At 08:25 AM 2/20/2010, E.A. King III W5EAK wrote:
...We are leaning toward the D Star, but need to wait until there are
repeaters in our area before spending the bucks.
73,
Rex W5EAK, Vicki K5VLK
Hi, Rex and Vicki,
There is a relatively inexpensive ($200) "entry" to D-STAR from outside a
D-STAR repeater area - the DVDongle (www.DVDongle.com). It's a little USB
plug-in to your computer that lets you listen and talk through D-STAR
repeaters via the Internet (more than half the D-STAR repeaters on the air
today have an Internet connection). If you're familiar with Echolink, it's
a similar concept, except it costs $200 and only works through D-STAR
repeaters. It's been very popular, and if you end up getting deeper into
D-STAR, it will continue to serve you well when traveling.
I also invite you to visit my web site (www.arvideonews.com) for lots of
D-STAR information. I have a video (Digital Voice for Amateur Radio, $20
DVD) that provides a good introduction to D-STAR, though it does not go
into depth on the GPS aspect, and several other related videos from
conferences and seminars.
And yes, Georgia is building out an extensive D-STAR network. It will
eventually have nearly statewide coverage, though I'm sure there will be a
dead spot here and there. And while it is going to be a few years before
most repeaters have a strong local user community, the ability to connect
the repeaters to "reflectors" (servers that link multiple repeaters
worldwide) means that you can have lots of activity anywhere and anytime
you want.
73,
Gary KN4AQ
ARVN: Amateur Radio//Video News
Gary Pearce KN4AQ
508 Spencer Crest Ct.
Cary, NC 27513
<mailto:[email protected]>[email protected]
919-380-9944
www.ARVideoNews.com
