Now With 3 Mode Transcoding
As covered in previous posts, emails, and club meetings, XLX927 Digital Multiprotocol Reflector has been running since May 2024. It has enabled DMR and System Fusion to communicate when connected to the reflector. During most of the day, XLX927 is bridged to Wires-X Room 21704, and thusly, our W2XRX 145.29 repeater, in digital mode only.
The transcoding server that was added a couple of weeks ago has been tested, at least enough to say that it has worked so far when tested. Some additional real world use would be helpful.
When digital voice modes are networked using various VOIP technologies through routers, gateways, switches, etc, some delays can creep into the pathways. Usually they are fairly short, a second or two. One of the mantras you will always hear when using digital is “wait a second after pressing PTT before starting talking, and wait a second or two after done talking to let PTT go”. As well as, “wait a few seconds in-between transmissions”.
This helps ensure syllables don’t get cut-off and various buffering catches up. In real use, it’s not a big deal, except breaking your previous habits.
The way XLX927 and the bridge to Wires-X is designed, there is a slightly more significant delay of 3-4 seconds, before what is said on XLX927 makes it to our repeater, and vice-versa. Not a big deal for users, as they don’t usually monitor themselves coming back over the repeater. I hear it when testing, but typically, most users won’t. But it isn’t ideal, and I am working on a couple different possible solutions.
The good news is that users connecting to XLX027 Module B, either with DMR, DStar, or Fusion can communicate. Users on our 145.29 repeater using System Fusion will hear and be able to speak to any of those modes being used on XLX927 Module B It will come out as Fusion C4FM on the repeater, and the XLX users will hear your transmissions in which ever mode they are using.
Note that DStar is slightly older technology, is narrower bandwidth and uses different DSP hardware. So the audio quality may vary a bit in sound quality, but is still very usable for communications. DStar has thousands of users around the world and is still Icom and Kenwood’s chosen digital voice mode. I have just picked up an Icom IC-50 DStar handheld, so now I have Fusion, DMR, and DStar radios to play with.
As I get up to speed on DStar, I will be updating the XLX927 Dashboard page, as well as our club web pages to discuss ways to connect and any other useful info I can think of.
