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- a sad day
BRUCE BATHOLS I regret to inform that our dear friend and longstanding member of Famparc has passed away today, Sunday, November 10th, 2024. Bruce Bathols, VK3UV now Silent Key , who has passed away today, courageously fought health problems for sometime. Bruce was an essential and cherished member of our club. His expertise in Ham Radio, along with his vast knowledge, contributed significantly to the development of our club. More details to follow.. You will be dearly missed by all of us, and our thoughts are with his family and friends.
- ARISS SSTV Event
Stanley vk3bot kindly brought to our attention this amazing event. ARISS SSTV Event Scheduled for Monday, November 11 at 11:50 UTC and to end Monday, November 18 at 13:40 UTC. WHEN: November 6, 2024 — Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) announces an SSTV event to be held next week. The event is scheduled to begin on Monday, November 11 at 11:50 UTC and to end Monday, November 18 at 13:40 UTC. SSTV transmissions will be paused during scheduled school contacts on November 15 and 16. Downlink transmissions will be at 145.800 MHz and the mode is expected to be PD 120 . DETAILS: Freq.: 145.800 Khz (2M) SSTV: Mode PD120 Times: Monday, November 11 at 11:50 UTC and to end Monday, November 18 at 13:40 UTC ABOUT: The transmissions will consist of 12 images featuring activities from the 2024 40th Anniversary Celebrating Amateur Radio in Human Spaceflight. If you are a past participant in our SSTV events, please note that we will be using our newly updated gallery at https://ariss-usa.org/ARISS_SSTV/ . ARISS has a new way to request a special certificate. When participants successfully receive at least one image and submit it at the new gallery, participants will be moved to a thank-you page. There, a person can read text about data protection, and press the button that says “I agree,” and receive an email in two weeks or sooner with a certificate. If a person submits additional images, the thank-you page tells them they have already asked for a certificate. Thanks to our user community for participating in ARISS. TRACK HERE: Click here to see the Space Station Location and Track More here... FROM STAN: https://www.ariss.org/ That is the web site for Amateur Radio on the Space Station. Periodically the Space Station transmits slow scan TV images. The next event runs from the 11th to the 18th of November. A series of twelve images celebrating amateur radio in space will be transmitted. The images will be transmitted on 145.800. What you need: not much actually. One 2 meter receiver. Some sort of antenna capable of receiving the pictures. Some sort of SSTV program to decode that awful noise. A basic computer with some sort of microphone will help. Obviously the more sophisticated your equipment the better you will do. A satellite tracking program will help so you can find out where the space station is and when it will be where you are. The space station goes round the earth every 90 minutes. Please give it a go. Thank you. 73 from, Stan - VK3BOT
- FOUNDATION COURSE NOVEMBER 2024
Another Amateur Radio Foundation Course will be conducted by Famparc. new course 16 - 17th NOV. 2024 Thanks for your interest to join the Foundation class. We are going to have the Foundation class on16th and Exam on the 17th of November. DETAILS: SATURDAY: The course is scheduled to begin at 9:30 am and end around 4 pm on Saturday , with a 30-minute break around midday and additional short breaks throughout the day. SUNDAY: On Sunday at 10 am , there will be a review session for students to clarify any confusing topics from the Foundation Syllabus. This session is expected to last approximately 2 hours. Subsequently, the practical and theory exams will be conducted. Please allow a full day Saturday and most of the Sunday. Below are some information regarding the Foundation class. If you need a Foundation book, it is available at the club and you can purchase them for $30.00. Below is a link on our website for