All FAQ’s
D-Star
We changed the call sign for the D-Star repeater KB3YBH to W3FDK. In that process, we had to rebuild the gateway from scratch. Because you have to build from scratch, all of our previous registrations are no longer in the system and are not able to be changed.
Your Options
Your options are limited. Your callsign is still registered in the central system so you cannot re-register at a different gateway.
If you need to make changes you have to contact the D-star folks and have them remove your call sign and then re-register. We will update this FAQ with contact details once we know who they are.
This is an unfortunate consequence of changing a call sign for a D-Star repeater, there is not way to import the old database of users into a new call sign because you are already registered in the central database under the old call sign.
Some D-Star Links
Here are some links that might be able to help:
- http://www.dstarinfo.com/home.aspx (do not go to dstarinfo.org – it will try to infect your computer) – Has lots of good information on D-Star.
- https://regist.dstargateway.org/instructions/ – Instructions on how to register your call sign with D-Star.
You can see all of the FAQs here: https://mawcg.org/faqs/
We have created a page to help with the registration and setup of your D-Star radio. You can find it here: https://mawcg.org/connecting-to-our-d-star-repeaters/
These 3 settings are required for D-star to work properly. Here is what each of these are:
D-Star
- URCALL: The command or linking / routing information
- CQCQCQ: For talking on the local repeater and/or going out to the connected reflector
- REFxxx
L: command to link the local repeater to REFxxx. - I: Get info like where the repeater is connected, etc
- U: Unlink local repeater from wherever it is connected to.
- CALL1: This is the callsign of the repeater and module that you are trying to talk to.
- There are some special formatting needed for this:
- Callsign must be 6 characters long. If you callsign is not 6 characters long, fill up the additional characters with spaces.
- There must be a single space between the callsign and module.
- The module is a single uppercase character
- Modules are in most if not all cases:
- A – 1.2 Ghz Voice
- B – 440 Mhz Voice
- C – 144 Mhz Voice
- There are some special formatting needed for this:
- CALL2: This is the callsign of the gateway you are trying to connect through. In most cases the callsign of the gateway is the same as the repeater.
- Similarly to CALL1 this has the same special format of 6 characters for callsign, a space and a single character that is always G for gateway.
More Help
We have created a page that describes how to setup your radio to access our D-Star repeaters. You can find it here: https://mawcg.org/connecting-to-our-d-star-repeaters/
FARG
FARG is the Frederick Amateur Repeater Group.
Some have called it the Friendly Amateur Repeater Group which is a great compliment and demonstrates the hard work that has been put into this system since the 1960’s to make it a community and friendly fraternity of radio operators.
General Radio Questions
W3FDK on 146.73
The 146.73 repeater has a negative offset, you will need to configure your radio with the following details to be able to talk through the repeater:
Receive Frequency: 146.73
Transmit Frequency: 146.13 (a negative offset of .6 Mhz)
PL Tone: 141.3
Using our pre-configured config file for Chirp:
Program a radio with Chirp for this repeater:
W3FDK on 146.73
The 146.73 repeater has a negative offset, you will need to configure your radio with the following details to be able to talk through the repeater:
Receive Frequency: 146.73
Transmit Frequency: 146.13 (a negative offset of .6 Mhz)
PL Tone: 141.3
Program a Wouxun Radio for this repeater:
W3FDK on 146.73
The 146.73 repeater has a negative offset, you will need to configure your radio with the following details to be able to talk through the repeater:
Receive Frequency: 146.73
Transmit Frequency: 146.13 (a negative offset of .6 Mhz)
PL Tone: 141.3
Using our pre-configured config file for Chirp:
Programming a Baofeng for this repeater:
Program a Wouxun Radio for this repeater:
Program a radio with Chirp for this repeater:
The term Codeplug has been popularized in recent years because of the rise of DMR, a commercial digital voice mode that has been adapted to Ham Radio.
Put simply, it is the config file that can be used to program a radio. Some people use Chirp or other software to program their radio. A codeplug is simply that config file.
