wb6ymh wrote: > Technical question: Does a DSTAR radio automatically switch between > analog and digital? i.e. can the DSTAR user hear the analog activity > when his radio is in DStar mode so he can "share" the frequency? > > Sharing between digital and analog was tried back in the packet > days... to say the least it didn't work. > > 73's Skip WB6YMH > > > > Hi Skip,
Dang service call broke into coffee time, but I did get to visit the local hams for a bit. As far as I know the DSTAR user radios can be set to busy channel lock out, so they will not transmit when there is anything on the channel. They also have an S Meter that will show activity, and can be set to monitor for analog or digital. One down side would be the internet gateway. I can direct a call to the DSTAR repeater in Malibu, CA from here in Temple, Texas and have no idea whether the channel in Malibu had analog traffic or not. Local folks could be observant, but folks thru the gateway would not know. This may be how folks contrive the DSTAR repeater to be an AUX Station because it can be caused to transmit by another station via the internet in another area. This may be a secondary function, though, because primarily the repeater works as a repeater, and I would venture that 2/3 of the DSTAR systems in the US are not connected to the internet. 73, Steve NU5D
