SYSTEM: dstarutah.org _ SECTION :: GETTING STARTED

Getting Started

from "I have an Icom radio" to "I'm linked to a reflector and talking to a station in Australia" in five steps.

1 // You need a license

D-STAR runs on a range of amateur radio bands (2 m, 70 cm, 23 cm, 33 cm / 900 MHz, and others). Any of them require an amateur radio license to transmit. A U.S. Technician class license covers the 2 m, 70 cm, and 23 cm repeaters listed on this site. If you're new, the ARRL's getting-licensed page is the place to start.

2 // Get a radio that does D-STAR

D-STAR is essentially an Icom mode. Common Utah radios:

Handhelds: Icom ID-31A / ID-31A PLUS (70 cm), ID-51A / ID-51A PLUS2 (2 m + 70 cm), ID-52A (current Icom flagship dual-band), Kenwood TH-D74A, Kenwood TH-D75A.
Mobiles: Icom ID-4100A, ID-5100A.
23 cm: Icom IC-9700 (all-mode 2 m / 70 cm / 23 cm base radio).
Hotspots: DV4mini, SharkRF openSPOT, MMDVM / Pi-Star: put D-STAR on your local network if you're out of repeater range.

3 // Register your callsign on the D-STAR network

To use a gateway (route a call off the local repeater onto the worldwide network or a reflector), your callsign needs to be registered on the D-STAR trust network. One-time, free, two-step process.

Step 1: create the gateway account

Go to regist.dstargateway.org and click Register. Enter your callsign in UPPER CASE, your email address, and a password. A local gateway admin will review and approve (usually within a day or two). Several Utah repeaters run their own registration portal: KF6RAL, NU7TS, K7BSK. You can register on any of them and your callsign will propagate to the rest of the trust network.

Step 2: add a personal terminal

Log back in, go to the Personal Information tab, add a terminal:

In the Initial field, enter a single space (one character: " ").
In the pcname field, enter a short lowercase identifier with no spaces, e.g. your callsign, or your callsign with a suffix like w7xyz-ht or w7xyz-mobile.

Your callsign is now live on the trust network.

4 // Program your radio

Minimum to talk on a D-STAR repeater:

MYCALL  =  your registered callsign (UPPER CASE)
URCALL  =  CQCQCQ        # local calls, or a routing command
RPT1    =  KF6RAL  C     # local repeater + module, padded to 8 chars
RPT2    =  KF6RAL  G     # gateway (G in col 8), blank for local-only

Easier: use a programming utility like RT Systems or the free CHIRP and import a Utah repeater list. Newer Icoms (ID-52A, IC-9700) have a "Near Repeater" function that pulls in nearby gateways automatically.

5 // Make your first contact

Listen first. Bring up a local repeater, listen for a minute, confirm you can hear traffic clearly.
Identify and call CQ with URCALL set to CQCQCQ. Keep transmissions short. AMBE doesn't reward long-winded check-ins.
Try a reflector. See the reflectors page for URCALL commands; the common pattern is to set URCALL to REF030CL (link to REF030 module C), give a short identification, set URCALL back to CQCQCQ, and then call.
Drop the link when you're done. Set URCALL to U (seven spaces, then U) to unlink the repeater.

Tip. If your audio sounds robotic or chops out, you're probably running too low a deviation or too far from the repeater. Unlike FM, D-STAR doesn't degrade gracefully; it goes from clean to R2-D2 to silence over a fairly narrow signal range. Move closer to a window or get a better antenna before tweaking radio settings.

Getting Started

1 // You need a license

2 // Get a radio that does D-STAR

3 // Register your callsign on the D-STAR network

Step 1: create the gateway account

Step 2: add a personal terminal

4 // Program your radio

5 // Make your first contact

Further reading