Digital Hotspots for DMR, D-Star, and C4FM (
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 มิ.ย. 2018
- Digital hotspots make it possible for you to participate in your favorite UHF/VHF digital voice modes without having to have a nearby repeater. I use the SharkRF Openspot as an example to show what can be done. Subscribe: / davidcasler . Ask Dave Playlist: goo.gl/inaQeB. Tip Jar: ke0og.net/tip-jar
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I find all your videos very good. Im a older person now and remember the old cb days growing up in the country. It was the phone in many cases. Look forward to learning all things dmr and working on tech and general. Thanks again for your videos
It's like you read my mind. I'm going to be buying a hot spot and radio soon and came to your channel to rewatch your reviews of the Radioddity stuff. Thanks for the fantastic video as always. 73
Excellent content as always! Thanks for all your help throughout the years.
Great video..I have been away from ham radio for about 15 years and moved to SW Florida and into a condo community where NO antennas are allowed. Heard about DMR from a friend and am really intrigued on its use. But a whole new way to learn. Great job in basics for me..licensed since 1962 now hold Advanced Class...73's K1YOU
David this was an excellent video. Thank you. I've been looking to get into DMR radio and the concept of a hotspot vs a digital repeater and your explanation of it was very helpful. Thanks again
Another winner presentation, Dave!
A DMR repeater was put up in our rural MO community last summer. I grabbed an AnyTone 868 and went for it. I'm still pretty much the only user on this machine, no hot spot for me and the 868 is also a very serviceable analog radio.
Then Yaesu came out recently with the firmware updates for a number of their SysFus radios. I've an FTM-400D for my mobile use.
I grabbed the firmware, undated the radio and created a WiresX account and downloaded/installed the Windows WiresX program.
I can bring the radio quite easily into my shack and using the SCU programming cable to access the WiresX digital rooms. I will not spend the $$ for the extra cabling to fully utilize the analog nodes via WiresX.
I don't have my license yet but I've been interested in ham radio for a few months. I stumbled on a RPI hotspot and I'm a RPI diy kinda person. So understanding what a hotspot was and that I could build my own with a RPI was probably the push I needed to study for the test. So thank you for this video.
Hot Spots have made my ham experience a lot more pleasurable. Been a ham since 78 & have had a hf shack, hf mobile w/ 2 mtr & now my living situation has narrowed down my operation choices to a ht 2 mtr which local repeaters are limited & DMR rptrs are non existent. Have to go outside house to use 2 mtr ht.
Hence, enter the Micro-Node Nano-Spot which has opened up the amateur world to me again. Next piece of equipment will be the Nano-SE ECHO/IRLP. which will open up 2 mtr doors again to operate from inside the house or w/in wifi distance.
Thanks for the great vid. Out of all I’ve seen over the months of research your has made the most sense.
Sounds like you've found a great way to continue enjoying ham radio! And thanks for the kind words.
Thank You Dave. You're an inspiration to an Old School Advanced. Class. You do good stuff for all of us. 73
Advanced. Class Rocks !
I was Advanced for 21 years before I went for my Extra. My call, KEØOG is technically an "advanced" call.
Thank you Dave. You explained a lot about DMR to me.
Hi Dave, I just stumbled upon this video and your channel while on a several hour TH-cam bender learning about all things digital in the Ham world. In my professional life, I have built and maintained several large P25 simulcast trunking systems and currently maintain a multi-state DMR Tier 3 system for a business. Oddly, I haven't taken the time to learn about the application of digital radio in the Ham community until this week and am really excited to get into it on the hobby side. On a side note, I happened to see your location when you were scrolling through your OpenSpot settings and suspect that I've driven by, or near your house many times while on vacations in the area. Thanks, you've got a new subscriber!
Welcome aboard!
This has been so helpful. Thank you!!
You earned your like, thanks for your time in making such a fine video.
Wow, have watched loads of vids that didn’t explain DMR as well this. Keep up the good work :)
Dave, thank you for this. You explained it in a nutshell better than anything else I've seen. I wouldn't normally get into it because of the added expense of the radio required, but I happen to have a Yaesu 7250DR that happens to have C4FM/System Fusion that I could experiment with just for fun. I guess all I would need is the hotspot. I have several raspberry pi's I might be able to put a DMR Hat on maybe
73
de KF5CSW
Thanks Dave for another great video!
