Re: [DSTAR_DIGITAL] I Want To Know???
milkman wrote: It seems to me that D-Star could just be a huge money pit at this time. It depends on how you go about it. I bought a 91AD at Dayton, just to get my feet wet. It cost about the same as my favorite QRP radio (FT-817ND) or about half of my inexpensive HF QRO radio. Turns out my QTH suffers from multipath to the nearest D-Star repeater. I joined a Yahoo Group of local D-Star users, and one of them had a used 800H at a good price. Picked that up and it ended up in my car. Another Ham had a Mirage BD-35 amp that boosted my HT's output -- again, it was a good deal. By that time I realized the people on the area's D-Star repeaters were interesting, and the people on the linked reflectors were too. Recently I put up a D-Star Hotspot at my house. I had a spare analog FM VHF/UHF radio and a laptop that normally sits idle except when travelling, so the HotSpot cost less than $150. This allows my D-Star HT access into the D-Star network of repeaters and worldwide reflectors -- at low power it provides well over a mile coverage around my QTH. I can boost the power if I need to. This non-ICOM D-Star addition to my shack is working out very nicely. I enjoy HF, particularly digital modes. When I look at HF radios, linears and antennas, that is the biggest money pit part of my hobby. I have two working boatanchor stations that I've sunk some money into -- way more than my D-Star costs. I also enjoy QRP, and I get a lot of pleasure there for not much money spent. D-Star is the same -- not much money but a lot of fun. Jim - K6JM - Original Message - From: milkman To: dstar_digital@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, May 05, 2010 4:49 PM Subject: [DSTAR_DIGITAL] I Want To Know??? I'm new to this group and would like to start off first saying Hello to everyone here. Now what I don't understand is this. It seems to me that D-Star could just be a huge money pit at this time. As I look around my state we have 4 D-Star repeaters total. Out of over 230 repeaters. And none of the D-Star work. What I'd like to know is. If there are 660,000 Ham in the US. And less than 3000 on D-Star. How long is it before the other 663,000 catch on to D-Star. And is it worth the effort? And wait for this format get up and running? And if D-Star is so great. why hasn't Kenwood Yaesu joined in? Because just reading post in this group. And looking at our D-Star repeaters in MD. Just makes me wonder if I could be throwing good money after bad? And anything that seems to divide the Hams can't be good. Can it?
Re: [DSTAR_DIGITAL] I Want To Know???
On May 6, 2010, at 2:34 AM, J. Moen wrote: milkman wrote: It seems to me that D-Star could just be a huge money pit at this time. It depends on how you go about it. I bought a 91AD at Dayton, just to get my feet wet. It cost about the same as my favorite QRP radio (FT-817ND) or about half of my inexpensive HF QRO radio. Have to agree here also... my other hobby inside of Ham Radio is weak signal VHF+ work... one transverter for 10 GHz from Down East Microwave will easily dwarf the price of the least expensive D-STAR rigs, and is still higher than the most expensive by a small amount. And then you still need an IF rig (VHF 144.2 SSB) to drive it, a dish, a feedhorn, some semi-rigid to hook it all up... And that's just one band... the current collection of rigs cover SSB/CW/FM/WSJT/Whatever Mode on 6m, 2m, 220 MHz, 440 MHz, 902 MHz, 1.2 GHz, and 10 GHz... and that doesn't include the HF rig(s)... or the add-on amplifiers and receive pre-amps, power distribution... etc. Yep, ham radio is definitely a money pit... but the D-STAR rigs didn't dig as big a hole in the pit as some of those above! (GRIN!) I may be sellin' some of this stuff soon... way too many rigs sitting unused and other irons in the fire. Did I mention the analog HT's?! Or the P25/analog HT on loan from a club?! Hmm. I forgot my repeater gear... and all the repeater gear the club has stored at my house as spares... and the broken stuff that needs bench time... LOL! The collection tends to grow... instead of getting smaller over the years... not quite ready to be documented on that TV show Hoarders yet, but starting to feel the space/storage bulge! I've seen worse, though! -- Nate Duehr, WY0X n...@natetech.com
Re: [DSTAR_DIGITAL] I Want To Know???
Nate, Any chance you will be doing Dayton this year ? Dan Thompson d...@waycom.com
Re: [DSTAR_DIGITAL] I Want To Know???
On May 6, 2010, at 3:19 AM, Daniel G. Thompson wrote: Nate, Any chance you will be doing Dayton this year ? Dan Thompson d...@waycom.com I should probably answer this off-list, since it's off-topic, but... Dayton's highly unlikely this year -- I've got plans to be at Airventure.org over in Oshkosh, WI later on in the summer, and Seattle in the fall... Wanna meet up at the Boeing or Telecom museums? I gotta go see those! ;-) Heh heh. -- Nate Duehr, WY0X n...@natetech.com http://facebook.com/denverpilot http://twitter.com/denverpilot
RE: [DSTAR_DIGITAL] I Want To Know???