more information and other resources for the course. WEBPAGE: Please use the Foundation Licence Course page on the Famparc website. Click here. HELP: Below is a link for the RASA study guide that you can also use to prepare. New FREE Foundation Level Study Guide – The Radio Amateur Society of Australia Inc. ( vkradioamateurs.org ) FEES: We don't charge for the class, but we expect the candidates to join as a FAMPARC member and following are the yearly fee. You can pay through bank transfer or pay cash at the club. Current subs are: Normal $50 Retired /Student / Pensioner $45 Family $55 Our bankers are NAB, Frankston BSB: 083-253 Acct No: 03-683-3688 Normally we do the Foundation class on Saturday from 9.30am to 4pm and exam on Sunday 10am to 12 pm. CLUBROOMS: The club is open on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 10am, please feel free to visit us and discuss if you have any questions. WHERE: You can find our club rooms here. Website Map and details Please feel free to call me if you have any questions. 73's Mani, VK3IR 0469870413
- ANTENNAPALOOZA 2024
WHEN: The Amateur Radio event of the Year – Nov 30 / Dec 1 Antennapalooza is back for 2024, marking its 9th year. Those who have yet to participate may be curious about its nature. The focus for the 2024 event will be: ‘LARGE WIRE ANTENNAS’ WHATS ON: To kick things off we are planning to have a temporary installation of a Curtain Array on 20 Metres. It is going to be big, but still just a baby as curtain arrays go. It should be up for around 2 weeks over the Antennapalooza field weekend. (Less if we get a decent storm). Come and check it out. Bring your wide angle lens. Plug your rig into it if you want to try it out. Will it work? Who knows? Let’s find out together. Antennapalooza takes place at Drouin West, about an hour’s drive East of Melbourne. Look for the detailed map on this website. Most clubs run some kind of Hamfest Sale as a fundraiser and as a bit of a social event. These are great and fulfill a need, but they are over in just a couple of hours. Antennapalooza is a different kind of event that brings people together from multiple clubs, but with enough time to relax and get back into the hobby Picture a few acres of land with a few trees around the edges. Operators can come along with their tent, caravan or swag and set up their radio and antennas for a weekend in an RF quiet space. For some it is an opportunity to put up and try out antennas they don’t have room for at home. For others they can socialise and listen to the talks going on in the pavilion. On both the Saturday and the Sunday there will be short lectures on interesting topics. Bring a folding chair and a beer if you wish and listen to what’s being said about real-world topics on Amateur Radio. Follow this link to find out what happened in 2023… It’s free. Nearby clubs and other groups kick in a small amount to fund the operational costs, but it is free to all visitors. If you can’t make it for the weekend, come for the day. As we get closer, a full program of speakers and topics will be posted on this website. CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS WHERE: HOW TO GET THERE
- VK-OzHub Net
WHAT: VK-OzHUB AllStar Hub 61624 WHEN: Join in on the Friday evening Tech & Chat Net. 8.00PM EST Brisbane time (10.00 UTC) WHERE: VK-OzHUB – Allstar Hub (Node number 61624) went online 16/5/2024. This hub has no radio attached, think of it as similar to a “Talk Group” on DMR or a “Room” on Fusion or a “Reflector” on D-Star as it essentially is used in the same way. The vision is for VK-OzHUB to be a meeting place for VK AllStar users, plus any amateur operator that wishes to connect. Also to have repeaters connected, including at least one international connection. VK-OzHUB can be the place to ragchew with friends, host nets, host tech discussions, pretty much anything users wish to do. VK-OzHUB now has an admin team, Simon VK3XEM, Ron VK3ANT and myself Glenn VK4NGA. The hub is hosted by vk44.net , in which we are very grateful. Click the link to view VK-OzHUB’s dashboard. https://vk-ozhub.vk44.net/link.php?nodes=61624
