D-Star setup for dummies, Part 5

In this post I am going to talk about modules and reflectors but only in a basic way, there is far too much about them that could be said but most of it is far more that any of you (or me) are ever likely to need or want to know.

Modules

Each repeater will have at least one module however they could have many more. A module is in simple terms a repeater in it's own right that can be connected to any reflector module via the internet.
I guess it's a good idea that I first talk about the naming convention for repeater and reflector modules.

Module A:

This module is generally used for 1.2GHz operation, it is also the module that is used for data modes as it has a higher bandwidth allocation which is needed for such data transmissions. However very few repeaters will actually have this module fitted due to the expense, limited usage, limited range of transmission and logistics of antennas. Maybe sometime in the future as demand grows more repeaters will implement this as part of the repeater setup.

Module B:

This module is generally used for UHF 430-440MHz operation and is a voice only operation module. It can be argued that even the voice only modules are data modules as well because things like callsign, user messages and GPS data is also transmitted, but to all intents and purposes it is a voice only module.

Module C:

This module is the same as module B with the exception of operating in the 144-146MHz band.


Reflectors

As I gleaned over the subject of reflectors earlier, reflectors can be thought of as chatrooms in a way. They serve as a means of communication obviously, but what they really do is allow certain types of conversation (language or subject) to be kept separate from the general chit-chat rag-chew reflectors.
A couple of examples to show you what I mean:

REF001C is called the mega reflector where everyone from anywhere will generally connect and talk about just about anything. These conversations can be as simple as just signal/setup reports, nets or just a place to chit-chat. REF001C is also the place where you are almost guaranteed to be able to have a QSO of some kind or another at any time day or night.

REF017A is a "Netherlands (Dutch Speaking repeaters,hotspots and dongles)" reflector where they obviously expect you to speak Dutch instead of English.


REF010A is designated for "Emergency Communications" so they wouldn't take it too kindly to you connecting and just shooting the breeze.

Here is as far as I can tell a full and up to date list of all of the D-Star reflectors and their general usage.
http://www.dstarinfo.com/reflectors.aspx


A common misconception about modules and reflectors

I have heard several people say that you can only connect to a reflector say REF001C if you are using module C on your local repeater. THIS IS NOT TRUE! There is nothing stopping you from connecting to REF001C or ANY other reflector from ANY module on the repeater, However there is one caveat to that. There is no point in connecting from module B or C to a reflector on module A if that module is used for data communications, it just doesn't work and will most likely cause interference as modules B and C are not designed to carry that kind of bandwidth. So go ahead and connect from a B module to a C reflector or vise versa if you wish to do so, it can be in your interest to do so if say your radio is UHF only and you want to connect to a VHF reflector.



With that all said, I will now link to a couple of resources that will further reinforce the information I have given you and also go into some areas in more detail than I can here and also recap some of the information.

Registration:
http://dstarusers.org/repeaters.php
Find your local repeater and see if they offer registration.

If not, here is one that does.
https://gb7jh.wadarc.org.uk/Dstar.do

Reflectors:
http://www.dstarinfo.com/reflectors.aspx

Memory programming files:
http://downloads.d-staruk.co.uk/


A 3 part seminar on D-Star

Each part is about an hour long, but they are really worth watching. They helped me tremendously in getting my head round all the information and helped me put it all into practice.

Part 1 of 3

Part 2 of 3

Part 3 of 3

Well I think that nicely wraps up my posts on "D-Star for dummies" and with any luck you are now well on your way to becoming a D-Star pro.


As always please contact me with any comments on this series such as your opinion of it, where I can improve it and all of the mistakes I have probably made.
My contact info can be found in the full "About me" page

Hope to speak to you on D-Star very soon

All The Best 73's

Paul
M0CNL