How To Register For D-star

D-STAR Quick-Start Guide

by Rob Locher W7GH

The goal of this document is to give the reader just enough information to go started operating a D-STAR-capable Icom radio on a local internet-connected D-STAR repeater. Later reading this document the reader should read other articles, books, and web pages to learn the effectively points.

Welcome

And then you merely bought a fancy new radio that happens to take D-STAR, and y'all want to cheque out this new digital mode. Groovy! D-STAR is a lot of fun. In my stance, the all-time thing about D-STAR is how hands a D-STAR repeater can exist linked to other repeaters over the internet. On near D-STAR repeaters an ordinary user can link to another repeater, or to a "reflector" that has many other repeaters linked to information technology already. No matter how many repeaters are linked, there is no delay to key the other repeaters, no need to key upwardly for a 2d or two before speaking. Hams on other linked repeaters audio just equally good every bit hams using the local repeater.

D-STAR is taking off around the globe, and I find it to exist quite a thrill to conversation with a ham in São Paulo, Melbourne, Yorkshire, or Stockholm while I'm driving around boondocks. Cheers to the digital nature of D-STAR, the sound quality of a typical point is splendid, at least until the other ham gets close to the edge of his or her repeater'due south coverage area, when the point starts to sound like digital beeps and boops, which are oftentimes chosen "R2-D2" later on the noises fabricated by the robot in Star Wars.

First Steps

Before you're allowed on the D-STAR organisation, your call sign must be registered. The intent of this requirement isn't quite clear, but my guess is that it'southward meant to keep "riff-raff" out of the system. (If and then, this policy is already obsolete; many dealers are happy to annals the call sign of whatever customer who buys a D-STAR radio, no questions asked.) Until y'all're registered you'll but be able to talk on your local D-STAR repeater; your point won't be transmitted to any linked repeater. Your local D-STAR repeater might have a web page where yous can request to be registered, merely more often than not the best method is to detect the person who maintains the local D-STAR repeater, and inquire nicely to be registered. You must simply be registered past the operator of a single repeater, so don't ask more than 1 person to register you lot.

It'south possible to set your radio for D-STAR and program your radio's retentivity channels using the front panel controls and the microphone, only that procedure is very complicated. I don't recommend that you lot plan your radio manually except in an emergency, and this document won't tell yous how. I highly recommend that yous programme your radio with a computer instead. Icom has released free software for the IC-80AD and ID-880H, which I've used successfully. If you accept a different radio model so yous'll need to track down software that works with your radio. As far every bit I know, Icom has released complimentary software for all their D-STAR radio models. CHIRP past Dan Smith KK7DS works with nearly or all of the D-STAR capable radios (and likewise simply about any other VHF/UHF radio you can think of), is gratis, and works on nearly every Os. RT Systems sells software and cables that are like shooting fish in a barrel to use, but are pricey, and only work on Windows.

In add-on to software, you lot'll also demand a USB-to-RS232 converter cable, unless your computer has a series port. You'll also need the programming cable that came with your radio. You'll want to be sure that your USB adapter has a chip made by FTDI or Prolific. There are inexpensive cables with "clones" of Prolific chips that are difficult to go to work, thank you to driver difficulties. If this sounds like too much hassle and you don't heed spending more money, you can ever buy the RT Systems software and cable for your radio, which by and large "just works".

D-STAR Basics and Bolts

Every Icom D-STAR radio also works great as an analog FM radio. I recommend that you larn how to employ the radio, and your programming software, with FM repeaters before yous mess with D-STAR; that fashion yous won't have to learn everything at in one case.

To transmit in D-STAR and have other people hear you, you'll demand to set 4 parameters: MYCALL, URCALL, RPT1, and RPT2. Of course yous'll also demand to ready the mode ("DV") and frequency, and if you're trying to talk through a repeater, the offset. At least there are no PL tones to worry about. (If you merely want to receive for now, you can ignore MYCALL, URCALL, RPT1 and RPT2.)

MYCALL is your ain telephone call sign, eight characters maximum. You're immune to add together "/" and and so other characters; I call up the original intent was so that you could sign "/P", "/Grand", or "/7", but for D-STAR some people get creative, like "/BOB" for someone named Bob, or "/92" for someone using an IC-92AD.
URCALL can hold routing information or linking commands; to just use the local repeater, URCALL should be prepare to "CQCQCQ".
RPT1 should be set to the local repeater and module that you're trying to access. (The setting doesn't matter for simplex.) Meet beneath for what I mean by a module.
RPT2 designates where you want your signal to be routed on your local repeater; normally RPT2 is set to the call sign of the local repeater, followed past "<space>G". (The setting doesn't thing for simplex.)