- VK3RSU REPEATER UPDATED
NEWS: As of Saturday 2nd Nov. I have learned that VK3RSU is now fully functional and has been reconnected to the AllStar system via Node 50522. Repeater Details. Call Sign: VK3RSU Connected to AllStar Node 50522 Band: 70cm Modes: FM Transmission Frequency: 438.1MHz Reception Frequency: 432.7MHz Location: Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia FYI: There is a net held on the AllStar Network each weekday from 10am. The Welfare Net. You can connect via VK3RSU FM Repeater or via any AllStar connected Repeater or personal Node as well as your phone. (Via AllStar Node 50522)
- FAMPARC CAMP-OUT oct 2024
Stanley VK3BOT, again arranged a terrific week away at the Noojee Poplars Camp Ground. WHERE: Loch Valley Road Noojee.. Poplars Campground Noojee. Click Here for Google Map WHEN: From Monday 21st October. Who Went: Stanley VK3BOT, Craig VK3NCR, Phillip VK3LRO, Gerard VK3GER, Ken VK3MJF, Daryl VK3HBP, Colin VK3CR, Greg VK3ND (Ring in) Rowdy SWL. Stanley and myself (Craig) turned up around midday on Monday, with the rest turning up either later in the day a day or so later.. We managed to set up some wire antennas and all played HF.. The noise floor is basically nothing in the bush. So we all enjoyed many contacts on HF. The camp ground also has reasonable 4G so we could also use HotSpot for DStar use, as well as AllStar. The weather was very kind to us with perfect conditions on Monday and Tuesday, however the rest of the week was very nice but with a few odd showers here and then. Facilities: Toilets, Camp Sites, Camp Kitchen & Shelter, Beautiful Grassed Areas, Walks, Beautiful Small Stream, Lots of Trees, Quiet Audio and RF. We had a few question at the club asking if there were the following ... BBQ - No... Power - No... Showers - No... Shop or Store - No... Fuel - No... McDonalds - No... Target - No...
- ROSEBUD RADIOFEST
WHAT'S ON: SOUTHERN PENINSULA AMATEUR RADIO CLUB in association with Eastbourne Primary School, proudly presents the spectacular ROSEBUD RADIOFEST WHEN: Sunday November 17, 2024 DOORS OPEN AT 9:30 AM COST: Entry $6 Children under 12 admitted free THE ROSEBUD RADIOFEST IS FULLY CATERED AND UNDERCOVER. WHERE: Eastbourne Primary School Auditorium, Allambi Avenue, Rosebud Vic. Melway reference 169 K5. Follow the signs from Boneo Road. Click Here for Google Maps Talk in on VK3RSP (146.675) from 8 AM. GENERAL: Over 50 stallholders offered bargains galore. Multiple door prizes worth over $1000! Tables cost $10.Tables for club promotions are FREE. More Details Here
- QRP HOURS Contest 2024
Contests The Club runs QRP Contests on a formal and informal basis throughout the year. These contests give you a chance to test your QRP operating skills, your QRP equipment and to meet other QRP operators in a fun and challenging way. QRP HOURS Contest The QRP Hours Contest runs from time to time during the year. It is named because of the way it is structured: with one hour dedicated to CW and digital modes, followed by one hour of SSB. The QRP Hours Contest varies throughout the year, operating with slightly different conditions, predominantly what bands are permitted, conditions permitting. Schedule The next QRP Hours Contest has been scheduled for: Sunday, October 20, 2024 on 40M Please have a look at the contest rules: QRP Hours Contest 2024 Oct Rules The aim of the contest is to make as many contact in a one-hour period using your choice of mode. The contest is open to all Amateur Radio Operators. The results of past QRP Hours contests can be retrieved here in PDF format. DETAILS QRP HOURS CONTEST – 40m – Sunday, 20th October 2024 0400-0459 UTC – CW/FT4 digital 0500-0559 UTC – SSB/digital voice Sponsored by the VK QRP Club, the AIM of this contest is to make as many contacts as possible within two one-hour blocks. Whilst the event will be supported by QRP Club Members, it is open to all licensed amateurs. Output Power Limit: 5 watts CW/Digital, 10 watts PEP on SSB. Modes: First Hour – CW/Digital Second Hour – SSB/Digital voice Frequencies: CW 7.010 – 7.040 MHz Digital: FT4: 7040-7060. Suggested USB dial frequency 7047.5 You can operate on both CW and FT4 during the first hour if you wish. SSB/Digital voice 7.060 – 7.170 Avoid the digital modes around 7077 and if active, the AM net on 7125 (work them if you can). Exchange a three-digit serial number starting at 001 and incrementing by 1 for each new contact. If you are continuing from the first hour to the second (in a new mode) you can continue to increment your contact numbers if you like. There is no need to restart from 001 in the 2nd block. Score one point per contact. Logs are invited from QRP stations only. The following information is essential for each line of your log: Time UTC - Band - Mode - Callsign worked - Number sent - Number received Contacts should be listed in the order in which they happened and with the serial numbers actually sent. Include errors made as they need to be cross-checked against other logs. Signal reports are not required on air or in your log, but you are welcome to include signal reports in your contacts. VKCL assumes you are sending signal reports and a 3 digit serial number. N1MM logger assumes all reports are 59 or 599 Digital FT4. Every digital contact must be initiated and controlled by the operator, no auto-sequencing is to be used. Logging Software: 1. VKCL Logger has an option for this contest. It outputs in Cabrillo V3 format and is compatible with the VK Log Checker. After completing the contest, navigate the menu to export the Cabrillo file as that is the only file accepted by the log checker. Details below. 2. N1MM logger: go to Alan VK4SN’s website for his instructions on how to use N1MM+ with a user defined contest file, at https://www.vk4sn.com/Contests/N1MMVK and download the UDC file at https://vk4sn.com/downloads/QRPHRSRTTY-N1MM-UDC.zip 3. Another log capture option is to use Fast Log Entry (FLE) in contest mode so it will capture numbers sent and received. Read the user manual. Save log as Cabrillo. Can be used live or after the contest. You may need to edit the output file to be sure it has selected all the options you want. You can edit with any plain text editor – not Word! ADIF output available for upload to your station log. Logs (in Cabrillo format only) from QRP stations can be submitted to https://www.vklogchecker.com where you will find this contest listed. Select this contest, find the “log upload” option and upload your Cabrillo file. An automated receipt for the log will be emailed to you. If uploading the Cabrillo file fails completely and you can’t figure out what has gone wrong, please email contests@vkqrpclub.org . Do it early enough and you may find out what has gone wrong and you can complete it yourself. 4. If you cannot use one of those loggers, please send your log by email as a text file, or excel spreadsheet to contests@vkqrpclub.org . No PDFs please. Log deadline is 8 days after the contest. ie. 28th October, 2024 at 1200 UTC Good luck and have fun in the contest. Best regards, Garry VK2GAZ #121.
- VK3RWN UPDATE
ABOUT VK3RWN Reflector Connection Hardware Maintenance WHERE Located on Mount Dandenong Victoria The very popular DStar Repeater VK3RWN on Victoria's Mount Dandenong is currently operating as a stand alone DStar Digital Repeater as the hardware that allows it to connect to the Reflector Network is away for maintenance as well as other hardware such as power supply etc. DTAR & DIGITAL NET Each Thursday Night at 8pm Melbourne Time the Victorian DStar and Digital net is held. The net is professionally run by Terry VK3BMX, our DStar and Digital Guru. Until the Repeater is fully operational the Net will be held via Relfector 23C, so you will require a hotspot for your radio or computer to connect to relfector 23C. Seeing that the repeater is not connected to the internet and 23C, the net will not be repeated using the repeater. Hope that makes sense! APPROX. DOWNTIME As of the time of this post, we expect the maintenance to be around 3 weeks.. VK3RWN Coverage:
- What is D-STAR?
