Icom gives D-Star repeater to the WIA

[g4tut]

Icom gives D-Star repeater to the WIA

Icom (Australia) Pty Ltd has given to the Wireless Institute of Australia a D-Star repeater to be located at Olinda in the Dandenong ranges, to serve the greater Melbourne area.

D-Star is a digital protocol developed by the Japanese Amateur Relay League (the JARL) and stands for Digital Smart Technologies for Amateur Radio.

The repeater will be licensed as VK3RWN and will operate on the 2 metre, and 70 and 23 cm bands and will take full advantage of the facilities offered by D-STAR including taking the opportunity to interlink with the extensive D-Star network, using the Internet as the carrier.

“The WIA has gratefully accepted this generous gift and thanks Icom Australia for its support” said WIA President Michael Owen VK3KI.

“Icom has been a great supporter of the WIA, including, for example, its support of the first edition of the WIA’s Foundation Licence Manual. This is another example of that support.

Because D-Star is an open protocol developed by the Japanese Amateur Radio League (JARL) it may be used by any manufacturer, and also provides the opportunity for amateurs to find both hardware and software solutions.

Icom should be given full credit for being the first to introduce it.

The potential for D-Star to be used in emergency communication situations is an important aspect of the development of this technology.

The donation by Icom of a second D-Star repeater to be located on Mt Macedon, in particular for emergency use, is another important contribution to amateur radio by Icom.”

Read the full story and view the pictures on the WIA website

Wireless Institute of Australia - http://www.wia.org.au





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[KD4WDG]

“ D-Star is an open protocol developed by the Japanese Amateur Radio League (JARL) it may be used by any manufacturer, and also provides the opportunity for amateurs to find both hardware and software solutions.”

Funny, I have been looking for a source from which I can “Download” a copy of this “Open Protocol” for months now.

JARL’s site has no links, and all the stuff I come up with on the Search Engine Scene #has a multitude of rhetoric on it being a # “Open Protocol” #but no information on how to get your hands on the Protocol ( software or hardware ) itself.

At #this stage of the game I guess you need some serious disposable income to fork over to Icom to help “amateurs find both hardware and software solutions” for the upcoming D-Star Revolution.

Can’t remember any such Cloak of Secrecy when we were messing around with Packet, Amtor, SSTV and other Digital Modes first pioneered by the Amateur Radio Community.

Plenty of UNUSED digital band spectrum for the existing modes that goes unused, the software is FREE and most of us have both the radio and computer gear to run it direct without the need of a Repeater Link.

Call me old fashioned, but when I put out Digital CQ on HF at least I can sit there, in fond anticipation, that one of the Millions of Ham’s around the world are going to bang my S-Meter with a 20 over reply, a lot more fun then waiting for a Digital Call Sign to show up on the LCD of my HT from one of the 30 Guys in my area playing with D-Star.

As for Emergency Communications, as a past Government Employee involved with disaster response at the State level. When push came to shove, and the majority of the infra structure supported communications ( Repeaters, Land Lines, Cell Phones etc.) were disabled, it was the Simplex-Point to Point Relay Services #( HF-VHF/ UHF, including Standard #Digital Modes ) #that our Amateur Radio Community supplied us with, allowing us to communicate on a State Wide Basis to every EOC involved, that was of the most value.


KD4WDG

[KC2QXE]

It looks like you are confusing "Open Source" and "Open Protocol". With the former you have the ability to download source code, change it, and redistribute it license free. With the later you have the ability to write your own source code, implement it in hardware, or whatever with out the worry of being sued for using someone else's intellectual property.

What JARL did was come up with a specification and design. What ICOM did was implement it in hardware/software. I suspect Icom will not be giving out the source code any time soon.

[KG4RUL]

Nothing altruistic about iCOM's efforts. They mirror that of an early business man named King Gillette. He invented the safety razor then got people to use it by virtually giving it away. After all, a razor without blades is pretty useless (think income stream here). As is a D-Star repeater without, drum roll here, iCOM supplied radios.

[n4xts]

all the hatorade of D-Star, at least Icom is doing something to advance the art of amateur radio. While we are too busy moaning and griping about CW wars, saving the world, etc..there are those who are out there putting ham radio in a positive light. Are you folks bitter because Icom didn't give YOU a freebie? I bet you'd be singing a different tune.