I appreciate your 'to the point' demonstration. I hate when someone will show me 'what comes out of the box'. Just showing the facts and what's important to know, is all that's needed and so appreciated. I also enjoyed your video about the Anytone 878; I have the TYT MD-UV380 and was looking for a comparison of the two (not that after days of getting it programmed, I want to change it and go through this again but) I have a friend who raves about his 8778 and the bluetooth feature.
This video should be put up for a TH-cam Award. Is there such a thing??? Very well done!!! Dave... Although this is still relevant... please consider updating this for the latest technologies. Thanks...
Thanks Dave for your time. I am an old ham that hopefully will be up and running in the near future. 73's from Mike-N9AOU
Mike, persevere! I hope you find a great way to get on the air.
Very well explained. Congrats. Good job.
Excellent video. Thanks.
Great video Dave! This will get me started in the right direction. KD8ZCM 73'S
Thanks a lot ! Nice vid as always!
What a fine clear explanation. You are a master teacher. 73. K2MR.
Another great video Dave - 73’s from the UK - Dom M0WOT
We also have Allstar nodes that can link DMR talk groups to Dstar reflectors to C4FM rooms
My local one is even accessible on analogue FM via several repeaters, and some hotspots use analogue FM too (such as the G7RPG node)
Nice Video, Dave.
Thanks again Dave! You are the man!!!
Very interesting video .Thank you very much
Good job Dave. You've helped me a lot. Dave/K7GPS.
Thank you, Dave. :)
Thanks Dave!!
Very clearly explained! My HF antenna blew down and I'm trying to find someone to put it back up ... I'm 79 years old. So - to keep on the air I'm thinking of buying the new Kenwood handheld to replace my ailing Icom 2AT. Thanks for the explanation!!!
Thank you so uhh for taking the time to explain this to us. I am new to Ham Radios, so new that I am still waiting on my call sign,,. I passed my test this past Monday. While waiting I am studying for my General Test. So hoping I pass that this next next couple of weeks. I frequently go to an areas that have no internet connection,. I got into this primarily for a way to contact someone in an emergency situation since my cell phone service is none to spotty at best, so essentially the new Mobile Spots, that use your phone for the internet connection, would be of no use for me in that area I frequent since my cell phone wont work there. But it does sound like a fun tool for when I am at home. Thanks so much for taking the time to make this video and explain it to us. Thanks again and have a blessed week sir,
Dale
A Short Video on how to Configure your MMDVM Pi-Star HotSpot for DV Scotland DMR Network
IPSC2-DVScotland.
Great vid, thanks
Super info David. 73 de GI8WFA.
we have approximately 6-8 repeaters that link together during certain nets or during bad weather for weather nets. We also can link to a west coast linked repeater in case one side of the usa or the other is having issues.
Mike McDonald I have been looking for a good weather net repeater. Which linked repeater are you referring to? Is it a DMR repeater or analog? I am on the east coast near NYC
they are analog. we have two intertie repeater systems locally. you can google "peach state intertie" we are in Georgia. and "cherry blossom intertie" both have info online about them that can tell you more than I know :) the peach state intertie connects to the peach tree city national weather service near Atlanta in peachtree city. The other one connects to Nevada. if you google kk4ib he can tell you about the setup for connecting Nevada to Georgia and what they use for their weather net.
Oh ok. Thanks for letting me know
Thanks
Good video. Thanks much. Still trying to decide if I want to dive into all things digital just yet or not. But it would allow me to overcome some HOA problems associated with setting up big attennas do get into HF and 'classical' DX'ing. -- Not sure how rural you are, but from what I can tell you've published your password to the world and your hotspot may also allow remote administration. If so, I'd reset it if I were you. Unless that was just a dummy password. Take care!
Thank you Bob! This is great! K2EPP
Very well explained. Simple and easy to understand.
Thanks for the video on DMR and Digital Hot Spots. Do you plan to do a more in depth video on DMR such as setup and capabilities. I do believe there would be an interest in such a video.
Yes, I need to do a background video on DMR.
