I have a Rugged Spot also and it was my second hot spot after a Nano Spot so I set it up with my second DMR ID. Robert worked with me for over a week with me unable to get into the Rugged SPOT until we realised I was using my 1st DMR ID and we needed to change one setting in Pi Star from Private to Public and it started working perfectly. Robert stayed with me the entire time to get it working for me, excellent on going support and we both learned from the experience. Thank you Robert!
I have to agree this is a pretty nice looking hotspot. I still use a DV4Mini as that was what was available when I first started. I use it for DStar and for DMR. Plan to use it as my first dive into C4FM as well. I'd like to suggest you consider highlighting what the differences are between the various hotspots? I am thinking it might help folks like the ham that asked you on the air if his choice of a DV4mini was good in your opinion. I guess I'm saying that it would aid hams in making an educated decision on what to purchase and what is in their budget too? I also have a SharkRF OpenSpot - both it and the DV4mini get a hams on the air but do require a very small amount of reading and configuration... which is not a bad thing necessarily if it helps the op to understand what he is connecting up and using. Please folks - don't flame me or start a debate... I am NOT saying one is better than another, just would rather see Ham Radio Concepts think about a comparison video.
Just ordered one and name dropped you. Hope you don't mind. 45 seconds after hitting order the owner called. This seems like it's going to be a great product with awesome customer service.
HamRadioConcepts that stinks. Working on getting a refund for my jumbospot after confirming it defective by having a friend that has one working set it up and still no local rf activity. This is about twice the price but seems sexier and better QC.
I’ve had mark call me , 10 min after an email, everything is explained on his site as far as the nano , the rest is pi-star software knowledge from the pi dash
WOW! This hotspot stuff is still new to me, but this one looks exciting and easier to use than the others. Will bump this video to a few of my club members and let them order it first........ Then I can get some experience watching them play with it. Life was easier before I retired. The big brown truck would drop toys off to my office and then they would slowly filter home without questions from the XYL. Ha! Dave K8WPE
Tritium radioluminescence: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tritium_radioluminescence for those that want to know what it is used for. Basically it replaces the glowing hands of a watch or used in Fire Exit signs and anything you want to glow in the dark, though it glows all the time you don't notice it in daylight. It is radioactive but is considered more or less harmless unless ingested, inhales or injected. It is found on most things that glow in the dark without using any power of any kind. Now I can take of my scientist's hat. But read about it, it is quite interesting.
This looks really cool, I am so new to this hobby, Just past my tech class this past monday, still waiting on my call sign, I think this would be a really cool option to get down the road. Thanks so much for sharing, Just an Idea, with the nu,bea of folks who are already ordering, it might be cool if the owner would give you a little coupon code and it would like back to all the ones you have helped him sale. Might be fun to see, I know when I order one, I will try to remember to mention that I found it here. Thanks for sharing and have a blessed week. Dale
Watching your videos of HotSpots. Which one did you like the most the RuggedSpot or the SkyBridge Plus?? I am beginning to research DMR radios and a hotspot. Thank you, KD4MAN 73's
I just found this video. This is what I've been waiting for, ZERO programming on my end. So wouldn't you say that this hotspot is actually way user-friendlier than the Shark OpenSpot 3?
It's so "rugged" the sides are left wide open with no protection. So not going to put this in a rock crawler or other open cab truck/Jeep while off roading in the woods where foreign debis can tongue punch its fart box from the gaping holes on the sides of the case! Looks cool, yes. Rugged field operation, eh not so much without putting it into a real case or another container. I wouldn't even be inclined to put this in my backpack while hiking due to something else poking a port through the side that has no support. At least with the cases for the Jumbo, Zum and Nano Spots your only fear is the antenna(s). The rest is well supported, covered and enclosed. And all this talk about the Pi? What about talk of the RF board? How about making one with a duplex board. Why is the Pi the star of the show. You're buying a digital mode hotspot. If you want to use a Pi as a Pi just buy a Pi for about 1/5th the price. What he's really doing right, the 7 step QA process. Just my thoughts and 2 cents and it's worth just what you paid for it. Nothing. Hihi ;-)
The only reason im considering this unit is because my handheld cant always reach the DMR UHF repeater almost 15km away Could you add a gain whippy antenna to this unit to utilize more range from you home using its prob 300-500mw output
Why is this thing cost so much? Other people are selling this same exact setup or parts for a lot less like 50 to 100 dollars for everything. This is a chinese jumbospot on a Raspberry Pi 3B and a hard plastic case. The it looks like Pistar is preconfigured. Those of you that dont have a clue ab out DMR, DStar or Fusion. Do a search on ebay and type MMDVM. You will see all this stuff for a lot less.
