Posts Tagged ‘D-Star’
UHF DVAP Dongle on the way?
August 28th, 2012 | 
Author: 
Rumour has it that a 70cm version of the DVAP Dongle is on the way. Rumour also suggests that the price will be the same as for the 2m dongle. For those who would like to use Icom’s new ID-31 D-Star handie and have no UHF D-Star repeaters in range, the wait may soon be over.
New Transceiver from ICOM: IC-7100
ICOM has shown the new IC-7100 at the JARL show in Tokyo. The interwebz is buzzing with information, including a preliminary data sheet.
My scan of the preliminary datasheet indicates that this radio is in the class of the IC-7000 or even the IC-706. It covers all modes on HF plus 6 Meters, 2 Meters and 70 cm. (It also has the 70 MHz band which is a nice add for the European countries that have that band.) The radio includes DV (D-STAR) modulation capability and has a new touchscreen user interface. The slanted control panel is meant to make the touchscreen more accessible.
A new HF plus VHF/UHF radio always gets my attention (see my plea for an FT-950 with 2 Meters). I am starting to think that the real benefit of this rig is the addition of D-STAR capability, which would a good but not essential feature to have.
What do you think?
73, Bob K0NR
Update (30 Aug 2012): Universal Radio has the radio on its website.
There’s a good video look at the radio here.
A New Digital VHF/UHF Radio from Yaesu
A while back, Yaesu published a white paper/brochure on VHF/UHF digital technology that slammed D-STAR for using GMSK modulation and stated that C4FM (4-Level FSK) is the way to go. See my previous posting on that topic. The paper also talked about DMR and APCO 25 as standards that use C4FM.Page 14 of the document says:
At this point in time Vertex Standard believes the C4FM (4-level FSK) FDMA or TDMA are the most suitable selections for Amateur radio applications. In early 2012, we will release a C4FM (4-level FSK) FDMA Handy-Talky and a Mobile transceiver into the Amateur radio market. After our initial introduction, we plan to introduce a C4FM (4-level FSK) TDMA (2 slots) or TDMA Handy and Mobile transceiver into the Amateur market.
This led to speculation that we would see a Yaesu DMR or APCO 25 radio at the Dayton Hamvention. The topic was hotly debated in various online forums, with the prevailing theory being that it would be a DMR radio to play and compete with Motorola’s MOTOTRBO™ radios. It now seems that the initial introduction is the FT-1D, a dualband handheld that just does analog FM and a plain C4FM digital format (no DMR or APCO 25 protocol). This blog has the product brochure for the FT-1D. (Click on “Page 1″ and “Page 2″ links.)
The general reaction from the ham radio community is WTF, over? I don’t know why anyone would buy a radio to use with digital C4FM modulation. This digital mode is incompatible with D-STAR, DMR and APCO 25…the most common digital formats on the VHF/UHF ham bands. The quote listed above indicates that there will be more coming from Yaesu later in the year, that includes TDMA. This could be DMR but who knows?
- 73, Bob K0NR
Hamvention from afar…
I was unable to make it out to Dayton but am enjoying seeing the onsite action through various mediums:
(1) w5kub.com – live streaming. It has been a bit hit and miss on the quality and coverage, but the feed is quite popular and it is a lot of fun seeing all the hams walking around the outdoor market. Lots of hams in front of the live feed cam seem to stand there, stare at the camera, and call home (or a buddy) to have them get on the website to see them on the live feed. At certain times the live feed appears to be an actual video version of hamsexy.com. The best part about amateur radio is the people and it is always great to see what an amazing variety of folks who share a common interest.
(2) Jeff, KE9V, is on the grounds of the Hara Arena and is frequently Tweeting and posting pictures. Jeff had an interesting picture of a vendor called Horse Fence Antennas. The product appears to be a dipole antenna that is built into what we in the Army call a cargo strap. The antenna looks a bit bizzare, but the eHam reviews are 5.0.
(3) D-STARS! I have not hooked up my DVAP and IC-92AD since I returned for Korea, but did so yesterday so I could monitor REF038C. Lots of great hamvention chatter on the reflector.
(4) I am going to look for any HF stations operating from the Hamvention. Often W1AW will setup up a special event station – those are always fun to work.
Hopefully I will be able to go next year…. 2013, Dayton or bust!
Icom IC-E92D – Why This Is My ‘Staple’ Handheld
Every ham has a
handheld in their collection of transceivers. I have one normal rig in my
collection of handhelds. Nearly all the equipment I have can be held in my
hand, chucked in the car, operated ‘portable’ or temporarily connected at home.
