At 02:10 PM 11/18/2008, you wrote: >I don't think that connecting analogue audio systems to D-STAR is a >backward step at all. If anything it is a step forward, this will allow >users of analogue systems to potentially see the benefits/features of >D-STAR for those who have yet to be exposed to it. Ham radio is all >about experimenting, why not experiment with connecting D-STAR to >analogue systems, sounds like a natural evolution to me.
Well, I'm somewhere in the middle of the road. On one hand, I do see real harm can be done if we allow analogue links into D-STAR willy-nilly. However, there are a number of scenarios where such links are of real benefit. 1. Interoperability - allows easier contact between emergency networks. For example, if analogue systems were able to connect to the SE D_STAR Skywarn Net during hurricanes, us at the VoIP WX Net would be able to have more liaisons to gather reports from that net. 2. Remote areas - Some areas simply don't have the density of amateurs to build a gateway. Cheaper alternatives would be good - ideally, digital with a low cost interface, but analogue simplex (or a properly configured repeater - no hang time, etc) connected in would at least allow _some_ communication with D-STAR users, even though there's some facilities missing, such as callsign based routing and squelch, and the data channel. 3. Private networks - I have an issue where the best machine to run a dongle on is not the best one to use the speakers and mic on, so it's nice if I can use Speak Freely over the LAN to act as a remote microphone. DVTool bogs down one laptop (lack of memory) and doesn't run well on the other (think that's a CPU issue). Functionally, this is much the same as a DV Dongle running DVTool (i.e. I would be using a headset and mic on one PC, just that the Dongle is located on another, and I'm using a client that is "lighter" in memory footprint than DVTool). 73 de VK3JED http://vkradio.com