I just purchased the rugged spot myself and I love it so far. I do have a question though, is it OK to leave it running 24 seven or should one shut it off when not in use? Keep up the great work.
Thing is sexy looking ..😅 The questions are: Can it transmit to a UHF repeater 5 mhz split with it's PL encode out . I would love to connect to A analog repeater say ... (448.0 tX 443.0 rx on c4fm which would be awesome for locals to talk in on without buying a c4fm rig & hri_200 $$. C4is allowed FM which would work you think it has ability to split tx RX freq +pl encode? Anything in the user software? Awesome for dmr hot spotters . Ty for video .
I am new to the hobby and I am still trying to figure out how I can get a trunking transceiver. I am in phx and PD here p25 but I also want to listen to Peoria PD and they are on 800+mhz and I also want to listen to ATC from the airport by my house. I don't even know if anything like this exists. So I have been searching for trunking transceivers, p25 transceivers and now I am even more lost after coming to this video. Can you please help sir? lol. I really want to pointed in the right direction without spending $1500 on two different systems that are not going to do what I want. 73
The PC (pi3b+) is on sale for $35 right now (oct11/2018), dmr hat 30-80, case 3-60. There's a nice metal case around $10 or an acrilic case with touch screen for around $20. The touchscreen would require a work around. So for basically the same setup with metal case. 35+30+10=$75 labor for preconfigured os + high end SD card $75ish. Personally I would prefer the experience of setting it up myself and saving the 75 but if someone doesn't have the time or patience I could see it being worth it to have it preconfigured for $75.
Guess I am the newest here, I see you have a cable hooked up (don’t see the other end, hooked too?) and an antenna, or I think an antenna, what kind? I’m a newbie
Hi Looks like a great product, would it be cheaper to by a Rasberry Pi and download the software yourself? The other thing is I was surprised at the beginning of the video when you through your mail on the road ( Littering ) Did you pick it all up? Lol
Are these using a different OLED screen from the jumbo spot? I know the jumbos have the blue screen, and I haven't figured out where to change the look on that.
Thanks again for all the great videos. This looks like a cool option, though a little pricey. The HRO Zumspot kit plus case comes to about $100 less. You’ll have to enter your wifi information yourself with the Zumspot kit, and there’s no screen, but it does come with pi-star software image already on the card.
Yes. But for the people that don't know how or don't want to configure the hotspot, this seller does it all for them. Believe me, there are a lot of people that say they don't want to have to set the hotspot up. They just want it to work.
If you can't set up a your WiFi & a Raspberry Pi and put one in a case you really have no right to call yourself a Ham. The primary use of your license is "Self Experimentation & Education". If others do the work for you what have you learned? You can buy MMDVM boards for under $20 now, $30 for a Pi 2 or 3, plus $10 for a case You're paying someone $200 to set up your wifi & enter your details...if that sounds cool to you then you have more money than sense.
Eric, trying to follow your recommendations on these multiple hotspots, but getting really confused. Is the RuggedSpot your latest, replacing the Nano-Spot? I've have seen multiple comments on the Nano-Spot video about folks having to request refunds from PayPal because of the inability of getting the product. Just trying to filter out the QRM. Steve G./N4TTY
Ordered this product over a month ago, still waiting for them to ship. They are called Nex-Gen because by the time your order arrives, the next generation of hot spots is already out. How hard is it to slap a generic MMDVM hat on a raspberry pi 3?
Next Gen Hotspos has my money and I have nothing! I email Bobby, he does not reply. I called and he hung up on me! Well done BOBBY, you have my money and I have nothing!!!!
I watch most of your videos, but sometimes I shake my head at the misinformation presented. You say this is better than a JumboSpot, but even in the video JumboSpot V1.60 is clearly visible silkscreened on the modem.
To the ham who just bought a jumbospot, it is a self contained unit with a jumbohat, called the jumbospot. To you or me, a jumbospot is a hat that runs on a pi platform. To avoid confusion, I compared it to the jumbospot i have, yes the same jumbohat in both of these units, but a totally better build quality vs China complete hotspot package..
And it is not misinformation, it is to avoid 10,000 emails next week, asking the difference between a Jumbospot and a Jumbohat. Believe me, my inbox has 5,600 emails, and 100's weekly arrive. I try to just reference it as simple as I can.
I would rather source the parts and print the case and get a similar result. You can flash the SD card and switch it to another pi if this one breaks. I think this is not the best way to go about this.
