Why do you all enjoy using DMR?

[Gadgeteer2000]

Hello all,
I am trying to understand why ham's use DMR? My impression was that (most) ham's passion is about using radio waves to communicate (and part of the fun is to find the best technology solution - antenna etc.).

DMR is a digitally transmitted communication medium - and so in many ways more similar to Whatsapp, Zoom, Skype etc. etc. vs. being a ham radio (unless a local, range limited contact is established)

I have monitored some brandmeister chats. It is very common to hear participants to be excited to talk to a person from a new country or continent and consider the connection an achievement. But is there not ZERO achievement in overcoming distance if the connection happens via the internet? Is it not equally simple (or difficult) to talk to someone 50 km's away or 15000 km's away if both use the internet to connect?

My point is DMR is really not a classic ham technology anymore - it is a new digital technology very different from classic radio wave communications.

So why is there still such a big followership? Thank you for sharing: I am really interested to understand.

 

[belvdr]

This is the cornerstone of the argument of all the various Internet-based connectivity options (D-Star, Wires, Echolink, etc). I enjoy various digital modes because I don't need an antenna in my yard. I put a 2m yagi in my attic and it's relatively maintenance free and I can talk to others around the world. I never saw it as an achievement to make an HF contact, just like it's not an achievement to make a 2m simplex contact.

Do what you enjoy doing and don't worry about the rest. I predict a downward spiral in this thread.

 

[Gadgeteer2000]

This is the cornerstone of the argument of all the various Internet-based connectivity options (D-Star, Wires, Echolink, etc). I enjoy various digital modes because I don't need an antenna in my yard. I put a 2m yagi in my attic and it's relatively maintenance free and I can talk to others around the world. I never saw it as an achievement to make an HF contact, just like it's not an achievement to make a 2m simplex contact.

Do what you enjoy doing and don't worry about the rest. I predict a downward spiral in this thread.

Thank you, I get that. I just wonder then why do still the classic HAM requirements apply (HAM license etc.) for a technology that is so fundamentally different from the traditional HAM activity...

I would be glad to participate in connecting to others via low power, locally connected DMR (have two DMR radios, a hotspot etc.) but cannot as I do not have the time to study and take the HAM exam (I took "test" exams and got 60- 70% but I want to be sure before I take a real one) as I am very busy work wise. (I work in the tech industry and so focus on wired and wireless digital hardware / software 10 / 12 hours a day ).
Now if the test would be about digital tech as that is much more relevant - I would get 90% or more with zero study....

 

[littona]

You can thank the likes of Bridgecom for the troves of new DMR users. They advertise the heck out of it and preach like it's the best thing ever. Some people get great enjoyment out of DMR. I have a much cheaper DMR radio that I tinker with once in a while, but to be honest, I'm much happier tinkering around on HF. But that's the great thing about ham radio - there's something for everybody.

 

[BoxAlarm187]

I predict a downward spiral in this thread.

I appreciate the OP's question - it's something I've often wondered about myself. A DMR contact seems about as challenging as a cell phone contact.

 

[hamstang]

I currently live in an HOA restricted multifamily building. I use DMR to keep up with many of my ham friends from years of HF QSO's. DMR needs no outdoor antennas, and causes no RFI to neighbors.

 

[belvdr]

Thank you, I get that. I just wonder then why do still the classic HAM requirements apply (HAM license etc.) for a technology that is so fundamentally different from the traditional HAM activity...

I would be glad to participate in connecting to others via low power, locally connected DMR (have two DMR radios, a hotspot etc.) but cannot as I do not have the time to study and take the HAM exam (I took "test" exams and got 60- 70% but I want to be sure before I take a real one) as I am very busy work wise. (I work in the tech industry and so focus on wired and wireless digital hardware / software 10 / 12 hours a day ).
Now if the test would be about digital tech as that is much more relevant - I would get 90% or more with zero study....

That's a different question, and is answered due to the license requirements of the frequency in use.

I appreciate the OP's question - it's something I've often wondered about myself. A DMR contact seems about as challenging as a cell phone contact.

