Digital Modes D-STAR
D-STAR (Digital Smart Technology for Amateur
Radio)
D-STAR (Digital Smart Technology for Amateur Radio) is a digital
voice and data protocol specification developed as the result of research
funded by the Japanese government and administered by the
Japan Amateur Radio League to
investigate digital technologies for
amateur radio.
While there are other digital on-air technologies being used by
amateurs that have come from other services, D-Star is one of the first
on-air standards to be widely deployed and sold by a major radio
manufacturer that is designed specifically for amateur service use.
Currently, only ICOM produce D-STAR equipment.
The D-STAR system supports two types of digital data streams. The
Digital Voice (DV) stream contains both digitised voice and digital data. Using a DV radio is like having both a packet link and FM
voice operating simultaneously. The Digital Data (DD) stream, used only on
1.2 GHz, is entirely data with a bit rate of 128kbps.
Currently there are 17 D-STAR repeaters in the UK. Two of them are run
by ICOM. The first thing to do is find the repeater closest to you. A
quick visit to the
D-STAR UK website will reveal the locations of these repeaters. You can use the D_STAR repeater like you would any
other repeater for local QSO's but the added benefit is the addition
of an internet
gateway that routes the transmission via VOIP to access other D-STAR repeaters
anywhere in the world and communicate with other operators who are
connected to D-STAR repeaters.
A repeater located on the other side of the world is no different to a
local repeater , you just have to route your call to the distant repeater.
There is no signal loss or white noise, it's as though all participants
are on the same repeater.
If you want to know more about D-STAR, further information can be found
at the following external links or just ask at the next club meeting.
D-STAR UK
Icom official site.
D-STAR Information
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