ARVN: D-STAR and Digital Voice for Amateur Radio (PREVIEW)

This is a 10 minute PREVIEW of the 60 minute DVD available from ARVN. It introduces you to the new Digital Voice modes being used in Amateur Radio.

/25 Comments/by
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25 replies
  1. combatwombat71
    combatwombat71 says:

    I’m surprised 1:10 even got airtime… his assumptions are all absolutely
    false and incorrect. Digital is way narrower than his old-timer AM signal !

    Reply
  3. Terry B
    Terry B says:

    Great video.. I dont think D-STAR has really taken off in the UK like in
    the US. Cost is a major detractor, but digital voice is still very
    attractive..

    Reply
  4. ueberRegenbogen
    ueberRegenbogen says:

    I like the idea—especially since DSTAR is a general purpose data transport
    that is by no means confined to carrying voice. I do not like the fact that
    the prevailing audio codec—AMBE—is a proprietary beastie; that sort of
    thing is not good for ham radio. I would love to see the community embrace
    an open codec—perhaps CELT—so we don’t remain caught in a market
    strangehold.

    Reply
  5. cctv2wayradio
    cctv2wayradio says:

    icom are producing reasonable priced radios here in the uk, but they as any
    new technology is higher as they want to sell off the old stock first. icom
    are converting commercial people off their TETRA and analogue with ffsk to
    their digital radios. the TETRA licence is costing so much for companies
    that wouldnt use the service to the full. icom has cracked it! but dont
    forget motorola was doing digital way before icom, just too expensive as no
    compertition

    Reply
  6. KN4AQ
    KN4AQ says:

    @VK2BEN Let’s cut the guy some slack! He hadn’t seen the video – I hadn’t
    produced it yet when I interviewed him. But yeah, he didn’t know what he
    was talking about. That was sort of the point of that segment of the video.

    Reply
  7. Joel Bryant
    Joel Bryant says:

    My experience with digital amateur radio is like my internet chatting
    experience several years ago. I started with chat rooms and instant
    messengers before getting on VoIP. Now I have been using PSK31 for about a
    year and am beginning to get into FDMDV and WinDRM. Excellent video here
    A++. N5XTR

    Reply
  8. kc5euu
    kc5euu says:

    Great video. I am in the market for a new VHF/UHF rig. I have to admit I
    don’t know diddly about D-Star. I live in Colorado Springs, CO I think
    there is a repeater in Denver. would a HT even hit it. Maybe someone could
    shoot me a E-mail and get me up on the facts. I want to know what radio to
    get, etc… Thanks KC5EUU

    Reply
  9. KN4AQ
    KN4AQ says:

    @buzizzy Ham radio is full of individual innovation. it knows no limits.
    See all the DVDs I offer from the TAPR and Dayton conferences. Not everyone
    (not MOST of us) have the interest or time for that challenge, but a
    substantial number do. You can join them and contribute, or take your
    marbles and find greener pastures. Your choice!

    Reply
  10. KN4AQ
    KN4AQ says:

    @buzizzy This isn’t a news flash. The AMBE 2020 vocoder is the one
    proprietary element in D-STAR (ICOM has some proprietary code in their
    Gateway, but others have written Gateway software). No open source vocoder
    can match the capability of the AMBE 2020. DVSI will sell you one for $20.
    Next complaint?

    Reply
  11. KN4AQ
    KN4AQ says:

    @SeanMoffett – there’s no encryption built in to the radios or the
    protocol, and some legal issues with encryption in Amateur Radio. Could it
    be “hacked”? Maybe, but that’s way out my area of expertise. You can find
    some experts on this Yahoo Group: /dstar_digital

    Reply
  13. KN4AQ
    KN4AQ says:

    Is there an open source codec that meets the needs of D-STAR and HF digital
    voice, and is suitable for off-the-shelf commercial products like D-STAR
    radios? None of the people I talked to for the video (and in subsequent
    follow-ups for QST articles) knew of one. Would CELT handle the very
    narrow-band needs of D-STAR and HF Digital Voice? The AMBE chip is $20 in
    single quantities. So how many other proprietary chips are used in your
    radios? Open source is better… if it works!

    Reply
  15. KN4AQ
    KN4AQ says:

    @bben95 – OK, bben, that’s just lame. I don’t mind taking a hit, but try to
    be clever. If you can’t be useful, at least entertain us.

    Reply
  17. Klaus Dieter
    Klaus Dieter says:

    I love static crashes and background noises much more than Digital Voice.
    What has it with Hamradio in common when I don’t need to constantly turning
    my vfo and settlings? HamRadio has to crack, to beep and to noise. The
    analogue way via SW does always work worldwide without the help of any
    other technologies like internet, computers or repeaters. Ham’s should
    always have big antennas for being independent in any case of emergency.
    Think about when you abolish your SW-Euqip because of d-Star.73

    Reply
  18. daboteman
    daboteman says:

    Darn kids! Stay off the grass! In my day we used SPARK GAPS and had no
    problem at all. The only problem I see is during the transition and
    shake-out phase while the BetaMAX/VHS battle sorts itself out. Otherwise,
    digital voice modes are here to stay on the radio and on the Internet. It’s
    about time ham radio became relevant again.

    Reply
  19. ccg711
    ccg711 says:

    i thought i heard something about kenwood and yaesu working on jumping on
    the bandwagon. d-star is an open specification that the japanese came up
    with and published publicly, but the vocoder chip is made by only one
    company, same one that makes the vocoders for p25 rigs. so as i see it,
    dstar is the cousin to p25.

    Reply
  21. KN4AQ
    KN4AQ says:

    I’d like to see them put something on the record. Otherwise, we can only
    guess. Kenwood is invested in packet/APRS equipment, and Yaesu just took a
    turn in that direction. In they perceive that they’re going to “lose out”
    on a significant market, I think they’ll get in. For now, I expect they’re
    happy to let ICOM test the waters.

    Reply
  23. ueberRegenbogen
    ueberRegenbogen says:

    I’m not sure of CELT’s bandwidth requirements versus fidelity. It can go
    quite low; but it can also sound quite bad at its worst. It’s aimed at low
    latency internet telephony—which it does quite well. My primary experience
    with it is a foetus of an app, called Fideliphone, that a friend, Chris
    KG0BP, has been writing, primarily for the purpose of hi-fi linking of
    studios during radio shows. He’d be able to give you more useful
    information on it than i. There’s also celt-codec dot o r g.

    Reply
  25. bben95
    bben95 says:

    Actually, I take back my previous comments. After watching this video again
    and now that I know more about this, I think this is actually a very good
    video.

    Reply

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