Icom IC-2820H Technical Document - Page 6

What is a "Protocol"? From the Wikipedia (www.wikipedia.org), "In computing, a protocol is a convention or standard that controls or enables the connection, communication, and data transfer between two computing endpoints." Essentially, protocols are the "rules of engagement" between two devices that allow them to connect to each other and exchange data. Protocols don't guarantee that the data exchanged is correct or has meaning, they just describe how the data gets from one point to another. There are two D-STAR protocols; one for the air link that controls over-the-air transmissions and one that controls how information is exchanged between gateways. If you can create a radio or a program that plays by those rules, you can connect to the D-STAR world. Because D-STAR is an open protocol, all of the necessary information to play by those rules is publicly available. PWR S.MW MW BANK OPT