D-STAR System D-mystified

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D-STAR System D-mystified

• Howard Brown, KG6GI
• Brian Roode, NJ6N

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Who Are We?

• Howard, KG6GI
• SOARA Repeater Director
• Systems Engineer (CC/ATC)
• Brian, NJ6N
• SOARA Repeater Team
• Unix Systems Programmer
• D-STAR gateway management team
• dChat Author

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D-Star System Overview
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Voice Encoding Utilizes Digital Voice Systems
AMBE 2020 Chip
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Baseband Allocation

• DV Radios (ID-1, ID-800, IC-91AD, IC-2820,)
• Digital Voice w/ Fwd Error Correcting 3600 bps
• Low Speed Digital Data 1200 baud
• Channel Spacing 10 kHz
• DD Radios (ID-1)
• High Speed Data Transfer 128 kbps
• Channel Spacing 200 kHz

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Each Radio Has Frequency, Mode and 4 Call Sign
Fields to be Programmed

• Operating Frequency
• Configuration
• Mode
• MyCall
• UrCall
• Rpt 1
• Rpt 2

• Simplex or Duplex
• FM or DV
• Source Call sign
• Destination Call Sign
• 1st Repeater
• 2nd Repeater

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D-STAR Simplex Call
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Local Zone (Repeater) Call
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Gateway Call
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D-STAR by the Numbers

• Germany, France, Italy, Austria Switzerland
  added this past spring
• 414 repeater systems internationally
• 2869 users registered on gateways
• 193 gateways on the US Root trust server
• Over 800 users using gateways each day!

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Remote Zone CQ Call
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Generation 2 Gateway Software

• Gateways can now have a dynamic IP address.
• The gateway synchronization process is much
  better.
• Multicast routing enables gateway admins to
  pre-define a list of up to 10 gateways that a
  specific "URCALL" (e.g. /COMMUTE) will route to.
• Users wishing to use the multicast group may
  program it into their radio. When they transmit
  to "/COMMUTE" for example, their voice data is
  routed to all of the repeaters configured by the
  gateway admin.
• The ability to disable a broken/malicious gateway
  system.
• Users register themselves now and administrators
  approve the registration.
• Users can specify up to 10 "terminals" or their
  call with single- character modifiers.

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Digital Voice (DV) Dongle

• The DV Dongle
• Connects to your PC or Apple Mac via a USB port
• Provides encoding and decoding of compressed
  audio using the DVSI AMBE2000 full duplex vocoder
  DSP chip.
• The DVTool application available for Microsoft
  Windows XP/Vista, Mac OS X Leopard, or many
  flavors of Linux

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DV Dongle Functions

• Provides AMBE 2020 interface to a computer
  through USB port.
• Provides a RF-less D-Star radio
• Replaces RF function with internet connection
• The dongle can monitor gateway traffic
• The dongle can transmit over the gateway
• Many more uses

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DPlus Functions

• Installed on the gateway computer
• Echo Test
• URCall K6SOAE
• Echos back your transmission
• Repeater ID
• UrCall K6SOAI
• Plays local system voice message or link status
• Establish Link
• UrCall XXNXXXML
• Terminate Link
• UrCall U
• Central logging to database for reporting Dongle
  use via DstarUsers.org
• Author Robin Cutshaw, AA4RC

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Available Software Applications

• DStarlet
• dChat
• D-RATS
• Dstarusers.org
• D-PRS interface/javAPRSSrvr
• uSmartDigi D-Gate D-STAR Gateway D-STAR/APRS
  Interface
• D-STAR query
• Opendstar.org Applications

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DChat

• Runs on Windows
• Enables text based communications between
  multiple stations simultaneously.
• Runs on repeater, through the gateway, or on
  simplex frequency.
• Customizable
• Can send periodic QST message.
• Filters GPS data from the message stream.
• Has 7 quick send text message slots
• Authored By Brian, NJ6N

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D-RATS

• New application that provides for
• Text Chatting
• File Transfers
• Position Reporting Geographic Mapping
• See http//d-rats.danplanet.com/wiki/
• Author Dan Smith, KI4IFW

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D-STAR Comms

• Main Features
• Text Chat (Send and Receive text messages between
  DStar Comms Users) URLS are clickable!
• Beacon Mode (Periodically send Text Based
  Beacons) 2 Independent beacons available
• Email Gateway (Will allow RF users to relay
  emails to the internet)
• Email Composer (Allows user to send an email
  through a DStar Comms user who has configured the
  Email Gateway)
• Address Book for keeping users email address.
• Heard List (Automatically records heard users
  callsigns)
• Private Messages (Send PM's to specific users)
• Auto reply (Sends a predefined message when
  status is away)
• PM Inbox. (Saves all received PM's while away or
  set)
• RX/TX/PM Text colour can be assigned.
• Assign a sound (.wav) to a TX/RX event
• See http//www.dstarcomms.com
• Author Matt, M0DQW

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D-STARusers.org Home
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D-STAR Repeater Directory
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D-PRS interface

• D-PRS applications allow D-STAR GPS activity to
  map to standard APRS clients
• D-PRS converts Icom GPS information generated by
  Icom D-STAR radios in GPS mode into TNC2 fomatted
  APRS strings.
• D-PRS resides on the gateway computer
• D-PRS Interface is a Windows GUI application that
  lets you run a mapping program locally and watch
  what is happening on your local frequency.
• See
• dstarusers.org/solutions.html
• http//www.aprs-is.net/images/D-PRS.pdf
• Authored by Pete Loveall, AE5PL

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Opendstar.org Applications

• dShark D-Star packet protocol analyzer
• dsWatch Shows gateway synchronization
  information in real time
• dPlus This application provides voice
  recording/playback functionality (In active
  development)
• Echotest - XXNYYY E
• Authored By Robin Cutshaw, AA4RC

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Southern California D-STAR Systems

• South Orange ARA (SOARA)
• K6SOA
• Laguna Beach (1000)
• Full Stack w/ Gateway
• 146.115/445.660-/1282.600-/1299.900 MHz
• Brian Roode, NJ6N Howard Brown, KG6GI
• Independent Radio Club
• WA6IRC
• Contractors Point
• Full Stack
• 145.605-/446.870-/1282.650-/1299.700 MHz
• Leon Brown, KC6JAR Ken Chafin, W6CPA

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Known SoCal Systems (cont)

• Pocket Auto Patch Association (PAPA)
• Oat Mtn (KI6JKA 447.200-), Saddle Peak (KF6BQK
  449.080-)
• Palomar (WB6YES 445.860-), Woodson Mountain
  (KI6KQU 446.400-)
• Gateways on Oat Mountain Saddle Peak
• Ed Kane, W6ONT Cecil Casillas, WD6FZA
• Dennis Hughes, KE6RYZ
• Keller Peak (KC6RYZ 145.595-)
• Ray Wunno, KE6LE
• Rancho Palos Verde (KE6LE 449.820-)
• Ray Waldemar, WA6NVL

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SOARA D-STAR Stack
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Gateway (IBM X305 Server)
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D-STAR User Radios
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More Information

• SOARA
• http//www.soara.org/dstar
• D-Star Community Primary Information
• http//www.dstarusers.org
• Icom Forums
• http//www.icomamerica.com/support/forums/
• D-STAR Calculator
• http//www.dstarinfo.com/Calculator/Default.htm
• Georgia D-Star General Information
• http//www.dstarinfo.com/default.html
• D-Star Specification
• http//www.arrl.org/FandES/field/regulations/techc
  har/D-STAR.pdf