Further more, all those details are required for the order. The manufacturer knows this tech and this product inside and out and has you give him allllll that info when you order. AND if you leave anything out, he personally calls you. That's pretty bad ass! 73 de K9SPY
The VCO in these units aren't all that accurate with regards to frequency, which is why the Rx offset must be adjusted to match your desired frequency. It is fairly easy to adjust the Tx offset with a quality spectrum analyzer to your chosen simplex frequency, but considerably more of a challenge to adjust the Rx offset without recourse to an extremely accurate (read: expensive) signal generator. Assuming the assembler has this expensive equipment to hand would go a long ways toward accounting for the elevated selling price! I have set up two MMDVM Hats on a PiZero/W so far and have encountered no real problems. While I do own a very nice Rigol spectrum analyzer, I do not have a signal generator yet. I have to adjust the Rx offset "by guess and by gosh" until the BER is as low as it can be, generally 0.2 or less.
Eric you Had a Predator Antenna on your show a few days ago, where can I get that Antenna / I would like to buy one where do I buy one. How much was that Antenna? LMK Please Vic WH6FLQ in Hawaii ! Aloha & 73.
For me, there are not enough people with the knowledge to crack WiFi access codes, so I am fairly safe for now. I run blocking WiFi as well...You access that, and you get an SD card image of a fake web server, and it repeats, no net access, no functions..
I have a raspberry pi 3 and pi hat. I also have that HD1 radio I just can't seem to get the radio to connect to the hotspot when I key up nothing! I no the radio is working because when I turn on my md380 clone radio and key up on the HD1 the md380 sees it and I can hear audio no problem I just can't get the HD1 to connect to the hotspot any ideas??. also thats that small screen called? (I like it)
Is the DMR ID set in both the radio and the hotspot? Have you tried modifying the offset in PI-STAR? there is no shift on the frequency, it is just simplex.. Do you have a talkgroup programmed in the radio?
2j4ez I'm going to guess it is a programming issue in your radio. The radio is what changes talkgroups. If you can get the pi to go to tg9 then it's working.
HamRadioConcepts I can't change groups easily. I key up and nothing happens the light on the pi changes but nothing on the laptop screen . Also once I'm in tg9 I can't change group again unless I reboot the pi . I'm going to make sure the antenna on the pi is working correctly and I'll try the image again . Thanks for yours replies
We think so. But I have it from a great source that he was going the same with Gigaparts right up until this kid squared off on the wrong guy. Gigaparts canned HRC
i wish i heard of this before i bought the zum spot... im pretty good with these raspberry pi's, but let me tell you... the zum setup is ( and pardon my french) half ass garbage
Is there a place for the antenna on the commander spot? The pictures don't show it. Also does it have all the connection on the end like the ones he shows in the rugged spot? Thanks
LOL toss the bills and junk mail out in the street and get what's more important...... How can I get one? I'm using an AT-D878UV Radio and im' far from the local repeater....
You two are nuts... there are VOLUMES of things to configure. Its hardly $100, 20 mins, and done. Laser cutting and engraving. Assembly. Multi-step, substantive quality control checks. Specific configuration customization for YOU. A stock of different colors and options. This is thing is REALLY well done. I personally dont care for any of this digital internet protocol radio reefer madness, but I know quality when I see it! $250 a little high? Yeah, maybe it should be $225... but where's that Simpson's "Take my money!" meme when ya need it?!? 73 de K9SPY
I never said it maybe wasn't worth the money. They are almost the same as like the zum or jumbospot, except this is ready to go. I had fun learning how to program my hotspot. But if you want something ready to go then this could be it. There's lots of options and price tags out there now. Depends on what the ham wants and budget is
Love your channel and reviews. But I have to say maybe reconsider not only the quality of the product but the character of the company and who and how the owner(s) behave. This Richard Chartier has an interesting past. You can see comments in comments below. You can also see how he comments and bashes openly his competition on other TH-cam hotspot reviews. You can't get any more unprofessional as this. You may like his products but you should do a better job in considering the 'character' to whom you push their products. I would never do business with him and I would never promote his products it diminishes your ability to be percievd as non-biased.
Sadly I would not recommend buying from this company. Guy moved off grid and hasn't been heard of since September 2020. Ordered in March of 2020 and got PayPal to get me my money back in August.
revadan you are also paying for the build quality and set up. Which for many is what they are looking for. Sure if you want to build and set up yourself you can save money but you will probably be pulling your hair out.
nope am good. i have the rpi3+ and dvmega and so do with the china made with oled display and had no issue. my dvmega is for home use, and my pizero for mobile. better than my openspot which i sold.
