[CTxDSstar] Link status

[ke5c]

Hi All (UR=CQCQCQ)!

How do you know when you turn your DStar radio on and tune to K5CTX or 
W5HAT whether the associated gateway is linked to another gateway or a 
reflector or not?  With open linking on K5CTX and W5HAT, you just don't 
know what state the gateway is in when you first arrive on a quiet 
frequency.  Thanks to Robin, AA4RC, you can now at least know if the 
gateway is currently linked or unlinked.  Add the following dplus 
command to one of your memories:

UR=K5CTX^^I  (or W5HAT^^I where ^ means space as always)
RPT1=K5CTX^^B  (or W5HAT^^B or C)
RPT2=K5CTX^^G  (OR W5HAT^^G)

Key up briefly and when you unkey you will hear either "not currently 
linked" or "remote system linked" depending on the gateway's linking 
status.  You still won't know to what you are linked, but at least you 
know you are linked.  If you plan to call a particular station and think 
you'll have a ragchew, you might want to unlink first - see earlier 
emails in the archive link at the bottom of this email for further how 
to information.  Remember, you can't break anything by doing this.  You 
can't erase any computer memory, short circuit any radios, or annoy the 
FCC (so far as we know).  So try it out!

73 -- John