Don't get too excited almost exactly what URCALL, RPT1, and RPT2 are for, because there is a simple web tool you can utilize that will tell you what to enter: the D-STAR Reckoner. Merely tell the estimator what you want to do, and it volition tell yous what to put in MYCALL, URCALL, RPT1 and RPT2. When using the reckoner simply change i thing at a time, and each fourth dimension you change something the page will take several seconds to reload; exist patient. Hints: always select "Local Repeater with Gateway" rather than "Local Repeater"; accept a look at the Calculator's help page.

The "module", "port", or "node" (all 3 words mean the same matter) of a D-STAR repeater refers to the band. Icom makes modules for 2m (144 MHz), 70cm (440 MHz), and 25cm (1.2 GHz), and a repeater can have nodes for more than one band; some D-STAR repeaters take modules for all iii bands. By the mode, the "A" port or module is on 1.2 GHz, the "B" port is for 70cm, and the "C" port is for 2m. Then if you set RPT1 for "KE7LKX B", that would be the 70cm module / port / node of repeater KE7LKX. (In the RPT2 setting "G" is often used, due east.g. "KE7LKX G". In this case "M" doesn't refer to a module, but rather the gateway, which is a computer that connects the repeater to the internet.)

Call Sign Routing

Connecting the local repeater to another repeater or repeaters over the internet is extremely popular with D-STAR users. There are two different ways to practice so. In the get-go, there was Call sign routing, and it was good. With telephone call sign routing, you configure URCALL, RPT1, and RPT2 to route your transmissions to another repeater and node. You can either specify the specific repeater and node, or you lot can road your transmissions to the repeater and node that a specific ham last used.

With call sign routing, there is no permanent link established; your local repeater simply routes your transmissions over the internet to some other repeater and node according to your instructions. If a ham using the other repeater node wants to talk back to y'all, she must set up up her radio to route her transmissions to your repeater and node. Some examples follow.

Using the local repeater (no routing)

W7GH simply wants to talk to other local hams using his local repeater KE7LKX, which is on 70 cm (node B).

MYCALL: W7GH
URCALL: CQCQCQ
RPT1: KE7LKX B
RPT2: KE7LKX Grand

Telephone call sign routing to a specific repeater and node

W7GH is using his local repeater KE7LKX (the B module on 70 cm), and he wants to route his transmissions to the B module of the JP1YDS repeater near Katori, Nippon.

MYCALL: W7GH
URCALL: /JP1YDSB
RPT1: KE7LKX B
RPT2: KE7LKX G

If someone is already transmitting on the JP1YDS repeater node B when W7GH starts transmitting, then W7GH'south transmission will be blocked on the remote repeater, and W7GH's radio will display "RPT?KE7LKX" to notify him that his transmission didn't become through.

Call sign routing to the repeater and node last used by a specific ham

W7GH is on his local repeater KE7LKX, and his buddy K7BBS is on vacation; W7GH wants to route his transmissions to whatever repeater his buddy K7BBS used most recently, in the promise of talking to his buddy.

MYCALL: W7GH
URCALL: K7BBS
RPT1: KE7LKX B
RPT2: KE7LKX G

In this example it might look as though W7GH is calling person-to-person, but it's really repeater-to-repeater, and anyone listening to either repeater will hear the conversation.

When calling another repeater using call sign routing, ane should denote what repeater and node ane is calling from, for example "This is W7GH calling CQ from repeater KE7LKX, node B, in Grants Laissez passer, Oregon, United states. CQ CQ CQ from W7GH on repeater KE7LKX node B, CQ." Maxim the repeater and node y'all're calling from out loud allows people on the other repeater to ready their radios manually if they can't apply their "RX->CS" buttons for some reason. (More than on the "RX->CS" button later.) Exist patient and await at least a couple minutes, so that an operator on the other repeater tin stop what he or she is doing and plan the radio to road his or her transmissions to your repeater and node.

It'due south important to note that information technology's easy to crusade unintentional interference with call sign routing, because y'all won't hear transmissions from people using the other repeater unless they prepare their radios to talk to yous. If yous're routing your transmissions to another repeater, either to call CQ or to call a specific ham, you might be interrupting a QSO or a net, so keep your transmission short and don't call more than than in one case or twice. Merely don't be afraid to practise information technology, because coming together new people on the air is what ham radio is all about!

If y'all use telephone call sign routing to talk to someone on another repeater, be sure to change URCALL dorsum to "CQCQCQ" immediately after you've finished. If you forget, your transmissions for your next QSO with someone on the local repeater will be inadvertently routed to the other repeater you were routing to earlier!

