Hi Earl -- The way I learned about DStar was just reading around on the related web sites. If you Google DStar, or D-Star, ... you will get a lot of hits and you just need to dig in. The are some articles and reviews of the radios in QST as well. If you want to hear the developers in person, there are a series of videos available from Gary Pierce, KN4AQ, at www.ARVideoNews.com. I really enjoy these videos. There are some introductory ones that provide an overview of all the digital modes while others are presentations from Dayton or the ARRL/TAPR conference.
In my experience D-Star and FM are about equal for simple voice work. The difference is that FM kind of fades away, with increasing noise levels, as you move out of range of a repeater. Generally D-Star is either there and perfectly clear, or not there at all. Sometimes you hear "R2D2" digital artifacts on marginal conditions, but I get these mostly on start up. The big improvement that DStar provides is in the linking and networking of repeaters. ICOM provides a base set of routing and linking methods. Add on software provides another layer of capabilities that are getting to be really impressive. Using Reflectors wide area nets can be set up with relative ease. I use ICOM 2820 and 880 mobile radios and recommend both. The 2820 has dual receivers so you can monitor two different frequencies, either in the same or different bands. The 880 only has a single vfo, so only one frequency at a time, although you can scan. Both radios work well on FM as well. Practically it is display size and price that differentiate the radios. When you do get your radio, or Dongle, you need to register with a gateway somewhere. Let me know off line and I can register you on the NM5WR gateway. You might be closer to one of the gateways in Texas and they might be willing to register you as well. Good luck with DStar, 73, Richard Browning/AD5RB. --- In dstar_digital@yahoogroups.com, "Earl Needham" <earl.kd...@...> wrote: > > Hi all -- I'm the new guy here. Name is Earl & I live in Clovis, NM. I've > been a licensed ham for a bit over 25 years. > ... > So how do I start learning about D Star? > > Tnx > Earl > > > KD5XB -- Earl Needham > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cw_bugs > Quoting from the Coast Guard: ZUT > Posted via Blackberry >
