Why has my DVAP started to get disconnected from the reflectors? (Win-DV users)
Last weekend I thought it was about time that I made some D-STAR contacts again. Out here in the wilderness, I use my DVAP to connect to the network. As I have noted on the blog before, I often use the Win-DV software from http://www.dutch-star.eu
That software allows me to do a bit more than the DVAP-Tool software from AA4RC – just in terms of being able to set up connections on the PC rather than having to do it on the E-92.
Anyway, last weekend I started up the Win-DV software connected it to REF001C and went downstairs with my handheld. I hadn’t heard anything after a while so I did a quick check and found that I had been disconnected. No big deal, I’d probably done something silly!
Connected it and checked again. I’d been disconnected. Probably something to do with 1C so tried another reflector. Same again!
Hmmm. Now my mind was starting to wonder. I closed down Win-DV and started up DVAP-Tool. Guess what? It connected and stayed there!
I didn’t have anytime to investigate at the time, but this evening I checked out the Dutch*star site. It seems that a decision was taken by ‘DPLUS Network managers’ not to allow DVAPs or DV-Dongles to connect to the network unless they sent the hardware serial number. DVAP-Tool was doing that and Win-DV was not, hence anyone using Win-DV would get disconnected.
Why was this done? This blog has never been about radio politics and we’re not going to start now. You can form your own opinion I am sure.
However, the good news is that the latest release of Win-DV allows you to select the ‘HARDWARE’ option to send your DVAP serial number to the network.
I tested it this evening and it’s working fine. You can read more detail on the Dutch*Star site.