I'd like to see any info on the BC repeater too.
To expand on Erik's reply, our system still uses the Icom DD 23cm digital repeaters as a central hub for all the ID1 radios within range. Each user ID1 is assigned two IP addresses when it connects to the repeater. At the repeater we have a WRT54GL router with a modified version of Open-WRT+OLSR to route the data packets back out of the repeater to its destination ID1. Our local data network does not rely on the Icom Gateway software and is based on "non-routable" network paths that are configured in our routers. When we operate during the Marathon, we can add an external connection into our network from the Internet.
This system has worked perfectly for connecting multiple ID1 radios into a wide area multi-point network from the first. The only trouble I recall is during initial attempts, a Linux system would connect to the network using DHCP to the repeater just fine, but the Windows boxes would not. Peter had to make some minor changes to the OpenWRT+OLSR firmware in the WRT54GL router to solve the DHCP problem. So at this time, any computer we connect to the ID1 is able to get an IP address via DHCP from the repeater. I use a router on my ID1 so I can have multiple loggers at my net control station. The only issue that I've had since then is remembering how to configure the ID1 with the proper frequency and repeater callsign.... :-)?
I always considered the Icom DD 23cm "repeater" operates more like a store and forward packet node. I do not know if it is actually running full duplex data on the RF. I could definitely see how it can be sending data from a previous packet while the next packet is coming from a different station, but I don't think it is operating as a "bit regen" full duplex repeater.
When I first looked at the "Bent Pipe Repeater" document, it didn't seem to provide an advantage. But just consider, the ID1 radios basically setup a RF "wire" connection between two IP networks. The standard ID1 firmware can only connect to one other station at a time with its half-duplex link. But the DD repeater uses two radios. What do you get if you put the *repeater* callsign in both ID1 radios and use one exclusively for RX and the other for TX? The RX radio will pass along anything matching its callsign. The TX radio puts its own callsign on every transmission.? The router you put at the repeater site would use two ports, one for RX and one for TX, with the router passing data between them. In this configuration you should be able to have a different packet coming in on the RX side while a previous packet is being TX. But I'm not sure this will work unless the remote ID1 radios do NOT incorporate a TX-inhibit when the RX is hearing a signal. There are probably some problems with this option to build a DD repeater, too much depends on the ID1 firmware. Needs to be tested. Two ID1 radios and a router will certainly work to link two DD repeaters on separate frequencies but we're using Part 15 for that.??
73, Doug Reed, N0NAS.
