Here you will find current system information, and where we have been in our D-STAR Odyssey. Read, Enjoy and Join In!
August 2008
GATEWAY UPGRADE and JA D-STAR
ICOM released an update for the gateway software that addresses some of the data synchronization issues the D-STAR community has noticed. The big change is that switching between local modules results in an immediate local database update. And that means when you switch between 2 meters and 70cm during your commute, the gateway sends data to where you really are!
Database updates among the 200+ gateways is supposed to be improved with this update. Initial testing seems to bear this out. Give it a try and see what you think!
And if you thought that was a JA station you heard on the system, you were right! The Japanese D-STAR network is now connected to the worldwide D-STAR network. Advanced repeater linking and "One-Touch" capabilities are not currently available to JA stations, so contacts must be made with the JA call programmed as the URCALL, or as a gateway CQ call to the JA repeater, such as /JP1YIVB. Be sure to announce what repeater and module that you are on so the JA station can program accordingly. Remember that Tokyo is 9 hours ahead of UTC... give a call in the early morning and you may catch some JA stations before they go QRT for the night. Follow this link for a list of Japanese D-STAR repeaters.
May 2008
G2 GATEWAY PERFORMANCE
The WA6IRC G2 Gateway has been up and running for about a month now, and we have been testing mercilessly. One thing that has been noticed is gateway calls do not always go as planned, i.e. the remote stations don’t always hear us, and sometimes we don’t hear them. In talking with the ICOM engineers, we learned that this is occurring on other gateways as well, even the portable gateway system taken to the Dayton convention. The issue centers around the time it takes for database updates to propagate through the D-STAR network. Out of the Dayton experience, the Trust Server team made some adjustments, so we should be seeing better performance.
When you change bands or gateways, it takes a few minutes for that info to get to the 150+ other gateways. ICOM tells us this should occur within about 5 minutes, but network issues and other factors can significantly increase this time. If your gateway call doesn’t goes as you expect, this may very well be why. ICOM and the Trust Server team are continuing to work on improvements, so we will keep you posted.
If you have not done so already, go ahead and register on on the new G2 network. Details for registering can be found here.
April 2008
"G2" GATEWAY UPGRADE
D-STAR is evolving and as part of that process we now have “G2”, a new version of the software that runs the gateway at the repeater site. G2 adds some gateway features, solves issues with the previous version, and makes using the gateway more user-friendly. In order to fix one of the major issues with the previous version of the gateway software, a new user database needs to be created. So the downside of G2 is that we as users need to re-register on the D-STAR system. The upside is registration is done on-line.The WA6IRC D-STAR Gateway moved to the new "G2" network on Saturday April 12, 2008. Details for registering on the new G2 network can be found here.
February 2008
MORE GATEWAY
After a BIG D-STAR network cleanup early this month, things are working better. We have Voice ID and announcements on the system now, so give a listen, try out the gateway and let us know what you think. Here is some info on programming your radio to use the gateway Check here for info on gateways around the world.
January 2008
GATEWAY
We have conquered our internet connection challenges and are now testing the gateway! A BIG thanks to everyone in the Club and at ICOM Tech Support who has helped get us to this point. We are fortunate to have a lot of talented folks in the Club, folks willing to help out with their unique abilities.
In the days and weeks to come we will be testing out the gateway and configuring funtions such as IDs, announcements, messages and the like. As we gain experiance we will share what we find here. In the meantime, enjoy the system. Here is some info on programming your radio to use the gateway Check here for info on gateways around the world.
NOVEMBER 2007
NEW D-STAR REPEATERS!
Over the Veteran's Day weekend, members of the IRC traveled to our Blueridge site above Wrightwood and installed 2 meter and 70cm D-STAR repeaters. The 2 new boxes, W6CPAR, are on 145.585-, W6CPAR_C and 446.870-, W6CPAR_B.
Blueridge offers coverage to the high desert and east end of the San Gabriel Valley, as well as portions of Orange and San Bernardino Counties. Program in the new repeaters and give them a try. The long-range goal will be to set Blueridge up as a zone, but for now we are running them as stand-alone repeaters.