DMR has already taken over by far more users than C4FM or D-Star. Lots of multi mode MMDVM repeaters (hotspots on steroids) becoming popular that support all the modes on the same repeater.
Actually per repeaterbook, in the US Fusion has more repeaters than DMR. Also not to mention Fusion repeaters are not allowed on the air in Japan.
Synthetic Radio is a good name for Digital Voice. AS it applies to Ham radio. I got a great DV device made by apple.
Awose well expalined
Thanks for this video Dave! Very timely for me. I recently jumped into Yaseu System Fusion/C4FM with the purchase of a new digital rig. I think it's a great way for (especially) Technicians to be able to talk lomg ditance & around the world before & while they are studying to upgrade their license.
Keep up the great work and info!
73!
Michael-WA5AZQ
They say the camel was meant to be a horse but it was designed by a committee. Take a close look at the design of DMR for ham radio and you'll want to keep your camel.
Adapting DMR to ham radio is hard because it is so complex and it was designed for a much more complex scenario. And yet it is growing in popularity.
Dave thanks for this video, I wish I would have watched it earlier. I have only had my DMR radio about a week so I'm still trying to understand all of the aspects of DMR. What I found disappointing is that a repeater has to "host" the talk groups or you can't talk on them; or at least this is how I understand it. It just seems odd that any talk group's Call ID can't be picked up by the repeater from header information and forwarded anywhere over the Internet. Heck, maybe my local DMR repeater needs to be connected to a hotspot... :~)
The key problem is the repeater can only listen to time slot 1 and time slot 2. Sometimes repeater owners limit the accessible talk groups just to manage how much the repeater is used. Of course, you can use a hot spot to access any talk group you want.
Dear Dave, much appreciate this explanation. Do you have any new insights to share that you may have gathered in the time since making your video on this?
I've really tried to accept hot-spots and digital modes in HAM Radio, but I just can't. Frankly, you can just use a computer with a microphone or a VOIP phone and get better performance at less cost and lose nothing. So what is the darn point of it in HAM? All our phones at work are VOIP and I have been able to get into Internet chat rooms with voice input and talk on my computer mic for 20 years. Not to mention Skype, Discord, and other free video teleconferencing services that are superior digital communication modes. Why use a radio to just to transmit across the room to a hot-spot? I just don't get it, but I really want to. Help.
It's one tiny subfacet of VHF/UHF digital voice. Hams like to tinker, and that includes tinkering with the Internet.
Excellent, thank you - 73, JR2FJI (KJ6ARR)
Hi good video.
One question. ! Does DMR digital radio work when internet shuts down on earth.
If i buy couple of DMR radio can i Encrypt those sort of speak privacy. And when internet shuts down in the world. It will still work.
Thats my bigg question for preppers.?!
Internet linking technology can be a lot of fun and I am not slamming it. However, we need to be careful about building a reliance on them. If we are needed for ECom, it is implicit that the Internet is not working.
The Internet can see local outages, but it's extremely rare to have a regional outage because of the way the Internet is designed.
James: Yes. I was in the Apr 27 2011 tornado outbreak that hit Mississippi and Alabama. It was the worse tornado outbreak in history. An EF5 passed just a few miles north of my house. We (Hams) where vital in long haul traffic. Internet, and phone where both down. I understand the the same was true for Katrina and Houston although I can't say first hand. If we begin to rely on the internet in place of RF links, we are degrading our usefulness. If the Internet is working, our usefulness in disasters is limited to short mobile haul traffic. Even this assumes that the internet is up and the Call traffic is down. It is easier and more direct to to make a Skype call then to go through a Ham.
James: Sorry about posting again but I realized that I didn't address your point exactly. I also agree that digital in *amateur radio* ECom has its limitations. When your in a disaster situation, if you get in trouble, you want the message to get through. The saying about digital is that when you are marginal you can't be heard. But when you are in, you are in solid. In a ECom situation the saying should be when you are in you are in solid but when you are marginal you can't be heard. There is a place for digital though when data needs to be sent. E.g. pictures.
P.S. Which System Fusion rig do you have and how do you like it?
James Babcock : Have you tried to find any hams that are into Fix Hunt in your general area?