HEFE 75 AIRGUN MADNESS chuck your Baofeng radios out and look for a decent DMR radio, I personally have and recommend the AnyTone AT-DV868UV dual band DMR / Analogue radio but there are many other DMR radios to choose from. Then you can can get a hotspot.
The manufacturer is bad at answering emails. Watch his videos - comes off as a pompous know-it-all. Same when you talk to him on the phone. Web site calls them scandisk SD cards not SanDisk. Doesn't know what ac Wi-Fi is.
Holy crap, 3 minutes wasted just to see the product get unwrapped! Don't fret none though, a little criticism will help you make better videos in the future!
I started watching the video, saw the guy go to the mailbox and threw the papers on the floor, abandoned the video, if the guy does it with garbage as he does with the products. I'm out.
I have a Rugged Spot also and it was my second hot spot after a Nano Spot so I set it up with my second DMR ID. Robert worked with me for over a week with me unable to get into the Rugged SPOT until we realised I was using my 1st DMR ID and we needed to change one setting in Pi Star from Private to Public and it started working perfectly. Robert stayed with me the entire time to get it working for me, excellent on going support and we both learned from the experience. Thank you Robert!
Love the way you just tossed aside the other mail to get to the goodies.
I have to agree this is a pretty nice looking hotspot. I still use a DV4Mini as that was what was available when I first started. I use it for DStar and for DMR. Plan to use it as my first dive into C4FM as well. I'd like to suggest you consider highlighting what the differences are between the various hotspots? I am thinking it might help folks like the ham that asked you on the air if his choice of a DV4mini was good in your opinion. I guess I'm saying that it would aid hams in making an educated decision on what to purchase and what is in their budget too? I also have a SharkRF OpenSpot - both it and the DV4mini get a hams on the air but do require a very small amount of reading and configuration... which is not a bad thing necessarily if it helps the op to understand what he is connecting up and using. Please folks - don't flame me or start a debate... I am NOT saying one is better than another, just would rather see Ham Radio Concepts think about a comparison video.
Just ordered one and name dropped you. Hope you don't mind. 45 seconds after hitting order the owner called. This seems like it's going to be a great product with awesome customer service.
Glad this owner is going to turn out to be good customer service. Can't say the same for Nano-Spot :(
HamRadioConcepts that stinks. Working on getting a refund for my jumbospot after confirming it defective by having a friend that has one working set it up and still no local rf activity. This is about twice the price but seems sexier and better QC.
I’ve had mark call me , 10 min after an email, everything is explained on his site as far as the nano , the rest is pi-star software knowledge from the pi dash
I guess I need to be updated ham radio stuff. Too many years in the commercial industry but I have no idea what he's talking about LOL
WOW! This hotspot stuff is still new to me, but this one looks exciting and easier to use than the others. Will bump this video to a few of my club members and let them order it first........ Then I can get some experience watching them play with it. Life was easier before I retired. The big brown truck would drop toys off to my office and then they would slowly filter home without questions from the XYL. Ha!
Dave K8WPE
David J. Wilcox there are few other cheaper options out there then this. If you were on budget
Tritium radioluminescence: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tritium_radioluminescence for those that want to know what it is used for. Basically it replaces the glowing hands of a watch or used in Fire Exit signs and anything you want to glow in the dark, though it glows all the time you don't notice it in daylight. It is radioactive but is considered more or less harmless unless ingested, inhales or injected. It is found on most things that glow in the dark without using any power of any kind. Now I can take of my scientist's hat. But read about it, it is quite interesting.
This looks really cool, I am so new to this hobby, Just past my tech class this past monday, still waiting on my call sign, I think this would be a really cool option to get down the road. Thanks so much for sharing, Just an Idea, with the nu,bea of folks who are already ordering, it might be cool if the owner would give you a little coupon code and it would like back to all the ones you have helped him sale. Might be fun to see, I know when I order one, I will try to remember to mention that I found it here. Thanks for sharing and have a blessed week.
Dale
Watching your videos of HotSpots. Which one did you like the most the RuggedSpot or the SkyBridge Plus?? I am beginning to research DMR radios and a hotspot. Thank you, KD4MAN 73's
Love this vid. I bought a rugged spot cause of this video. Love it. DMR is fun. hope you do one on the new XD4. DCW
They were good when he was still in business, now it is just a Dust Collector.
I love the intro to this one!
It's funny... Cuz its TRUE
I just found this video. This is what I've been waiting for, ZERO programming on my end. So wouldn't you say that this hotspot is actually way user-friendlier than the Shark OpenSpot 3?
lol love the opening to this video "whats he buying now "
So $250 for a $30 JumboSpot, a $10-30 Raspberry Pi and a $5 case? What makes it “Rugged”? Is it waterproof? Impact resistant?