By the way, when D-STAR users exterior the U.s.a. are looking for a QSO then they are more than likely to phone call CQ, like to the way it's washed on SSB, rather than denote that they are "monitoring".

Every Icom D-STAR radio has an "RX->CS" button. The "RX->CS" button gives you an easy mode to automatically ready URCALL, RPT1, and RPT2 to route your transmissions to the repeater and node that the previous caller, or whatever i of the last several callers, called from. Read your radio'south manual to notice exactly how to apply "RX->CS".

DPlus Linking

Call sign transmission routing works well, but there are a couple disadvantages: in that location is no easy way to link more than ii repeaters, and a caller routing his or her transmissions to another repeater has no idea whether the other repeater is busy or not. Forth came a very clever fellow, Robin Cutshaw AA4RC, who invented very clever software chosen DPlus, which can be installed on the gateway computer that connects a D-STAR repeater to the cyberspace. DPlus adds several functions, most chiefly the the ability to link a repeater to another repeater, or to a D-STAR reflector. With DPlus-style linking, a lasting link to another repeater or a reflector can exist ready up. Anything said on whatever linked repeater will automatically be routed to every other linked repeater, with no special radio configuration required.

A D-STAR reflector is a computer connected to the internet that runs special software. The nice matter about reflectors is that lots of repeaters tin can be continued to one reflector. For instance, reflector 14C "fourteen-charlie" is the pop reflector for D-STAR repeaters on the West Declension of the US and Canada; link your local repeater to reflector 14C, and half the D-STAR users from San Diego to Vancouver will hear you when you transmit. And then at that place is reflector 1C, the "D-STAR Mega Reflector", used world-wide. That one is really fun! There is a listing of reflectors here.

DPlus Linking to Some other Repeater

W7GH wants to link his local repeater KE7LKX to the 70cm "B" module of repeater KE7MVI.

MYCALL: W7GH
URCALL: KE7MVIBL
RPT1: KE7LKX B
RPT2: KE7LKX G

Later setting upwardly the radio, the operator should primal the microphone for about one 2d to transmit the command. If the control succeeds, the repeater will play a recording saying "remote arrangement linked". Later linking, the operator should immediately modify URCALL back to CQCQCQ.

DPlus Linking to a Reflector

W7GH wants to link his local repeater to Reflector 14C, to which many other West Coast repeaters are already linked.

MYCALL: W7GH
URCALL: REF014CL
RPT1: KE7LKX B
RPT2: KE7LKX 1000

After setting up the radio, the operator should key the microphone for well-nigh ane second to transmit the command. If the control succeeds, the repeater volition play a recording proverb "remote arrangement linked". After linking, the operator should immediately change URCALL dorsum to CQCQCQ.

Unlinking

W7GH wants to unlink his local repeater KE7LKX from the reflector or other repeater that it'due south currently linked to.

MYCALL: W7GH
URCALL: <infinite><space><infinite><space><space><space><infinite>U
RPT1: KE7LKX B
RPT2: KE7LKX G

After setting upwards the radio, the operator should key the microphone for almost one second to transmit the command. If the command succeeds, the repeater will play a recording maxim "remote system unlinked". After unlinking, the operator should immediately change URCALL back to CQCQCQ.

Almost D-STAR users outside Nippon use DPlus linking rather than phone call sign routing. So why did I tell you virtually call sign routing? Well, I think every D-STAR radio owner should know how to use call sign routing, because that was the original intent of the designers of D-STAR. Information technology works neat, and knowing how to use information technology will allow you to talk to the thousands of D-STAR users who prefer connecting that way.

There are a couple other useful tools bachelor to users of DPlus-equipped repeaters: repeat testing and the information message. An echo test is a good way to observe out how you sound on the local repeater; when you key up a few seconds of your audio are recorded, and then the recording is played back. The information message tells the linking status of the repeater. Run into the examples for more data.

Repeat Test

W7GH wants to hear how he sounds on his local D-STAR repeater, KE7LKX.

MYCALL: W7GH
URCALL: KE7LKX E
RPT1: KE7LKX B
RPT2: KE7LKX One thousand

After setting up the radio, W7GH keys up the radio and announces an echo test: "This is W7GH performing an echo test, hello examination test test". The repeater records the audio and and so plays information technology back. Afterward an echo test, URCALL should be changed back to CQCQCQ.

Data Message

W7GH wants to discover whether his local repeater KE7LKX is currently linked.