Hello Famparc Members.. Amateur Radio Digital has been around for many many years now, with modes such as DStar, DMR, Fusion and more.. A handful of Famparc members use these Digital modes especially the well known DStar system. There is also a regular DStar net held each Thursday night via the VK3RWN C repeater on Mount Dandenong as well as the 23C DStar reflector for those users that do not have the ability to reach the VK3RWN repeater. Our members use DStar to not only chat to Famparc members but also others local and around the world. What is D-STAR? D-STAR, which stands for ‘Digital Smart Technology for Amateur Radio’ is an open digital Amateur radio standard that offers users a number of ways to connect with other users globally via a worldwide network of digital amateur radio repeaters. Just like other forms of Amateur radio, D-STAR has a broad appeal from those Amateurs wanting to communicate just for fun to those who would prefer to push their technical expertise. The D-STAR protocol has rich, exciting opportunities for Amateur radio enthusiasts to experiment and build, utilising 21st century tools such as the web, networking, ethernet, TCP/IP and radio. D-Star is innovative and is keeping radio Amateurs at the forefront of communication technology - Amateur radio has a great future and is moving forward right now with D-STAR digital technology . Icom is reinvesting in D-Star technology and is now providing 4th generation D-Star radios with better codecs, better transmit and receive audio, better operational synergy and most of all, the same synergy and operational syntax is the same in all modern D-Star radios Before we start... For Melbourne users .. There are a few local Repeaters.. VK3RWN Sassafras Olinda Mt Dandenong QF22QD Port C 2M output 146.91250 input 146.31250 Port B 70cm output 438.30000 input 432.90000 Port A 23cm output 1273.90000 input 1293.90000 Port AD 23cm DD 1273.500 Simplex DD (Digital Data) The above Repeater VK3RWN is the most important repeater in Australia as it holds many hundereds of D-Star registrations nationally and around Oceania and Asia It is a very popular repeater and is connected via the international gateway Being connected to the gateway allows for connection to other users, locally, interstate, nationally and around the world via the internet. You can connect to other users directly via callsign routing and by REF reflectors developed by Robin Cuttshaw AA4RC You can do this with an Icom or Kenwood D-Star Radio via RF to Mt Dandenong VK3RWN or if you have one of the various types of modems, you can connect directly to Reflector 23C. The prominent Australian reflector or Reflector 91C, based in Tasmania as a backup and for news services. For other local and Repeaters further afield you can use your Smartphone using the App called Repeater Book . D-STAR Features Provides digital voice communication and data communication D-STAR gives users the ability to connect via digital voice, it gives clear, crisp audio, on simplex, 439.200 DV around the corner or through the repeater or device to another country, with the same great audio. There is no matter where you are. D-Star facilitates slow speed data. This runs on the D-Star signal at 4800bps This sends all the D-Star control data but also if your not using voice, allows slow data communication between ALL D-Star radios, when you hook them up to a PC using programs such as "D-Rats" You are able to send files, text messages and chat via keyboard, great for EM applications Slow Data can be used on all three bands... or modules C = 2m, B= 70cm and A-23cm Fast Data 1.2GHz 23cm In order to send and receive greater volumes of data and large files, D-STAR has the "DD Mode" or Digital Data Mode. The DD mode is only supported on the 1.2 GHz 23cm amateur band and is capable of sending a receiving data at a 128kbps rate. No special or additional data modem is required to send and receive high-speed data on D-STAR on a 1.2GHz D-STAR radio all that is required is a standard Ethernet cable connection to your PC, via a router, using D-Rats, larger files like word, excel, JPG etc can be sent via fast data. It's suprising to see how fast a 1Mb file take to send ...only about 5 seconds. Fast data was a hit with EM organisations after Cyclone Katrina in the US southern states, nearly all amateur radio EM units in the southern states are now using D-Star in their deployments You'll need an Icom ID-1 or IC9700 to realise this operation. Internet facilitated Global Connectivity You can easily contact your friend directly by putting in his/her callsign into your radio without knowing his or her current location or what D-STAR repeater they are on. D-Star will log and remember where to route your call. You can also use reflectors. Reflectors are essentially a server that links repeaters , and shack based modem types such as DV Dongles, DVAPs, MMDVM's Blue DV's Jumbo-Spots, Dura-Spots, the