Where do you pick up a JumboSpot for $30?
Get one without the junk metal case or OLED when eBay is offering a 20-30% off coupon. I think the last one I ordered was around $35 after the coupon.
Kris Garner its penis resistant
It's so "rugged" the sides are left wide open with no protection. So not going to put this in a rock crawler or other open cab truck/Jeep while off roading in the woods where foreign debis can tongue punch its fart box from the gaping holes on the sides of the case!
Looks cool, yes. Rugged field operation, eh not so much without putting it into a real case or another container. I wouldn't even be inclined to put this in my backpack while hiking due to something else poking a port through the side that has no support. At least with the cases for the Jumbo, Zum and Nano Spots your only fear is the antenna(s). The rest is well supported, covered and enclosed.
And all this talk about the Pi? What about talk of the RF board? How about making one with a duplex board. Why is the Pi the star of the show. You're buying a digital mode hotspot. If you want to use a Pi as a Pi just buy a Pi for about 1/5th the price.
What he's really doing right, the 7 step QA process.
Just my thoughts and 2 cents and it's worth just what you paid for it. Nothing. Hihi ;-)
@@2E0JTP AliExpress got lots of mmdvm boards.
Love the into how true it is keep the vids coming
Is this hotspot still performing as it should, have you had any issues with it now that you have had it for a while?
C4FM describes a constellation and modulation. Fusion, DMR, and P25 all use C4FM.
The only reason im considering this unit is because my handheld cant always reach the DMR UHF repeater almost 15km away Could you add a gain whippy antenna to this unit to utilize more range from you home using its prob 300-500mw output
Why is this thing cost so much? Other people are selling this same exact setup or parts for a lot less like 50 to 100 dollars for everything. This is a chinese jumbospot on a Raspberry Pi 3B and a hard plastic case. The it looks like Pistar is preconfigured. Those of you that dont have a clue ab out DMR, DStar or Fusion. Do a search on ebay and type MMDVM. You will see all this stuff for a lot less.
I just purchased the rugged spot myself and I love it so far.
I do have a question though, is it OK to leave it running 24 seven or should one shut it off when not in use? Keep up the great work.
Thing is sexy looking ..😅
The questions are:
Can it transmit to a UHF repeater 5 mhz split with it's PL encode out .
I would love to connect to A analog repeater say ...
(448.0 tX 443.0 rx on c4fm which would be awesome for locals to talk in on without buying a c4fm rig & hri_200 $$.
C4is allowed FM which would work you think it has ability to split tx RX freq +pl encode?
Anything in the user software?
Awesome for dmr hot spotters .
Ty for video .
Did you notice how PONY BOY didn't answer you Duane???? This kid is a egotistical ma-roon!
I am new to the hobby and I am still trying to figure out how I can get a trunking transceiver. I am in phx and PD here p25 but I also want to listen to Peoria PD and they are on 800+mhz and I also want to listen to ATC from the airport by my house. I don't even know if anything like this exists. So I have been searching for trunking transceivers, p25 transceivers and now I am even more lost after coming to this video. Can you please help sir? lol. I really want to pointed in the right direction without spending $1500 on two different systems that are not going to do what I want. 73
Just ordered my Rugged Spot. I hope I can figure it out.
The PC (pi3b+) is on sale for $35 right now (oct11/2018), dmr hat 30-80, case 3-60. There's a nice metal case around $10 or an acrilic case with touch screen for around $20. The touchscreen would require a work around. So for basically the same setup with metal case. 35+30+10=$75 labor for preconfigured os + high end SD card $75ish. Personally I would prefer the experience of setting it up myself and saving the 75 but if someone doesn't have the time or patience I could see it being worth it to have it preconfigured for $75.
K
$250.00, is a bit too much. I don't mind the pi zero with jumbo spot and 3.5" OLED touch screen I use now.
Yeah, it's pretty, but $250.00? yeah my Jumbo spot is fine. It looks like a solid well-built unit though.
I just built same thing for 100 bucks
Guess I am the newest here, I see you have a cable hooked up (don’t see the other end, hooked too?) and an antenna, or I think an antenna, what kind? I’m a newbie
In this video, one part of the cord is obviously plugged into your Rugged Spot, but is the other end plugged into the wall or a computer?
