Randall WW5RM wrote: (snip) > So like I said whats the point? I can't see the point > of going DIGITAL with my Voice communications. FM sounds > so much better than HF that I am totaly happy with that. > So what do I need to save the extra band width for? > I can't send Text MSG thru it. I see where you can add > a exspensive GPS and send location DATA thru it but why? > I can't add a laptop and see other stations on it like APRS can. > D-STAR is going to have to add alot more features to sell > these exspensive radios to us because at the present time > it just isn't worth the hassle and change over from what > we already have. It doesn't make sense.
I don't have any links handy - but maybe want you should take a look at is some of the basic ICOM collateral pieces ... there are a couple of multi-page documents (handed out at Dayton and other hamfests) that in simple terms describe what D-STAR is and what you can do with it. Even includes pictures and graphics to help convey the message. (These have to be somewhere in PDF form.) There's lots of reasons to go digital - or D-STAR. Although maybe I won't see it in my lifetime ... it would be interesting to try to get some consistency with the 2m band plans in North America and rechannel. Using narrower bandwidth emissions we could have a lot more systems on. >From real world experience (we've replaced two analog 70cm repeaters with D-STAR repeaters) we are finding that the D-STAR systems are providing better coverage for weak signal work. Of course, YMMV. D-STAR allows for the simultaneous transmission of data along with digital voice. Today this data (in the case of a rig like the 2820) can contain GPS information. Built on top of D-STAR capabilities a D-STAR repeater with a gateway and Internet connection can pass the D-STAR GPS info into the APRS system. Most (if not all) D-STAR radios expose some kind of a serial interface that allows you to send and receive data over the D-STAR transmission. There are a number of software applications that have been written that can interconnect via D-STAR - in fact, there have been emergency communications drills that have totally been done without voice, just computer-to-computer data. The D-STAR protocol allows for callsign connectivity. An appropriately configured repeater (with the gateway software and an Internet connection) can communicate with other repeaters. You can talk to me without even knowing what repeater system I am on - the gateways will take care of that. And I have not even touched the 23cm high speed data capabilities with the ID1 that has an Ethernet jack and does TCP/IP. Maybe someone has a link to one of Jim MIJ's presentations; that would also be a great primer on D-STAR. As I mentioned in my previous post - D-STAR is a great foundation ... and a lot of things can be / are being built on top of it. 73 Bob McCormick W1QA
