http://www.opendstar.org/tools/readme.txt> Reflectors
. D-RATS Beta <http://d-rats.danplanet.com/download/beta/> Downloads
. D-CHIRP Beta <http://chirp.danplanet.com/download/beta/> Downloads
73,
Barry
KA0BBQ
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