RE: {Disarmed} Re: RE: Re: [dstar_digital] Re: D-STAR Field Day Update
When I change a few of the words below, it is amazing how it sound just like
someone said it 30, 50, 80 years ago...
Feel free to replace FM with AM or SSB or CW.
And no, I'm not trying to be funny. This is indeed just about word for word
what was said about EVERY migration to new modes in Amateur Radio during it's
existence.
The world changes, rules change. CW used to be the best because you could copy
it in worse conditions that any other mode, until PSK31 came around. You can
copy PSK-31 when you can't even hear the signal. AM'ers used to complain about
SSB because they sounded like Donald Duck. SSB'ers complained about FM and
repeaters because it wasn't Real Amateur Radio
Analog cell phones were turned off a few months ago and no one noticed. Analog
TV is disappearing very soon. Public Service organizations are going digital.
And the last few paragraphs are just what irk me. When FM Repeaters came out,
everyone was noisy because there wasn't complete saturation like there is now.
Just like when I bought a CD player, not everything was available, or when I
bought a DVD player. There always is a little blood on the leading edge of
technology. If you don't like it, then don't go there. But don't assume that
the technology is terrible just because you don't a repeater next door.
As for the DVDongle, it seems as if you proved yourself wrong. Evidently your
fast connection just really isn't that reliably fast. If it worked in Hawaii
very well, doesn't that tell you anything?
I think that General Patton summed up my thoughts quite well.
Lead me, follow me, or get out of my way.
- General George Patton Jr
From: dstar_digital@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Monday, June 30, 2008 6:13 PM
To: dstar_digital@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: {Disarmed} Re: RE: Re: [dstar_digital] Re: D-STAR Field Day Update
Re-read the post:
D-STAR RELIABILITY!
So don't get your nose all out of joint Nate.
Simple question about the reliability of D-Star FM as I am still one of those
that are not convinced that Digital FM is the way to go,
eg...Cell Telephones are wirelessdigital and now we have radio that is digital
FM.
Soon there will be television that will not be analog Black and White anymore.
Sure digital FM takes up less band space but still there is nothing like an
analog AM signal because with analog AM you get great audio no R2D2.
And yes I do want to pick on D-Star FM a bit because it is an issue with which
mode do I choose to save a life.
I have a D-Star FM radio, as a matter of fact I have 2, I also had a Dongle.
When my Icom is connected to an 8db gain antenna I still hear all or nothing
R2D2. Just as much as when I had the 91AD. Sort of get tired of saying, What?
At the very least with the analog AM signal you can catch some of the
conversation.
Ah the infamous Dongle, was more trouble then it was worth. Got a fast
connection, but it kept timing out.
Tried it on 2 or 3 puters and poopNot a means of reliability although when
I was in Hawaii it worked quite well.
But the local D-Star repeater on G1 couldn't make it through the gateway to the
G2 that was at my home area.
Rendered the 91AD useless for D-Star to talk home repeater because I had the
wrong tone set and couldn't dial the autopatch
So the question is reliablity. Like I said, I am on the fence but have found it
necessary to have a D-Star radio because it is another mode that could be used.
But what do I know, probably nothing at all as I am new to ham radio.
