Will, Not much to linking. Check out http://www.k6mdd.org/k6mdd/dpluslinking.html You may find after reading that page, you can skip the rest of this note.
DPlus is an app that most repeater owners outside Japan add to their repeater software. It allows authorized users (typically everyone, but that's up to the admin) to issue Link and Unlink commands. Let's say you want to link your nearby repeater to a repeater in the town where you grew up. You'd set up at least four memories in your D-Star radio -- one for normal talking on the local repeater, one to Unlink, one to Link to the target repeater or reflector, and one to re-establish where the local repeater is normally linked. Best way to find out how your repeater is normally linked is to check out their Dashboard, for example https://k6mdd.dstargateway.org/ So you check and your local repeater is quiet, and you set your radio to the unlink memory and press PTT. You then select the Link memory for your desired repeater/reflector and press PTT, then switch to the normal talk memory (with CQCQCQ for URCall) and chat with people on the other end. Once linked, a repeater will pass through everyone who has taken the trouble to set RPT2 to the repeater's Gateway. Oh, they must also be properly registered on some repeater in the D-Star network. When done, you just select unlink and PTT, then optionally select link for normal linked refelctor and PTT. This is a courtesy since a lot of repeaters like to stay permanently linked to some particular reflector. How to do this? It's all done with URCall, RPT1 and RPT2. Just set up memories to do each of the follow, for example. For normal talking: URCall = CQCQCQ RPT1 = the repeater and module you are talking to RPT2 = the gateway of the repeater you are talking to Assuming you normally talk on K6MDD port C: URCall = CQCQCQ RPT1 = K6MDD..C (port in 8th position, dots are spaces) RPT2 = K6MDD..G To Unlink: URCall = .......U (Unlink command in 8th) RPT1/2 same as above To Link to reflector 14C: URCall = REF014CL RPT1/2 same as above To link to K5TIT port B: URCall = K5TIT.BL (port in 7th, L in 8th) RPT1/2 same as above Turns out the DVAP also supports DPlus linking and unlinking. Not a surprise since the author of DPlus, Robin Cutshaw, is also the author of the the DV Dongle and DVAP software. So you can link your own DVAP directly to any Dplus repeater or reflector. Jim - K6JM ----- Original Message ----- From: Will To: dstar_digital@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, July 14, 2010 7:55 AM Subject: [DSTAR_DIGITAL] Re: The Next New Guy with Questions John, Thanks for the detailed response. I read it twice to make sure I did not miss anything. Too bad the DVAP does not have the AMBE technology. I would think a DVAP + DV-Dongle type product would be real usefull. Something that would allow a ham to use a VHF/UHF radio they already have as a simple "FM wireless Link" to a DV-Dongle. That would allow the Hams on limited budgets to get into digital and still use a radio. I would think it would need to decode CTCSS or PL Tones and tune to a number of Simpley frequencies. When I have mentioned that I was going to try D-STAR many of the Hams I know were very negative about it.... "It's not ham radio if you can't make it yourself" and so on.... but I then asked them when was the last time they built a full featured dual band radio that fits in their hand? Then they through the cost thing at me, which I agree in this economy is a little pricy, but so is any new piece of radio gear. You mentioned the Reflectors, ie: REF014C, I still have some reading and learning to do here. I understand the principles of linking to other repeters and networking (in my day job I work with high speed serial optical/copper networking and protocol conversion) but I don't know how to do it and what is acceptable to do on the repeaters. Guess I need to spend more time listening to the repeters to see what goes on. Anyway, thanks for your email - it helped me learn more about D-STAR. Will - N7IPY
