john:
it might be waining a bit in your area, but there is a map of DStar users 
that one can look at that puts vertual pins on the map for each DStar user 
in a particular region.
the number of users on the system is growing by the day in many 
areas...especially urban places like southern california, chicago, most of 
texas and the big cities along the east coast.
from how it was described to me, in the last 6 months or so, the number of 
users has exploded.
it has such huge potential that people are beginning to realize how useful 
it can be.  Also, the prices are coming down on radios and repeaters and so 
on, so more guys are investing in the radios.  ARES loves it as well.
it by no means is petering out or losing interest in the amateur community.
73
Colin, V A6BKX
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "John Miller" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Saturday, May 09, 2009 6:18 AM
Subject: Re: Kenwood TS2000


>
> Actually, if you can find the highest memory used, while in memory mode, 
> go
> back to VFO, hit the function button, turn the tuning dial up one click 
> and
> hit the memory button, congrats, you just put the frequency in the next 
> open
> memory. I'm not putting money in a DStar radio because I still say it will
> never last especially now that icom themselves are going another route 
> with
> their commercial stuff and I can even see the very little interest there 
> was
> around here fading very fast.
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Ray T. Mahorney" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: "John Miller" <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Saturday, May 09, 2009 1:28 AM
> Subject: Re: Kenwood TS2000
>
>
>> I've still got the THF6A which I must say I have not used since I got the
>> 92AD DSTAR handheld
>> one of the things the THF6A has going for it is its comparative ease of
>> operation from a
>> blind/low vision user standpoint.  There may be a few who disagree but if
>> you are practiced most
>> of the primary functions you'd be likely to interact with on a regular
>> basis can be accessed
>> without need of sight or software.  If I have a complaint it's with
>> finding an empty memory
>> channel to load unfortunately that cant be done with the keypad so you
>> have to remember what the
>> last memory channel you programmed was and count turns and hope like hell
>> that dial don't go
>> screwy on you or that you don't forget your place.  From a transmit
>> standpoint the damn thing
>> sounds like a box which is what it is but for a box the transmit audio is
>> listenable.  It's a
>> tri-band radio and you can only monitor 2 bands at a time but if you can
>> find a THF6A it will be
>> worth your money and time.
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: "John Miller" <[log in to unmask]>
>> To: "Ray T. Mahorney" <[log in to unmask]>
>> Sent: Saturday, May 09, 2009 01:50
>> Subject: Re: Kenwood TS2000
>>
>>
>> Yeah, for 2 and 440, and what ever, the kenwoods are always good choices,
>> the ICT90 is my primary HT for those bands right now since I wore out my
>> THF6 and have yet to afford a new one, I plan to fix that before I go on
>> vacation though, I suppose if you don't mine the commercial radio
>> syndrome,
>> of program it and never be able to change much with out software, which
>> I'm
>> getting used to with 900 MHz since that's all there is is commercial 
>> gear,
>> anything can be programmed with a computer these days, but with out sight
>> most radios are very hard, if not impossible to make many changes to, and
>> I
>> know a few people who won't try it who can see the radio because they're
>> so
>> crazy these days. The Kenwoods and Icoms seem to be preferred there
>> honestly, I seem to notice more people not afraid to play with those
>> radios
>> than anything else.