[amsat-bb] Re: Icom D-Star

[Ben Jackson]

On 04/27/2011 09:33 PM, Eric Christensen wrote:
> On Wed, 2011-04-27 at 09:00 -0500, Gregg Wonderly wrote:
>> This is one of those experimentation moments.  Not everyone is happy with where
>> it is at, but without some more participation, those experimenting now will be
>> the ones setting the standards, and if you are not happy with those results, it
>> will be your fault not theirs, because you chose not to participate.
>
> I'd like to point out that it's difficult, at best, to participate when
> you can't "roll your own".

See, while I don't like AMBE, that's a bunch of shenanigans. You can 
roll your own stuff with D-STAR:

http://www.gmskhotspot.com/
http://www.w9arp.com/hotspot/
http://www.d-star.asia/index.html.en

> Packet radio, however, is a good example of an open project.  AX25 is
> the basis for packet radio and since the specification was released it
> allowed anyone to design and develop their own software and hardware
> systems.  Take a subset of that project, APRS, and you'll see this even
> more.  How many software clients are out there that use the APRS
> specification as a means to communicate with other APRS users?  Kenwood,
> Byonics, and Yaesu, among others, have all made hardware devices
> utilizing the APRS and AX25 open specifications and more will come.

D-STAR *is* an open protocol. D-STAR Audio, however, has a codec that is 
encumbered by patents, I'm not touching AMBE, but I enjoy the idea of a 
digital data mode developed within the past decade. Don't throw the baby 
out with the bathwater.

-- 
Ben Jackson - N1WBV - New Bedford, MA
bbj <at> innismir.net - http://www.innismir.net/