(I'll attempt to answer this a second time with hopes the host won't log me out before I hit reply......
Mole.....
Of all the time I spend on the vhf / uhf bands, I'd say 20% of it is on D-Star right now. We have (3) 440 repeaters, (1) 2 meter repeater, and (1) 2 meter hot spot up in our area, with talk of more to come. Many of the County OEM's are going digital voice as well with their repeaters.
I like the digital voice, audio quality is some what sterile, but it seems to be far clearer, and more dependable than analog. When an analog transmission starts to fade and you get a lot of noise in with it, it can be hard to understand, with digital you either hear it clearly, or you don't don't hear it at all. You will get what is called "R2D2" when the transmission is on the cusp of dropping out, so you will know the QSO is about to be lost, but for the most part you will either hear it, or not.....
The ID-880H was a bit confusing at first, but like any modern software controlled radio, once you get the hang of the menu system, you'll be fine. I program all my radios from the front panel, I don't use the software....(which is much easier).....but you don't always have your radio next to a computer to make changes, or add frequencies on the fly, so by programming it from the panel, and knowing how is a big bonus....to me anyway.
I believe you're in California, and it's my understanding that D-Star is big in Southern Cal, so you shouldn't have any problems finding plenty of repeaters to use.
If you do get on, look for the Ozark Mountian D-Star net on Sunday evenings, it's world wide, and you'll hear check-in's from Australia, GB, Japan, and every where in between.....(it's a long net, but it's kind cool hearing a cabbie from Sidney Australia check in while he's driving a bar patron home for the night)....
I have no doubt that if you get it, you'll love it, and if you get one of the HT's with the GPS speaker-mic's, you can tap into the APRS system with it....
Let me know what you do.....
