D-Star An Introduction to the JARL standard for Digital Voice and Digital Data on VHF/UHF/Above

What is D-STAR Digital Smart Technologies for Amateur Radio 1999 Funded by the Japanese Government and administered by the Japanese Amateur Radio League (JARL) 2001 Open Specification Published – anyone can implement http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/regulations/techchar/D-STAR.pdf Current Implementations Digital Voice (with simultaneous low rate data) on 2 meters Digital Voice (with simultaneous low rate data) on 70 centimeters Digital Voice (with simultaneous low rate data) on 23 centimeters Digital Data (128Kbps) on 23 centimeters Backbone (10 Mbps) on 10 gHz. band Internet Gateways

Terminology Digital Voice (DV) Digital Data (DD) 4800 bps data stream real time encoded with 2400 bps voice (AMBE encoded) 1200 bps Forward Error Correction (FEC) for voice 1200 bps data (text messages, GPS, telemetry, etc.) 6.25 kHz. Bandwidth using GMSK Digital Data (DD) 128 kbps data stream 150 kHz. Bandwidth Possible extensions to other rates and bandwidths E.g. 4800 bps in 6.25 kHz. (not current standard) on repeaters

Terminology Backbone Gateway 10 mbps data rate 10.5 mHz. bandwidth Point-to-Point Alternatively 2.4 and 5.8 gHz. using stock or modified Part 15 devices (WiFi/WiMax) Not D-STAR Standard Gateway Internet linking of D-Star Repeaters and Access Points

Terminology AMBE Advanced Multi-Band Excitation (AMBE) is a very powerful proprietary speech coding standard developed by Digital Voice Systems, Inc. (From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Multi-Band_Excitation) Converts audio to and from the digital format used in D-Star Digital Voice at 2400 bps with 1200 bps of FEC. FEC Forward Error Correction

The DV Protocol Radio Header Data Radio ID Bit Synchronization 64 bits Frame Sync 15 bits Flag 2 8 bits Flag 1 3 P_FCS This Station Comment 32 bits/4 char Destination Repeater Call 64 bits/8 char Local Repeater Call 64 bits/8 char Destination Station Call 64 bits/8 char This Station Call 64 bits/8 char W7SP B W7SP A CQCQCQ K7VE JOHN

The DV Protocol Data Radio Header Audio Frame 72 bits Data Frame Final Data Frame 48 bits Alternating Audio/Data

The DD Protocol Ethernet Style Packet Radio Header Length 16 bits Radio ID Bit Synchronization 64 bits Frame Sync 15 bits Flag 2 8 bits Flag 1 3 P_FCS This Station Comment 32 bits/4 char Destination Repeater Call 64 bits/8 char Local Repeater Call 64 bits/8 char Destination Station Call 64 bits/8 char This Station Call 64 bits/8 char W7SP B W7SP A CQCQCQ K7VE JOHN

The DD Protocol Ethernet Style Packet Radio Header Length 16 bits Data Frame 128 – 12000 bits MAC Src Addr 48 bits MAC Dest Addr Type 16 bits FCS 32 bits TCP/IP

How Does DV Sound? Strong Mobile D-Star Signal Weak Mobile D-Star Signal Weak D-Star vs. Weak FM D-Star DTMF Sample Sound samples courtesy KC5ZRQ

Making a Contact: Simplex General Call Your Call: CQCQCQ RPT1: RPT2: My Call: K7VE Specific Station Your Call: KZ7ZZZ Call Groups 100 groups (00-99) General Call Calling CQ Roundtables/Nets Most Common Specific Station When other station is using callsign squelch Send Message Emergency Override

Making a Contact: Local Repeater General Call Your Call: CQCQCQ RPT1: WA7GIE C RPT2: My Call: K7VE Specific Station Your Call: KZ7ZZZ Call Groups 100 groups (00-99) General Call Calling CQ Roundtables/Nets Most Common Specific Station When other station is using callsign squelch Send Message Emergency Override

Making a Contact: Zone Repeater General Call Your Call: CQCQCQ RPT1: WA7GIE C RPT2: WA7GIE B My Call: K7VE Specific Station Your Call: KZ7ZZZ Call Groups 100 groups (00-99) General Call Calling CQ Roundtables/Nets Most Common Specific Station When other station is using callsign squelch Send Message Emergency Override

Zone Repeater Illustration WA7GIE B WA7GIE C Controller 70 CM UR: CQCQCQ RPT1: WA7GIE B RPT2: WA7GIE C MY: K7VE 2 M UR: CQCQCQ RPT1: WA7GIE C RPT2: WA7GIE B MY: KC7PAA

Zone Repeater Illustration WA7GIE B WA7GIE C Controller 70 CM UR: KC7PAA RPT1: WA7GIE B RPT2: WA7GIE C MY: K7VE 2 M UR: K7VE RPT1: WA7GIE C RPT2: WA7GIE B MY: KC7PAA

Making a Contact: Gateway General Call Your Call: /K5TIT RPT1: WA7GIE C RPT2: WA7GIE G My Call: K7VE Specific Station Your Call: KZ7ZZZ General Call Through Gateway Calling CQ Most like IRLP Be sure to give reverse routing Specific Station Through Gateway Calling specific Station Don’t need to know other station’s location (City, Repeater, Freq., …) When other station is using callsign squelch Send Message

Gateway Illustration Internet or Backbone WA7GIE B K5TIT B WA7GIE C K5TIT A Controller Controller “Repeaters and Gateways should have club call signs…” WA7GIE G (Gateway) K5TIT G (Gateway) Internet or Backbone GPS 23 CM UR: K7VE RPT1: K5TIT A RPT2: K5TIT G MY: N5MIJ 70 CM UR: N5MIJ RPT1: WA7GIE B RPT2: WA7GIE G MY: K7VE

Applications DD – About anything you could do on the Internet (WWW, FTP, Telnet, … ) Text Messaging D-GPS Future VOIP Telephone Interconnect (Uberpatch – assign your radio a public telephone number.) Whatever you can imagine

Cost Comparison Essentially the same price!!! FM + AX.25 1200 Baud Single Band Handheld $119 (Icom V82) TNC $189.95 Interconnecting Cables $9-39 D-Star Single Band Handheld $119 (Icom V82) UT-118 $199.95 Essentially the same price!!! Use IC-2200H ($139.00) for mobile comparison.

Homebrew? Software – Watch http://opendstar.org Hardware – http://www.moetronix.com/dstar/

Websites http://www.dstarusers.org http://groups.google.com/utah-d-star-users http://www.icomamerica.com http://www.icomamerica.com/support/forums/ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/illinoisdigitalham http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dstar_digital http://k7ve.ampr.org And many more …

Questions? Can I use D-Star through an FM Repeater? Does it work through a Satellite? Can I link a traditional FM repeater, IRLP, Echolink, to D-Star? Is anybody using this? Are we only going to get radios from Icom? Is it really an open system? How can that be with a proprietary chip like the AMBE 2020? Others? …