It’s the capability that would suit a cold war double agent who has to move
between a series of safe-houses at short notice. Everything I have, I can pick
up and run with. Just as well I don’t have an HF vertical that looks like a
porcupine then.
I’ve had my beloved Icom IC-E92D for a couple of years now
and I spend more time talking though this than any other piece of equipment.
Two years ago there was no DV (Digital Voice) or D-STAR activity in my area,
but I wanted a dual band handheld that would be, to some extent, future-proof.
And before the rival Yaesu C4FM digital system is mooted,
let me say that D-STAR is so firmly established, that a lot of infrastructure
would be needed to better the existing system. Great advances have been made
lately with the advent of the German DV-RPTR (‘DV Repeater’) boards as well as the new DCS
reflectors. Having said that, I’m always keen to try any new digital modes.
I’m not going to dwell heavily on specification and features
because this is not a newly launched product – there are plenty of excellent
resources and reviews already available. But here are some things that have
pleased me about both the radio and the technology behind it.
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| Icom IC-E92D |
Let’s put the digital stuff to one side for the time being. I
think the E92D is just an excellent FM transceiver in its own right. Its
construction is solid and feels good in the hand. Used outdoors, it’s
comforting to know that it’s waterproof. I live in Wales, after all. The send/receive
audio quality is very good in all modes and the microphone doesn’t suffer from
the aforementioned weather-proofing that blights some other units. It seems
XYL’s sewing kits have been raided worldwide for needles to pierce microphone
membranes.
I love using low power when I can. In DV mode you either get
a R5 copy or rapidly nothing. Why not see how low you can go? The E92D will go
down to 100mW and oddly enough I use this more than any other power setting. It’s
also all you need for your home D-STAR hotspot, isn’t it? A group of three of
us had a 2m net with a distance of 20 miles between the furthest stations. We
all used DV mode and 100mW (external antennas, of course) for a full lock and
quality audio output. Compare this with the FM mindset of achieving ‘full
quietening’ in many local nets. Admit it - a small swell of pride is taken in
how many dB’s ‘over’ are registered. With DV it is how few. Back to the E92D: If things get marginal and stressed then the
next increments are 500mW, 1W and 2.5W. Unleash the whole 5W if it’s a national holiday
or you’re feeling reckless. In common with many handheld owners, I also have an
aftermarket antenna to add a little more gain when needed.
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| Built for the outdoor life - with HM-175 GPS Speaker-Mic |
I have, and recommend, the RS232C remote cable and bundled programming
software. There are enough people now who have kindly uploaded their files
(called .icf files) to the internet with repeater and node settings for entire
countries. You can enter or edit data manually from the front panel, but as
with most radios a computer will save you time you can otherwise spend chatting
idly. Seeing how the channels and banks are organised on-screen helps you properly
exploit the memory capacity. Apart from the usual, I have also stored AMSAT,
marine band, PMR and SWL channels. I travel a lot so it’s good to have
repeaters stored by region too.
Dislikes? Only a couple and they’re not going to jaundice my
high regard for this pleasure-giving, grown-up gadget. Most E92D owners acknowledge
that although the battery life is good, there is little warning given before
the battery dies. A bit like a pet hamster. Again, with four power settings you
should optimise your battery life. Secondly, I don’t think many consumers would
eagerly vote for an SMA antenna connector over a BNC, but we have to live with
that. The main problem can be a snapped pin from an over-stressed SMA
to SO239 adaptor, for example. This happens easily, frequently and on one
occasion to me. I sent my unit back to Icom UK for repair, as the stuck pin
could not be extracted. I must add that their support and service was
fantastic. The repair was carried out quickly and was not costly. Chastened, I
made a pigtail adaptor for use in the car, shown below.
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| SMA - SO239 adaptor |
As far as accessories go, I have the HM-175 GPS speaker
microphone. The embedded data channel in DV is something we’re only just
starting to fully explore. GPS position and distance reporting between simplex users
or posts on APRS.fi via a repeater are fun. I also have a two-pin mic/headset
adaptor for mobile work.
Just download an electronic manual and have a look at the level of specification and configurability! You'll find a new feature every day for the first few months. There are now the lower-cost IC-E80D and 70cm-only IC-ID31E to supplement the range, of course.
So, after two years I think the big test for any bit of
equipment would be “If it was damaged/stolen/confiscated by vexed YL/XYL, what
would I replace it with?” For me, an exact replacement, no less. It’s a much of
a staple as the King Edward potato.
