>From the ARES E-LETTER by K1CE, Rick Palm, Flagler County, Fla. (this also was emailed to ARRL members)
The View from Flagler County After almost a year without an Emergency Coordinator (EC) and no ARESR organization here in the county, I am excited about a revitalization effort currently underway. We have a new District Emergency Coordinator (DEC), and I am hopeful that we will also have a new EC shortly. And that's only half of the breaking news: We are also securing new hardware/software in the county for access to the emerging digital voice and data network that offers unlimited opportunity for emergency communications. We are seeing a new dawn here under a D-STAR-lit sky. The KA4RES D-STAR repeater project in Flagler is nearing completion and is expected to be operational (without Gateway) by the time you read this. Gateway access is expected soon. It's a "Two-Stack System" with two-meter and 440 MHz modules. System designer, owner and implementer Mike Lee, WB6RTH, reported that we will have full digital voice (DV) and slow-speed data capabilities, which includes simultaneous 1200 bps data transfer on the same frequency at the same time. KJ4RJN is the club call sign of the new Flagler D-STAR Users Group and is open to all licensed hams interested in D-STAR. The equipment is owned by Lee, and is privately funded and operated for the benefit of all licensed hams in the Flagler, Volusia and St. Johns county areas here on the upper east coast of Florida. The goal is to close the gap between Jacksonville and the Orlando area with multiple D-STAR systems so as to provide continuous coverage in the I-95 corridor. There is no membership in the Flagler D-STAR group: no dues, no roster, and no commitment. "This is a 100% privately funded effort to promote D-STAR in the area," said Lee. D-STAR hands-on workshops are planned for introduction of the ICOM models IC-92AD, IC-91AD (both handhelds), IC-2820, IC-2200H and ID-880H (mobiles). Lee said "we want to ensure that there is sufficient infrastructure on the ground as well as ample "Elmers" to handle the training needs of the expected influx of new D-STAR users." D-STAR has numerous advantages over traditional repeater systems: it is not dependent on its weakest link. If one part of the D-STAR network is taken out by a storm, for example, collateral circulation is quickly established for seamless communication continuity across town or across the country. With a traditional repeater system, an antenna on top of a 1,000-foot tower may sound good on paper, but would be the first to come down in a hurricane. Even if the tower survived, it's not easy to get an antenna re-installed quickly (or cheaply at more than a $1,000 for a licensed and insured tower climber to put it back in place). It would not be credible to tell you all of this if I didn't try the D-STAR technology myself, so I bought the expensive digital board (UT-118) and had the staff at AES in Orlando install it in my pre-existing IC-2200H. See "K1CE For a Final" at the end of this newsletter for my early experiences with digital voice and this exciting new technology and opportunity for not only Flagler county, but everywhere. Rick Palm, K1CE http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/ares-el/?issue=2010-02-24 Note from Evans Mitchell, KD4EFM Let me add a note that this now means a traveling ham from the Tampa area will be able to communicate back to Tampa from the North East Florida area, once the gateway is online for KA4RES. All of I-4 from Tampa to Daytona has D-Star coverage. With Flagler County, your going to get I-95 coverage from I-4, north towards Jacksonville. Much like Georgia, with height coverage, Florida is growing with INTERSTATE coverage... I-4 is covered by D-Star, North I-95 is getting coverage, in the works is I-4 @ I-95 southward, through Brevard County (Cocoa Beach area), Melbourne down to Plantation is still empty with marginal coverage from the Lakeland and Orlando sites, and then Dade County areas being covered by W4BUG. Missing in action would be south I-75 and North I-75. NI4CE, W4RNT, KJ4ARB, combined, covers from Sarasota County to Pasco County on I-75. KJ4ACN, a full stack site in Lakeland, covers from I-75 and I-4, to Highway 192 (Disney World Area), While K1XC, another Full Stack Site, covers from Highway 27 and I-4 to Sanford, Fla. There are also intermediate sites in the Orlando area to assist with HT coverage as well. Next would be coverage along I-10 from Panama City to Jax.... W4WAK covers the Tallahassee area of I-10. Again more information as it comes, will be posted on the Florida D-Star Information site at www.florida-dstar.info * PLEASE NOTE, THE SITES MENTIONED HERE-IN ARE SITES WITH GATEWAYS THAT ARE KNOWN AND CURRENTLY RUNNING. THERE ARE A FEW SITES THAT ARE NOT ON THE NETWORK BUT ON THE AIR. Evans F. Mitchell KD4EFM / WQFK-894 Fla. D-Star Tech Support Group http://www.florida-dstar.info Polk ARES A.E.C. http://www.polkemcomm.org BB8330 PIN: 30965B58