MYCALL: W7GH
URCALL: KE7LKX I
RPT1: KE7LKX B
RPT2: KE7LKX G

After setting up the radio, W7GH keys up the radio for almost one second (no need to speak into the microphone). If the repeater is linked, he volition hear the message "remote system linked", and a text message should scroll across the screen announcing what the repeater is linked to. Later asking for the information bulletin, URCALL should be changed back to CQCQCQ.

At that place'south ane other thing to mention, and that is that telephone call sign routing and DPlus linking don't mix very well. I wonder what would happen if the local repeater were linked to a reflector, and so someone used telephone call sign routing to road his transmissions to the local repeater and node. It's very possible that his transmissions would get out to the reflector, just he wouldn't exist able to hear the traffic on the reflector. In other words, the calling ham could inadvertently interfere with peradventure dozens of linked repeaters! So if anyone on a different repeater uses call sign routing to talk on your repeater when it'southward linked via DPlus to another repeater or a reflector, so you lot should immediately unlink the local repeater to avoid accidental interference to the linked repeater or reflector. In one case you've unlinked you lot could reply to the caller using call sign routing.

DV Dongles, DVAPs, and Hotspots

Lots of hams get onto D-STAR without using a repeater. You'll hear people talking about their DV Dongles, DVAPs, and Hotspots a lot, so you might too know what these things are. A DV Dongle is a little plastic box that plugs into a computer'due south USB port. The estimator user can then connect to a repeater or reflector, talking through a headset plugged into the reckoner, without using a radio at all.

A DVAP plugs into the the computer like a DV Dongle, but has a small antenna. Instead of using a headset, the ham uses a D-STAR radio to talk to the DVAP using DV simplex. The range is very limited, but the ham tin use his or her radio (and figurer) to connect to a repeater or reflector without a D-STAR repeater in range.

A D-STAR Hotspot is like a homemade DVAP made using an FM radio with a information port, a GMSK adapter board, and a computer. The thought is that a hotspot costs less than a DVAP, yet has ameliorate range. It's even possible to upgrade the hotspot to a full-duplex non-Icom D-STAR repeater.

DV Dongles, DVAPs, and D-STAR Hotspots allow their users to link to repeaters or reflectors using DPlus linking, only not call sign routing. Phone call sign routing requires a D-STAR radio and a D-STAR repeater.

Programming Your Radio for D-STAR

You may accept noticed that MYCALL, RPT1, and RPT2 never inverse in the examples. MYCALL changes merely when the operator changes, of course. RPT1 and RPT2 alter when the local repeater changes. (All the examples used the aforementioned local repeater.) When you program a D-STAR repeater into a retentivity aqueduct of your radio, the memory saves the frequency and start of course, but as well the mode (DV or FM), and for a D-STAR repeater, RPT1 and RPT2. Once a D-STAR repeater is saved to a memory channel, you lot tin change D-STAR repeaters by turning a knob or pushing a push simply like y'all can modify FM repeaters, and RPT1 and RPT2 will be fix for you along with the frequency and first. D-STAR repeaters can be included in a aqueduct scan just like FM repeaters.

The examples showed how URCALL is used. In phone call sign routing, URCALL holds routing information. In DPlus linking, URCALL holds either CQCQCQ or a control to be briefly transmitted. Once you take programmed repeaters into retentivity channels, typically only URCALL will exist inverse in ordinary mean solar day-to-24-hour interval operating. In order to make things easier for the operator, D-STAR radios have several memory slots just for stored URCALLs.

When yous're programming your radio with the computer software, in addition to setting upward all the channel memories, you lot'll also want to gear up the D-STAR specific features. You tin can ready the twenty-grapheme transmit message, the i that will scroll across other operators' radios when y'all transmit, and besides the URCALL memories. Be sure to set the start URCALL retentiveness to "CQCQCQ", because that's the one you'll use the almost.

Once the repeater retentivity channels and the URCALL memory slots take been programmed, regular D-STAR operating is piece of cake. For example, hither'southward how I link my local repeater to reflector 14C using my ID-880H and and so change URCALL back to CQCQCQ afterwards:

Long-press (one 2d) the "UR" button; brandish shows the current contents of URCALL (normally CQCQCQ)
Turn the big knob to scroll through the URCALL retentiveness slots until the display shows "REF014CL"
Press the "UR" button to copy "REF014CL" to URCALL
Key the microphone for about ane 2d to transmit the link command; repeater should play the message "remote organization linked", and and then establish the link to the reflector
Long-press the "UR" button once more; display shows the electric current contents of URCALL
Turn the big knob until the display shows "CQCQCQ"
Printing the "UR" button to copy "CQCQCQ" to URCALL

This might seem like many steps, but it before long becomes second nature. I can easily do this as I bulldoze down a quiet road, only taking my eyes off the route for a 2d or two.

