Posted: 6/24/2015 8:03:34 PM EDT
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I don't want to start a D-STAR vs Fusion vs DMR vs ... kerfuffle, so let me just say that.
Our club recently got its D-STAR repeater on the air and the gateway connected, so the fun begins. This may be old hat for some, but it's all new to us. Playing around today getting a QSO going with a friend, Bill, in CA, we ended up with a four way conversation going through two repeaters and a reflector. IT ALL WORKED! Here's what it looked like: 
My favorite part of the process was the fact that each participant could set up and tear down connections as they desired. Bill and I stayed in the QSO, but the others came and went. |
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Quoted:
I have an ID-91 loaner from our RACES group, and I can figure out for the life of me, how to join the linked repeaters system here. My call is registered with it. I'll help if I can. I've been doing D-STAR for about a year and I've made most of the possible mistakes. Which repeater are you trying to use? |
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Quoted:
440.10625 + KC2TXX B DV & Slow Speed Data I just saw where you are in NJ. I used to live in Clementon and worked in Cherry Hill. You may know some or all of this: MyCall is always your personal call sign with NOTHING after it. I've seen people try to set up the MyCall field like: KK0YYY H for at home and KK0YYY M for mobile. Don't do it. It's just KK0YYY. Let's assume for these examples that you're always using the KC2TXX repeater and its B module, since it looks like it only has the B module. The receive, transmit, and offset are set as for any other repeater. The mode is DV Example: Link your repeater to Reflector 30C. The underline character represents a space in the examples below. If you use the underline, it will fail. URCall: REF030CL The L must be in the eighth position Rpt1: KC2TXX_B The B must be in the eighth position Rpt2: KC2TXX_G The G must be in the eighth position Key the mic for about one second to make the link. The repeater should respond with "Remote system linked." It may respond with "Remote system currently busy" or "System currently linked." After making the link, switch to a memory channel that has: URCall: CQCQCQ Rpt1: KC2TXX_B The B must be in the eighth position Rpt2: KC2TXX_G The G must be in the eighth position If you continue to use the one with the link command in it, the repeater will get pissy. When you're done and want to unlink the repeater, use: URCall: _______U The U must be in the eighth position Rpt1: KC2TXX_B The B must be in the eighth position Rpt2: KC2TXX_G The G must be in the eighth position All linking uses the same structure with only the URCall field being different. The critical thing is that the module MUST be in the seventh position and the L command must be in the eighth position of the link command. The module letter MUST be in the eighth position of the Rpt1 and Rpt2 fields. If the repeater's call sign used in URCall, Rpt1, or Rpt2 is shorter than six characters, then you'll need additional spaces to get the module and command letter into the correct positions. If you want to play tonight, I'll be home after 4:30 CDT. Our new repeater is KD0ZEA and we have both the B (70cm) and C (2m) modules. We don't have the 23cm module. To link your repeater to ours, use: URCall: KD0ZEACL Rpt1: KC2TXX_B Rpt2: KC2TXX_G My call sign is K0JFC, and I don't care that everyone knows it. One more question, are you using any programming software or doing it through the keypad? |
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Linking . . . what could possibly go wrong? D-STAR can be frustrating at times (but only 24 hours each day). There are a few things that can prevent a link from working.
1. If you're trying to link to a REPEATER, and it's already linked . . . fail. You don't get t know this until you try. 2. If you're trying to link to a REPEATER, and there's an ongoing QSO, and someone is talking, the link will fail. I found this hard to believe, but our club has experimented several times and it's true. 3. If your settings for URCall, Rpt1, or Rpt2 are wrong at all . . . fail, and it won't tell you why. Call sign routing: This is one feature that I REALLY like about D-STAR, but it can be extremely frustrating as well. Basically, call sign routing allows you to call someone without knowing where they are. HOWEVER, there are a few requirements: 1. The station you're looking for must be within range of the last repeater they connected to. The system only knows the location of the last connection made by the station. 2. The CALLED station must have the reverse path programmed into their radio. I've heard that some radios will set up the reverse path automatically, but I must not have one of those or I'm doing it wrong. For example, let's say that KK0YYY using repeater KD0ZEA C module wants to call me, K0JFC, while I'm oot and aboot. KK0YYY would set up: URCall: K0JFC Rpt1: KD0ZEA C Rpt2: KD0ZEA G When KK0YYY keys his mic, the D-STAR system will locate the last repeater that K0JFC connected to and route the connection there. Let's pretend that I'm in Voorhees, NJ and want to respond using the KC2TXX repeater, B module. I would need to have set up: URCall: KK0YYY Rpt1: KC2TXX_B Rpt2: KC2TXX_G When I key my mic, the system will find KK0YYY wherever he connected last -- in this case, Pacific, MO. Short of rewriting a bunch of D-STAR documentation that already exists, these are a few crib notes on using D-STAR. I'd be happy to (try to) explain anything that I can if there are questions. |