DStar connection status & "R2D2"

[vk3ldr]

Hi there, I'm a "noob" to DStar but picked up a few things already and made a few silly mistakes as well 

I've been familiar with IRLP for the last 2 years and also tinkered with Echolink a bit.  What I find useful or handy with IRLP is that is reports detailed information about what nodes are connected to what reflections etc and what systems are linked to what systems.

Where is this information available on the DStar system??  I'm surprised it's not there.  It's a bit like being left in the lurch as you don't know exactly who's connected to who, when and how especially when it comes to reflectors and multicasting etc.

Also, I've quickly figured out that R2D2 is the term for referring to DV that is not decoded...  well this seems to happen rather frequently with the periodic recorded messages.  Is this the norm?

Cheers,
Dave

[Pete AE5PL]

Where is this information available on the DStar system??  I'm surprised it's not there.  It's a bit like being left in the lurch as you don't know exactly who's connected to who, when and how especially when it comes to reflectors and multicasting etc.

Also, I've quickly figured out that R2D2 is the term for referring to DV that is not decoded...  well this seems to happen rather frequently with the periodic recorded messages.  Is this the norm?

The D-STAR protocol is connectionless.  Therefore, there is no "who's connected to who" web site for D-STAR.  D-Plus, an addon that many gateways have, does allow simulated linking of repeaters and reflectors.  I am not aware of a central repository of linked information for D-Plus.  This web site has a "Last Heard" page that tells you who was recently heard.  With D-STAR, if you want to talk to someone on the list, simply put their callsign into URCALL on your radio with your local repeater in RPT1 and your local gateway in RPT2.  Your bit stream will be pointed toward the repeater they were last heard on automatically IF you have registered your station on the network (register on one gateway ONLY as that registration is propagated network-wide).

Decoding DV is 100% based on bit errors at the receiver.  Keep in mind that a remote repeater is a receiver and passes the bit errors on as received.  The bit stream is not decoded at the repeater or anywhere else except at the end user receivers.  There is forward error correction in the bit stream so interruptive bit errors tend to be due to significant signal fade (the equivalent analog signal would have significant noise making the signal unintelligible).

Hope this helps.

73,

Pete AE5PL