OCTOBER 2007
2M DV Frequency Change: WA6IRC_C now on 145.605-. Please set your RPT1 and RPT2 parameters accordingly.
In February, TASMA gave us a 2 meter pair to try out. An analog machine in the San Gabriel Valley is also on the pair, so the past several months have been a period of test to see if our digital voice machine on Contractor's and the analog machine can "share the pair". As suspected, the two don't coexist well. During this time we have been in communication with the trustees of the San Gabriel Valley machine, as well as with TASMA, and the consensus has been that the 2 meter DV machine needs to move to a different pair.
Ken & Leon traveled to the recent TASMA meeting, and D-STAR was on the agenda. Rather than just moving the IRC to a different pair, TASMA has decided to give D-STAR a home on the 2 meter band by reallocating some underutilized packet frequencies for D-STAR use. The IRC has been assigned 145.605-, so go ahead and reprogram your radios, try out the new pair, and let us know how it is working. TASMA has designated 4 pairs, so look for other D-STAR repeaters on 145.585-, 145.595-, 145.605-, and 145.615-.
APRIL 2007
Spring has arrived, Dry DSL has evaporated, and the 23cm DV repeater has "issues". Other than that, all is well :-) After assuring us that they could bring us DSL, Verizon finaly confessed that our phone circuit at the site is fed via an old microwave link that doesn't support DSL. We are working on a different way to get internet acccess to our site, one that makes use of a known good DSL connection.
The 23cm DV repeater has been shipped back to ICOM for repairs... again. We hope they get it right this time, or we may need to send Leon up to Washington.
MARCH 2007
3/9/2007 Update: Still in DSL H-E-doubletoothpicks awaiting service at the site... Our second go-around got us some answers, though. Apparently our existing phone line is not compatable with DSL since our line uses a "Pair Gain Device". We finaly found someone at Verizon who was willing to part with the deep, dark secrets of Pair Gain. Naturaly we asked for the offensive device to be removed... can you guess the answer? The Pair Gain Device allows more circuits to exist than the physical infrastructure would normally support, so you "gain" phone line pairs. "No! Removal of the Pair Gain Device is not possible!" I bet Leon could make it go away :-)
All is not lost as our provider said there is a way around the Evil Pair Gain. They are working on "Dry DSL" for us. Probably more appropriate for our arid climate anyway... won't have to water it as much :-) There are some other options we are looking into as well in case our Dry DSL evaporates, so stay tuned for details!
FEBRUARY 2007
2/25/2007 Update: TASMA has granted us coordination on 145.200- for 2 meter digital voice. Just a taste down the dial from where we were, so try it out.
2/19/2007 Update: Welcome to DSL H-E-doubletoothpicks... a familiar road for many. Our install date came with no DSL. Long story short, it seems our provider was unsure if they really could provide DSL on the hill, so they cancelled our account. Probably thought no one here would notice... After explaining our situation in detail, they assured us that, yes, DSL is available, and so again, we wait for service.
2/10/2007 Update: Preliminary gateway installation work done... DSL install scheduled for the week of 2/12!
2/5/2007 Update: We received the repaired 23cm and 70cm modules and put them back on the hill. Let us know how they are performing.
2/1/2007 Update: ICOM tells us the 70cm and 23cm repeaters have ben repaired and shipped. Look for these repeaters to be back on the air soon. Thanks Eric and Mark for "encouraging" ICOM to work quickly!
JANUARY 2007
1/28/2007 Update: 2 METER DV FREQUENCY CHANGE TO 145.270- Since the 70cm and 23cm DV repeaters are down while we wait for ICOM to ship replacement modules, we took the opportunity to enhance 2 meter DV operations. The previous frequency pair is occupied by an uncoordinated repeater, which, being tied to a linked system, is rather busy. We anticipate this change will offer improved DV service on 2 meters while we await final coordination from TASMA. Check it out and let us know.
