[WARC] D-Star

[Erik Brom]

After Les's presentation Thursday, and remembering back to an early 
D-Star ad, I wondered if we could put a 1296 D-Star digital node at 
the KAGE site, and then interconnect it with D-Star Analog repeater 
modules (which I thought I remembered seeing).   So we could continue 
to run our existing FM systems, but interconnect them with the digital network.

Doing some surfing now, I was unable to turn up any D-Star analog 
repeater hardware, so its apparently not possible.

I came across some other things though, such as references to 
proprietary software available (only) from Icom, the codec issue of 
course, and a single central server system that manages the linking 
between systems.

All of this really bothers me, as not being "The Amateur Way".  It 
sounds to me more like we are buying a commercial system from a 
single manufacturer.  Contrast this to APRS.  The *protocol* is 
published, and there are a bunch of manufactures of hardware and 
software that support it, and lots of ways hams can set up new ways 
of using it.

Although the technology and capabilities of D-star sound cool, 
something just isn't sitting right with me.  Am I right or 
wrong?  Can someone give me a better "warm & fuzzy" feeling about this?

Erik
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