A site was just brought to my attention regarding an effort toward a new codec for D*Star [edit: the mistaken and subsequently explained as a mistake presence of this word in this sentence seems to have caused an inordinate amount of consternation, and has thus been remedied] digital transmissions, at http://codec2.org . I, like many other hams, have long taken issue with the proprietary nature of the AMBE codec used by D*Star, and have felt that it goes completely against the spirit of the hobby, which has always involved at least to some degree experimentation, modification, and often, ultimately, improvement of existing technology as a direct result of such experimentation. By using a closed codec as the basis for a major digital mode, D*Star does the amateur community a disservice by a) prohibiting the free experimentation with the software, and b) making the hardware that uses the software cost-prohibitive to many more than it would be if it were open. I'm certain I'm simply rehashing points raised by others, but I felt it was relevant to this blog and wanted to share it with those who may not have been familiar.

73,
AE5IR