OpenSpot 2 Discussion Thread

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AA6IO

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Probably will be a nice device, but now with Zumspots and Jumbospots at probably lower prices, may be harder sell than initial OpenSpot unless price is competitive. I use Zumspot now and love it. Of course, not everyone may want to mess with Pi-Star.
 

Stupidfatkid

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Probably will be a nice device, but now with Zumspots and Jumbospots at probably lower prices, may be harder sell than initial OpenSpot unless price is competitive. I use Zumspot now and love it. Of course, not everyone may want to mess with Pi-Star.

Price for the new openSPOT 2 was released yesterday. Current Euro to USD conversion makes it around $230.00.
 

AK9R

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Price for the new openSPOT 2 was released yesterday. Current Euro to USD conversion makes it around $230.00.
And, the SharkRF folks are getting raked over the coals in social media about their pricing.

I really can't comment. I bought an original OpenSpot because it appeared that the user interface was simpler at the time. However, I have never used it. I just don't have that much interest in digital voice.
 

W4ELL

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I just ordered one for myself. I have the original OpenSpot and I love it but need something with wifi for the car.
 

edweirdFL

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I've had mine for a couple of days now, and used it at home and in the car with my DStar HT. These are my initial impressions.

It's super easy to setup (at least using the DStar connector) and sure does start up and connect pretty fast once you have it setup. I have 1 profile created and 2 wireless settings associated with it. It connects to my home WiFi and if I'm in my car and turn on the hotspot function of my cellphone, it connects to it when I pull out of my driveway and reconnects to the DStar reflector. The two firmware updates that have come out were easy to apply.

I had to figure out the IP address to connect to it using a browser when I first set it up. The method of putting in a code from the bottom of the unit didn't work for me.

I've still got to use it some more and figure out how to manage connections from the radio instead of using the web interface. I like being able to leave it on all of the time without having to have a PC on, which was a requirement of the DVAP I was using before I got it.
 

AA6IO

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Well my three Zumspots will now have a new friend. Just ordered the OpenSpot 2. Does seem to get good reviews and I like the faster start up time of OpenSpot when changing parameters. But the Zumspots also get a solid "great hotspot" award from me. Work great on D-Star and DMR, a bit more tricky on YSF.
 

W9MO

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Well my three Zumspots will now have a new friend. Just ordered the OpenSpot 2. Does seem to get good reviews and I like the faster start up time of OpenSpot when changing parameters. But the Zumspots also get a solid "great hotspot" award from me. Work great on D-Star and DMR, a bit more tricky on YSF.

Where did you order from?
 

NM9X

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My original Openspot was great and I have it running 24/7 in my shack. The only thing I wish it had was built-in WiFi because carrying around a mobile wifi bridge with the extra cables and powering everything was cumbersome.
I bought a Zumspot and got it running but found I really miss the profiles that the Openspot lets you save. I use one profile when I want to cross-mode between my Yaesu radio and DMR and another profile for just FCS reflectors. Also, with the Zumspot, I can not get the DTMF controls to work with my radio to change reflectors or TGs. You can even switch profiles by DTMF.
Openspot 2 firmware seems to have all this functionality still so I'm thinking about getting the new one.
 

JASII

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I found out the SharkRF OpenSpot2. I have never owned anything like this before. Is this one of the better choices right now for devices of this type? Are there any others that I should be considering?
 

RodStrong

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I found out the SharkRF OpenSpot2. I have never owned anything like this before. Is this one of the better choices right now for devices of this type? Are there any others that I should be considering?

I have a classic OpenSpot and a RuggedSpot. I like them both a lot, and they have performed well. No complaints. I keep the classic OpenSpot in my house, and use it occasionally (most of the time I use a repeater about 20 miles away). I use the RuggedSpot for traveling out of town & staying in hotels.

Rugged SPOT - NEX-GEN Custom Hot Spots.

That said, the RuggedSpot and OpenSpots are a couple of the more expensive options. If you don't want to spend that much, you can get a fully assembled hotspot with wi-fi for a third of the cost of the two hotspots I mentioned. Good luck.
 

JASII

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I getting back around to this project and just wanted to see if there is anything new on these sort of devices? I think I want to get one that will connect via either ethernet or wifi. Do most have both as an option?

Also, has anybody ran across any article that compare these by feature that will help me select the right one for me? I did find the article below, but it is a bit dated.


http://arrl-ohio.org/digital/Amateur Radio Digital Hotspot Comparison.pdf
 

ajcscan

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I've received my new Openspot 2 but I cannot seem to get it to connect to my home wifi? I know it works because I CAN connect through my cell phone hotspot. Any thoughts on what settings in my router I can look at that might remedy the connection process?
When I try to connect to my cable internet provider wifi and try to open the sharkrf.link site or the actual IP for it, I recieve the following:
1549933163106.png


I've tried Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox and get the same message no matter the browser?
 
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