Practical Considerations

D-STAR radios include a DR manner, which seems to exist another way to set the radio to use various D-STAR repeaters saved in a special memory bank. I get the impression that it'south most useful to people who talk to dozens and dozens of D-STAR repeaters. I've never used it, and I don't plan to.

Our local repeater seems to become kicked off a reflector very quickly when the repeater is idle. I'm non sure why that is, simply one result is that nigh every time I go to use the repeater, it's not linked. Most of the time this is merely a pocket-size badgerer.

Etiquette

If yous'd like to link your local D-STAR repeater to a reflector, at a minimum check the info bulletin to find out if the repeater is already linked. And so if the repeater isn't linked, change URCALL to CQCQCQ and announce your call sign and your intention on the repeater earlier linking, for example "This is W7GH linking to reflector fourteen charlie."

If you're in another town listening to someone else'south D-STAR repeater and you'd like to link it, most people probably wouldn't mind, assuming the repeater is idle. Just delight be as polite as possible; if yous can, ask a local operator what the linking policy is. At a minimum, ask on the repeater if anyone minds earlier linking. Urban D-STAR repeaters with many users probably have stricter policies than rural repeaters with fewer users.

More than Information

Hopefully this is enough information to go you lot started. If you lot use D-STAR more than but occasionally, yous should learn more. The all-time resource to learn how to use D-STAR is The Nifty E-Z Guide to D-STAR Operation, by Bernie Lafreniere, N6FN. Bernie as well publishes a "Nifty! Mini-Transmission" for each of the Icom D-STAR radios; I have the one for the ID-880H, and it's better-organized, easier to read, and much sturdier than the official Icom manual.

Here are some links to useful and interesting spider web sites near D-STAR:

dstarusers.org

dstarinfo.com

Appendix: D-STAR Controversies

It seems that every fourth dimension I bring up D-STAR with hams who don't already have a D-STAR radio, some controversy or other is brought upwards. In my opinion most of these controversies are way overblown, simply I'll give my opinion on them anyway.

D-STAR isn't in the true spirit of ham radio because it uses the cyberspace to go 99% of the way. Actually I concord with this statement somewhat; to go the most from ham radio, a ham should explore modes that don't involve internet linking. And everyone should proceed in mind that a D-STAR radio won't be the best way to communicate out from the zone of a large-calibration disaster, because if the net is down, and then a D-STAR repeater is just a stand-lonely VHF or UHF repeater. But so what? Information technology's fun to link repeaters over the internet, and so I do it.

D-STAR isn't in the truthful spirit of ham radio considering information technology uses a proprietary codec. Government and business users have been using digital voice on VHF and UHF for something like xx years now. Information technology was inevitable that digital voice on UHF and VHF would come to ham radio. Virtually all digital voice modes for VHF and UHF use codecs made by a single company, Digital Voice Systems, Inc. An open-source codec called codec2 is now bachelor, but wasn't available when D-STAR was beingness created. (A different version of D-STAR could exist created using codec2, simply information technology wouldn't exist compatible with the existing version of D-STAR using the AMBE codec made past DVSI.) Everything nearly D-STAR but the codec is an open standard. The inventors of D-STAR fabricated it as open as possible with what was available at the time. If we insist on only open-source codecs for digital voice, then amateur radio volition exist forced to lag fifteen years or more backside the state of the art. Amateur radio built the offset non-authorities spacecraft, the satellite Oscar 1; practice we now want to merchandise our traditional part at the forefront of technological advance in exchange for ideological purity of dubious usefulness?

D-STAR is elitist. It's truthful that D-STAR radios are much more expensive than otherwise-similar radios that but have FM. Most D-STAR radios use a hardware codec fleck that is said to price nigh $20 or less. Therefore about $20 or so of the extra toll of a D-STAR radio over an FM radio can be explained by hardware. The balance of the increment is probably Icom recouping their research and development expenses, and taking profit. Once D-STAR becomes more widespread, other manufacturers will decide to make D-STAR radios, and the cost volition come up down. I suppose anything expensive attracts snobs, merely personally I've never heard anybody on the air beingness bossy about D-STAR over FM.

The sound quality of D-STAR stinks. Personally I prefer the audio of a nice total-quieting FM signal over a D-STAR signal, only when the FM point is getting weak and scratchy, the D-STAR signal sounds much amend under the same weather. Of grade when weather are truly bad, D-STAR has fallen off the "digital cliff", while the FM bespeak is still readable with difficulty. I'd say that if someone really doesn't like the sound of a D-STAR signal, it'due south probably personal preference at piece of work.

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