The term originated from Motorola from back in the day when there was a physical “plug” that was used to setup the radio. DMR was popularized by Motorola and the term Codeplug is common among Motorola equipment.
Since DMR has become popular people have been using the term Codeplug to represent any radio config.
MAWCG
Have you ever heard the saying “We drink our own cool-aid”. Anyways, we use hamsocial.org to publish all of our nets and events.
You can also find some of our custom written software baked in to hamsocial.org. If you don’t have an account over there, you should, so go do that now at hamsocial.org
Now, off to see if cool-aid is still available and get some.
Radio Configuration
W3FDK on 146.73
The 146.73 repeater has a negative offset, you will need to configure your radio with the following details to be able to talk through the repeater:
Receive Frequency: 146.73
Transmit Frequency: 146.13 (a negative offset of .6 Mhz)
PL Tone: 141.3
Using our pre-configured config file for Chirp:
Program a radio with Chirp for this repeater:
W3FDK on 146.73
The 146.73 repeater has a negative offset, you will need to configure your radio with the following details to be able to talk through the repeater:
Receive Frequency: 146.73
Transmit Frequency: 146.13 (a negative offset of .6 Mhz)
PL Tone: 141.3
Program a Wouxun Radio for this repeater:
W3FDK on 146.73
The 146.73 repeater has a negative offset, you will need to configure your radio with the following details to be able to talk through the repeater:
Receive Frequency: 146.73
Transmit Frequency: 146.13 (a negative offset of .6 Mhz)
PL Tone: 141.3
Using our pre-configured config file for Chirp:
Programming a Baofeng for this repeater:
Program a Wouxun Radio for this repeater:
Program a radio with Chirp for this repeater:
Radio Configuration
We have created a page to help with the registration and setup of your D-Star radio. You can find it here: https://mawcg.org/connecting-to-our-d-star-repeaters/
These 3 settings are required for D-star to work properly. Here is what each of these are:
D-Star
- URCALL: The command or linking / routing information
- CQCQCQ: For talking on the local repeater and/or going out to the connected reflector
- REFxxx
L: command to link the local repeater to REFxxx. - I: Get info like where the repeater is connected, etc
- U: Unlink local repeater from wherever it is connected to.
- CALL1: This is the callsign of the repeater and module that you are trying to talk to.
- There are some special formatting needed for this:
- Callsign must be 6 characters long. If you callsign is not 6 characters long, fill up the additional characters with spaces.
- There must be a single space between the callsign and module.
- The module is a single uppercase character
- Modules are in most if not all cases:
- A – 1.2 Ghz Voice
- B – 440 Mhz Voice
- C – 144 Mhz Voice
- There are some special formatting needed for this:
- CALL2: This is the callsign of the gateway you are trying to connect through. In most cases the callsign of the gateway is the same as the repeater.
- Similarly to CALL1 this has the same special format of 6 characters for callsign, a space and a single character that is always G for gateway.
More Help
We have created a page that describes how to setup your radio to access our D-Star repeaters. You can find it here: https://mawcg.org/connecting-to-our-d-star-repeaters/
Wires-x / System Fusion
In basic terms, it is what the Wires-X HRI-200 is connected to. Technically they are the same. Let’s expand on this.
A Wires-X node requires the Wires-X software to be installed on a Microsoft Windows machine. It also requires a small device from Yaesu called an HRI-200.
The HRI-200 connect to either a repeater or radio. If it is connected to a repeater then it is a repeater. If it is connected to a radio to only be used by someone local then it is a node.
Some repeaters do not have internet at the repeaters site so they set up like the node, with the HRI-200 connected to a fusion radio like the FTM-100. The FTM-100 is programmed for their local Fusion Repeater. When someone is talking on Wires-X the HRI-200 keys up the radio and transmits the digital signal to the repeater which transmits it out to everyone.
When the radio receives a digital signal the audio goes to the HRI-200 and it puts it out on Wires-X.
This is how the K3ERM node in Frederick works. The node is at a location that has Internet and transmits to the repeater.
