DSTAR

D-Star, short for Digital Smart Technologies for Amateur Radio, is a digital voice and data protocol designed for amateur radio use. It was developed by Icom with involvement from amateur radio organizations and was introduced in the early 2000s. The standard defines how digital voice and packet data are transmitted over VHF and UHF amateur bands and supports both local and networked communications through repeaters, gateways, and internet-linked reflectors.

Technically, D-Star uses a two-channel approach: a digital voice channel and a separate data channel. The voice path is encoded with a vocoder (commonly the AMBE codec) to produce a digital speech stream that provides clearer, more consistent audio over noisy channels. The data channel carries low‑rate packet data for control information, text messages, GPS data, and other user data. This structure enables simultaneous voice and data transmissions within the same radio link and across the network infrastructure.

The D-Star network is built from local repeaters connected to gateway servers and reflectors. Gateways route traffic between the radio network and internet-based routing, allowing users to reach distant stations by linking through reflectors and talk groups. This enables both individual (one-to-one) calls and group communications, as well as access to global stations and shared channels within the D-Star ecosystem.

Equipment with D-Star capability typically requires a compatible radio and access to the D-Star network via reflectors or gateways. The protocol has become an established option in amateur digital voice, alongside other systems such as DMR and System Fusion, and remains supported by a broad user community and various manufacturers.