View Full Version : D-Star Forum online
G0KSC
02-23-2008, 12:20 AM
A new D-Star forum has been launched this week which already has almost 80 registered members. www.dstarforum.com has many forums including each transceiver type and even a mods, tweeks and bug fixes section.
Diagrams are online today showing users how to build their own data cables.
The url is http://www.dstarforum.com
w1vfb
02-24-2008, 11:23 AM
With all due respect to your forum, being interested in D-Star I was hoping to register and log in to see what was going on, BUT, at the registration screen there is no letter verification screen and when you use the voice version it gives you the same letters every time. You put those in and agree to the rules and press register you get the message, "AN ERROR HAS OCCURRED". :(
I tried several times but could not register. I know that this is a new forum and there will be bugs. I look forward to being able to find out more about the didgital side of our hobby.
Thanks in advance.
G0KSC
02-24-2008, 05:01 PM
Hi Greg,
Sorry to hear of your problems, perhaps it is a browser security issue on your side? the almost 200 new members that have registered this weekend have not had any problems. If you PM me, I will register you and send you the details.
Justin
k9zmd
02-24-2008, 05:03 PM
Apparently the problem has been resolved. My first registration attempt, about 5 minutes ago, was successful.
G0KSC
02-24-2008, 05:12 PM
Apparently the problem has been resolved. My first registration attempt, about 5 minutes ago, was successful.
As I mentioned above, the other users who have registered this weekend have not had a problem and therefore, it is likely to be browser security policies are set too high
w5jck
02-24-2008, 05:54 PM
It would be nice to allow visitors a preview of the forum without requiring registration. Quite frankly, most forums are a waste of time. It is best to be able to browse through a forum to decide whether you actually want to register. As it is, I will not register for anything that I cannot preview.
K7ZZY
02-24-2008, 11:42 PM
It would be nice to allow visitors a preview of the forum without requiring registration. Quite frankly, most forums are a waste of time. It is best to be able to browse through a forum to decide whether you actually want to register. As it is, I will not register for anything that I cannot preview.
ditto.
Why can't it be previewed prior to registration??
We certainly can understand not being able to post without registering...
G0KSC
02-25-2008, 12:25 AM
It would be nice to allow visitors a preview of the forum without requiring registration. Quite frankly, most forums are a waste of time. It is best to be able to browse through a forum to decide whether you actually want to register. As it is, I will not register for anything that I cannot preview.
In my experiance, you get 'freeloaders' crawling through forumd which are opne and contribute nothing. By having a complusary registration, you can see who is and who is not contributing and prompt the potential free loaders to give something back.
It all adds up to a much better community.
In my experience, you get 'freeloaders' crawling through forums which are open and contribute nothing. By having a compulsory registration, you can see who is and who is not contributing and prompt the potential free loaders to give something back.
It all adds up to a much better community.
How are they freeloading? I mean, what are they "taking" from your site? Why be so controlling?
Most amateur forums are open for reading; that includes QRZ.com, the Icom D-Star site, the K5TIT (http://www.k5tit.org/forums/index.php) site, and lastly, my site, which includes FREE D-Star software (D-StarLet and D-StarCom), a web page on setup of the ID-800H, and a forum that anyone can read.
I'm not pushing my site; in fact, the discussion level there on D-Star is very low, and I'd recommend that new D-Star users go to the Icom forums or the K5TIT forums. I'm just pointing out that there are quite a few D-Star sites that are open to anyone for reading (or for that matter, downloading), without being so concerned that someone is a freeloader.
G0KSC
02-25-2008, 08:51 AM
How are they freeloading? I mean, what are they "taking" from your site? Why be so controlling?
Most amateur forums are open for reading; that includes QRZ.com, the Icom D-Star site, the K5TIT (http://www.k5tit.org/forums/index.php) site, and lastly, my site, which includes FREE D-Star software (D-StarLet and D-StarCom), a web page on setup of the ID-800H, and a forum that anyone can read.
I'm not pushing my site; in fact, the discussion level there on D-Star is very low, and I'd recommend that new D-Star users go to the Icom forums or the K5TIT forums. I'm just pointing out that there are quite a few D-Star sites that are open to anyone for reading (or for that matter, downloading), without being so concerned that someone is a freeloader.
