Robin Cutshaw AA4RC (left), co-inventor of the DVDongle, DVAP, and the D-Plus networking system for D-STAR, and John Hays K7VE, co-founder and Marketing Director for NW Digital Radio join Marty (Chicken With Fries) and Gary KN4AQ for a discussion of digital voice radio, with a decidedly D-STAR focus. If D-STAR is 'dying,' you couldn't tell it by these guys. Radio Rating: A+. Oh, it's kind of fun to see Gary scrambling to pick up the power cords as a thunderstorm rolls by, and watch as the tent gets really dark during the peak of the storm. But otherwise this is a radio show with pictures. So plug in for your commute. DOWNLOAD/LISTEN Learn how to SUBSCRIBE to the PODCAST.
There are a lot of commercial DV modes, but of those DMR seems to have won in ham radio. Of course, some of the others will continue in isolated pockets, but not globally. I have DMR capability because it is cheap! OTOH, only D-Star and Fusion actually originate in ham radio. As far as Fusion goes, a lot of the repeaters are not linked, and they are all dual mode analogue/digital, all being Yaesu. Their introductory offer was so good that many people replaced their analogue repeaters with one. Not all of their users have a Fusion radio, and even those who have one can still find more people to talk to by staying on analogue. As for D-Star, although this is the JARL standard, most of the radios are Icom and expensive. There is a tri-band Kenwood at an even higher price, but the extra band is 220, where there are no D-Star machines, and we don't even have 220 back home in the UK. I think D-Star might pick up a bit if there were cheaper radios (Alinco, for example?). Just my thoughts. 73 de Alun, N3KIP, G8VUK [ETA: Alinco have a DMR radio for a reasonable sum. Kenwood have radios and repeaters for various DV modes including DMR and commercial DV, but all except their D-Star radios are sold only through their commercial division, and all are overpriced. Meanwhile, the Chinese have thrown in with DMR and dPMR, and given the latter doesn't seem to have penetrated the ham bands, while China has already undercut Japanese prices on FM, the cheap Chinese radios, if DV, will be DMR.]
