On Saturday, March 14, 2015 at 1:24:03 PM UTC-4, Fred McKenzie wrote:
In article ,
Tom W3TDH wrote:

I was under the impression that the persons participating in any given QSO
could hear each other over the access point they were using. I had pictured
it as somewhat akin to the remote receivers on our club's analog FM repeater
in that the other users on the QSO would hear the conversation over the
repeaters output.

Tom-

The more you post, the more complicated it becomes!

What you describe sounds like a remote receiver for an existing
repeater, not a hot spot. The hot spot I have is a low power DVAP
operating on a simplex frequency. Yours might be equivalent, but using
a more powerful transmitter.

A hot spot does not connect to a repeater via RF. It connects via the
internet to another device. That device might be a D-STAR repeater, but
often it is a computer hosting a "reflector" that repeaters may also be
connected to.

If your hot spot is connected to the same reflector as the local
repeater, it would be possible for users to talk into the hot spot and
listen to the repeater output. But that would be a split frequency
setup for the radio.

As I said, go ahead and try what you had planned. It will work to some
extent, and will help you get your feet wet.

73,
Fred
K4DII

I'm not confused about how the hotspot connects to the repeater's reflector.. I would think that the words "somewhat akin" would have made it clear that I was talking about a functional similarity rather than physical one.

Part of the reason that I have never developed any enthusiasm for D-STAR is the reliance the system puts in Internet connections between various portions of that system. I see any radio system that depends on non radio pathways to function as inherently more frangible than one that is entirely RF based. That being said my club has made an investment in the build out of a D-STAR repeater and hot spot system which they are hoping will cover the whole county. All I am doing is trying to support that effort.

I didn't devise the approach being used but I know that it is already being used successfully at two other locations in our service area. Does it really matter how the hotspot interacts with the rest of the D-STAR network when what we are talking about here is how to use it on the same antenna as a Two Meter Radio Message Server Packet.

--
Tom Horne W3TDH