a reflector is a conference bridge for D-STAR: one server that multiple repeaters and hotspots connect to so everyone on it hears the same audio.
The three reflector flavors
All reflectors look like a three-character prefix followed by a three-digit number and a module letter (A / B / C / D / E / ...). The prefix tells you the underlying protocol:
REF: original "dplus" reflector software. Most legacy reflectors. Module letters
have conventional uses (e.g. REF030 C is the long-running English chat module).
XRF: "DExtra" protocol; allows direct repeater-to-repeater linking in addition to
reflector use.
DCS: "Digital Call Server" protocol; supports more modules per server and is the
basis for the XLX multi-protocol reflectors.
XLX: multi-protocol reflectors that simultaneously expose REF, XRF, DCS, and (often)
M17 / DMR / YSF transcoded connections. Increasingly the default for new community reflectors.
Linking and unlinking with URCALL
On a stock Icom radio, you control the connected repeater's reflector link by setting your URCALL
field to a magic value, transmitting briefly, then setting URCALL back to CQCQCQ for normal traffic.
RPT1 and RPT2 must already be set correctly for the local repeater; this
just changes what reflector it's bridged to.
Link to a REF reflector module
URCALL pattern: REF###xL, where ### is the reflector number and x is the module letter, padded so the L lands in column 8.
URCALL: REF030CL # link to REF030 module C
URCALL: REF001CL # link to REF001 module C
URCALL: REF014BL # link to REF014 module B
Link to an XRF reflector module
URCALL: XRF012AL # link to XRF012 module A
Link to a DCS reflector module
URCALL: DCS006FL # link to DCS006 module F
Unlink
URCALL: U # seven spaces then U -> unlinks the repeater
Check what the repeater is linked to
URCALL: I # seven spaces then I -> repeater announces its current link
Be polite. Linking a repeater changes the reflector for everyone using it, not
just you. Listen first, ask if anyone minds before changing the link on a busy repeater, and drop the link when
you're done if you brought it up just for yourself.
REF029 is the de-facto home reflector for Utah. Several D-STAR systems (NU7TS, AC7O, N7RDS) stay linked to
module C most of the time, and the NUTS D-STAR Net meets there every
Sunday at 20:00 Mountain. It's a multi-mode reflector; alongside D-STAR it bridges DMR, Fusion, P25, NXDN,
M17, and AllStar, so a single conversation can span several modes at once. See the
Multi-Mode Bridge page for the full cross-mode map.
talkgroups 314900 / 314901 / 314905 → modules B / C / D
SLC County
direct D-STAR RF access is limited while the Intermountain Medical Center (KO7SLC) stack is being relocated; DMR or a hotspot is the reliable path for now (May 2026)
Other reflectors worth knowing
REF001 C: one of the original "always-on" community reflectors; broad mix of US/international traffic.
REF030 C: long-running English-language general chat.
REF014 B: Quadnet "Tech Net" home reflector.
XLX307 / XRF757 / DCS006: major Quadnet Array reflectors with simultaneous REF / XRF / DCS / multi-mode connections.
REF062 A: Australian / VK regional reflector; popular long-haul check-in target.