Listen to DSTAR via the internet

It does have a unique sound but after using it for a while you get used to it. What I do like is that background noise is non-existent. You do have to put up with occasional 'R2D2' but I like the fact there is no static.

 

Nice Work !

Mike,

Thanks for the Link!

This has the potential to turn into a major Project!

Picture a Dongle stack, one on each major reflector. Audio Streaming online.

Do I hear Dongle Donation?

73
Luke

 

Turned the audio feed on, waited for 45 minutes, and after hearing nothing at all, I have concluded this technology sounds exactly the same and just like all the repeaters I have heard around here lately.

Amazing...

 

Okay here is some advice and some venting.

If you are pondering a D-Star radio purchase, base it on the analog parts of the radio. As most of your operating will still be analog.

I took the plunge a year ago and blew $500 on the IC-92AD HT. What did it for me was all the analog things about the radio that I liked.

In my case I really like the VX-5, with it's dot-matrix display and wide receive capability, and dual band. I saw that the IC-92AD had all that plus D-Star.

The reasons I _was_ interested in D-Star at the time were the fact that I have been in the hobby for a while and needed something new.

There _was_ promise from Robin Cutshaw, AA4RC to develop an open replacement for the closed $300 Icom gateway software.

Inexpensive GMSK node adapters can be built to be able to create D-Star compatible repeaters cheaply, but once again all the software out there is closed.

So if anyone is like me, and wants to see what else they can do with D-Star, well, good luck!

The D is for disappointment... but I am keeping the HT anyway since as I stated I bought it for analog reasons. Maybe one day people will wake up and see that closed source and ham radio are not a healthy thing.

 

Well I did listen to the D-star repeater and did not hear nothing special about this over priced system. I did hear sound like someone digitized like our State police does on 800mhz P25.

So with that you all can your 500.00 2meter radios

 

I can't say that I need to send jpgs, spreadsheets etc.to fellow hams but if I did, why would I want to use ham radio to do it when we all have the internet?

I'm not anti new technology as many accuse me of being, but many of these new modes look to me like solutions to problems we don't have. I also feel that new developments should be done in a way that is backward compatible with old technology. With new digital modes you can normally just download a program and try them at no cost.

If you could download an application to hook to your analog radio using a sound card and access D-Star then people could try it themselves for no cost and form their own informed opinion. But as long as the only way to use it on-air is to buy an expensive radio from one manufacturer D-Star looks more like a clever marketing exercise by Icom than the future of the hobby.

 

Sorry Obie I got dyslcetci:

WE1RD

 

Wow!

Pardon my insensitivity ... The analog repeaters around here are quiet. My low coverage echolink node gets more usage than the 800' D-Star repeater here in town. Not that there is anything wrong with D-Star, very FEW use it around here. The radios are ridiculously expensive, and if people want to be able to text, send files and talk at the same time, there are cheaper ways of going about it. Blah blah blah.

 

How do you figure? What exactly are they trying to get you to believe? The author of this thread simply said that the feed is available. They didn't try to force anything on you. Nor did I hear anyone trying to get you to believe anything when listening to the feed. So, by all means, explain to me how simply saying a feed is available is a means of foisting their beliefs on you.

 

From what I heard I Don't like it.

 

Not for me... not yet, anyway...

1) D-Star does not sound good to me.

2) D-Star does nothing I need or want that I cannot do with analog radio.

3) internet is not radio (I read that somewhere...) and while it can be fun
for some guys (no problem - they can have their fun) I want to do
radio, so I will take a pass on the internet thing. My own personal take

 

http://www.dvdongle.com/DV_Dongle/Home.html


The city emergency management is buying into this Dstar thing here. They think it will provide reliable and secure communication to Lincoln, NE in an emergency.

I see trouble if they bank completely on this system. It's too easy to knock out. combining ham radio with the internet can be useful and fun for recreational purposes, but it's begging for trouble if you depend on it in an emergency, IMHO.

I don't know... I may be all wet here. It MIGHT have some use before an event, but after an event, all bets are off.

None of our ARES members plan on spending the money for upgrades here. I may look into this DV Dongle though...

 

Not for me... not yet, anyway...

1) D-Star does not sound good to me.

2) D-Star does nothing I need or want that I cannot do with analog radio.

3) internet is not radio (I read that somewhere...) and while it can be fun for some guys (no problem - it is all good ) I want to do radio, so I will take a pass on the internet thing. My own personal take is that Echolink is a poor substitute for getting into HF radio. Some guys get all warm and runny over talking to some EU operator on Echolink, as if they made the same QSO on HF radio. Cool, fun, but NOT the same to me. I don't criticize it, I just don't do it.

4) Local attempts to implement D-Star repeaters have been disasters and very disappointing. Most quit after a bit.

Just MY take.... your mileage may respectfully differ....

Happy trails -- James --K8JHR --

 

A bit pricey at 200 bucks, though.

 

More reasonable than $500....OR MORE...