LOL, Yes it was "Fox Hunt".
first license 1968 , yea 87 this year. Been watching some of your video love your presentations. Thought i would try FT8. My days of awards are long over with. Now question? i don't want o pay for and log contacts. What if I put in my contact something like "direct mail only" Thanks for great job David
I have a Yaesu VX-6r with a button "DMR" is that part of the C4FM? If not, what's it for?
Hi have question I have the DR-1X repeater with HIR-200 I also have pi-star . my problem is the I haven't found the setting on the pi-star to run with the repeater / I want to be able to transmit on the repeater and receive on the repeater and the same time have the pi-star retransmitting and receiving .so anyone with pi-star be able to talk on the repeater
Just to clear up some comments and misconceptions present here and in the comments section:
1.) Yaesu System Fusion is NOT proprietary and if it was why are 'spot' (hotspot devices) allowed to use it. It is a 100% complete and open protocol. The protocol is posted on our website and anyone can use it.
2.) Yaesu System Fusion does NOT need the internet to work or operate. While we do have WiRES-X which does need the internet repeaters can be standalone and linked for digital voice without the internet.
3.) Yaesu System Fusion does not require Talkgroups, timeslot, or color codes. Simply enter your call, push the mode button for digital or analog and then the PTT.
All true, Mr. Yaesu, but only Yaesu uses it. Y'know, if you sent me a radio that uses it, I could do a video about it. I'll even send the radio back when I'm done.
Thanks, Dave I think I have watched about 50 of your videos and have enjoyed them all. VA7EFZ
Greetings from Hungary ;)
So I'm really new to this and I apologize if this seems like a stupid question... but do you need a DMR capable HT to rx/tx from the hotspot, or will the hotspot convert the DMR so I can rx/tx on an analog HT via the hotspot? Thanks!
You need a DMR-capable handheld.
You can get on all digital modes WITHOUT a hotspot. Google DVSwtich, allows all digital modes (DMR, DSTAR, Fusion, P25, NXDN) without the use of an AMBE3000 chip, or MMDVM modem hat. Software based encoding/Decoding is accomplished via the md380-emu emulator service. The Audio is superior to AMBE chip or MMDVM based hot spots. 73s KI5BXN
i have a motorola xts1500 that does p25 but covers c4fm along with digital or analog so can i use this radio for fusion I really don't know anything on fusion
Very nice video! Congrats.. 73 PU2KFL
Ok, so I put together my hotspot and got it working. My big question is, how do I switch from one 'room' to another?
Is that done through the hotspot's dashboard?
will all mmdvm hotspots work with vhf as well as uhf? I have an EF Johhnson P25 on VHF (137-174mhz) and want to get a suitable hotspot. Thanks de n7oqf.
Hi, I have my own DMR Business Repeater and Freq. Pair, could I use this Hot Spot concept to keep in touch with my team while on the road around the world, as long as I have internet access? Does my Repeater need to be on the internet and have a IP Address to find and connect too? Thank you, Rick
Hello what is the deference between all this digital voice and IRLP and Echolink ?
IRLP and Echolink ride atop an FM carrier. The new digital voice methods like DMR are actually digital and are not FM radios (although many carry FM as an additional feature)
Not a lot , only real notable difference is that IRLP and echolink can be done with any FM radio, all you need is a way to generate the DTMF.
I have a kenwood Th D74 but haven't taken the technical license test yet.
I'm looking into the Baofeng DMR-6*2. Any opinion on that?
It works well. The "code plug" software is almost identical to Anytone and Alinco so plenty of help on TH-cam. I had experience with Tytera so I had it running within one day. Has a lot of great features and price was competitive.
Any talks on setting up AREDN coming up? Esp on setting up those pesky switchs and vlans.
Hi Craig. Sorry, I'm not familiar with that acronym. Can you give me a reference?
www.arednmesh.org/ - Mesh networking on the ham bands using TCP/IP. Eg. Your home router.
Kenwood is pushing D-Star? Last I checked there was one Kenwood radio with D-Star. The relationship there looks more like a blind date than a true commitment.
Thanks for the pointer.
Yep dstar is a Icom thing, I’m surprised that Kenwood isn’t doing DMR.
