Digital Voice Question

[n4yek]

First, this is not a flame thread, I just want answers and opinions

I know digital is becoming more and more involved in amateur radio and I see that as a good thing. The problem is I am either not understanding or don't have all the facts concerning the use of digital communications.

Here is my thinking:
1) If I chose DMR then I am bound by it's codeplug. While traveling, it will become useless to me once I leave east Tennessee unless I reprogram it to another area's talkgroups. (which means taking computer, findings talkgroups, slots, and whatever else that area needs)

2) If I chose D-Star, I can use it anywhere in the United States without having to reprogram it, except change frequencies

3) If I chose Fusion, I can use it anywhere in the United States without having to reprogram it, except having to change frequencies.

Again, I do not have a full understanding, but shouldn't DMR be standardized across the states so all i have to do is change frequencies and be able to use it no matter where I am located?

Give me answers please...thanks

 

[djs13pa]

Well the thing about DMR is it's a commercial mode being applied in an amateur environment. That's the source of some apparent inflexibility. What I personally do is this:

1) I set up banks in my rig for daily stuff. Memories 00-25 for example are the most common daily use by mode/location/etc.

2) I establish banks based on regular trips. I travel to my parents an in laws regularly. These trips occur enough to establish them full time. They are multi hour trips out of state each way so lots of work but makes life easy in the end.

3) I do establish banks for simplex and label by mode or TG.

Doing this limits extra work unless I do a big unique trip.

The reason for all this is DMR is a network of networks. Each network has specific member repeaters and talkgroups. There is overlap (World Wide English) and unique (DC or French language) on these networks.

This is why there is some standardization and some unique/seemingly non standard groups.


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[N4KVE]

Again, I do not have a full understanding, but shouldn't DMR be standardized across the states so all i have to do is change frequencies and be able to use it no matter where I am located?

Give me answers please...thanks

If you use the D-Marc system, which is the most popular in the USA, & Canada, then you WILL only have to change frequencies. In my experience, the color codes, & talk groups are the same, so when ever I travel, all I do is change the freq's, while the color codes, & talk groups do stay the same. Now there "could" be differences, but in MY travels, I have never seen any.

 

[AI7PM]

I do the same as 13pa, but rarely use the WW, NA and such. I mostly program for Local and Regional TGs. I do the same for analog and DSTAR.

His comment about DMR being "....commercial mode being applied in an amateur environment." is spot on. I hear and read much angst filled comments and criticism from other hams about what DMR should do, or should have been designed to do. It just goes to show that they, unlike yourself, didn't do their research before spending the money on a rig. Way too many on the mode don't understand how it or their rigs work, and don't want to learn, they just want to talk.

DMR wasn't designed for ham. Personally, I love it.

 

[djs13pa]

If you use the D-Marc system, which is the most popular in the USA, & Canada, then you WILL only have to change frequencies. In my experience, the color codes, & talk groups are the same, so when ever I travel, all I do is change the freq's, while the color codes, & talk groups do stay the same. Now there "could" be differences, but in MY travels, I have never seen any.

While this may have been true more and more folks are doing their own networks on the DMARC backbone. Depending where you live and where you travel will determine which networks you need to access. I think the longest trip (to my parents) crosses thru areas covered by 11 networks. Locally we have 2 networks in range. To the in laws ironically only 1 network now but I expect a second network soon. (They are spinning off it looks like).


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[N4KVE]

Way too many on the mode don't understand how it or their rigs work, and don't want to learn, they just want to talk.

DMR wasn't designed for ham. Personally, I love it.

I'm on several Facebook DMR forums, & all I see are people too lazy to learn how to program their radios, begging for code plugs. Remember, DMR was designed for business users, where the radios are programmed ONCE during their lifetime. Go to U-Tube & learn how it's done. Quit begging for code plugs. I never see this on the Motorola forums. We all know how to program our radios. This seems to happen on the Dollar Store DMR radio forums.

 

[N5TWB]

I'm on several Facebook DMR forums, & all I see are people too lazy to learn how to program their radios, begging for code plugs. Remember, DMR was designed for business users, where the radios are programmed ONCE during their lifetime. Go to U-Tube & learn how it's done. Quit begging for code plugs. I never see this on the Motorola forums. We all know how to program our radios. This seems to happen on the Dollar Store DMR radio forums.