73 de N1TAI
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Re: {Disarmed} Re: RE: Re: [dstar_digital] Re: D-STAR Field Day Update
At 08:12 AM 7/1/2008, you wrote: So don't get your nose all out of joint Nate. Simple question about the reliability of D-Star as I am still one of those that are not convinced that Digital is the way to go, eg...Cell phones are digital and now we have radio that is digital. Soon there will be television that will not be analog anymore. Yes, progress. While analog has its strengths (especially with regards to using the ears/brain to reconstruct weak/noisy signals), digital is generally more versatile. Sure digital takes up less band space but still there is nothing like an analog signal because with analog you get no R2D2. And yes I do want to pick on D-Star a bit because it is an issue with which mode do I choose to save a life. True, analog copes with some conditions better than D-STAR. Mobile multipath for one. I have a D-Star radio, as a matter of fact I have 2, I also had a Dongle. When my Icom is connected to an 8db gain antenna I still hear R2D2. Just as much as when I had the 91AD. Sort of get tired of saying, What? At the very least with the analog signal you can catch some of the conversation. I found D-STAR to generally work well. Only time I've had trouble is when trying to access the repeater while mobile and with a relatively weak signal. Analog under those conditions results in a choppy but mostly readable signal. Ah the infamous Dongle, was more trouble then it was worth. Got a fast connection, but it kept timing out. Tried it on 2 or 3 puters and poopNot a means of reliability although when I was in Hawaii it worked quite well. But the local D-Star repeater on G1 couldn't make it through the gateway to the G2 that was at my home area. Rendered the 91AD useless for D-Star to talk home. I have a Dongle, only problem I've seen is a sound issue that causes the Dongle to disconnect occasionally. This appears to be an issue with how the software handles certain error conditions. In other words, it's a software bug could be improved over time. So the question is reliablity. Like I said, I am on the fence but have found it necessary to have a D-Star radio because it is another mode that could be used. But what do I know, probably nothing at all as I am new to ham radio. I'm of the mindset that It's another tool, so I want to learn how I can best use it and integrate it into existing operations. Also, I've learnt there's no point trying to force people to use/not to use a particular technology. Instead, work with others and their choices. For example, in the SE of the US, there seems to be a big push to use D-STAR for SKYWARN. This will have an impact on our hurricane net operations, and I have been keeping in touch with the D-STAR net up there, so we work with them the next time a hurricane strikes the US. I have a Dongle, and I am encouraging others NCOs to get D-STAR capability. In the long term, I hope to be able to directly plug our network into the D-STAR one (initially, voice only, later, be able to access the data stream as well) for traffic handling when traffic levels are low. D-STAR isn't perfect, but it's here and it's being used, so we should familiarise ourselves with it. Besides, it's fun to play with a new mode. :) 73 de VK3JED http://vkradio.com
Re: {Disarmed} Re: RE: Re: [dstar_digital] Re: D-STAR Field Day Update
On Jun 28, 2008, at 2:38 PM, KE5KAF wrote: We have been listening and it sounds like the Dstar Field Day is dead.. No activity... Where is everyone hanging out on Dstar?? Our stack's (W0CDS) power supply was acting flakey and kicked its own breaker off (still investigating, but suspected to be a low-voltage dropout crowbar circuit) for most of this Field Day weekend. The power supply was replaced mid-day today (Sunday June 29th). Things should be stable now, but we did miss out on most opportunities to show a lot of people D-STAR during Field Day events all over the Front Range area. A bummer, but stuff happens. (The original supply was chosen because it had plenty of amps to spare, and was a nice rack-mount (Lambda), but it had three strikes against it in the last couple of weeks as the thunderstorms started rolling through in the afternoon, and it seemed to be misbehaving. The owner may or my not have time to debug, but a replacement with another known-good supply was in order. Sorry if we missed FD fun on D-STAR from Colorado... -- Nate Duehr, WY0X [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[dstar_digital] Re: D-STAR Field Day Update