1/24/2007 Update: Bad news from ICOM... they want the defective 23cm and 70cm modules returned BEFORE they will ship out replacement modules. We will travel to the hill this evening to remove the units and ship them back to ICOM in the morning. In the meantime, we will have the use of the 2 meter DV repeater, but due to co-channel interference, this repeater doesn't perform well outside of the San Fernando Valley. At this time it is unknown how long it will take ICOM to ship out replacement modules... In the meantime, take deep breaths, think peaceful thoughts (or not) and check back here and on the analog repeaters for updates.
1/20/2007 Update: Network link installation and testing in progress starting the 20th... Gateway soon!
1/9/2007 Update: The 23cm DV and DD modules are installed, but... after checking power output on the 70cm and 23cm DV modules, we found the units out of spec. No power on 23cm and 8.5 watts on 70cm. ICOM will be shipping replacement units... thanks Eric for expediting! Look for "Full Power" on 23cm and 70cm DV as soon as the units arrive.
1/3/2007: Back to the hill for antenna work.. and if all goes well, 23cm DV and DD! Check back to see how we faired.
DECEMBER 2006
12/30/2006 Update:We traveled to Contractor's and prepped the 40 foot wooden poles for antennas. This included clearing the existing antennas, or remnants to be precise, from the poles. Antenna mounts were installed for the D-STAR 2M, 70cm 23cm digital voice and 23cm digital data antennas. We were able to run most of the cable too before the sun set. Whew! A loooong day, but the hard work is done. We will travel back to the hill in January to finish the work. Oh, Ken & Ed have completed Gateway Certification too!
12/16/2006 Update: SCRRBA has granted test coordination for 23cm! Look to 1282.650- for digital voice, and 1299.700 (simplex) for digital data. Work was to be done today at the site, however the rain has kept us off the hill. Check back for the latest!
Over the weekend of December 2-3, Leon, KC6JAR and Ken, W6CPA installed the 2 meter and 70cm D-STAR repeaters at Contractor's Point. We have now entered the "Testing Phase", so frequencies and configurations are likely to change as we receive coordinations from our area Frequency Coordinators. Current configuration for December 2006 is WA6IRC_B on 446.870- and WA6IRC_C on 147.210+. Please set your RPT1 and RPT2 parameters accordingly. During the next several weeks we will be working on improving sensitivity for both the 2M and 70cm repeaters. Remember, D-STAR frequencies and configuration may change, so please check back here for current info.
NOVEMBER 2006
Now that we have the 1.25M Blueridge analog repeater and link site back up and running, we can focus on D-STAR. Our plan for the month is to install the digital voice repeaters, antennas, etc. at the Contractor's site. We plan to put the 70cm digital voice repeater on the air first, with 23cm DV following shortly thereafter. Next will be 23cm DD and 2M DV.
OCTOBER 2006
The D-STAR repeaters arrive! This is so exciting!
AUGUST 2006
Ham Radio Outlet Burbank moves to a new location and has an Open House. Great job by Mark, Steve, Eric & The Crew at HRO. As we enjoy the new digs, several of us get a chance to talk to the ICOM D-STAR rep.... and so begins the Independent Radio Club's Odyssey.
DECEMBER 2004
Leon uses a ladder to enter the venue for our Holiday Party... he would have used the keys, but they were on the other side of the door. Could D-STAR have saved the day? Probably not, but we had to work the "Ladder Story" in here somehow.
AUGUST 1492
Chris Columbus muses, "Boy, sure wish I lived in the 21st Century... those D-STAR radios will be sooo cool!"
Open Nets Tuesdays 7pm. All Are Welcome!
CONTRACTOR'S SITE WA6IRC A DD 1299.700 WA6IRC A DV 1282.650- WA6IRC B DV 447.270- * WA6IRC C DV 145.605- BLUERIDGE SITE WB6IRC B DV 446.870- * WB6IRC C DV 145.585- * PENDING COORDINATION
Send comments and mail to Ed, KB6THO
kb6tho@ladstar.org
Copyright 2008 The Independent Radio Club
Last updated by Ed, KB6THO on 5/28/2008
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