If your not pushing your site, why mention it?
g1zrn
02-25-2008, 01:12 PM
Sorry but with due respect, not another one! :(
There are so many now that help & technical advice is being thinly spread.
The UK already has D-Star UK, then there is Icom, Yorkshire Group, the Kent Group & their forums and who knows how many more.
I'll stick to D-Star UK, that is where UK users should be.
Mike G1ZRN
www.wfrg.net
G0KSC
02-25-2008, 10:15 PM
The Great news is Mike, you can do what you like and go where you like and enjoy the many free services offered by Radio hams. Just like the repeaters we use each day that someone went out of their way to provide, install and setup. Using their own time money and efforts in most cases.
It is funy but no matter what you do for others, you will always get wingers and moaners.
Freedom of choice means if you don't like it, you don't have to go there!
ka5piu
02-25-2008, 11:15 PM
Hello.
What is wrong with digital in general?
I would like to see a site that covers ALL new modes.
In this manner, one can "shop" and see what does, and does not, work for them.
And, the very reason that it is nice for a person to be able to view the posts prior to registration.
Remember, both D-Star and P-25 II use the same DVSI codec to make things work.
Perhaps Yaesu and Kenwood may release a D-Star unit, but what if they both decide on P-25?
That would change the playing field overnight.
I guess you're free to create your own site if you wish. But the thought that goes through my mind is- How many D-Star forums do we need? There's already a number of them, including one hosted by Icom, one by the group that maintains the trust server, most systems have a mail list, there's one about D-Star software, etc etc etc.
I found that by signing up for too many of them just pushes the signal to noise ratio toward worse.
Mark
D-Star system owner
I would like to see a site that covers ALL new modes.
illinoisdigitalham on yahoogroups is one of several groups that discuss digtial modes in general. They're out there.. ya gotta look.
Remember, both D-Star and P-25 II use the same DVSI codec to make things work.
Not exactly. D-Star uses a DVSI AMBE, while P-25 uses DVSI IMBE. Both are low-bit-rate speech compression systems, but use different bit rates, algorithms, etc. The D-Star vocoder is about 20 bucks.. the IMBE vocoder is much more.
Perhaps Yaesu and Kenwood may release a D-Star unit, but what if they both decide on P-25?
That would change the playing field overnight.
Not likely. D-Star and P-25 are both designed for vastly different missions. D-Star protocol defines how the Internet linking will work between sites. P-25 does not. Another reason is cost- If one were to buy either a P25 repeater and the ancilliary equipment to link, or the subscriber units, you will invest much more money than you will for D-Star.
If you want P25, Kenwood, Icom, et al are already making radios for the public safety world.
I am running both a D-Star system and P-25 system from the same site, and the "turnout" is much better for D-Star. For P-25, simple linking to the next repeater down the road, or IRLP type linking can be done. But in D-Star, the standard for linking is already defined.
Mark
ka5piu
02-27-2008, 04:15 AM
illinoisdigitalham on yahoogroups is one of several groups that discuss digtial modes in general. They're out there.. ya gotta look.
Not exactly. D-Star uses a DVSI AMBE, while P-25 uses DVSI IMBE. Both are low-bit-rate speech compression systems, but use different bit rates, algorithms, etc. The D-Star vocoder is about 20 bucks.. the IMBE vocoder is much more.
Not likely. D-Star and P-25 are both designed for vastly different missions. D-Star protocol defines how the Internet linking will work between sites. P-25 does not. Another reason is cost- If one were to buy either a P25 repeater and the ancilliary equipment to link, or the subscriber units, you will invest much more money than you will for D-Star.
If you want P25, Kenwood, Icom, et al are already making radios for the public safety world.
I am running both a D-Star system and P-25 system from the same site, and the "turnout" is much better for D-Star. For P-25, simple linking to the next repeater down the road, or IRLP type linking can be done. But in D-Star, the standard for linking is already defined.
Mark
Hello.
Note that I said P-25 II.
This is also an AMBE, TCP-IP, based protocol.
A P-25 II compliant radio does regular P-25 and analog.
Both Vertex and Kenwood offer regular P-25 commercial radios.