list goes on, and high powered simplex repeaters to the same reflector via the Icom backbone. D-Star is NOT proprietory , any analog radio can operate as a node with a non proprietory D-Star modem, Kenwoods TH-D74 was wholly produced by Kenwood, and in truth one of the best handhelds ever These days the cheapest and easiest modem to grab, if you not near a repeater is an MMDVM (Multi-mode Digital Voice Modem). Many hams use them if they live right next door to the repeater as it gives them control, to go to different reflectors of their choice without upsetting current convo's on the repeater. MMDVM's have developed quickly with the introduction of Pi-Star software written primarily by Jonathon Naylor G4KLX. MMDVM's have now gone to the next level as they allow your D-Star radio to connect to DCS and XLX reflectors. DCS reflectors work within the IRCDDB realm (VK3RMM) and XLX reflectors with these days are known as "Constellation" Reflectors XLX Constellation reflectors have the abilty to transcode your DV signal into other protocols such as DMR, Fusion or P25. As an example I can get on to the CQ-Wires UK Fusion Reflector by just putting XLX922 Module E into my D-Star Radio and bingo, I come out at the other end in the UK on Fusion A simple command XLX922EL in the UR field on the radio. ( The L means link command) Thats it. ! Its not hard at all. The evolution of D-Star has been massive, blinkers down and ignoring the noise from all the other agenda based groups. In fact the noise started literally the day after the first Australian international D-Star contact via VK3RWN and GB7IC Kent UK repeaters on the 7th of November 2007. Icom knew they had a game changer. Icom invited all manufacturers to produce D-Star radios, Kenwood came on board and others felt that their totally proprietry Wires X system were superior, in their own honest opinions and at this stage DMR was still a land mobile protocol When VK3RWN was setup up, one of the mantra's set was to have VK3RWN Module C (2m) the band for mobiles and bases. Module B 70cm was the same, but a little more attuned to base to Base communications broadcasts and various nets Repeaters can also be perma-linked together as needed by sys-admins to form a wider area conferences i.e the KB0ZSG international D-Star Net on VK3RWN B & REF 91C in Tasmania On VK3RWN you can also cross band a D-Star Repeater by for example talking in to VK3RWN Module B on 70cm and then coming out on VK3RWN Module C 2m Simple to program in your radio. If you've only got a mono band D-Star radio, like the clubs IC-2200H or a U-82 Handheld its a really handy feature. Open System As we said prior D-Star is an OPEN system Voice is converted to a digital format using audio encoding software referred to as a CODEC. The CODEC code is embedded on a microchip produced by DVI systems that ALL manufacturers may purchase. Part of the noise is that Icom produces it, This is incorrect. Most digital radio manufacturers purchase the AMBE chip which encodes and decodes the audio signals into and out as Icom does The only proprietory part of the D-Star system is the backbone. But do your research so is Fusion, DMR, P25 and most other minor protocols. Hopefully after reading this you'll be able to switch off the noise Good Quality Audio The quality of the D-STAR voice signal is better than FM especially with the clubs new IC-9700 There is no degradation in the signal quality that is found with traditional analogue voice modes and no squelch tail at the end of every transmission. Why is it better ? All digital protocols are written with an algorithm. The codec only understands voice, it does not understand extraeneos sounds like for examle wind I dare you to have a conversation with somebody in your car with the microphone in the wind at your window. It will be crystal clear at the other end Efficient Data usage Many data communications needs don’t require high-speeds, particularly for emergency communications. D-STAR combines voice and low-speed data into a single channel simultaneously. D-Star goes further D-Star and other Digital protocols will go 10% further than analog signals . Like any digital signal it will hold its signal to the 'Digital Cliff" Then disappear, rather than a slow painful analog signal's degradation. This was proven at the club with Peter VK3TQ doing a demo with Richard VK3JFK in Kyneton both on Icom IC-2820's. Peter was using the FAMPARC project 7 element Quad to Richards Diamond X-510 Richard is not favouring the Melbourne side of Kyneton. We set one side of the 2820 to 146.425 and the D-Star side to 144.750 on DV ...SIMPLEX We achieved a very doubtful simplex contact on FM, both at 50 watts. When we turned to DV or D-Star Richards signal was loud and clear. I believe we were in the 10% zone at the digital cliff. The contact was 120Km as the crow flies on simplex with virtually no height advantage and some