You can easily find arguments to either side. Like it or don't, it's up to you to find your enjoyment in ham radio.

 

[mmckenna]

(I work in the tech industry and so focus on wired and wireless digital hardware / software 10 / 12 hours a day ).

There can certainly be a level of "tech fatigue". I work in the telecommunications field and do a lot with radio systems. At the end of the day the last thing I want to do is come home and play radio. I expect that when I retire, or otherwise get some more time on my hands, I'll have more interest in ham. Right now, it's a tool I use, and occasionally have some fun with.

Now if the test would be about digital tech as that is much more relevant - I would get 90% or more with zero study....

The ham test question pool is often a hotly contested subject. The old timers like to think that we should all know how to build and use a spark gap transmitter and any suggestion of freshening up with question pool is met with howls, screaming and gnashing of teeth. After all, every new ham should understand vacuum tube technology.
The question pool in the USA tends to lag by about 10-15 years behind technology, at least.
But keep in mind that the question pool is intended to show a certain amount of knowledge, and knowing the basics is important. I'd love to see it refreshed, though.


As for DMR, I tend to agree with you. Not much of a challenge. It does certainly meet the needs of many. Not everyone can put up a large antenna system at their home.
The nice thing about ham radio is there are a lot of unique facets to it, and there's something for everyone.

 

[KK4JUG]

Is it ham radio or just another VOIP connection?

 

[mitbr]

Here is my take on this question.....Ham radio is a hobby of many interests,one of those interests is fellowship and connecting with others that share in that interest. DMR is a great avenue for this as the connection is reliable and clear as compared to HF. This is what I think draws so many to this mode. It's not a cellphone because the person on the other end maybe unknown to the caller. DMR allows different and new people to chime in a group setting to share their interests of Ham Radio.
Tim

 

[nd5y]

Is it ham radio or just another VOIP connection?

Both. Or neither. It dpends on what equipment you have and what, if any, network you are using. You don't need an IP connection to talk on a radio and you don't need a radio for VoIP.

 

[sallen07]

One common myth about DMR is that it HAS to be Internet-based. That's simply not true.

You can set up a standalone DMR repeater, just like you can set up a standalone analog repeater. The advantage is that there are two time slots, so there can be two different conversations going on simultaneously.

You can also link a DMR repeater into one of the different DMR networks, just like you can link an analog repeater. That does not preclude the use of the repeater for a conversation; it just also forwards that traffic to any other repeater or hot spot that is listening on that talk group so others can join in.

Do most DMR users utilize a hot spot, either most or all of the time? I would say yes. As several have mentioned, the only antennas involved are the one on your HT and the little stubby one on the hot spot, which is good for those living in an antenna-restricted location. But it's still RF; you're still transmitting and receiving on a amateur radio frequency.

I got into DMR because a local ham stood up a DMR repeater and established a talkgroup, and many of the operators I wanted to talk to were hanging out there. Sure, some used hot spots, but a lot of us would hit the repeater directly either from home or while mobile. It also sounded like interesting technology and I was familiar with it, coming from a scanning background.

Talking to people all over the world via DMR has no appeal to me, although I know it does to many and that's fine.

 

[AI7PM]

..... My impression was that (most) ham's passion is about using radio waves to communicate (and part of the fun is to find the best technology solution - antenna etc.)........

.....My point is DMR is really not a classic ham technology anymore - it is a new digital technology very different from classic radio wave communications...

It's still radio waves. To do it (DMR) correctly still requires some technical abilities and understanding, though it seems most of the DMR users I'm coming across just want to buy the cheapest PoS radio they can, then get someone else to program it for them. I've downloaded several of the codeplugs offered online to examine, and they are sloppily written, with admit criteria being incorrect almost universally.

It's a great tool. Two streams of intelligence on one repeater pair, or even a single bi-directional (duplex) stream on a simplex frequency. Some of us look at it through a technical tint.

 

[trentbob]

Hello all,
I am trying to understand why ham's use DMR? My impression was that (most) ham's passion is about using radio waves to communicate (and part of the fun is to find the best technology solution - antenna etc.).