DCS: Also Reflecting Our National Traits
Sometimes I find how we use new technology is as interesting as the technology itself. You may not know or care what DCS reflectors are, but the way they’re developing tells us a little about ourselves, I think. DCS reflectors are basically a new generation of servers or chat rooms we use with digital amateur radio to link repeaters, nodes and individuals together. They were developed recently by some very clever enthusiasts in Germany and are growing in an organic way. A bit like dandelions. Each DCS reflector has modules from A to Z, which are a blank canvas. The way in which these are being filled is like a group of sugar drink-fueled children scrambling to choose their bunk-beds in a large dormitory at summer camp. Let me explain: The first two DCS reflectors, DCS001 and DCS002 were hosted by the Germans. They had neatly and orderly divided up the entire globe into modules. It was a good start. For their own country they had a national module of course, with additional modules for north, south, east and west Germany respectively. But anyone who knows a little about Germany should not be surprised to see that Bavaria has broken away and formed its own module. The states of Hessen and Baden-Wuettenberg followed suit, of course. The states of the former East remain quiet for the moment, it seems. There are now nine DCS reflectors at the time of writing, all now hosted by different countries who wanted their own national servers. The Dutch are fastidious in their egalitarianism. They’ve gone and divided their reflector into nation-wide, north, mid and south Netherlands as well as – wait for it - thirteen different regions including the colonies of the Dutch Antilles. The inhabitants of Flevoland must be ecstatic. The Swiss, however, have no national module at all. No, they’ve divided their piece of DCS cake in language-slices: German, French and Italian. I’m also sure it will be the most reliable DCS reflector ever known to man. The Italians seem a little less self-assured. They have a record number of four test channels, just in case. The US reflector is well-ordered, with a couple of the noisier states, like Texas, having their own module. Even the Canadians are accommodated. And as for my lot, the Brits? Well, we would have to be a little bit different, wouldn’t we? At the time of writing there is a national UK module, with a Northern Ireland, Wales & West, Midlands and South module. No Scotland so far. Maybe it’s the expense. And uniquely in the new DCS community, the city of London has decided that it is elevated enough among the great and good capitals of the world to merit its very own module. I think we can rightly take most pride in the four inconspicuous modules simply labelled as ‘chat’. You can transfer to these modules for your one-to-one conversation without tying up the repeaters of an entire small country. I have heard less-than-scintillating conversations occupy worldwide reflectors for some considerable periods. The pace of development is astonishing. An idea whispered in the ear of a developer is often embodied overnight. And we’re just one month into the story…..
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| UK DCS005 shown on he excellent (German) DV-RPTR Control Centre software |
D-STAR Makeover
I had a surprising and slightly emotional experience on DV mode last week. I was in QSO with a mobile station who temporarily lost the repeater for a couple of seconds. Not unusual, but get this - instead of vanishing permanently in to vast digital abyss, he came right back as the system re-synced and locked-up. This happened again and he was re-acquired and all was well. Remarkable.
No longer will your beautiful, eloquent, flowing QSO be 'bumped' abruptly and permanently off the air by a random mobile station the other side of the world 'pinging' his local repeater for a few milliseconds. You can now even QSY to a 'chat' module and not hog the repeaters of an entire nation while you discuss your passion for North Korean tractor parts for three hours.
The advent of DCS reflectors, hand-in-hand with the German DV-RPTR boards shipped all over the world, is going to save the mode from extinction, no less. Witness the used D-STAR radios in the graveyard of Ebay as testament to the disillusioned DPlus users.
If only they'd have waited.
*UPDATE 24th April 2012: Looks like the Dplus system has been suddenly revamped to include the routing information with the voice packets in the same way as DCS. Shame it took seven years of dysfunctional communications and a rival system to prompt this. I'll be staying on the DCS system - but enjoy whichever system you use and enjoy the mode!
No longer will your beautiful, eloquent, flowing QSO be 'bumped' abruptly and permanently off the air by a random mobile station the other side of the world 'pinging' his local repeater for a few milliseconds. You can now even QSY to a 'chat' module and not hog the repeaters of an entire nation while you discuss your passion for North Korean tractor parts for three hours.
The advent of DCS reflectors, hand-in-hand with the German DV-RPTR boards shipped all over the world, is going to save the mode from extinction, no less. Witness the used D-STAR radios in the graveyard of Ebay as testament to the disillusioned DPlus users.
If only they'd have waited.
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| The DV-RPTR unit in its housing |
*UPDATE 24th April 2012: Looks like the Dplus system has been suddenly revamped to include the routing information with the voice packets in the same way as DCS. Shame it took seven years of dysfunctional communications and a rival system to prompt this. I'll be staying on the DCS system - but enjoy whichever system you use and enjoy the mode!