What if I am nowhere near a digital repeater but I want to use the digital modes while I am out and about in my town where I am no more than a couple miles from my home station Yaesu will allow me to do this through fusion with their box and a radio set through a simplex node however the others will not allow me to do this so how can I extend the range so that I can be on the other side of town and still use the digital voice modes so I can figure out which one I like best then concentrate on that one or am I out of luck
I have a mine (a Jumbospot) setup with an AT&T LTE modem in a small box that I can take anywhere with me. I use it in my car and can carry it in my back pact ect.
That's cool but not applicable for the situation I am in here thanks for the info though I want to set something up at home and take an ht with me when I go somewhere in the town I live in not more than a mile or 2 from where I live and well within simplex range with an ht back to my station at home
I connected my 1mW jumbospot to a 2/70 jpole hung high in a tree, and I can use my DMR ht all over town. But what I think you're asking for is more power. There are amplifiers you can use for this. They need to be specially designed for digital modes. I've seen people build higher power simplex setups for DMR, also with a jumbospot.
COOL!!!!! I will have to look into that thanks
Check out the Facebook mmdvm zumspot jumbospot repeater building group. m.facebook.com/groups/1388328754562371
what are the diffs between the hot spots?
I've only used the one.
I do sort of like the idea of digital hotspots however I am hearing the claim by others as it getting away from what amateur radio is all about and I do in some ways agree with this after all is it any different than using a cordless phone ? In that respect it really is no different however there are indeed differences and many of them make digital radio a class of its own. For one it is not in anyway commercial and secondly you are connecting to a network of people who are there for the same reason you are, you like radio and/or electronics and/or programing and digital communication covers all of these. If you do not think it is "radio" enough then get out and make it so it is, have a try and see if you can get that digital repeater that is xxxxx kilometers away, if you can them make an antenna that can or go some place nice and high and quiet and have a go. While I am yet to try it with digital I do have a lot of fun just seeing how many remote repeaters I can activate on 2m and 70cm and occasionally 6m, best I have done so far is around 500Km on 70cm, best thing about repeaters is that if they can hear you they will talk back to you, not a very exiting conversation I must admit but more often than not if you state your location in the call someone will come back if it is an unusually long way, I am thinking digital modes would be perfect for this, HF digital modes like FT8 actually bore the crap out of me ... 73 vk2ccr
Hi ! Thanks for all these infos ! I am a French guy living in Japan and I’ve just passed my technician class exam here in Japan. I have the Radioddity GD-77 dmr radio and would like to have my dmr radio id. Should I register with a new Japanese call sign that I will get soon or should I use my existing US call sign?
Thanks again!
Do both. Then use the ID that suits the situation.
@@davecasler I thought we can use only one call sign for the dmr id.. I will check thank you very much!!
I have a Kenwood TH D74 and an anytone 878 can I use the same hotspot for both radios?:
Yes.
Hi Dave, did I understand you to say you have to connect the hotspot directly to your router?
You can, but the newer ones have wireless capability.
Our club uses DStar but at the last meeting, we were notified that a group would encourage us to add DMR. We're planning on looking into it in the future. Meanwhile, this all is outside my experience set. I have been considering getting a HT but now have new capabilities to consider. Any suggestions about a few HTs to consider?
Get whatever DMR HT the other club members are buying, it makes it easier if you can all share the local code plug, you then only need to keep one code plug updated as things change.
Thanks. Considering getting a cheap SDR to get some experience in this style of "Hamming" until we decide on DMR. Have noted that many stress getting a "better" antenna than what comes in the package. Another research trail to wander down.
I second the recommendations, get the radio everyone else is using, or at least the one that's most popular. That makes it a lot easier to get help.
Not aware of any cheap SDR that can decode DMR. I have an sdrplay rsp1a myself , along with a cheap baofeng rd5r from radioddity. The rd5r does DMR, but currently only using local repeater, have not invested in a hotspot yet.
Dave, Do you think that the digital systems will make Echolink and IRLP obsolete? Just wondering your thoughts
Probably not. There are so many competing technologies that some come and go quickly, while others stick around.
2M 70sm Directional antenna
I would like to become a patron but want to pay a whole year at once, how can I do that?