Adding P-25 to an analog radio is not that hard, I have built quite a few adaptors myself.
But, D-Star is this Amateur only thing, based on a Japanese military radio protocol, that has no commercial following, thus no surplus radios.
Not that this is totally a dealbreaker by any means, just that there are other protocols out there.
And, before you think about getting surplus military radios, the things get "demil" treatment, turned into junk.
The state and local government radios, on the other hand, can be had.
That means the JDF compliant radios, the ONLY non D-Star radios that can do D-Star that the US has, will never hit the surplus market.
ka5piu
02-27-2008, 07:49 PM
Hello.
The military radios that support JDF modes can do D-Star, yes.
What I did not know is that even the government radios, like the VX-7000, without any suffix, can also be equipped so that they can do D-Star, as well as P-25.
None of this series of radios is FCC approved in any way, so the importation or sale is not legal.
But, if you have one, and can read Japanese, as all the menu options are ONLY in Japanese, go for it. ;)
g1zrn
02-28-2008, 08:57 AM
The Great news is Mike, you can do what you like and go where you like and enjoy the many free services offered by Radio hams. Just like the repeaters we use each day that someone went out of their way to provide, install and setup. Using their own time money and efforts in most cases.
It is funy but no matter what you do for others, you will always get wingers and moaners.
Freedom of choice means if you don't like it, you don't have to go there!
Thank you, but I am not whinging or moaning I am exercising my right to express a real concern about too may forums on one particular subject.
I also have a real dislike of having to repeat myself, so again I say my concern is that if we have any more forums on a particular topic it will dilute the help and technical contributions. It's bit like the many TV channels we now have in the UK, the quality has been replaced by quantity.
Oh and BTW as a repeater keeper I already know about the costs and efforts of setting up and running repeaters out of my own pocket but I don’t go around shouting at people who suggest that there are too may repeaters even though in some cases they have a valid argument!
Mike G1ZRN
www.wfrg.net (a basic web site without another forum)
g1zrn
02-28-2008, 09:39 AM
I guess you're free to create your own site if you wish. But the thought that goes through my mind is- How many D-Star forums do we need? There's already a number of them, including one hosted by Icom, one by the group that maintains the trust server, most systems have a mail list, there's one about D-Star software, etc etc etc.
I found that by signing up for too many of them just pushes the signal to noise ratio toward worse.
Mark
D-Star system owner
My point exactly, but some people just don't like to see another point of view so perhaps it will be censored.
Mike G1ZRN
www.wfrg.net
k2vhw
02-29-2008, 04:18 AM
In my experiance, you get 'freeloaders' crawling through forumd which are opne and contribute nothing. By having a complusary registration, you can see who is and who is not contributing and prompt the potential free loaders to give something back.
It all adds up to a much better community.
Sad to see this mentality. Certainly flies in the face of what ham radio is supposed to be. It is apparent that novices and new-comers lose out on the ability to learn from a forum like this. Not every or even most who would enter a forum would have something to 'add' if they've come to learn! This position is exclusionary and even comes across as snobish.
While, yes, there are many other forums, why hold back helping everyone learn? How much 'bandwidth' is consumed by the so-called 'freeloaders' who would come to read and learn?:(
A new D-Star forum has been launched this week which already has almost 80 registered members and has many forums including each transceiver type and even a mods, tweeks and bug fixes section.
Diagrams are online today showing users how to build their own data cables.
Mods, tweeks and bug fixes! I thought D-Star was simply a method of digital voice transmission providing connectivity to the internet via landlines (which is NOT radio). What's with the mods, and tweeks? What is there to do that is not already there or been done by ICOM?
K2WH
WA5BEN
03-02-2008, 11:08 PM
D-STAR is NOT "simply a method of digital voice transmission providing connectivity to the internet via landlines (which is NOT radio)".
D-STAR operates INDEPENDENT of the Internet, but can use the internet through GATEWAYS to connect. D-STAR uses simple TCP/IP, so it can replace a lost "landline" path quite seamlessly.
That is why it is of interest to served agencies, as it provides a fall-back failsafe path for critical communications. We are deploying a full redundant "backbone" D-STAR system to connect all EOC (city and county) in North Texas.