Hi Looks like a great product, would it be cheaper to by a Rasberry Pi and download the software yourself? The other thing is I was surprised at the beginning of the video when you through your mail on the road ( Littering ) Did you pick it all up? Lol
Thanks E
HOLA QUIERO COMPRAR UN EQUIPO DE ESTOS COMO LO CONSIGO GRACIAS
LOL toss the bills and junk mail out in the street and get what's more important HAHA
I pay the bills that fly :)
Great touch to the video
@@HamRadioConcepts I love it when she says "What has he bought no?" lol
Are these using a different OLED screen from the jumbo spot? I know the jumbos have the blue screen, and I haven't figured out where to change the look on that.
can u send link for it out of the box thanks
What's the cheapest hotspot for DMR, Dstar and fusion? Something that works well
Thanks again for all the great videos. This looks like a cool option, though a little pricey. The HRO Zumspot kit plus case comes to about $100 less. You’ll have to enter your wifi information yourself with the Zumspot kit, and there’s no screen, but it does come with pi-star software image already on the card.
Yes. But for the people that don't know how or don't want to configure the hotspot, this seller does it all for them. Believe me, there are a lot of people that say they don't want to have to set the hotspot up. They just want it to work.
Sir.how much.andhow to avail yoiur product.in philllipines.
Can it download an Allstar image?
So £250 US for about $120 worth of hardware and a preinstalled OS that's actually free anyway?
Ok I live in upstate New York in the woods and don’t have internet service so could this work for me...Thank you...
No as you need to connect (wirelessly) to the hotspot.
Good hardware, but self-assembly more cheaper.
I don't get the point. If you have internet, why use your radio? Just use zello or something. What am I missing here?
Casey L
One word, EDUCATION.
please educate me, this was the point of my post.
This ain't radio... Wanna impress me, talk to someone halfway around the world WITHOUT using the internet.
@@AlGritzmacher YEAH!!! A FREE ALTERNATIVE IS ECHO LINK!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME PAL?!?
FREE ECHOLINK WILL DO THE SAME AS ALL THIS HIGH $$$ NONSENSE!!!
You check your mail like I do LOL
If you can't set up a your WiFi & a Raspberry Pi and put one in a case you really have no right to call yourself a Ham.
The primary use of your license is "Self Experimentation & Education". If others do the work for you what have you learned?
You can buy MMDVM boards for under $20 now, $30 for a Pi 2 or 3, plus $10 for a case
You're paying someone $200 to set up your wifi & enter your details...if that sounds cool to you then you have more money than sense.
100% right .
Does anyone have experience with programming a TYT md-2017 to work with the Rugged hotspot ??
Eric, trying to follow your recommendations on these multiple hotspots, but getting really confused. Is the RuggedSpot your latest, replacing the Nano-Spot?
I've have seen multiple comments on the Nano-Spot video about folks having to request refunds from PayPal because of the inability of getting the product.
Just trying to filter out the QRM.
Steve G./N4TTY
this is what I am using as of the last 4 months.
Ordered this product over a month ago, still waiting for them to ship. They are called Nex-Gen because by the time your order arrives, the next generation of hot spots is already out. How hard is it to slap a generic MMDVM hat on a raspberry pi 3?
Mine if for sale $199 shipped.
@@HamRadioConcepts thanks, but I've already ordered an openspot II
Next Gen Hotspos has my money and I have nothing! I email Bobby, he does not reply. I called and he hung up on me! Well done BOBBY, you have my money and I have nothing!!!!
did you ever receive the hotspot - a call or your money back since?
I watch most of your videos, but sometimes I shake my head at the misinformation presented. You say this is better than a JumboSpot, but even in the video JumboSpot V1.60 is clearly visible silkscreened on the modem.
These are absolutely made with JumboSpots. The builder just calls them “J-hats”. $30-50 all over eBay and AliExpress.
To the ham who just bought a jumbospot, it is a self contained unit with a jumbohat, called the jumbospot. To you or me, a jumbospot is a hat that runs on a pi platform. To avoid confusion, I compared it to the jumbospot i have, yes the same jumbohat in both of these units, but a totally better build quality vs China complete hotspot package..
And it is not misinformation, it is to avoid 10,000 emails next week, asking the difference between a Jumbospot and a Jumbohat. Believe me, my inbox has 5,600 emails, and 100's weekly arrive. I try to just reference it as simple as I can.
I would rather source the parts and print the case and get a similar result. You can flash the SD card and switch it to another pi if this one breaks. I think this is not the best way to go about this.
what handheld are you using in this video?
Okay, I'll bite. How's the seller determining the correct Rx and Tx offsets without having *your* radio in hand?
RX TX offsets are part of the MODEM / unit function. Your radio needs to only run in SIMPLEX mode , one frequency with a NEX-GEN hot spot.
