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Icom does not own the rights to D-Star and did not develop it. JARL
developed it and it is an open standard. That being said, any
manufacturer can build equipment and NOT pay royalties to Icom or
JARL. The only thing proprietary is the AMBE Codec, about $20 on a
chip. I believe AMBE has developed the Codec for P25 and all the
variants. So it will be same issue for Yaesu.<br>
<br>
You asked who has developed non-Icom DStar equipment? Robin, AA4RC
has developed both the DVDongle and the DVAP. Fred, has been working
on numerous offering, one of which is a D-Star digital voice
adapter. <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.dutch-star.eu">http://www.dutch-star.eu</a>.<br>
<br>
Several people have created and sell D-Star hotspots.<br>
<br>
Kenwood remarkets an Icom D-Star radio in Japan.<br>
<br>
I think Yaesu has gone their own way because competing with Icom
would mean competition and price drops. With everyone using their
own digital method means higher radio prices for all of us. One
standard means lower prices and lower profits. <br>
<br>
I do believe what Yaesu will be introducing could well be completely
closed and proprietary.<br>
<br>
Regards,<br>
<br>
Duffy<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.wb8nut.com">www.wb8nut.com</a><br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
On 1/6/12 9:11 AM, Lynn W. Deffenbaugh (Mr) wrote:
<blockquote cite="mid:4F070106.1040405@homeside.to" type="cite">
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This just reminds me of the moving beam barcode scanner patents
and licensing from years ago. Symbol owned the patent and
manufactured barcode scanners. They offered licenses to others,
but what competitor in their right mind would tool up a
manufacturing plant that paid royalties to their competitor? So,
everyone used Symbol's scanners.<br>
<br>
Fast forward to Dstar. iCom developed it and owns the rights. I
imagine that to appease the powers-that-be, they had to offer
licenses so that they could call it "open". But, again, what
major equipment manufacturer is going to tool up and pay their
direct competitor license fees for Dstar? If anyone was foolish
(aka stupid) enough to do so, iCom could drive them out of the
market by dropping the price of their own equipment. Remember,
they can play numbers games such that they don't have to include
license fees in the cost of their own radios, but their new
competition still has to pay them. iCom gets a win-win by having
an "open" protocol that they are still marketing as a sole
supplier.<br>
<br>
Until a FREE and "Open" digital voice protocol hits the amateur
bands, there won't be any real competition nor multi-vendor
solutions, IMHO.<br>
<br>
Lynn (D) - KJ4ERJ - Author of APRSISCE for Windows Mobile and
Win32<br>
<br>
PS. But what does Dstar have to do with APRS? And is the new
Yaesu digital voice radio going to be APRS-capable as well?<br>
<br>
<br>
On 1/6/2012 8:57 AM, Eric Lorenz K9LGE wrote:
<blockquote
cite="mid:CAEhmdT96=VXEY8NGQg2JNwk6Z-ajvU61HFLnEOX_SFzaC5uTeg@mail.gmail.com"
type="cite">
<p>Duffy,</p>
<p>It is all about perception though...yes, Dstar is an 'open'
protocol. Yes, anyone can license and manufacture equipment
for it. So who (of the major ones) has done it? Icom. So yes,
regardless of the reality...Dstar *appears* to be an Icom
protocol. All that has to happen for that to change is for
another manufacturer to get in the game. It would *appear*
though...that this is going to remain Icom's thing for now.</p>
<p>Eric K9LGE</p>
<div class="gmail_quote">On Dec 29, 2011 7:59 PM, <<a
moz-do-not-send="true" href="mailto:duffy@wb8nut.com">duffy@wb8nut.com</a>>
wrote:<br type="attribution">
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0
.8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"> Icom gave
away repeaters to help continue D-Star's growth. So what is
the<br>
big deal with seeding equipment? Companies do it all the
time.<br>
<br>
The Codec is proprietary yes. The Codec is available to
anyone on a chip<br>
for around $25 in quantity one. Buy more and I assume there
is a discount.<br>
Our radios use proprietary chips all the time with
proprietary DSP<br>
firmware. P25 manufacturers use proprietary technology in
their radios.<br>
>From what I have seen so far, D-Star radios are much
less expensive than<br>
P25 radios.<br>
<br>
What do we need cross-compatibility for with Public Service?
You think<br>
Police/Fire/Government are going to allow their systems to
link to amateur<br>
systems? Hardly. And just like the differing P25 systems,
the<br>
manufacturers have allowed for interoperability, but I
hardly think<br>
government systems will tie into amateur systems.<br>
<br>
Icom trademarked it to protect it. Just like WB4APR
trademarked APRS. No<br>
one is charging anyone else to use those names.<br>
<br>
D-Star is not an Icom protocol. It was developed by the JARL
and it is an<br>
open technology available to anyone. Only the Codec is
proprietary as<br>
discussed before.<br>
<br>
Duffy<br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://www.wb8nut.com"
target="_blank">www.wb8nut.com</a><br>
<br>
<br>
> If D-Star is such a raging success in the amateur
market, why was Icom<br>
> giving away repeaters? The codec is proprietary. It is
not used by any<br>
> other radio service so there is no availability of
equipment with cross<br>
> compatibility (for those amateurs who are authorized to
use public<br>
> safety frequencies, or have access to used PS
equipment). Icom<br>
> trademarked the D-Star name, so how much are they going
to charge other<br>
> manufacturers to use it? I suspect D-Star will remain
an Icom only<br>
> protocol.<br>
><br>
> Brian Clark, AG4BC<br>
><br>
> _______________________________________________<br>
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<br>
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