Again, inline, in red From: Nate Duehr [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Tuesday, January 19, 2010 2:11 PM To: [email protected] Cc: Woodrick, Ed Subject: Re: [DSTAR_DIGITAL] Re: New guy
That’s why there is a growing number of portable repeaters to provide that function. We haven’t had a hamfest around here in the last few years without a gateway connected stack. And for the last year, a number of the hamfests have had two different stacks deployed. I guess you have people with more money doing D-STAR around there, than around here. Who's paid for entire stacks to take to local events? As with many Amateur Radio activities, there are always some who will go to the extremes. Many of the repeaters, D-STAR and FM are owned by individuals, there’s an amazing number of $10,000 radios being sold. Sometimes you just to interest the right people at the right time and you can get all sorts of things. There’s definitely a snowball effect. You have to push the snowball very hard to get moving, but once moving, it has a lot of momentum. Here in the Southeast, the snowball is definitely rolling. It still needs pushing, but then again it often starts rolling faster than I can run. But looking around the country, there are a number of areas with relatively high penetration of D-STAR, here in the Atlanta area, Alabama, Middle Florida, California, Texas, Washington State (a newcomer), Chicago, Milwaukee, NY/NJ, and a few more. Now, no one is taking an entire operational stack to a hamfest, too many problems with frequency coordination for 2M, and just way too big when you include duplexers and other stuff. But what is common is a 440 MHz only stack. You can put an entire package in a 12U case that is readily transportable. I’ve got one (KJ4BDF) and Mark KJ4VO has another (WB4HRO). There’s one or two in Alabama and I believe a couple of more around the country. Mine is designed as an ARES portable repeater, but it doesn’t second duty (and provides excellent practice) for hamfests and meetings. The “demo” box that Icom has for hamfests is commonly called the icebox. (It looks like a refrigerator when closing) This isn’t the system (AFAIK) that has been used at Dayton. The Dayton system has been one that the Texas Team brings to the event. I also had mine up there last year. Ahh, didn't know that. Even more silly. Icom's relying on other folks to demo their products. Absolutely, and that’s the way Amateur Radio has been for years. I certainly hope that you are going around to clubs and events and talking up D-STAR and not expecting Icom to do so. Icom will bring in the icebox and they show it in their standard booth. But as to having a live repeater, well, there is this little thing with the FCC about using Amateur Radio to promote your business. All I'm reading into your message is that you (a volunteer with no monetary interest) is doing a better job at having mobile gear up and working at local events than the folks who have funding and are selling the product??? Was that the point you were trying to make? I’m not selling Icom, I’m selling D-STAR. So I'm confused. Are you taking a hot-spot of some sort (Satoshi board) or a complete stack of official Icom repeaters? Just curious... goes back to the "who the heck paid for that?" question at the top. They are standard Icom based repeaters, bought off the shelf like all the others. I paid for mine. Forums are definitely required. I did two of them at the Colorado event and had lots of questions from folks later on, but all I could do was simplex demos. Back when I did talks on IRLP, I brought a Node and had it working via DIAL-UP IP in the hotel room on the GSM CODEC. I couldn't afford to bring a D-STAR Stack. Then you are fighting the chicken and egg problem. You’ve got to find some way to break out of it. The DVDongle is an excellent way to demonstrate at meetings. You can connect audio up to speakers and people can see and hear what you are doing. The DV Access Point will give similar capabilities, but I still find that it is easier and more audible to use a DVDongle to do presentations. HT speakers at full volume make any signal sound crappy. “But I’m not demonstrating real radio” Yep, and that’s a great feature. With D-STAR, not only can you use a radio, but you can use the DVDongle or the DVAP. You can extend the D-STAR network anywhere that there’s Internet coverage and beyond. Just this morning I heard Mark KJ4VO talking to Kawa in Japan. Kawa’s HT battery died and he just switched to the DVDongle and continued his conversation. It’s more tools in the tool belt. We'll see how the pricing is on the hotspot. Maybe I will get one of those for such things. There's only about five events I'd want to take D-STAR to each year around here, really, and only two that have enough interested tech folks who'd want to hear about D-STAR... Presenting D-STAR is appropriate for ANY event. Don’t think or give people the impression that there’s anything techy about D-STAR. D-STAR is for everyone to use. The DV-AP is shown on the HRO site www.HamRadio.com<http://www.HamRadio.com> for $250. Search for manufacturer Inet Labs and you’ll find it. Ed WA4YIH