Further more, all those details are required for the order. The manufacturer knows this tech and this product inside and out and has you give him allllll that info when you order. AND if you leave anything out, he personally calls you.
That's pretty bad ass!
73 de K9SPY
The VCO in these units aren't all that accurate with regards to frequency, which is why the Rx offset must be adjusted to match your desired frequency. It is fairly easy to adjust the Tx offset with a quality spectrum analyzer to your chosen simplex frequency, but considerably more of a challenge to adjust the Rx offset without recourse to an extremely accurate (read: expensive) signal generator. Assuming the assembler has this expensive equipment to hand would go a long ways toward accounting for the elevated selling price!
I have set up two MMDVM Hats on a PiZero/W so far and have encountered no real problems. While I do own a very nice Rigol spectrum analyzer, I do not have a signal generator yet. I have to adjust the Rx offset "by guess and by gosh" until the BER is as low as it can be, generally 0.2 or less.
What's the price, no wild lights just a good hot spot?
Sambo Electronic about 250$ plus 15 or so for shipping.
Thanks, 73"s
um its plastic cant use a laser to make the cuts laser = heat
It’s double the price of the Zumspot and doesnt do anymore. The Zumspot with the same case and power supply and antenna is roughly $140....
Can not get a hold of them
having a bunch pf Raspberry PI's in my house, $250 for another PI with a screen and antenna (and of course the software) ouuucchhh, nope thanks...
Eric you Had a Predator Antenna on your show a few days ago, where can I get that Antenna / I would like to buy one where do I buy one. How much was that Antenna? LMK Please Vic WH6FLQ in Hawaii ! Aloha & 73.
You showed your address on the interwebs, what's for dinner?
Go stop by. The people that moved into there years ago are potheads
Too funny!
If it was packed any tighter, it would be a 4 pack of batteries
Nope, not giving out my wifi info. I change it regularly and if I have to get a custom image to change it, it isn't going to work for me.
For me, there are not enough people with the knowledge to crack WiFi access codes, so I am fairly safe for now.
I run blocking WiFi as well...You access that, and you get an SD card image of a fake web server, and it repeats, no net access, no functions..
Jason, KC5HWB, had Bob leave the WiFi blank and he inputted it himself through Pi-Star.
Very Good Deal.
You spent 4 minutes getting it out of the box and ZERO minutes showing how to connect it or install it.
AMIGO JEFFREY D,HOLA COMO ESTAS ,DON DE LO CONCIGO EL DEL VIDEO QUE TU COMENTAS LO NESECITO PARA LA BANDA DE VHF Y UHF GRACIAS.
I have a raspberry pi 3 and pi hat. I also have that HD1 radio I just can't seem to get the radio to connect to the hotspot when I key up nothing! I no the radio is working because when I turn on my md380 clone radio and key up on the HD1 the md380 sees it and I can hear audio no problem I just can't get the HD1 to connect to the hotspot any ideas??. also thats that small screen called? (I like it)
Is the DMR ID set in both the radio and the hotspot? Have you tried modifying the offset in PI-STAR? there is no shift on the frequency, it is just simplex.. Do you have a talkgroup programmed in the radio?
HamRadioConcepts it's on simplex I have talk groups . I'll try and modify the off set in the pi later thanks for the reply
it seems that only some talk groups work once im on talk tg9 I can't get to any other tg. I have to reboot the pi maybe ive got a faulty pi hat?
2j4ez I'm going to guess it is a programming issue in your radio. The radio is what changes talkgroups. If you can get the pi to go to tg9 then it's working.
HamRadioConcepts I can't change groups easily. I key up and nothing happens the light on the pi changes but nothing on the laptop screen . Also once I'm in tg9 I can't change group again unless I reboot the pi . I'm going to make sure the antenna on the pi is working correctly and I'll try the image again . Thanks for yours replies
What does this guy work for that company or get the hotspot for free?
We think so. But I have it from a great source that he was going the same with Gigaparts right up until this kid squared off on the wrong guy. Gigaparts canned HRC
i wish i heard of this before i bought the zum spot... im pretty good with these raspberry pi's, but let me tell you... the zum setup is ( and pardon my french) half ass garbage
I Have the Commander Spot, the Upgrade to the Rugged Spot with the Nextion Screen 2.4" , these are great units 73 de WX4JCW
Is there a place for the antenna on the commander spot? The pictures don't show it. Also does it have all the connection on the end like the ones he shows in the rugged spot? Thanks
They are all made from the same parts so yes...but you are throwing away money
LOL toss the bills and junk mail out in the street and get what's more important...... How can I get one? I'm using an AT-D878UV Radio and im' far from the local repeater....
