Embedded From: dstar_digital@yahoogroups.com [mailto:dstar_digi...@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Nate Duehr Sent: Tuesday, January 19, 2010 12:34 PM To: dstar_digital@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [DSTAR_DIGITAL] Re: New guy
On 1/18/2010 2:08 AM, J. Moen wrote: Imagine a USB Dongle with a 10 milliwatt FM transceiver built into it. It plugs into your PC that runs dongle software to allow connection into the D-Star network of repeaters and reflectors. D-Star radios, most likely HTs, that are nearby, can use this DV Access Point to connect in. I see lots of utility in this. You can roam around your shack, in some cases, perhaps around your property, and stay connected. Or, check into a motel or hotel with internet access, set up the DVAP, and you and your travelling friends can connect into your favorite reflector with your D-Star HTs. It's a niche, but maybe a useful one. In terms of something more "useful", I could see it being used at well-connected Emergency Operations Centers, Comm Vans/Trailers that have good IP access, etc. I hope it's way more tolerant to IP latency than the DV-Dongle. I suspect that the number one use will be people from inside their homes. Many "real" uses for this in emergency comms, but those places that would need it are often hooked to the Net via Satellite-based IP. Do you travel with hams often? I don't unless it's to Dayton or somewhere similar. Maybe useful at a Regional ARRL convention or hamfest. We tried to have the stack in Icom's cabinet up and working (what sells radios better than hams with their own radios showing off the technology?!) for the ARRL Rocky Mtn Region Convention the last time it was in Colorado. I tried REALLY hard to get Icom Sales interested in properly setting up their "road-show" booth with a WORKING D-STAR stack, and ran into numerous "willpower" issues. They're not interested. That’s why there is a growing number of portable repeaters to provide that function. We haven’t had a hamfest around here in the last few years without a gateway connected stack. And for the last year, a number of the hamfests have had two different stacks deployed. They work with some people to get it running at Dayton I think, but offers of setting up mobile broadband routers, something that would use hotel WiFi and establish a VPN to get a static public IP, etc... were all rebuffed prior to the event. I gave up, as we all had better things to spend our time on than arguing with Icom. They also stated they could NOT (policy?) load D-Plus or any non-Icom software on the GW machine serving their official demo rack. The “demo” box that Icom has for hamfests is commonly called the icebox. (It looks like a refrigerator when closing) This isn’t the system (AFAIK) that has been used at Dayton. The Dayton system has been one that the Texas Team brings to the event. I also had mine up there last year. I’m with them, I wouldn’t want anyone playing with my computers either. The icebox is used weekend after weekend and there is no time or personnel available to fix it. But again, I believe that it actually was the Texas stack that you are referring to. The brain damage level got too high, even for me, and I'm pretty patient, since I work in Customer Service for an equipment (telco, non-radio) manufacturer and understand the Corporate "slowness to decide", etc. So yeah, put up a "hotspot" at a hamfest, and sell more Icom repeaters and radios, because they're not interested in showing off their own technology... Sure, why not? ;-) Like I said, we’ve been doing it for years. Of course, to make best use of it, you should also schedule one or more forums to talk about D-STAR. Rumors are that this DVAP is being developed by the same people who brought us the DV Dongle. I doubt it will officially appear on the website until it is generally available. I didn't think it was a "rumor"... didn't Robin actually mention that he was involved on one of the lists? I can't think of a whole lot of folks who have the motivation to build such a thing other than the developers of the DV-Dongle. Definitely not a rumor, HRO has been taking orders for them (the initial shipment is really close to being sold out). It is indeed manufactured by the same group that does the DVDongle. Mark, KJ4VO has been testing one for over a month. Current estimates are that they first group will be available by the end of the month. And I believe that the transmitter is 20mW (hey that 3dB over 10mW) Robin announced it at Dayton last year and he is now showing the working device off at nearby events. It does exist, I’ve used and touched it. It’s even listed on HRO’s website. Ed WA4YIH
