On Sep 4, 2009, at 3:50 PM, Bill Cherepy wrote: > While I appreciate you taking the time and trouble to answer my > question, It's WAY too much info for me to digest. What the question > probably should have been it this:
That's the spirit! Give up when presented with the answer! (GRIN!) > If I connect to a local D-Star repeater and have WD7STRCL in UR and > another station via another D-Star has already linked to WD7STR, > will I be able to link? If so, how many repeaters can link? What you're describing by way of reverse-engineering your UR string there, is D-Plus linking, not D-STAR linking. D-Plus is an add-on software package that runs on Icom Internet Gateways. It's only found on U.S. Trust-Server based D-STAR systems, as far as I know. D-STAR linking, doesn't exist. In a D-Plus link, a Repeater module can either be linked to one other repeater module off-site (never back to the same site), or a "Reflector" which is limited mainly by bandwidth as to how many repeaters can link into it. (I'm sure there's a software limitation also, but it's high enough that I doubt anyone has run into it yet, in practice... and Robin would have to answer that question, since D-Plus is written, maintained, and documented, by one guy.) Raw D-STAR has no concept of "linking" at all, it's similar to a "source-routed" network. In fact, D-STAR as a protocol has zero concept of Internet transport in any way. The ability to send/receive between D-STAR repeaters via the Internet, started with Icom's proprietary and largely un-documented Gateway software implementation. Icom's answer to "linking" is Multicast, which requires that the administrators of each system participating set up a special callsign that will send copies of your transmissions to up to ten other Gateways simultaneously. To talk back using the same callsign, all the other Gateway admins also have to set up the reverse routing, and configure it the same so everyone can hear everyone else. In that case, the limitation is built into the Icom Gateway software. So, the answer to your question is not only complex, but likely to change over time, since "all it takes" is a software change at the Gateway to change the answer. None of this stuff is set in stone, other than users would likely be reluctant to changing it, out of habits already built. (e.g. You already know how to command a D-Plus link, but had no idea it was add-on software, nor that there are other ways to accomplish similar "routing" to another repeater, up to 10 at a time. So... Icom could change it, or If Robin has other plans or changes coming for D-Plus, they aren't publicized, so your answer could also be changed tomorrow by that. You just never know. Today the answer for what you're trying to do there is: D-Plus will link one local repeater module to one remote repeater module, OR to a Reflector channel. The specifications of the Reflector software, and available bandwidth of the Reflectors is not published in most cases. -- Nate Duehr, WY0X n...@natetech.com facebook.com/denverpilot twitter.com/denverpilot