Gratuitous insults designed to inflate your ego do not add to the discussion. We get it - you are willing to spend the time and funds to worship at the altar of Mother-/\/\, the source of all enlightenment for the worthy. The rest of us lowly proles deign to merely pass messages thru the ether without the same required offerings and incense burning that result in perfect code plugs the first time, no experience required.

I can write my own code plugs now, after seeing the structure of a usable plug. Those asking for plugs are usually just asking for something that allows them a learning structure that reduces frustration while learning.

 

[N4KVE]

Gratuitous insults designed to inflate your ego do not add to the discussion. We get it - you are willing to spend the time and funds to worship at the altar of Mother-/\/\, the source of all enlightenment for the worthy. The rest of us lowly proles deign to merely pass messages thru the ether without the same required offerings and incense burning that result in perfect code plugs the first time, no experience required.

I can write my own code plugs now, after seeing the structure of a usable plug. Those asking for plugs are usually just asking for something that allows them a learning structure that reduces frustration while learning.

Glad you see my point of view. 73.

 

[iball]

My thoughts and opinions:

Find out which mode has the most repeaters in the areas you visit.

For DMR look at these:

CQ DMR MAP

DMR-MARC Repeater Map

Also, what some of us MD-380/390 custom firmware owners do is have a zone of Scratchpad entries that we can FPP to use whatever we're closest to at the time but do not have programmed into a codeplug.

In the KC Metro DMR is exploding in use. We now have 2 repeaters up that pretty much cover about 80-90% of the entire metro for HTs and have our own talkgroup (TG31201) as well.

There are some DMR-MARC repeaters in the area but they're scattered and hard to hit from an HT.

I'm not a fan of DMR-MARC's "you can only use these talkgroups", their insistence on everything Motorola (well, it is in the name), and seeming hatred towards experimentation.

DMR+ irks me as well as it seems more Euro-focused and most of the DMR+ software out there is always closed-source.

Brandmeister is pretty damn cool. Basically, if you can build it you can hook up to it.
I like that, it promotes experimentation. They even have a dedicated dev server you can connect to so in case something goes wrong it doesn't detonate everyone else.

A lot of Fusion repeaters are still sitting in analog/digital mode precluding them from being networked via Wires-X. This was due to Yaesu selling a lot of $500 Fusion repeaters to ham clubs who used them to replace aging repeater equipment. The one time I found a Fusion repeater in the KC Metro I started browsing Wires-X rooms and someone came up and bounced it back to the local room.
"Well, eff you too then." I put the FT1D away and haven't used it since. I may break it back out to play around with the DVMega and OpenSPOT I have if I get bored enough. I tried it out for APRS on my motorcycle but found it didn't like temps above room temperature so I went back to my trusty Kenwood APRS HT that just shrugged it all off.

DSTAR has just always aggravated the crap out of me. Here in the KC Metro at least it's pretty much dead. Didn't used to be though. I have a couple of hotspots if I feel like getting on it but the audio compared to DMR is very R2D2 at times.

 

[RayAir]

I would go with DMR.

It's really taken off and DMR use at least in my area far exceeds that of dstar, fusion , or NXDN.

The amateur DMR system quality kind of went down hill due to the glut of cheap DMR radios.
I'm not talking voice quality, I'm referring to system bog down. They're not set up to handle the volume of radios using them. The one by me isn't.

I would like to see a Capacity Plus amateur system. That would be great for a local or regional area (LCP).

Plus DMR radios make nice scanners for local business or public safety if they use it in your area. In most instances you can scan them unless they lock you out with voice privacy.

You can program multiple zones for systems in different areas. If they're unknown, DSD+ is a great tool for finding system parameters needed for programming.

Programming is straight forward. There are some good YT videos.

If you have any programming questions I have experience programming Tytera, CS, MotoTRBO, and Hytera DMR radios and am willing to answer questions if needed.

 

[n4yek]

Guys, thanks for replying to my thread. I have read them all and I guess I need to start reading up a little more on DMR. I didn't know you could program more than one zone into a radio, that would make a difference.