Zero to Hero: D-Star (applies to all radios)¶

There are numerous D-Star ‘getting-started’ guides available via your favorite search engine. This description focuses on the unique differences associated with using a WPSD D-Star node.

Add your WPSD D-Star node to your radio¶

Tip

If your WPSD node is simplex, make sure to set DUP+ or DUP- with an offset of zero (0). Turning DUP ‘off’ does not work because ICOM radios expect D-Star to be used only on repeaters and that repeaters always use DUP+ or DUP-, even with an offset of zero. If you turn DUP ‘off’, the radio thinks you are not talking to a repeater and thus it will not use D-Star.

You can add your node to your radio’s memories in one of two ways:

As a D-Star repeater
As a regular memory entry

If you use D-Star repeater memories (DV), don’t forget to include your node’s GPS location; it is useful when trying to find “near repeaters”.

If you use a regular memories, you will want to create separate entries as follows (where ^ indicates a space; all fields are always 8 spaces, and all commands such as link, unlink, echo and info are in the eighth position):

usage	URCALL or MYCALL	RPT1	RPT2
Simplex	CQCQCQ^^	^^^^^^^^	^^^^^^^^
Use Repeater	CQCQCQ^^	N0SIGN^B	N0SIGN^G
Echo	^^^^^^^E	N0SIGN^B	N0SIGN^G
Information	^^^^^^^I	N0SIGN^B	N0SIGN^G
Unlink	^^^^^^^U	N0SIGN^B	N0SIGN^G

In the above example, N0SIGN is your WPSD’s callsign (your callsign) and “B” is the channel configured on the WPSD D-Star configuration page, based on the wavelength of your radio.

You will also probably want one line for each repeater you link to, whose contents depends on that repeater’s callsign.

Using your node¶

Use your node as you would any other D-Star repeater.

Keep in mind that the D-Star parameters can be set to either connect to a reflector on boot/restart and/or to determine how long a reflector stays connected before being dropped.

Connecting to Reflectors¶

Aside from connecting to repeaters, you will probably want to connect to one of the many reflectors available, see the XLX Reflector List on the Digital (Ham) Radio Lists page at W0CHP.radio.

There are actually a number of different types of reflectors out there, and not all of them support D-Star. Of the ones that support D-Star, those listed as DCS, D-Plus or DExtra are an older type of reflector typically dedicated to D-Star.

The other type, XLX, is a multiprotocol reflector that, given the right hardware by the owner, may support different digital voice modes, even on the same module and allow communication (called transcoding) between whem.

Reflectors typically support a number of channels called modules. Modules are typically identified by a suffix of A to Z appended to the reflector callsign. e.g. Module C on XLX reflector 301 would be XLX301C. When planning on connecting to a reflector, it’s always worth checking out the reflector’s webpage or dashboard to see what modules are in use, what modes they support, what they are used for, and whether they support transcoding between different modes.

With WPSD there are three ways to establish a link to a reflector:

Using the WPSD Web Dashboard
Using a link command programmed into your radio,
Using DTMF commands via you radio’s keypad and

Web Dashboard¶

Probably the easiest and most convenient method is to use the WPSD Web Dashboard.

Navigate to the Admin -> D-Star Manager page, select the target reflector and module, select Link or Unlink and press Execute Action.

Once the hotspot is connected, use the Use Repeater memory (the one with CQCQCQ^^ and both RPT1 and RPT2 filled out) to talk over the link.

Use the same process to Unlink from the reflector.

This may be the only way to disconnect from a reflector if the reflector is busy and there is no time between transmissions to get your commands in via the radio.

Radio Link Command¶

This requires you to program into one of your radio’s memories an entry similar to the Use Repeater entry above, but with a URCALL of the reflector callsign with the letter “L” in the 8th position. (e.g. XLX301CL which will link your hotspot to XLX reflector 301 module C.) To make the link, you just keyup using that memory. Once the hotspot is linked then you switch back to the Use Repeater memory (the one with CQCQCQ^^ and both RPT1 and RPT2 filled out) to talk over the link. Use the ^^^^^^^U memory to unlink from the repeater.

DTMF Linking¶

WPSD also supports using DTMF from your radio’s keypad. To transmit the DTMF code, set your radio to the Use Repeater memory, hold down the PTT button and press the appropriate keys on the keypad. Release the PTT once done. WPSD will respond with a voice prompt if your command was accepted.

The commands are:

[DTMF Commands]¶
Type	DTMF Key	Format	Description
Unlink	#	`#`	Unlink the hotspot from the reflector
Info	00	`00`	Obtain info about the link. WPSD will respond with the callsign and module of the linked reflector if linked, or with unlinked.
XLX	A	`Annnzz`	Connect to a XLX reflector (`A30103` for XLX301C)
DCS	D	`Dnnnzz`	Connect to a DCS reflector (`D00103` for DCS001C)
D-Plus	*	`*nnnzz`	Connect to a REF reflector (`*00101` for REF001A)
DExtra		`nnzz`	Connect to a DExtra reflector (`00105` for XRF001E) NOTE There is no prefix for this connection.

In place of zz you can also use DTMF keys A, B, C or D to access the first four modules.