possible shading from Mt Macedon. Spectrum Efficient If you’ve tried to use a repeater channel on 2-meters or 430- 440 MHz in any city, you know how crowded the bands can be. The D-STAR voice and low-speed data signal offers a significant improvement in spectrum efficiency, requiring only a 6 kHz channel instead of the 20, 25, or even 30 kHz of analogue wide-band FM. D-STAR repeaters can be interleaved between existing channels or multiple repeaters deployed in the spectrum of only one analogue FM repeater. How do I get involved with D-STAR? There are a number of ways that you can get involved with D-STAR. The first major requirement is that in order to use the D-STAR system is that you must be a licensed operator. If you aren’t a licensed Radio Amateur, the best place to start is with your local club, where you will find information about the hobby and how to get into it. Secondly you must register with D-Star, if your a club member, contact Terry VK3BMX. Terry manages registrations for VK3RWN.... So what now D-STAR (Radio only) You can use your handheld or mobile radio to connect with a local D-STAR enabled repeater and then use it to link to talk to people elsewhere in the world. You must be registered to do this . All digital systems, you must be registered, its a licensing requirement with the ACMA No D-Star Repeater? Dongles and DVAPs These modems are D-Star Old school, almost a decade old with little development, a dongle will plug into your PC and with the right FTDI drivers and Software "DV Tools" you'll be able to get on the gateway to any REF reflector and use your PC Mic and work the world, The beauty of Dongles is that its just a little plug-in for your laptop and if you've got WI-FI they work well. An absolute must for a "Stealth Traveller" DVAPS plug into a USB port, red ones are VHF and Blue ones are UHF, same deal with the PC and software. They are old school but extremely reliable, easy to set up, all you need is a D-Star radio of any type and they work well MMDVM An MMDVM, or Multimode Digital Voice modem is a vastly different device to the above devices. Its modern, cheap, well supported and the most popular offering. MMDVMs are far superior as they have moved with the times. Through Pi-Star Software you can program to do other protocols like DMR, Fusion, P25 but they do D-Star the best. That explanation for another day. They can link you to all the different REF, DCS and XLX reflectors. These days a neccessity. They are cheap, all you need is a Raspberry Pi 3B+ and a hat, that plugs into the GPIO connector on the Pi a 16Gb SD card and that's it Program the SD and you should be on the air in minutes. I run four here , I set them on low power and they are all on 70cm with no noise or interaction They are by far fantastic. If you want more infomation on MMDVM's contact Glen VK4NGA, look up "Dura-Spot" they are of high quality and you get aussie support. Otherwise just search MMDVM on Ebay. If you want one for DMR make sure you get a "duplex" MMDVM .. It will operate with two antennas, two time slots Hotspots Hotspots are very similar to the MMDVM although they are of different construction The PCB does not have a radio and antenna A hotspot is different to an MMDVM because an MMDVM outputs roughly 10mW. A node radio for a hotspot can have an output of "anything" depending on the RF abilities of the node radio They are a PCB that runs with a raspberry Pi The PCB has an assortment of cables to match your Node Transceiver Icom, Kenwood and Yeasu are normally DIN plugs that plug into a radio Motorola are like little PCB's that plug into the radio If you want to build a hotspot, check out www.bi7jta.com on the web, he sells kits for all types of amateur radio equipment as well as Glenn here in Australia, vk4nga.com.au . Glenn will also setup your Hotspot to minimise any headaches. The following is important..... *** So when you are creating a hotspot you are creating a repeater *** Repeaters simplex or duplex MUST be licensed and must have the appropriate frequency designation and filtration equipment If the repeater is not licensed it cannot be run unattended. Please read your LCD, if you don't understand contact the ACMA Foundation licencees cannot operate repeaters or hotspots Don't be an interference complaint Getting set up with D-STAR The absolute first step is to get yourself registered on the D-STAR network. D-STAR Gateways enable users to connect from a local D-STAR repeater, equipped with a D-STAR Gateway, to any other Gateway equipped D-STAR repeater. Once an Amateur is registered with a repeater gateway, it can connect to D-STAR users beyond the local repeaters. You do not have to be registered with a gateway to use a local repeater, only if you want to make use of the D-STAR network. You only have to register with one gateway as your registration information is propagated to all other gateways and reflectors in the