Icom has released a few details on the new ID-51A Plus 2 D-Star HT. It has all of the same feature set of the very popular ID-51A Plus / Anniversary Edition, but now adds the capability to connect directly to the internet via USB cable. This new feature will allow you to connect directly to reflectors or internet-connected repeaters across the internet, even if you don't have a local D-Star repeater. In addition, the Plus 2 will also allow you to use it as a D-Star Hotspot so other D-Star enabled radios can use it as a gateway to the D-Star network.
I haven't yet found out if popular software such as DSTARRepeater or MMDVM will support the radio as the terminal device, but I imagine it won't take long to incorporate support. I don't have price information, but we've seen how competitive Icom has become with pricing lately, so it's a pretty safe bet that it will come in under the price of the Kenwood TH-D74. More info to come as it's released...
I haven't yet found out if popular software such as DSTARRepeater or MMDVM will support the radio as the terminal device, but I imagine it won't take long to incorporate support. I don't have price information, but we've seen how competitive Icom has become with pricing lately, so it's a pretty safe bet that it will come in under the price of the Kenwood TH-D74. More info to come as it's released...
