Yesterday, a reader wrote:
I just completed reading your No-Nonsense Technician Class Amateur Radio License Study Guide. I would like to suggest that someone who knows about the newer digital voice modes write a short book on the subject. Here are some things that I’d like to know:
- Basic operation of DMR (MotoTRBO,etc), NXDN, DStar, and P25 and how to get up and running using digital.
- Digital radio options- Motorola XPR, Kenwood NX, Hytera, Connect Systems,etc
- Basic digital radio programming/set up/repeater operation ( MotoTRBO 2 slot operation, color codes, talk group ID,etc)
I think a book explaining this stuff would be great since digital voice has revolutionized amateur radio.
Unfortunately, I don’t know enough about the subject to write this book myself. I would, however, be happy to publish this book for you. I’ll help you outline the book; edit the manuscript once you’re done with it; create e-book and printed versions; get it set up on Amazon, Barnes&Noble, and my website; and market it along with my own books. I’m also in the process of contacting amateur radio dealers to get them to start carrying my books and I’d try to get them to carry this book as well.
So, if you know about digital radios and think you could write a book about them, get in touch, and we’ll talk.
Walter Underwood K6WRU says
I could probably do that, but I doubt I have the time. It is a deep subject, combining low bit rate audio coding and robust digital modems to send the bits. Add in HF propagation and things get even more interesting.
There is basic, simple stuff like D-Star and APCO-25. Those are at VHF, so they don’t have to deal with the crazy stuff that happens on shortwave.
David Rowe is doing brilliant work all over. He’s pushing the envelope on HF digital voice with FreeDV and also looking at multi-level quality for better channels. There is a sub-carrier for the high-quality bits. When the channel is clean, it sounds better. This is like FM Stereo, where it falls back to mono at the fringe.
http://www.rowetel.com/blog/?p=3931
It seems odd for digital voice to be a rapidly changing field. Space Shuttle voice comms (operational 1983) were digital. But HF is very, very hard for digital and we are still learning.