Digital is the future, and it costs. P-25 CAI is alot more expensive, if you think Icom wants a fortune for their D-Star products, you should price what Motorola and EFJ want for a single site conventional P25 CAI repeater. And it does nothing special, unlike D-Star which actually is advanced network technology and efficient use of RF bandwidth.

FYI Kenwood also has a V/U D-Star radio, see http://www.rigpix.com

The standard is published, much like the ARRL charges for their publications, so does the JARL. Have any of you folks contacted them directly for the specification? It IS out there, and there are people that do have it and are working on a D-Star software solution to allow you use of any GMSK radio to access the D-Star network.

Stop hating on Icom for being innovative with amateur radio. What have YOU done to advance the art of ham radio lately?

[k1rfd]

Quote[/b] (KD4WDG @ Sep. 20 2007,13:44)]Funny, I have been looking for a source from which I can “Download” a copy of this “Open Protocol” for months now.
It looks like you can download the JARL D-STAR Technical Spec as a PDF from:

http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/regulations/techchar/D-STAR.pdf

Here's a homebrew D-STAR project:

http://www.moetronix.com/dstar/

[wu8y]

Quote[/b] (KD4WDG @ Sep. 20 2007,13:44)]Funny, I have been looking for a source from which I can “Download” a copy of this “Open Protocol” for months now.

JARL’s site has no links, and all the stuff I come up with on the Search Engine Scene #has a multitude of rhetoric on it being a # “Open Protocol” #but no information on how to get your hands on the Protocol ( software or hardware ) itself.
Sigh. #Your Google-fu is weak, KD4WDG-san. #;-)

It's right there on the JARL Web site:
http://www.jarl.or.jp/index.html

Look on the right, where there's a box marked "D-Star." #Click on it.
http://www.jarl.or.jp/Japanese/7_Technical/d-star/d-star-ip.htm

Then look at the bottom of the page, where there is a box marked "Guideline". #There's your protocol.
http://www.jarl.or.jp/Japanese/7_Technical/d-star/guideline.htm

Oh! #You wanted it in English... #Well, then go to the link provided by K1RFD, above.

[W9WHE]

I sure wish Icom would explain why it is a good idea for hams to migrate to a digital standard that is INCOMPATABLE and INTEROPERABLE with the world-wide APCO 25 digital standard, ESPECIALLY since the entire public safety world is going to APCO 25.

The cost argument is BOGUS.
You can buy new COMMERCIAL quality APCO P25 equipment from Kenwood, Icom, & Yaesu/vertex/standard for about the same cost as D-Star equipment. You can also buy used COMMERCIAL QUALITY equipment from Motorola, Kenwood, Icom and yaesu/vertex/standard for LESS then the cost of new D-star equipment.

Why be NON-compatable and NON-interoperable with the rest of the digital communications world? Heck, with a D-star, you won't even be able to listen/scan the PS people! With a D-star repeater, your analog HT and analog mobile radios will be USELESS.

How will emcomm save the world, if they can't even communicate with it?

Next, will we hear the WIA extolling the virtues of (free) D-star? Time will tell.

[W0VNE]

On the technical merits I think DSTAR is an "open" protocal that is #1 available to us and #2 open to expansion? Correct? Adopting what the Police and Fire have been sold doesn't expand the technical art which is a worthy goal of Amateur Radio. What DSTAR does for us now (today) will no doubt be 1000x better in 5 or 10 years and we can hope that these inovations will become a "standard" that is adopted later by the commercials. In as far as you or anyone else promoting APCO25 or any other standard there is nothing stopping you other then the legalities of licensing these formats. And I "think" these are not published and are not free to use or tinker with? A very good reason for a D.I.Y. Amateur to not be interested in them...

As for me this D.I.Y. DSTAR is very exciting stuff... I'm looking forward to giving this a try.

73 de Jay W0VNE ExWB0VNE

[N4DOG]

I am sure there is someone out there that will figure out how they can link D-Star to a P25 system. Although I believe there is no reason to. D-Star is running circles around P25. YOu can do so much more with D-Star.IMO

[m3urz]

Not proper wireless in my eyes. Bring back steam.