Update on the IC-9100

Ham radio VHF enthusiasts have been patiently waiting for the ICOM IC-9100. This HF/VHF/UHF/Satellites covers most or all of the popular amateur bands. Recently, ICOM has posted the specs and brochure on its web site. The rig has dual receivers that allow monitoring two bands at once and it is set up for full-duplex on … Read more

Hacking Away at D-STAR Hardware

We’ve been looking at optimizing the performance of the D-STAR repeater here in Monument (W0TLM, 446.8875 MHz), so I’ve been searching the web for information on what other groups have uncovered. Not surprisingly, there has been some creative reverse-engineering and re-engineering of the ICOM D-STAR repeaters. Here’s a summary of some Good Stuff that I … Read more

This Spewed Out of the Internet #9

I have been traveling quite a bit lately for work, so here’s a catch up on a number of things spewing forth from the interwebnet. I’ve recently re-discovered High Frequency Electronics Magazine, edited by Gary Breed, K9AY. This is a top quality trade pub that targets RF design engineers. In Gary’s September editorial, he highlighted … Read more

D-STAR Presentation at MARC

The interest in D-STAR continues to grow in Colorado. I have responded to a request to talk about D-STAR at the Mountain Amateur Radio Club (MARC) meeting on Wednesday night. It will be a basic introduction to the mode/technology along with a demo of D-RATS. I don’t think I am an expert on the topic … Read more

D-STAR is On Line in Monument

One of our local radio groups has put a 70 cm D-STAR repeater on the air here in Monument. Here’s the announcement from Elliot KB0RFC: The W0TLM B repeater and gateway are on the air in their new PERMANENT home in monument near hwy 105 and I 25, coverage reports are needed. All gateway functions … Read more