VE7TKO
12-11-2005, 05:25 AM
I got my ID-800H on September 25th, 2005. Unfortunately my digital experience is limited, because there are only 4 D-STAR radios in my area at this time. Because there are no D-STAR repeaters in my area, my experimenting in the digital mode has been limited to simplex communications. In the FM analogue mode, everything works as it always has with all my other FM transceivers. For the purpose of this review, I will deal mostly with the digital aspect of this radio.
I have had the opportunity to try out both the ICOM IC-2200H and the ICOM ID-800H. The first thing I noticed on the ID-800H was the more pleasant, softer beep when the power was turned on. The ID-800H is also a little shorter than the IC-2200H, because it uses a fan instead of a massive heat sink to cool the transmitter circuit. The control head is also removable, allowing for remote mounting in cars where space is at a premium. This radio sounded and looked more refined than anything else that I have owned before. I have been researching the D-STAR system for several months now, ever since I got my first IC-V82 with the UT-118 board installed. This is the radio that I had been waiting for.
After programming in some basic information for digital operation, and some local conventional repeaters, I proceeded to call up some of my friends on the local FM repeater to see if they noticed any difference. I didn’t tell them that I had a new radio. At this time I have only one friend in my area, who also has a D-STAR compliant radio. I expect this to change greatly within the next 12 months. When I got a hold of him, I asked him to switch to 145.600 MHz DV – simplex. That was the frequency that we use when I use my IC-V82.
I immediately saw his callsign scroll slowly across the display. His voice was clear and distinct, but it sounded a little different than in the analogue FM mode. The next thing that I noticed was the standby beep after he unkeyed the mike. This is very useful since the lack of a tale squelch sometimes made it difficult to know exactly when the other party was finished talking. I often found myself talking over the other party, if he had a long pause while he was talking.
I proceeded to experiment with the digital side of the radio. I was most intrigued about what I read on page 67 of the manual, about EMR communications. I turned the volume on my handheld radio down to “0”. I pressed and held the EMR key on the ID-800H until 4 short beeps were heard. I proceeded to call my HT, and to my surprise, the signal from my ID-800H turned the volume back up to “12” on my HT. When the roles were reversed, the IC-V82 was not able to turn up the analog volume control on the ID-800H. Upon further investigation, I found a second digital volume control on the microphone. When this was used to turn down the volume, The EMR setting on my HT would turn up the volume on my ID-800H. This is going to be a very useful feature, since some of my family members have a habit of turning the volume down when I am away from home. I can now turn the volume back up remotely. This setting will also overrides the digital squelch and call sign to callsign squelch giving quick access to other stations in times of emergency.
For the time being, I do not use call sign to call sign calling. I always have “Ur-CALL” set to “CQCQCQ”. This will make the radio operate like a conventional ham radio, with any other D-STAR radio that tries to call me in DV mode. The call sign of the calling station will show up on my display. I have programmed all my radios with my callsign plus /B for base, /P for portable and /M for mobile. Other ID-800H users will be able to see which radio I am using.
My longest D-STAR simplex communication was 21.8 kilometres or 13.5 miles. This was between my ID-800H as a base using a Diamond X50A antenna (4.5 dB gain) mounted about 25 feet above the ground and an IC-V82 using a Larsen 2/70 Mag Mount antenna on the left hand corner of my trunk lid. The communication is between my wife’s place of employment at Langley Memorial Hospital and my home in Abbotsford. The terrain in between the two sites consists of small hills with a lot of trees and another small town at about the half way mark. Copy at this distance was crisp and clear. This same contact on normal analog FM simplex could not get a clear copy. Next year I will be installing a 9.3 dB gain antenna with an extra 10 feet of mast. That will give me a big increase in simplex range.
The addition of the MODE, BK and EMR keys gives you quick access to important digital features without having to search through a complicated menu system. This will speed up the learning curve as you learn how your new radio works.
A detailed description of the D-STAR open protocol may be found at http://www.icomamerica.com/amateur/dstar/ in a booklet called “D-STAR for the Second Century of Amateur Radio”. This booklet is also available in printed format from ICOM and is probably the most complete training aid on the D-STAR protocol. I highly recommend that clubs order enough copies of this resource, so that every member can have one as a personal reference on the subject.
