On Wed, 13 May 2009 23:15:12 -0000, "Rob" <[email protected]> said: > I have not yet gone to D-Star, but am thinking about it. My ARC had a > presentation on the system, so I am somewhat interested. We have a > D-Star repeater here locally. > I have a home in Tennessee, but there are no local D-Star repeaters. > There is one 30 or so miles away. I have reached other repeaters 80 > miles away with 5 watts, so the distance may not be an issue. > The radio that I would be putting in to service for D-Star is the > IC-2200h. > My basic question (after all of that) is: Will a D-Star signal travel > further than a phone signal, all things being equal? > Thanks and 73. > > Rob > KJ4CBA
Rob, That's a complex question to answer because it's hard to measure the REPEATER... if all things are TRULY equal, some of the error-correction built into a DV signal (there are two types of D-STAR signal, DV and DD, and you're talking about voice) might in theory "work" a bit further than an analog signal. In practice, however... probably not. A 2200h with a good outdoor gain antenna should be able to go 30 miles line-of-sight easily, but you're talking about the rolling hills of Tennessee. Is the repeater up high, and do you have direct line-of-sight with it? Are there any analog FM repeaters you could test with at the SAME location on the same quality (gain, feedline, duplexer, etc) antenna system? The answer to your question is all VERY situation specific, and not all of it under your control. If the repeater is "built right" (many D-STAR repeater owners are NEW operators of repeaters, and don't have their duplexers done correctly, or are using cheap feedline and not hardline between their repeaters and their antennas, or their antennas are cheap "ham grade" antennas instead of commercial-grade high-gain antennas... etc.) The BEST way to answer your question is to put you in touch with the owner/operator of THAT particular D-STAR system. THEY will know their own coverage pattern better than anyone. Have you seen the repeater listing at http://www.dstarusers.org ? I'd start there, look for the "local" system, and talk to them first. You'll get a much more tailored and correct answer than from an International mailing list. You tell me, "I live in X here in Colorado" I can tell you whether you'll EASILY be into the W0CDS system, or you'll have to do some work. I am SURE the same thing is true of the system 30 miles from you. The owner/operator will know better than we will here on the list. Nate WY0X -- Nate Duehr [email protected]