From: dstar_digital@yahoogroups.com [mailto:dstar_digi...@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Woodrick, Ed Sent: Thursday, May 06, 2010 12:35 AM To: dstar_digital@yahoogroups.com Subject: RE: [DSTAR_DIGITAL] I Want To Know??? There are over 500 repeaters worldwide and I believe that slightly over half of that is in the US. Actually there are many, many more. There are about 500 just on the K5TIT trust, and there are several other trust networks now. Also, there are plenty of DVAR (not including hotspots) and non gateway connected repeaters. Like regular FM, the exact number of Dstar compatible machines is no longer known. The northeastern corridor has been one of the slowest to adopt D-STAR, but has increased dramatically since Dayton last year. It's terribly difficult to get a machine on the air up here. At least in NYC, finding a frequency, site, not to mention the extremely high cost of broadband internet access (Verizon charges commercial rates for DSL at repeater sites up here, so no $20 service, hopefully Clearwire Wi-Max will launch in a month or two) is an uphill battle. But now that non Icom solutions for repeaters are available, I'm sure more systems will pop up. Gary KB2BSL/WG2MSK
RE: [DSTAR_DIGITAL] I Want To Know???
All I can say is good work Ed Tom Woodrick wrote: You might want to get your numbers straight. There are over 12,000 users registered worldwide. The system hears over 1800 users transmit every day. There are over 500 repeaters worldwide and I believe that slightly over half of that is in the US. The northeastern corridor has been one of the slowest to adopt D-STAR, but has increased dramatically since Dayton last year. I have to take ask when you say that none of the 4 D-STAR repeaters near you work, do you mean that you can't reach them? From what I can see W3AGB is nearest to you at 37 miles, so that's pretty far away. And of the 663,000 US Amateurs that you refer to, don't think that they all are active, don't think that they are all on VHF/UHF, the number is much, much less. Amateur Radio has many facets, voice, CW, digital, satellite, EME, and many more. D-STAR is probably one of the cheapest, except for FM, modes of operation in Amateur Radio. Want to talk about money pits? Try looking at the cost of a decent satellite station. Want to make D-STAR look free, look at the cost of some of the big EME stations. We're talking 6 to 7 digits worth of radios and antennas. Dependent on your viewpoint, Amateur Radio in general is a money pit. But if you are an individual that likes to stay abreast of new technologies. If you like to try new things. If you like to talk to people around the world, then D-STAR is actually a quite respectable part of Amateur Radio and since all D-STAR radios ALSO do FM, it's actually one of the cheapest new, advanced modes that exist. (FYI, under no stretch of anyone's imagination should packet and APRS be considered new technology. There are college graduates that were born after packet was created!) And finally And anything that seems to divide the Hams can't be good. Can it? ROTFLMAO! Put 5 hams in a room, ask a question, you'll usually get 7 different answers! Hams make the Republicans and Democrats seem united! Ed WA4YIH From: dstar_digital@yahoogroups.com [mailto:dstar_digi...@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of milkman Sent: Wednesday, May 05, 2010 7:49 PM To: dstar_digital@yahoogroups.com Subject: [DSTAR_DIGITAL] I Want To Know??? I'm new to this group and would like to start off first saying Hello to everyone here. Now what I don't understand is this. It seems to me that D-Star could just be a huge money pit at this time. As I look around my state we have 4 D-Star repeaters total. Out of over 230 repeaters. And none of the D-Star work. What I'd like to know is. If there are 660,000 Ham in the US. And less than 3000 on D-Star. How long is it before the other 663,000 catch on to D-Star. And is it worth the effort? And wait for this format get up and running? And if D-Star is so great. why hasn't Kenwood Yaesu joined in? Because just reading post in this group. And looking at our D-Star repeaters in MD. Just makes me wonder if I could be throwing good money after bad? And anything that seems to divide the Hams can't be good. Can it?
[DSTAR_DIGITAL] I Want To Know???
I'm new to this group and would like to start off first saying Hello to everyone here. Now what I don't understand is this. It seems to me that D-Star could just be a huge money pit at this time. As I look around my state we have 4 D-Star repeaters total. Out of over 230 repeaters. And none of the D-Star work. What I'd like to know is. If there are 660,000 Ham in the US. And less than 3000 on D-Star. How long is it before the other 663,000 catch on to D-Star. And is it worth the effort? And wait for this format get up and running? And if D-Star is so great. why hasn't Kenwood Yaesu joined in? Because just reading post in this group. And looking at our D-Star repeaters in MD. Just makes me wonder if I could be throwing good money after bad? And anything that seems to divide the Hams can't be good. Can it?
Re: [DSTAR_DIGITAL] I Want To Know???
