[MRIC] D-STAR Update

[Pat Scolla]

Well, the Harford County D-STAR repeater system has been hooked up to a
couple of antennas and turned on for testing!  For the time being, the
447.98750 MHz (-5.00 MHz offset) D-STAR repeater will be on the air the vast
majority of the time, but the 1282.3000 MHz (-12.00 MHz offset) D-STAR
repeater will be on the air from time to time.

Until the duplexers and triplexers arrive (mid- to late- October), the
D-STAR repeaters will be using separate antennas for receive and transmit.
The D-STAR repeaters receive antenna is located at the 200 foot level on the
same tower that the 146.775 and 449.775 MHz repeaters are located, and the
D-STAR repeaters transmit antenna is located at the 145 foot level on the
same tower.  Also, until we get a club callsign for the D-STAR repeater
system, the D-STAR repeaters will be using the WA3SFJ callsign courtesy of
the CBRA group.

So, in the interim, if one wishes to use either the 440 or the 1200 MHz
D-STAR repeaters, feel free.  However, we cannot guarantee which repeater
will be on the air at any given time, but the odds are that the 447.98750
MHz repeater will be on the air most frequently.

We are planning to connect the D-STAR repeaters to the D-STAR Gateway at a
date in the near future after we receive our own unique callsign for the
D-STAR repeater system.  Because of the D-STAR protocol, D-STAR repeaters
cannot use the callsign of any user.

Programming information:  For those who wish to use the 447.98750 MHz D-STAR
repeater, put CQCQCQ into the "Your Call Sign" field, and WA3SJF B in the
"RPT1" field.  
NOTE:  the callsign that goes into the "RPT1" field contains not only the
callsign of the D-STAR repeater, but also contains the D-STAR repeater port
identifier.  Hence, the "RPT1" field consists of eight characters - up to 6
for the callsign, one for the port, and the appropriate number of spaces
needed to bring the total number of character to eight.  For the WA3SFJ
callsign only one space is needed between the callsign and the port
identifier.  However, if the call NZ1QQ was to be used, then two spaces
would be needed between the second "Q" and the "B" port identifier.

The programming format is the same for the 1282.3000 MHz D-STAR repeater
except for the Port Identifier which is "A".  When the two meter D-STAR
repeater comes online, it will have the D-STAR Port Identifier of "C".

Once the duplexers and triplexer arrive, both the 447.98750 and 1282.3000
MHz D-STAR repeaters will use the antenna at the 200 foot level for both
receive and transmit.

73,
Pat, wb0egr