Re: [Discuss-gnuradio] DV Dongle - AMBE USB Device

[Jeff Brower]

Eric-

> I got the DV Dongle friday and it seems to work.  I downloaded an
> application to decode DStar on the computer but DStar is not very
> popular in the area yet.  I have not decoded any DStar voice so far.
> I only did a AMBE loopback test.
>
> I got concerned because all the application software I downloaded on the
> dv dongle website was closed source with no mention of the open source
> firmware or GNU licenses.  All the various voice rates in the test
> software are gone.  It appears to be DStar only.  There is a link on the
> dvdongle.com website pointing to the open source firmware project but
> the link does not mention firmware source.  It is possible the makers
> locked out non-DStar voice rates before taking the product commercial.
>
> I asked on the DV Dongle Yahoo Groups list and it appears there is no
> developer's SDK.  There is no documentation on using what appears to be
> a UDP to ascp daemon.  A person replied to my query and said all IMBE
> rates are available.  But given the events I wonder if anyone has tried
> other rates.  It seems the makers are trying to make it difficult to use
> this device for non-DStar stuff.
>
> It also appears the company making the DV Dongle is violating the terms
> of the GNU License.  None of the materials in the box or on the website
> mention it uses GNU tools and that source is available.  There is a link
> to source code but the link description does not mention source code and
> it goes to another site.
>
> So it will likely be a week or so before I can test the device due to
> writing and debugging an ASCP driver.  It looks like I am on my own in
> figuring it out using the provided documentation.

Can you clarify for me, why should the DV Dongle contents be open source?  What 
GNU licensed code are they using that
requires them to give back?

-Jeff