Is there an acceptable range of frequencies for simplex? [ED - Yes, don't use 146.52 (see the rules) and stay out of any repeater frequencies, satellite sub bands, cw/ssb segments ... other than that, have fun. In many areas 145.67 mHz. is the D-STAR contact frequency, I'd start there. In some areas there is little or no use of the bottom of 430 (91AD goes there, I would venture other D-STAR 70cm radios do as well.] --- In dstar_digital@yahoogroups.com, Woodrick, Ed [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: D-STAR Field Day Participants, With just over 24 hours before D-STAR Field Day begins, the excitement is growing. Everyone is thinking about what they need to pack. The generators have all had their oil changed and the games are about to begin. A suggestion for reflector use. From what I've seen, the C modules on the reflectors are where a number of repeaters are linked full time. To keep from bothering these folks, why don't we try to stay away from the C module. And we probably ought to stay off of the non- North American Reflectors. Suggested Reflector Usage REF001A Voice Simultaneous Data REF001B Data Only REF002A Voice Simultaneous Data REF002B Data Only REF004A Voice Simultaneous Data REF004B Data Only Simultaneous Data is those who are going for 3 point contacts, where they can type and talk at the same time. If you've misplaced the D-STAR Field Day Rules or Update, you can download them at www.DSTARINFO.comhttp://www.DSTARINFO.com, there's even some sample logs. Don't forget that D-STAR Field Day goes the entire 27 hour period, no matter when you start setup. Do some demonstrations before everyone else starts! Ed WA4YIH p.s. I'll be W4GR 7A GA and will probably hang around either of the REF002A or REF002B ports. Good Luck in the Contest! [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [dstar_digital] Re: D-STAR Field Day Update
This is really cool... FD on the internet -Original Message- From: txhemi57 [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: dstar_digital@yahoogroups.com Sent: Fri, 27 Jun 2008 11:56 am Subject: [dstar_digital] Re: D-STAR Field Day Update Is there an acceptable range of frequencies for simplex? [ED - Yes, don't use 146.52 (see the rules) and stay out of any repeater frequencies, satellite sub bands, cw/ssb segments ... other than that, have fun. In many areas 145.67 mHz. is the D-STAR contact frequency, I'd start there. In some areas there is little or no use of the bottom of 430 (91AD goes there, I would venture other D-STAR 70cm radios do as well.] --- In dstar_digital@yahoogroups.com, Woodrick, Ed [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: D-STAR Field Day Participants, With just over 24 hours before D-STAR Field Day begins, the excitement is growing. Everyone is thinking about what they need to pack. The generators have all had their oil changed and the games are about to begin. A suggestion for reflector use. From what I've seen, the C modules on the reflectors are where a number of repeaters are linked full time. To keep from bothering these folks, why don't we try to stay away from the C module. And we probably ought to stay off of the non- North American Reflectors. Suggested Reflector Usage REF001A Voice Simultaneous Data REF001B Data Only REF002A Voice Simultaneous Data REF002B Data Only REF004A Voice Simultaneous Data REF004B Data Only Simultaneous Data is those who are going for 3 point contacts, where they can type and talk at the same time. If you've misplaced the D-STAR Field Day Rules or Update, you can download them at www.DSTARINFO.comhttp://www.DSTARINFO.com, there's even some sample logs. Don't forget that D-STAR Field Day goes the entire 27 hour period, no matter when you start setup. Do some demonstrations before everyone else starts! Ed WA4YIH p.s. I'll be W4GR 7A GA and will probably hang around either of the REF002A or REF002B ports. Good Luck in the Contest! [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
RE: Re: [dstar_digital] Re: D-STAR Field Day Update
Ron, The rules do not specify the access, so DVDongles are fair game. There are basically three types of contacts, Voice, Low Speed Data, and High Speed Data. Since D-STAR can do voice and data at the same time, then you can actually get a Voice and Low Speed Data Contact at the same time. The rules and updates are at www.DSTARINFO.comhttp://www.DSTARINFO.com D-STAR Field Day is not ARRL Field Day, the rules are different (which is why there are two activities). D-STAR Field Day follows the intent of ARRL Field Day in that practice and demonstration are the goal of the activity. In the D-STAR Field Day Update document, the following were listed as things to try: · Voice Contact with source routing, no linking · Voice Contact with multi-cast (See local administrators to determine if possible) · Voice Contact with two linked repeaters · Voice Contact through Reflector · All of the above with a Data contact at the same time · Low speed Data contacts · High Speed Data Contacts · High Speed Internet Access · DVDongle Contacts From my point of view, it’s a weekend to do a little playing with D-STAR. There should be a number of people on the bands and a lot of activity. If you work hard at playing, you might even get a plaque. From: dstar_digital@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Ron Wright Sent: Friday, June 27, 2008 2:05 PM To: dstar_digital@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: Re: [dstar_digital] Re: D-STAR Field Day Update Have not read the DStar FD rules, but do DV Dungle?, computer to repeater to user contacts count for points??? If testing for emergency comm would think so for this mode would be used in disaster just like Echolink and IRLP have been used in some disasters here. It has been found Echolink is very useful as I am sure IRLP. Might consider DV Dungle to DV Dungle also. This could lead to a whole new EmComm feature. 73, ron, n9ee/r ps I think I got DV Dungle spelled wrong, sorry. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
