W6CO Repeater News

W6CO to go digital. As announced last month, Ron has purchased a D-Star package to become part of the W6CO repeater system. There are still lots of details to be worked out such as where to put it, what frequency should it operate on, will I need to buy new equipment to use it, and where do we go from here. Be sure to attend the next meeting where all your questions will be answered and you will come away with lots of new ones!

First of all, be assured that implementation of the D-Star equipment is likely to take quite a while. It's not just a matter of plugging it in and playing it. The learning curve is quite steep and the architecture is still changing. For example, the original concept recommended linking repeaters within the same area by 10 gHz microwave. So far, of the repeaters operating in our area as well as groups in other zones, none have put the microwave links in place. I guess its just easier to do it via the internet.

The D-Star package will probably be installed at the Mt Veeder site but even that has not been determined yet. Before anything more can be added to the site a new cabinet has to be placed. This has been in the works for more than a year. Currently the replacement cabinet is being modified for relay racks and cooling apparatus. Once the cabinet is ready it will be transported up the hill, the old one removed and the new one installed in it's place. This is will require a shutdown of the 441.800 repeater for at least a day and possibly more.

D-Star will not replace any existing analog equipment; it will be totally independent and additive to the existing system. For the near term, only the 70 CM module will be used but if enough interest is seen a 2 meter module could be added later. To use it or not will be up to you. But to do so will require D-Star capable equipment, currently produced only by Icom. Right now, radios available to use on D-Star are:

IC-V82	2 meters w/ UT188 (handy)	approx $320 after rebate^{Note 1}
IC-U82	70 CM w/UT118 (handy)	approx $320 after rebate
IC-2200	2 meters w/UT118	approx $360 after rebate
IC-91AD-05	2 meters/70 CM (handheld)	approx $550
IC-ID800	2 meters/70 CM (mobile)	approx $610 after rebate ^{Note 2}
IC-ID1	70 CM mobile or base 10W	approx $980 after rebate
IC-2820H	2 meters/70 CM mobile or base	approx $980 includes the UT123

Note 1: These are from an HRO flyer, 4/4/07 subject to change.
Note 2: There are already used radios available at discounted prices. K6BIV for example has two IC-ID-800s for sale at $500 each.
Note 3: The UT188 as well as the UT123 is a daughter-board that plugs into the radio and makes it D-Star capable. Some of these radios perform as analog radios without the module. If you see a radio for sale at much less than the price shown above it probably does not have the module included. Be careful; the modules run around $300!

The existing D-Star systems throughout the US, Canada, Australia, and Europe are growing. The K6MDD system on Mt Diablo is shooting for 100 users in the near future; they are currently between 80 and 90 users. Other systems in California are growing as well, although it seems that US and Canada are growing the fastest due to the presence of Icom America. It seems that digital equipment is difficult to obtain in Europe at least for now.

If D-Star takes off, other companies are sure to jump on the bandwagon and start producing equipment which should force prices down somewhat. Because of the similarity between D-Star and generic APCO-Project 25 (commercial digital) equipment, there could well be equipment available from commercial sources in the future. At this point we are almost exactly at the point where Packet radio started becoming popular in the '80s. It grew rapidly and although the equipment was not as costly, it was every bit as complicated. But it grew without a coordinated plan and seems to have collapsed under its own weight. If D-Star and D-Star-like systems can be implemented strategically then it will probably survive and become the repeater of the future.