[aprssig] APRS and dstar

[Bob Bruninga]

> Recently I have got involved in Dstar. Wow.
> I find it has most of what makes APRS and packet 
> fun, and a ton more.
> With all the non icom dstar board kits out there, 
> you can be up and playing with very low cost.

And it would only take the right graybeards with the motivation and the skills to tie DStar to APRS for global callsign-to-callsign voice calls.

My goal since 2001 was to tie one of the VOIP systems to APRS so that one could send  message to a callsign anywhere on the planet and the AVRS engine would set up the end-to-end link via Echolink, IRLP or ALLstar.  Just like a cellphone call.

That is one reason we added VOICE FREQUENCY to APRS back in 2004.  Even Kenwood and Yaesu have responded by adding the automatic QSY into the radios.  But we still do not have the full AVRS engine.  John Gorkos has written an excellent look-up module in AVRS.  His AVRS engine now responds to queries to tell you where the nearby Nodes are and their frequency, but it does not make the connections.

ASTAR NODE:  
Then about 3 years ago, I realized that Dstar already has it,  End-to-end callsign voice connectivity.  Therefore the short cut for AVRS is to simply JOIN DSTAR.  The concept is simple.  Take one of those dstar kits, add it to a PC with full APRS connectivity on one side, and dstar on the other, and what we get is an ASTAR node.

To DSTAR users it looks just like a DSTAR node, but it looks like an ALLSTAR repeater on the APRS side.  It uses APRS signalling and display to setup and display the calls on the radio.  Giving the same displays and contrls as if the APRS radio was a Dstar user.  On the APRS side, an APRS user can send a connect-request message to the ASTAR node and get a VOICE connection to any DSTAR user in the world.

To me it is the best of all worlds.  DSTAR users and APRS Radio users are transparently able to do a callsign-to-callsign VOICE link anywhere in the world.

Please read about it http://aprs.org/avrs.html a few paragraphs down.

We just need a DSTAR graybeard, an ALLSTAR graybeard and an APRS graybeard to build the ASTAR node.

Bob, WB4APR


---- Original message ----
>Date: Sun, 27 May 2012 05:17:03 -0700
>From: Perry Chamberlain <canoeman at qnet.com>)
>Subject: [aprssig] APRS and dstar  

>
> I may get some flames but here goes.

> I have been heavily  involved in packet and APRS since the early 90s, and loved it. Recently I have got involved in Dstar. Wow.

> A lot of the things I loved in APRS and packet, are right there in dstar.

> For those of you who like the messaging abilities, the gps tracking, the ability to pass data, at 128k, should also have a look at dstar. It has a steep learning curve, but once you get it running, I find it has most of what makes APRS and packet fun, and a ton more. I can still do keyboard to keyboard data, simplex, send video, and pics, large files, and at the same time carry on a conversation on the same frequency. Being able to surf the web, from your car,  or camp site , is very cool. Some might not like the repeater linking on the web part, but that's what is happening with igates. With all the non icom dstar board kits out there, you can be up and playing with very low cost.

> I like both APRS and dstar, but I find dstar is more fun lately.
>
> Off the soap box.
>
>
> Ke6anm
>