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

2. 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
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

3. 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 bps in 6.25 kHz. (not current standard) on repeaters

4. 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

5. Terminology
AMBE
Advanced Multi-Band Excitation (AMBE) is a very powerful proprietary speech coding standard developed by Digital Voice Systems, Inc. (From:
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

6. 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

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

8. 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

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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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

18. 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

19. 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.

20. Homebrew? Software – Watch http://opendstar.org
Hardware –

22. Websites http://www.dstarusers.org
And many more …

23. 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? …