D-STAR network. The second step is to make sure you actually have a local repeater that supports D-STAR. If you’re in an Australian capital city, you probably do, but there are repeaters all over the place, they maybe Icom G3 Repeaters, IRCDDB repeaters like Mt Macedon and elevated Hotspots Like VK3RCE in Nth Bendigo. Not all repeaters are ICOM, Like Micheal VK5ZEA / VK5LN at Port Lincoln SA, his D-Star repeater is built with Motorola GM300's Starting to question the noise ? If you not near a D-Star repeater Hey ! It Doesn't matter Just register your callsign say..with VK3RWN and away you go, Program your radio, program your MMDVM Your on air To find out which D-STAR repeaters are in range and active in your area go to http://www.dstarinfo.com . A TIP ON HOW TO USE D-STAR AND OTHER DIGITAL MODES. Who is that old fat guy in the video? How does D-STAR work? There are a number of ways you can communicate on the D-STAR network. These include using D-STAR enabled radios that are capable of 3 digital communication streams. 1. Digital voice2. Control data3. Data messaging The occupied bandwidth of the digital signal is smaller than that needed in analogue transmissions and therefore more digital channels can be provided in a given bandwidth. To enable the repeaters to communicate with each other over the internet the repeater is connected to a PC running a LINUX operating system and Gateway software. This software connects to other gateways and keeps the user lists up to date and connects the digital streams between repeaters. All of the information is distributed within a network that is managed by a ‘Trust Server’. We are currently in the same net as America,UK and Canada D-STAR repeaters can be operated in the same way as existing analogue repeaters except that they communicate using a digital transmission from the transmitting radio through to the receiving radio. Unlike other systems that have been developed that use the web for linking distant stations together, D-STAR treats all repeaters in exactly the same way. A local repeater is no different to a repeater 3000 miles away, you just have to route your call to the distant repeater. You can connect to a local repeater and a repeater across the internet and all participants will be treated as though they are on the same repeater. Components of the D-STAR Network D-STAR repeater system A D-STAR repeater system is typically composed of a repeater controller, 1.2GHz, 70cm or 2mtr digital voice repeater, digital data repeater and the Internet gateway PC. The D-STAR repeater operates similar to an existing analogue repeater. That is a simple relay of transmit and receive communication within or across the 2m, 70cm or 23cm bands. When D-STAR repeaters are connected with the Internet gateway, the D-STAR system relays the received data over the Internet. Your message will get through virtually to anywhere in the D-STAR system. D-STAR registry As authorised users make their initial transmission to a D-STAR system, the call sign information attached to the digitised voice packets is recorded by the repeater controller. The controller then shares the information with other D-STAR systems through the D-STAR gateway registry. The registry is maintained on gateway servers located around the world. When an authorised D-STAR user makes a call to a call sign not currently registered on that repeater system, the registry allows the repeater controller to route the call to the repeater on which the targeted user was last registered. D-STAR reflector? A reflector can be considered to be similar to a repeater, but with no RF capabilities. Reflectors are Internet connected servers, generally in data-centres, which receive a transmission from a connected gateway (via the Internet) and send it out to all other connected gateways for retransmission, via RF in the case of a repeater. Reflectors are basically a conference bridge for D-STAR. They allow multiple D-STAR repeaters and MMDVM, Dongle and DVAP users, from around the world, to be joined together and whatever information is transmitted across one of the repeaters is repeated across all of the connected repeaters of that reflector or constellations that link refectors Google 'XLX 500' Conclusion D-STAR provides a whole host of opportunities for the Amateur radio enthusiast to challenge themselves with tools from the 21st. Century. As with all forms of radio, you can dip your toe in the water for just plain old communication or delve further if you are interested in setting up repeaters and send data as projects. It might not be everyone’s cup of tea but this area of the hobby is growing with more and more repeaters and users being added all of the time... good luck in your digital journey! There are many websites to find further information, ideas and support on this fascinating new part of Amateur Radio. For more information, contact the Victorian D-Star Users Grop