On May 9, 2008, at 11:51 AM, Ron Wright wrote: > Mike, > > You are so correct on the ICOM D-Star repeaters. I like their > mobiles and HTs...have very well thought out features, but the > repeater, as you said, is simply 2 mobiles in a box. From some > locals who know much on this subject are not only not impressed with > the repeaters, but are also disappointed.
Our tech crew is a little disppointed here locally in the quality of these boxes too, but we also aren't going to let that "get us down". It's possible to make them work, we believe. Some concerns about their overall shielding (desense) have come up during tests -- we'll see how they do in the real world of high mountain RF sites... > However, since the D-Star controller talks and controls the > repeaters with a cat-5 serial data cable/stream one is locked into > ICOM. Not really. The serial stream is "reverse-engineerable", probably mostly from the D-STAR *protocol* itself. I haven't done it, but there's a group in California who has put a microcontroller between the Icom controller and their repeater modules to do things like have remote control of the repeater modules individually, delay the digital signals coming from the controller while keying the TX to handle a slow-to-switch VHF PA, add PTT/COS indications, etc. Any decent "serial protocol engineer" of which there are MANY in ham radio, should be able to figure it out, they say. Additionally, the "proprietary" part of Icom's system is the Gateway server, and there's been plenty of work already on add-on software for the gateway that adds features people wanted (easier "nailed up" linking, the beginnings of an IRLP-like "Reflector" system for multiple link connects simultaneously, voice announcements, etc.), and the ultimate "goal" of at least a few individuals is to replace or make better the Icom Gateway system itself. A lot of opinions and fuss out there about stuff that "really shouldn't be that hard" for technically minded hams willing to experiment. I originally would have agreed that I wouldn't pay the price tag for these things, but after getting hands-on with one, they're not THAT bad... and the Gateway is definitely the "brains" of the system. Lots of things can be done there to make it better, and true callsign routing whoops P25's ass any day of the week... built for hams, by hams... so to speak. If they could up the quality of the repeaters themselves, it'd be well worth the money. -- Nate Duehr, WY0X [EMAIL PROTECTED]
