We continue to receive comments, and note on user forums that NXDN was "invented" by Kenwood. Perhaps that explains why Kenwood is often listed before ICOM in the print media. Let's set the record straight.
If anyone invented anything, it was ICOM. Years before the NXDN concept was conceived, ICOM developed a revolutionary digital operating system for Amateur (Ham) radio operators. The system, known as D-Star, was and is the forerunner of 6.25 kHz operating systems. The D-Star system uses the AMBE2000 vocoder which converts analog (voice and data) into an operating system with about 6.25 kHz bandwidth capable of operating at 2400 Baud. The D-Star technology is available for licensing by ICOM to other manufacturers, but to our knowledge, no other manufacturer has signed up to produce D-Star compatible radios.
2400 Baud is fast enough for most Amateur operations, but commercial users require a faster Baud rate. As a result, the AMBE +2 vocoder was selected by both ICOM and Kenwood for the commercial standard NXDN radios. Not only does this vocoder (think converter) provide higher Baud rates for transmitting data but better audio clarity than the D-Star Amateur standard. As an item of note, the AMBE +2 vocoder is a proprietary technology currently available from only a single supplier. The AMBE +2 vocoder is also used in communications equipment employing APCO-25 (P25) technology. The AMBE +2 offers unique and proven reliability in communications applications. That is why it is used in both NXDN and P25 radios.
Currently, there are only two manufacturers offering radios with NXDN capability. ICOM, which was on the market over a year before Kenwood and Kenwood. Ritron will be producing NXDN compatible radios as well. There is a fourth manufacturer that signed up as a potential NXDN radio producer, but apparently there were some problems that resulted in litigation between Kenwood and the proposed fourth radio manufacturer. You'll be reading more about this as more information is available.
We should point out that while it is true than ICOM and Kenwood radios utilize a compatible format for conventional (i.e. non network/trunked applications) operations, it equally true than that the standards used by ICOM and Kenwood for network and trunked operations are VERY different. We won't get into the differences at this point except to say that they are NOT compatible, and the leader in this technology (ICOM) is still leading! And by the way – where we went to school, “I” comes before “K” so our suggestion is that those who continue to list Kenwood before ICOM need to go back to school. For additional information, just give us a call at 800.489.2611.
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