Hello, I'm a fairly new dstar user. I have a few questions and I'm rolling them into one e-mail.
#1 I currently have a IC-92ad and a 2820h. I would like to get registered on the network so I can use the system for more than just local repeater chat. My problem is there is no dstar in my area so their is no system I consider "home". From what I've read you need to sign up under the nearest repeater or repeater you use the most. Right now I only use dstar when I travel to nearby cities (~100 miles) that have dstar. I visit all of them equally, so none I would consider "home". There are talks of dstar eventually coming here but I suspect it will some time though. This in turn leads to another question...if I register on a repeater in a nearby city and then we get a system here, how hard is it to change registration? So what should I do? #2 Is there any dstar simplex activity in Texas? Can I assume that 145.670 is commonly used here in TX? I have searched various posts (all over the 'net) and every area of the country tends to have its own favorite but 145.670 seems to stick out a little more. Anyway I would hope to make an occasional dx simplex contact to some of the nearby big cities where dstar is active, esp when we have a little tropospheric ducting going on. I have yet to hear anything, even when "analog" is wide open. #3 Do people use dstar repeaters for just local chit chat or is this frowned upon? The few times I talked locally when I visited cities that have dstar systems the conversations were quite brief. I kinda got the hint that I was unnecessarily tying up the repeater in lieu of someone potentially coming through the gateway. Yes? No? PS: FYI--My hometown is Bryan,TX. Nearby cities that have dstar that I occasionally visit is Houston, Austin, Temple area, Dallas, San Antonio, Waco. Thanks, Sly n5gqb
