D-STAR Info

Link to Icom Site

The ID-31 comes with two different voices, English and Japanese. It’s sometime a little interesting to switch from one language to another.

To switch languages for the voice synthesizer:

• Menu – Scroll until you see SPEECH.
• Select SPEECH
• Select SPEECH Language
• Select American or Japanese as Desired

One of the new features of the ID-31 is the voice synthesizer. This isn’t a new feature to Amateur Radio, but its implementation on the ID-31 is unique.

Are you tired of having to throw the bifocals on every time someone makes a call just to look at the display on the radio and see who it is? The ID-31 lets you leave the glasses in the pocket.

To enable voice announcement of users:

• Menu – Scroll until you see SPEECH.
• Select SPEECH
• Select RX Call Sign SPEECH
• Select ON (All)

If the speech is a little loud, you can turn it down by:

• Menu – Scroll until you see SPEECH.
• Select SPEECH
• Select SPEECH Level
• Adjust Volume Level as Desired

This is where the microSD card comes in very handy. The IC-31A supports recording a conversation and it uses the microSD card to store the information. The record consumes about 16 kB per second which is about 34 hours of recording to a 2GB card!

Now for the really neat part. You can remove the card (make sure to turn off radio or unmount card first) and plug it into your PC. Navigate to the ID-31/Voice directory and you should see a number of folders, one for each date of recordings. If you go into one of the folders, you should see a number of  .wav files with a name that corresponds to the time of the recording. Of course the actualy time stamp on the file is accurate as well.

Click the file, up comes the Media Player and you may hear a previous QSO! Files that are under about 60kB in size are probably just keyups with no audio.

To turn on the Voice Recorder

Quick Menu
<< REC Start>>

To turn off the Voice Recorder

Quick Menu
<<REC Stop>>

To play a previously recorded QSOs

Menu
Voice Memo
QSO Recorder
Play Files
Select Date of Recording
Select File to Start Playing
Use the directional buttons to control playback

Up - Play previous recording
Left - Backup 10 seconds
Right Fast Forward 10 seconds
Down - Play next recording

If the GPS is enabled, the GPS icon will be turned on. It's quick and easy to see if you have an acquired signal.

You've just opened the box, connected the battery and antenna.

Now what?

First, I recommend enabling the internal GPS. Steps to enable

If you are in a location where you think that the radio should be able to acquire a GPS signal, then wait for the GPS icon to stop blinking.

Once you have GPS signal put the radio in DR mode and select your closest repeater in the FROM field

Select Your Call Sign then Use Refelector for the TO field.

Listen, then talk!

The IC-31A/E makes it very easy to see where you are, as well as others that you are talking to.

Choose the Quick Menu Button, then GPS Position. There you are!

To see your course and speed, press the down button, To see the position of the station that you are talking to*, just continue to hit the down button.

*Assuming that the other station is transmitting GPS information.

From the factory, the ID-31A/E comes with preloaded information about D-STAR repeaters worldwide. But since D-STAR 430/440 MHz repeaters are being added at an average of about 6 per month, that information is already out of date.

D-STARInfo.com  provides you with an up to date listing of repeaters for your radio's Repeater List. It's very easy to load into your radio.

• First, download the updated file from ID-31A/D Repeater List . By right clicking the link and Save Target As... to your local disk.
• Open the CS-31 software from Icom and Clone, Read <- TR to load the configuration from the radio to the Icom Software.
• In the left window, expand Digital, then select Repeater List.
• Once Repeater List is selected, Click File - Import - All... and select the file that you downloaded earlier.
• Expand Repeater List and verify that the new information has been loaded.
• From the Menu choose Clone, Write -> TR to save the information back to the radio.

This file is updated daily.

This file is a new product of www.DSTARInfo.com and as such, there still may be some issues with it. Please drop us a note (mailto:info@DSTARInfo.com) with any issues that you might have or comments.

As you might notice, as of this writing, there's only space for 4 more repeaters in the file. We're working to split the file into pieces to make it fit into the radio.

Look for more directory products for the ID-31A/E from DSTARInfo.com in the near future!

Since the radio has a GPS, the internal clock may be set from an extremely accurate time source.

To enable the clock setting from the GPS:

First, make sure that the GPS is turned on

• Next MENU - Time Set - GPS Time Correct - Auto

and don't forget to change your UTC Offset

• Next MENU - Time Set - UTC Offset - Hours from UTC

Since the radio only knows the UTC offset, you will have to change the UTC Offset when / if Daylight Saving Time changes effect.

Now of course everyone should know their UTC offset, but for those of you who may be having temporary amnesia:

For the Nearest Repeater function to work, the GPS must be enabled. The ID-31A supports the use of either the internal GPS or user supplied external GPS.

By default, neither GPS is selected. To enable the internal GPS:

• MENU - GPS - GPS Set - GPS Select - Internal GPS

You may also want to set the Power Saving for the GPS

• MENU - GPS - GPS Set - GPS Select - Power Save  - Auto

It may take a few minutes to acquire a valid signal. You should locate the radio so that it has a clear view of the sky. Once acquired, you can view the current information by choosing

• QUICK MENU - GPS Information

Once the signal has been acquired, you can now see the closest repeater

• Press and Hold the DR button for 1 sec. - Select FROM field - Select Center Blue Button - Near Repeater