DMR is a digitally transmitted communication medium - and so in many ways more similar to Whatsapp, Zoom, Skype etc. etc. vs. being a ham radio (unless a local, range limited contact is established)

I have monitored some brandmeister chats. It is very common to hear participants to be excited to talk to a person from a new country or continent and consider the connection an achievement. But is there not ZERO achievement in overcoming distance if the connection happens via the internet? Is it not equally simple (or difficult) to talk to someone 50 km's away or 15000 km's away if both use the internet to connect?

My point is DMR is really not a classic ham technology anymore - it is a new digital technology very different from classic radio wave communications.

So why is there still such a big followership? Thank you for sharing: I am really interested to understand.

It's not that I enjoy it. I don't have the equipment for it to do it by radio.

I have DroidStar on my phone, also allows me to talk to friends, not within range, on p25.

I also have Echo link that my club is on. I can literally listen to a cheap scanner, then respond from anywhere on the phone.

 

[JPSan]

I use it and really enjoy it. We have a network of 3 repeaters here in Tucson that has local, worldwide and regional talk
groups. One repeater is at 7,500 feet on Mount Lemmon, One out west on Tucson Mountain and one in mid town Tucson.
All owned by one individual. Audio is beautiful. Reliability is constant.
Any where I go with my Motorola XPR7550e or Anytone 878 I have absolutely to problem with coverage.
There is one neighborhood mixed mode repeater here and there's another in west side of Tucson.
So here in Tucson we have coverage!

 

[N4KVE]

Hello all,
I am trying to understand why ham's use DMR? My impression was that (most) ham's passion is about using radio waves to communicate (and part of the fun is to find the best technology solution - antenna etc.).

DMR is a digitally transmitted communication medium - and so in many ways more similar to Whatsapp, Zoom, Skype etc. etc. vs. being a ham radio (unless a local, range limited contact is established)

I have monitored some brandmeister chats. It is very common to hear participants to be excited to talk to a person from a new country or continent and consider the connection an achievement. But is there not ZERO achievement in overcoming distance if the connection happens via the internet? Is it not equally simple (or difficult) to talk to someone 50 km's away or 15000 km's away if both use the internet to connect?

My point is DMR is really not a classic ham technology anymore - it is a new digital technology very different from classic radio wave communications.

So why is there still such a big followership? Thank you for sharing: I am really interested to understand.

I agree with you 1000%. The system I am on is not connected to Brandmeister, or D-Marc through the internet. The repeater owner owns 7 repeaters in major cities throughout Florida. They are connected to each other through wireless modems, but you must talk into an actual radio that talks through one of the repeaters he owns. Hotspots will not work, & even better, there’s only one TG on each TS. So no busy bonks unless you hear somebody talking. Too many guys getting a woody talking to someone in another country when actually they are talking 3 feet to a hotspot, & the internet does the rest. ZERO accomplishment in that. Might as well pick up a phone, dial 11 random digits, & ask the person who answers where they are. Then start a QSO. And the people who must have a radio that holds every DMR contact on planet earth are too funny. Haven’t updated my Florida only list in 6 years. No need. So I use DMR because that’s where my friends are, & there’s no static. But I also talk on local P25 repeaters. And the abundance of $35 CCR’s hasn’t helped either.

 

[belvdr]

ZERO accomplishment in that.

The flip side of that is to ask where's the accomplishment in keying up a 2m/70cm repeater?

 

[Gadgeteer2000]

The flip side of that is to ask where's the accomplishment in keying up a 2m/70cm repeater?

There is still antenna etc. involved vs. using a hotspot next to your radio. Or am I wrong?

 

[N4KVE]

The flip side of that is to ask where's the accomplishment in keying up a 2m/70cm repeater?

The accomplishment is we can talk to our friends while driving to, or from work vs sitting in a silent car.

 

[Gadgeteer2000]

The accomplishment is we can talk to our friends while driving to, or from work vs sitting in a silent car.

Is that not what a cellphone is for???