On May 5, 2010, at 4:49 PM, milkman wrote: I'm new to this group and would like to start off first saying Hello to everyone here. Now what I don't understand is this. It seems to me that D-Star could just be a huge money pit at this time. As I look around my state we have 4 D-Star repeaters total. Out of over 230 repeaters. And none of the D-Star work. What I'd like to know is. If there are 660,000 Ham in the US. And less than 3000 on D- Star. How long is it before the other 663,000 catch on to D-Star. And is it worth the effort? Hi, back at you. Welcome to the group. Do you have a callsign and name? Every new mode/technology has a startup. A few pioneers to start it out. One can choose to be a pioneer and learn by doing the research and experimentation. If one just wants a tried and true system, they can use cellphones or wireline. And wait for this format get up and running? It is up and running 24x7x365 and growing as people discover its capabilities. The last 10-18 months has seen a marked increase in home brew work with node adapters, sound card GMSK, new software, and other components. And if D-Star is so great. why hasn't Kenwood Yaesu joined in? Egos. (BTW, Kenwood does sell D-STAR in Japan, albeit a rebadged Icom radio.) Because just reading post in this group. And looking at our D-Star repeaters in MD. Just makes me wonder if I could be throwing good money after bad? A decision only you can make. It would help if the Maryland repeater(s) were on the gateway network -- maybe you could contact them and see what their plans are, or even help them get there? And anything that seems to divide the Hams can't be good. Can it? Let's see: Spark vs CW AM vs SSB HF Packet vs CW/RTTY/... PSK31 vs CW/RTTY/... SSTV vs SSB ATV vs Everyone AM vs FM on VHF Contests vs. Nets and Ragchewers ... Hams in general seem to be a pretty independent and passionate crowd, that leads to frictions sometimes and more often than not forgetting first and foremost this is a hobby. John D. Hays Amateur Radio Station K7VE PO Box 1223 Edmonds, WA 98020-1223 VOIP/SIP: j...@hays.org Phone: 206-801-0820 801-790-0950 Email: j...@hays.org
RE: [DSTAR_DIGITAL] I Want To Know???
You might want to get your numbers straight. There are over 12,000 users registered worldwide. The system hears over 1800 users transmit every day. There are over 500 repeaters worldwide and I believe that slightly over half of that is in the US. The northeastern corridor has been one of the slowest to adopt D-STAR, but has increased dramatically since Dayton last year. I have to take ask when you say that none of the 4 D-STAR repeaters near you work, do you mean that you can't reach them? From what I can see W3AGB is nearest to you at 37 miles, so that's pretty far away. And of the 663,000 US Amateurs that you refer to, don't think that they all are active, don't think that they are all on VHF/UHF, the number is much, much less. Amateur Radio has many facets, voice, CW, digital, satellite, EME, and many more. D-STAR is probably one of the cheapest, except for FM, modes of operation in Amateur Radio. Want to talk about money pits? Try looking at the cost of a decent satellite station. Want to make D-STAR look free, look at the cost of some of the big EME stations. We're talking 6 to 7 digits worth of radios and antennas. Dependent on your viewpoint, Amateur Radio in general is a money pit. But if you are an individual that likes to stay abreast of new technologies. If you like to try new things. If you like to talk to people around the world, then D-STAR is actually a quite respectable part of Amateur Radio and since all D-STAR radios ALSO do FM, it's actually one of the cheapest new, advanced modes that exist. (FYI, under no stretch of anyone's imagination should packet and APRS be considered new technology. There are college graduates that were born after packet was created!) And finally And anything that seems to divide the Hams can't be good. Can it? ROTFLMAO! Put 5 hams in a room, ask a question, you'll usually get 7 different answers! Hams make the Republicans and Democrats seem united! Ed WA4YIH From: dstar_digital@yahoogroups.com [mailto:dstar_digi...@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of milkman Sent: Wednesday, May 05, 2010 7:49 PM To: dstar_digital@yahoogroups.com Subject: [DSTAR_DIGITAL] I Want To Know??? I'm new to this group and would like to start off first saying Hello to everyone here. Now what I don't understand is this. It seems to me that D-Star could just be a huge money pit at this time. As I look around my state we have 4 D-Star repeaters total. Out of over 230 repeaters. And none of the D-Star work. What I'd like to know is. If there are 660,000 Ham in the US. And less than 3000 on D-Star. How long is it before the other 663,000 catch on to D-Star. And is it worth the effort? And wait for this format get up and running? And if D-Star is so great. why hasn't Kenwood Yaesu joined in? Because just reading post in this group. And looking at our D-Star repeaters in MD. Just makes me wonder if I could be throwing good money after bad? And anything that seems to divide the Hams can't be good. Can it?
RE: [DSTAR_DIGITAL] I Want To Know???
From: dstar_digital@yahoogroups.com [mailto:dstar_digi...@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Woodrick, Ed Sent: Thursday, May 06, 2010 12:35 AM To: dstar_digital@yahoogroups.com Subject: RE: [DSTAR_DIGITAL] I Want To Know??? cut Put 5 hams in a room, ask a question, you'll usually get 7 different answers! Hams make the Republicans and Democrats seem united! Ed WA4YIH Holy crap, that's that funniest, but DEAD TRUTH, thing I have heard ALL DAY! Thanks for making me laugh Ed. I love it! Evans F. Mitchell KD4EFM / WQFK-894 Fla. D-Star Tech Support Group http://www.florida-dstar.info Polk ARES A.E.C. http://www.polkemcomm.org BB8330 PIN: 30965B58