I like DMR, but your assertion that it is ham radio is certainly open to debate. With so many people using hotspots, people are having conversations around the globe and radio only helps with the last six feet in most cases -- might as well be Bluetooth. I own two hotspots -- one for work and one for home. They're fun, but sometimes I think this isn't ham radio at all.
No, it's not an emergency technology, but it is fun. The joke I tell people is that DMR *is* ham, but it's not radio. :-)
You need to ham license to do it, so it's ham radio.
David Casler If it's so low power and you limit the power on your handheld, too, do you still need a license?
Yes, for a couple of reasons. First, these hotspots work on ham band frequencies, and it is the frequency in use not the power that requires the license. But even if you modified the hotspot and radio to work on an unlicensed band, you'd still need a ham license, because the people who run DMR-MARC or Brandmeister are not going to give you a DMR ID without your having a license. In theory they could drop such a requirement and let anybody use their computer network, but I'd be very very surprised if they ever did. With a ham license comes a different class of people than the general public: people who respect rules and maintain a basic level of etiquette, for example.
Yes
David: I want to do D-Star. I have a Kenwood TH-D74. I like the looks of the openspot2. I see that they are manufactured in Estonia. Is this good or bad? Can you recommend a reliable vendor to purchase this item from? Thanks
Estonia was a center of Soviet electronics production, and that skill lives on. My openspot 1 works flawlessly and is well-constructed.
@@davecasler Thanks for the information. Can you recommend a good vendor to purchase an openspot 1??
@@gregsaiter3768 Check their website. I don't think the openspot 1 is available anymore. You may have to purchase direct.
Dave do you have a youtube video on ECHOLINK & IRLP ?
No, neither. Thanks for the topic suggestion.
I think you mean "Icom is pushing D-STAR and kenwood is hopped on that D-STAR band wagon as well"
You have/leave a spiritual fragrance. It hangs in the air. And stimulates the best of things in us all. Thank you.
I believe you left out, if I am not incorrect, you need the correct radio to operate on any given mode. ie. a dmr radio will only operate on dmr through the hot spot but will not operate the d-star or c4fm modes. For that you will need d-star and c4fm radios.
The Openspot promises cross connections between DMR and C4 FM. I've never tried it because I do not have a C4 FM radio.
🎺😊👍🏼
I'm a fairly new HAM and I'm interested in getting into FUSION Radio operation but am confused as to what equipment I need. Can you give me advise?
Michael VA6XMB
Fusion is Yaesu's proprietary digital mode. Check out their website, because they sometimes use another name for it.
David - Thank you for the reply. I have a question for you on antenna. Do 'radiators' work best on the ground or elevated. I always thought they should be on the ground but I have heard some people say otherwise.
Michael Bradley
@@michaelbradley8508 Radials can work either way--on the ground or elevated. Mine are on the ground. If you elevate them a few feet (along with the antenna), you can get by with fewer radials. The tradeoff is they must be tuned.
David = Thank you for the reply. You could develop this into a video.
- Why does a raised Radial require fewer Radials.
- What happens when your antenna is mounted directly to a 'spike' ground.
- What is the most efficient method of tuning Radials.
- Is there a correlation of height of antenna to length of Radial.
- How do you determine if fewer long Radials will perform better than more short Radials
I'm sure you could add to the list.
73.
Michael VA6XMB
You might want to add a caption at about 9 minutes saying that you’re OpenSpot version is discontinued, and replaced with a newer model. Your statement implies that the OpenSpot is no longer made, or perhaps the Shark RF company no longer exists. In reality, the OpenSpot4 and OpenSpot4 Pro are the current models in 2023.
I like the idea of this digital hotspot, but there are SO many settings that either need to be set, don't need to be set, or should be left alone, it's daunting and leaves me cold. There's also the issue of no standard that makes picking a system difficult unless I want to buy two or three different manufacturers of radios. Because of all this, I am having trouble getting into digital radio at all, and because of that, I'm not getting the practice that I would need to learn what all of the different settings do. It's kind of a catch-22, and is frustrating.
Thanks for the video, though.
You're exactly right. The lack of standardization is hindering the growth of digital voice.