I gave this radio a 5 out of 5 because it meets all of my expectations for digital voice quality and open protocol compatibility. The controls are well laid out and easy to use. I do recommend the use of programming software to speed up and ease the programming process.
I have had the opportunity to try out both the ICOM IC-2200H and the ICOM ID-800H. The first thing I noticed on the ID-800H was the more pleasant, softer beep when the power was turned on. The ID-800H is also a little shorter than the IC-2200H, because it uses a fan instead of a massive heat sink to cool the transmitter circuit. The control head is also removable, allowing for remote mounting in cars where space is at a premium. This radio sounded and looked more refined than anything else that I have owned before. I have been researching the D-STAR system for several months now, ever since I got my first IC-V82 with the UT-118 board installed. This is the radio that I had been waiting for.
After programming in some basic information for digital operation, and some local conventional repeaters, I proceeded to call up some of my friends on the local FM repeater to see if they noticed any difference. I didn’t tell them that I had a new radio. At this time I have only one friend in my area, who also has a D-STAR compliant radio. I expect this to change greatly within the next 12 months. When I got a hold of him, I asked him to switch to 145.600 MHz DV – simplex. That was the frequency that we use when I use my IC-V82.
I immediately saw his callsign scroll slowly across the display. His voice was clear and distinct, but it sounded a little different than in the analogue FM mode. The next thing that I noticed was the standby beep after he unkeyed the mike. This is very useful since the lack of a tale squelch sometimes made it difficult to know exactly when the other party was finished talking. I often found myself talking over the other party, if he had a long pause while he was talking.
I proceeded to experiment with the digital side of the radio. I was most intrigued about what I read on page 67 of the manual, about EMR communications. I turned the volume on my handheld radio down to “0”. I pressed and held the EMR key on the ID-800H until 4 short beeps were heard. I proceeded to call my HT, and to my surprise, the signal from my ID-800H turned the volume back up to “12” on my HT. When the roles were reversed, the IC-V82 was not able to turn up the analog volume control on the ID-800H. Upon further investigation, I found a second digital volume control on the microphone. When this was used to turn down the volume, The EMR setting on my HT would turn up the volume on my ID-800H. This is going to be a very useful feature, since some of my family members have a habit of turning the volume down when I am away from home. I can now turn the volume back up remotely. This setting will also overrides the digital squelch and call sign to callsign squelch giving quick access to other stations in times of emergency.
For the time being, I do not use call sign to call sign calling. I always have “Ur-CALL” set to “CQCQCQ”. This will make the radio operate like a conventional ham radio, with any other D-STAR radio that tries to call me in DV mode. The call sign of the calling station will show up on my display. I have programmed all my radios with my callsign plus /B for base, /P for portable and /M for mobile. Other ID-800H users will be able to see which radio I am using.
My longest D-STAR simplex communication was 21.8 kilometres or 13.5 miles. This was between my ID-800H as a base using a Diamond X50A antenna (4.5 dB gain) mounted about 25 feet above the ground and an IC-V82 using a Larsen 2/70 Mag Mount antenna on the left hand corner of my trunk lid. The communication is between my wife’s place of employment at Langley Memorial Hospital and my home in Abbotsford. The terrain in between the two sites consists of small hills with a lot of trees and another small town at about the half way mark. Copy at this distance was crisp and clear. This same contact on normal analog FM simplex could not get a clear copy. Next year I will be installing a 9.3 dB gain antenna with an extra 10 feet of mast. That will give me a big increase in simplex range.
The addition of the MODE, BK and EMR keys gives you quick access to important digital features without having to search through a complicated menu system. This will speed up the learning curve as you learn how your new radio works.
A detailed description of the D-STAR open protocol may be found at http://www.icomamerica.com/amateur/dstar/ in a booklet called “D-STAR for the Second Century of Amateur Radio”. This booklet is also available in printed format from ICOM and is probably the most complete training aid on the D-STAR protocol. I highly recommend that clubs order enough copies of this resource, so that every member can have one as a personal reference on the subject.
I gave this radio a 5 out of 5 because it meets all of my expectations for digital voice quality and open protocol compatibility. The controls are well laid out and easy to use. I do recommend the use of programming software to speed up and ease the programming process.