So a company took a Raspberry Pi 3+ and a dvmega, packaged it up and sells it complete. What did that run ya?
Justin Moyers they are 250 plus shipping. Kinda high for what they are
Ryan KC9OZA yeah...nope. less than $100 bucks in parts and 20 minutes of programming lol
But I guess if want something that's ready to go on dmr, then I guess its worth it if don't want to do other
You two are nuts... there are VOLUMES of things to configure. Its hardly $100, 20 mins, and done. Laser cutting and engraving. Assembly. Multi-step, substantive quality control checks. Specific configuration customization for YOU. A stock of different colors and options. This is thing is REALLY well done.
I personally dont care for any of this digital internet protocol radio reefer madness, but I know quality when I see it! $250 a little high? Yeah, maybe it should be $225... but where's that Simpson's "Take my money!" meme when ya need it?!?
73 de K9SPY
I never said it maybe wasn't worth the money. They are almost the same as like the zum or jumbospot, except this is ready to go. I had fun learning how to program my hotspot. But if you want something ready to go then this could be it. There's lots of options and price tags out there now. Depends on what the ham wants and budget is
I make one with Jumbo HotSpot and Rasberry Pi Zero W all for $69.00 if you one Full Assembly just $110.00 or so....this Rugged is beatyfu$$
Problem loading the web site hamradio1.com. Repeated attempts brought the same result - no web site to view.
What about the RUBBISH :-(
How fast is the shipping?
about 3-5 days, probably a bit longer if this video increases any sales
Love your channel and reviews. But I have to say maybe reconsider not only the quality of the product but the character of the company and who and how the owner(s) behave. This Richard Chartier has an interesting past. You can see comments in comments below. You can also see how he comments and bashes openly his competition on other TH-cam hotspot reviews. You can't get any more unprofessional as this. You may like his products but you should do a better job in considering the 'character' to whom you push their products. I would never do business with him and I would never promote his products it diminishes your ability to be percievd as non-biased.
LOL this wife doesn't sound happy!. 73!
For 250+, dump the raspi, and use an odroid xu4. Massively overpriced. Linux isn't that hard.
It's a $35 raspberry pi
no way in hell i would give my info about my wifi out ! lol That and you can make this yourself easy .
Sadly I would not recommend buying from this company. Guy moved off grid and hasn't been heard of since September 2020. Ordered in March of 2020 and got PayPal to get me my money back in August.
your are paying for the looks.. not worth it.
revadan you are also paying for the build quality and set up. Which for many is what they are looking for. Sure if you want to build and set up yourself you can save money but you will probably be pulling your hair out.
nope am good. i have the rpi3+ and dvmega and so do with the china made with oled display and had no issue. my dvmega is for home use, and my pizero for mobile. better than my openspot which i sold.
Retail is $249.95 ..... no thanks
How do I get into this high before I have two beoh fang radios
HEFE 75 AIRGUN MADNESS chuck your Baofeng radios out and look for a decent DMR radio, I personally have and recommend the AnyTone AT-DV868UV dual band DMR / Analogue radio but there are many other DMR radios to choose from. Then you can can get a hotspot.
Taking the radio out of Ham Radio. That's no fun at all. Sounds horrible too.
How do I get into this Hobby
That intro hahahaha
My Wife says the same thing
Jason Webb TWSS? LOLzn
6 Months ago he couldnt even get Pi-Star to work .. Now he is an expert selling overpriced Chinese illegal copies of someone else's work .. Geez
PERFECT AND SPOT ON!!! THIS KID IS EGO IS ONLY SURPASSED BY HIS LEVEL OF FREAKING CLUELESS!
The manufacturer is bad at answering emails. Watch his videos - comes off as a pompous know-it-all. Same when you talk to him on the phone. Web site calls them scandisk SD cards not SanDisk. Doesn't know what ac Wi-Fi is.
its a great idea, it is to expensive!
So will it work as a police scanner
3830radioman no it wont
ох и глупые эти буржуи/ 35 баксовую малину купил за 200 и радуется))
Holy crap, 3 minutes wasted just to see the product get unwrapped! Don't fret none though, a little criticism will help you make better videos in the future!
It was part of the scene to show the packaging, as well that it works out of the box.
Those Hotspots are very well packed
Ok, ok... I get your point. But it WAS torturous. You know... First World Problems, and all.
:-p
73 de K9SPY
O
Why do a video then be so rude to go chit chat on the radio? That is not nice and now I'm mad and dont care. Goodbye.
I started watching the video, saw the guy go to the mailbox and threw the papers on the floor, abandoned the video, if the guy does it with garbage as he does with the products. I'm out.