D-Star

The Peoria-Area Amateur Radio Club has a D-STAR repeater on the 70 cm band – 443.46875 MHz +5 MHz

Frequently asked questions about D-STAR

  • What does “D-STAR” stand for?
    The D-STAR stands for Digital Smart Technologies for Amateur Radio. It is an open standard digital communication protocol established by JARL*.
    *Japan Amateur Radio League
  • What can I do with the D-STAR radio?
    4.8kbps digital voice (DV) mode and 128kbps data * (DD) mode communications are available. When using DD mode with a PC and the D-STAR radio, high speed data communication is possible.
    *DD mode is available with ID-1 only.
  • Can I send data with a voice transmission?
    Yes, you can. In DV mode operation only, you can simultaneously send up to 950bps of data, such as call sign, short data message or GPS position with a voice transmission.
  • Can I make a call with foreign countries?
    Yes, you can. The Internet gateway allows you to relay your call to a remote D-STAR repeater over the Internet. The D-STAR repeater call sign and IP address must be registered to the gateway server. Some restrictions may apply based on specific country regulations.
  • Can I use the D-STAR repeater without connecting to the Internet?
    Yes, you can use a D-STAR repeaters a local repeater. You can also communicate with other D-STAR radios directly.
  • Can I receive a call only when the call is intended for me?
    Yes, you can. the call sign squelch function opens the squelch only when you call sign is received.
  • How do I set a repeater call sign when I make a call to a desired station using a D-STAR repeater?
    When you communicate with other D-STAR stations using a D-STAR repeater, it is necessary to set the repeater’s call sign in RPT1/RPT2 as well as the desired station call sign and your own call sign.

For example, when you make a call in the same zone (without using the Internet gateway), set the uplink repeater call sign in RPT1 and the downlink repeater call sign in RPT2. Set “CQCQCQ” for the desired station call sign, when you make a CQ call.

When you make a call in another time zone using the Internet gateway, set the uplink repeater call sign in RPT1 and the gateway call sign in RPT2. The gateway repeater has “G” setting for the8th-digit. Set “/” plus downlink repeater call sign at the desired station call sign, when you make a CQ call.

How can D-STAR help first responders using D-RATS

D-RATS is a multi-platform integrated tool for communication using D-STAR radios. With only a pair of radios (or an entire repeater stack) a variety of data transmission methods are supported, including:

  • Instant-message chat
  • Automatic beacon messages
  • File transfers with error detection
  • Structured forms
  • GPS position reports
  • And much more!

he 2M D star system operates on an output frequency of 145.10500 and input of 144.050500.  Antenna is at 1104′ ASL which is providing great coverage for the area.  This allows us to connect to many other world wide D-Star systems, commonly called “reflectors”.  It is not uncommon to have a many conversations with D-Star users in other countries.