Another anti Icom person * D-STAR *

[mr-fordtruck]

I think this D-STAR thing totally stinks.

Icom is making P25 radios for public safety and govt. Icom is wasting engineering dollars on DSTAR for the ham community. Whatever happened to a standard digital mode. Poor youths in CAP dont even have a chance to play with 2 meters now that CAP seems to be switching over to APCO25 vhf around the country.


no DSTAR customer here !!

 

[RyltnVFD]

I couldn't afford D-STAR, anyway. .

 

[wesct]

well, icom is pushing it. they are going to put up a dstar amateur repeater in newington, ct in the near future. they are going to have a vhf version of this product sometime next year. so much for analog!

wesct

 

[DaveNF2G]

One repeater at ARRL HQ is a L-O-O-N-G way from killing off analog nationwide!

Unless the FCC mandates digital for hams, there will be analog for a good long time yet. After all, you can still buy a brand new, computer controlled, all-DSP transceiver that can do CW.

 

[nexus]

Remember when, or maybe you don't remember when the amateur two meter band use to be using AM mode. And then they changed the mode to F3E (FM). Everything was produced as FM.

Now the FCC hasn't said we're no longer going to use FM on those bands, and I don't think it will really get to that. But they might request the ARRL to reorganize the bandplan to allocate a small portion of the 2 meter band for digital radios. I think it's exciting, but not so if the radios are going to be really expensive.

BTW, the comment about CAP. It doesn't matter about DSTAR or not. Pretty much 90% of all amatuer radios are no longer allowed for Civil Air Patrol use because they were required to go to a NFM mode. And any radio not capable of NFM would not be accepted on their frequencies. Right now I think there are maybe 2 or 3 two-meter radios capable of it. Everything else is useless for CAP service. So they already were forced to buy a commerical radio.

 

[loumaag]

I think a point is being missed here. There are more P25 Ham repeaters and radios currently on the air than there are DSTAR radios in use in the US. Why are CAP people being left behind, what is stopping them from acquiring the equipment (other than budget perhaps)? P25 digital equipment has been on the market long enough that some of it is becomeing surplus, this is exactly what happened to the 2 meter band when it converted to FM. I helped install the first Ham 2 meter FM repeater in New Orleans (W5UK) and it used a Motorola "throw away" repeater.

 

[Hamradiostuffing]

It is hard to say which way ham radio will go. I do know that hams do not want to spend alot of money on equipment anyway. Secondly how many hams are going to want to replace thier equipment that is already working. Does P25 require the repeaters themselves to be changed? If so how many clubs can afford that?

Part 97 restricts bussiness use on any of the amatuer bands. That means that DSTAR even though it can do over the air internet can not get or download anything encripted like email. The technology works except it is expenisive and has fcc rule limitations.

I can get Verizon wireless internet cheaper than DSTAR and and can do everything on the net I want. So what good is DSTAR? Just a question?

 

[Skylab]

I've often wondered what the future of HAM radio is going to be. Digital capable radios seem to be the next step....what else is in the works?

Personally, I prefer the sound of analog vs digital...cell phones sound really bad too.

On the up side, P25 audio is great when driving or being in a noisy environment...no static.

Anyways...I'd get a D*Star radio, if they didn't sound like garbage.

 

[wesct]

One repeater at ARRL HQ is a L-O-O-N-G way from killing off analog nationwide!

Unless the FCC mandates digital for hams, there will be analog for a good long time yet. After all, you can still buy a brand new, computer controlled, all-DSP transceiver that can do CW.

icom is looking for more market share for d star. thats why the arrl will probably get the equipment for free. maybe icom will put in a d star radio in at w1aw station for all to use.

and your right. its only 1 repeater- but its a start for icom.

wesct

 

[K2KOH]

Icom DStar as a standard...so does this mean anyone with an Alinco digital is SOL?

 

[nd5y]

Alinco's digital format is a standard too. That's the neat thing about standards, there are
so many to choose from!

 

[Hamradiostuffing]

That is the issue icom dstar and alinco do not work with from what i understand

 

[K5MAR]

Icom's DStar, Alinco's digital audio, and the APCO P-25 are all different, no interoperability. DStar was originally developed for the Japanese market, then brought to the U.S. That would (probably) explain why APCO P-25 wasn't used. The same with Alinco's digital audio.

Given the price of DStar radios and equipment, I don't see it becoming very popular. P-25 seems the more likely choice, as surplus radios come on the market. Nor do I see the FCC getting involved in this. They have repeatedly made it plain that they expect the amateur community to make these kind of decisions. I forsee digital and analog repeaters sharing the current repeater sub-bands for a long time to come.

Mark S.

 

[K2KOH]

Makes more sense to use P25...converted Motorola radios, etc...

 

[MacombMonitor]

Icom DStar as a standard...so does this mean anyone with an Alinco digital is SOL?

Anyone with an Alinco is SOL regardless! Ever try to get service from Alinco?

 

[wesct]

Anyone with an Alinco is SOL regardless! Ever try to get service from Alinco?

alinco has had problems, but its getting better. of course. call icom land mobile for a procedure to tune the duplexers that are supplied with their gear and you will get a " i dont know" response. vertex has one- why not icom?

the manufacturers of amateur gear have no standard to make their digital amateur gear compatible with each other. all hams should petition the arrl to make them have a standard!

wesct

 

[loumaag]

the manufacturers of amateur gear have no standard to make their digital amateur gear compatible with each other. all hams should petition the arrl to make them have a standard!

A better answer would be just not buy any of the gear. Believe this, if no one bought the DSTAR gear, or the Alinco, or the AOR stuff, they would quit making it pretty damn quick. Just keep asking when they are going to add P25 digital to the gear. :lol:

 

[mr-fordtruck]

loumaag - I could not agree with you more

 

[wesct]

A better answer would be just not buy any of the gear. Believe this, if no one bought the DSTAR gear, or the Alinco, or the AOR stuff, they would quit making it pretty damn quick. Just keep asking when they are going to add P25 digital to the gear. :lol:

according to ray novak of icom, icom wont make amateur p25 gear in fear people would abuse it.

i beleive thats why the arrl and the newington club is getting some of this gear- to promote it. i personally feel its out of reach of the typical ham. but you never know if the red cross or some other agency would buy it- i hope not.

analog radios are plentiful. and there priced right.

wesct

 

[loumaag]

according to ray novak of icom, icom wont make amateur p25 gear in fear people would abuse it.

Could you expand on that if you know the reasoning? I mean, abuse it in what way? How is having P25 gear any different than having any VHF/UHF gear easily adaptable to Pub Safety bands? Sounds like they just won't make as much money off of something from an open standard as they can try and make from some propriatary crap that won't interact with anyone elses propriatry crap.