DMR is the fastest growing digital format with more repeaters than D-Star, Fusion or any of the others. Just mentioning this because if you do decide to get a digital radio, there is more than a good chance DRM will be around in the future. I don't have a digital radio, but I have been researching all the different radios and digital formats and I am definitely leaning toward DMR myself. I don't live near DMR repeater, the closest is about 40 miles away in Daytona Beach, so I like the idea of the hotspot which I can use to connect using my cell phone when mobile.
dave its phil KD2RPP what is your dmr id o i can contac u on the air over my hs im a big fan and a oggy
Hot spots should ONLY be used when you DONT have access to a repeater site. They dont give you the audio performance or reliability as a Motorola MotoTRBO DMR repeater would. They work but are not a sure thing! Must rely on mobile cell or Wi-Fi connections while traveling. Drop outs on the network are annoying with these! They work better when you sit still with a good cell connection to the network!
My radio room is in a different spot in my house then my router Does this mean I’m screwed.
I am just getting started with digital and hot spots, building mine around a Raspberry PI 3 but I think that the PI/hotspot can be in another room. At least that is the way I'm going to try it. I do have a CAT5 cable from my radio room to my router but that is for my HF Flex 3000 and I don't want to have to disconnect it when I want to use UHF or VHF digital.
Russell Locke Thanks I’m so confused on the whole dmr fusion wires so on, and so on, I get they are just different protocols I just don’t understand what all is needed. Another words can I just get a hand held, do I need a hot spot. Who can I actually talk to from my area So so many questions. Thanks and looking forward to you review of the buddipole as a vertical
You said icom has just jumped on the D-star bandwagon also ?
I thought Icom started D-star and Kenwood just jumped on D-star ?
Could be. I know nothing about D-Star.
You would be correct. Icom has pushed D star for years. Kenwood just recently got on the D star bandwagon.
@@jamesk0ua D-Star was not invented by Kenwood or Icom, it was invented by a separate Japanese company that both Kenwood, and Icom uses.
Excellent job as always, you do a great job explaining and you are very thorough. However, as an extra class licensee I must say that I am very perplexed at the popularity and explosive growth of this digital technology. I don't see it as practical because it requires too much back end support infrastructure and it is only reinventing the wheel. I can already use my cell phone to talk to anyone in the world or if I what to join a subject based chat group I can use a IRC voice app over the Internet both of which I don't need a license to use and of course there is always Echo Link that bridges the cell phone world with the amateur radio world. I am most definitely not a "prepper" and emergency communications was not a primary or compelling reason that I got involved with amateur radio, but I do recognize it as such which begs the question. What are all you digital guys going to do if all that back ground infrastructure disappears?
Existing infrastructure has never stopped ham radio operators from experimenting, and it will always be thus. That's a good thing. Regarding infrastructure, the closest DMR repeater is in Grand Junction, about 80 miles away, which I can get into just fine. There are many disaster scenarios that put us in a pickle, but leave Grand Junction alone. Fires. Floods. High winds. Hail. In an emergency the served agencies need to communicate out of the disaster area to areas with normal communications. DMR is just another way of doing that.
If the infrastructure goes, maybe there will actually be folks on uhf/vhf to talk to ;)
2M 70 sm
As far as i know DMR is the standard in the UK
That will come as a surprise to all the British Yaesu C4FM users we hear on the Americalink every day. :-). Although DMR is definitely a European Technical Standard. Shame about the UK leaving Europe.
Ross Bennett Yeah you can still use other digital modes but almost all the repeaters are DMR. But who knows :)
Actually, there's a pretty healthy mix in the UK.
www.ukrepeater.net/repeaterlist4.htm
DMR 160
D-Star 104
Fusion (C4FM) 124
This lists all the licensed digital capable repeaters in the UK, some are multi-mode (DMR/D-STAR/C4FM) repeaters, so there is some cross over.
Also, there are a whole load of simplex Gateways.
www.ukrepeater.net/gateway_list.htm
Again, pretty mixed between the modes, including analogue. These lists don't include those people setting up and using low power nodes for personal use. The ones listed are all licensed Gateways that anyone can access and use.
It would, however, be fair to say that DMR is the cheapest and easiest to get into from an operators point of view.
American made Motorola?