Running DStar from a non-Icom radio (e.g. Kenwood, Yaesu)

[N8MDP]

I am looking forward to getting on DStar with my new ICOM ID-880H but was wondering if anyone else would like to get on DStar with another brand radio like from Kenwood or Yaesu. I noticed on the DStar Infor FAQ page that there is a link to a ham in Japan who used the UT-118 DV board to interface to a Kenwood radio that is not DStar ready. The page is at:

http://www.dstarinfo.com/faq/D-STARModules.htm

It's a shame that this would not be more readily available. I would rather use my Kenwood TM-D700 Dual Band Mobile in my ham shack then going out and buying another radio or using the DV Dongle, which I do own. The Dongle is nice for my netbook when I am on the porch or in my back yard. I only have so much internet bandwidth at my house!!!

I would like to hear what other people think and who we can work with to try to make this happen.

Thanks.
John
N8MDP
http://www.n8mdp.com