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Anyone have experience with Extended Range Direct Mode?

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otobmark

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Have a need for field expedient repeater solution. Being able to IP connect it would be a bonus. ERDM might be the answer. Also looking at Hytera which also has a single frequency repeat function but it is limited to 1 particular portable radio at this point. Both systems do their own version of receive on 1 time slot and Tx on the other. One of the kenwood guys is checking to see if kenwood has any plans to do something similar. Without schematics I'm not sure, but it seems this function could be implemented in most higher tier DMR radio by firmware alone. With the Hytera, we could lift the repeating HT with one of our mid-sized drones. The slr1000 weighs 10lbs without power source (battery or other) so definitely not drone friendly. The advantage is we could place or hoist up the 10 lb unit with antenna attached so no hardline involved (or duplexer). Currently we carry regular repeaters with hardline and mobile duplexers.
 

alcahuete

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Curious what is wrong with your current setup. Just looking for something different and smaller to operate? Want to use the drone? Just keep in mind that you're going to lose comms. potentially when you need to replace the battery, but if you have enough on hand, it would only be for a minute or two at a time. Could always use large balloons and be up for days at a time, but helium ain't cheap. If you want something that is drone friendly, you're pretty much limited to hoisting a handheld up in the air. I don't personally know of any alternatives.

I like the idea!
 

otobmark

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We did some crossband with HT and drone. It worked but the "paid people" wanted inband for compatibility since we mostly have singleband radios (apx6xxx series). It was used during a SAR drill and was a way for routine check ins from teams at intervals rather than 24hr operation. It was a way to get something on the air quickly while scouting for locations for a suitable place for a repeater. For interop, FM is still the common denominator for many. Locally we use xpr8xxx series repeaters (cheap) mostly in FM. Sometimes we put the whole thing and antenna in a bucket truck or even top of a ladder truck ladder. We construct simple sub 50' masts on hill tops, water towers or anything else sticking up. While certain types of coax do better on a repeater than others, we had so many problems that we just carry 1/2" hardline which is a ***** to handle. If you have followed my other disastrous post then you know that our Task Force people statewide are investigating DMR. Not truly sure of the rational at the top or how far they will go with it. I am the guinea pig for many of their ideas and field test/break bunches of their stuff. They like the TDMA efficiencies and lower cost than P25. As to robustness many PS agencies around the country use DMR in spite of moto full court press to push them into P25. Motorola has firewalled DMR from P25 to in their opinion enhance profit. P25 is mostly used by government spending other peoples money so the price pushback is not strong at all. DMR being commercial is definitely subject to cost benefit analysis of "for profit" businesses and individuals. It all seems immoral to me. I have slowly been moving to Kenwood radios which can operate on DMR and P25 in the same radio. The portables are not multiband as of yet which is a negative. I like that I can knock an advanced system key out of my personal radio by just overwriting codeplug as opposed to sending my APX to depot ($400) to delete ASK.
Of course what I would really like is military radios (not happening due to costs and waveforms not legal for anyone but military) with their mesh network capabilities and vast data carrying bandwidth. I've used the FalconIII systems before courtesy of NC Air National Guard and lust doesn't begin to cover my feelings. Tetra and other TDMA (DMR) obviously can do a really skinny mesh and that is attractive if it works predictably.
The moto SLR1000 is 10watts, 10lbs, could run on battery and could be used without hardline (stick the antenna on it and put the whole kit up in the air). I told them I'd check it out.
 

RFI-EMI-GUY

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You could try a simplex store and forward repeater. If hearing a message twice is a problem, you can use a duplex pair or different PL in and out with a simplex repeater set up. The only downside is the delay and potential doubling.
 

otobmark

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You could try a simplex store and forward repeater. If hearing a message twice is a problem, you can use a duplex pair or different PL in and out with a simplex repeater set up. The only downside is the delay and potential doubling.
I'll ask. The official request from them was about single frequency TDMA repeat using DMR. I know this was a tetra thing from the start. I told them I'd look into it while also suggesting that Motorola would probably give them a dog and pony show.
 

RFI-EMI-GUY

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I'll ask. The official request from them was about single frequency TDMA repeat using DMR. I know this was a tetra thing from the start. I told them I'd look into it while also suggesting that Motorola would probably give them a dog and pony show.

Hytera had an impressive single freq TDMA repeater at IWCE 2018. It was a lunchbox and actually coukd do 4 slots in 25 KHz to facilitate a backbone relay between multiple lunch boxes. I was sure it was a DMR offering, but could be wrong,
 

alcahuete

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Oh yeah...I saw the other disastrous post. ;)

I don't have a whole lot to add to this thread, unfortunately, aside from yes, there are devices that do what you are looking at doing. At least Hytera used to. I don't know anymore with the /\/\ lawsuit and all. The new Anytone 578 does what you're looking for, but at the end of the day, although it's Part 90 certified, it's a ham radio. Would have a hell of time hauling that thing up on a drone too. Weighs 1.04 kg. Not terrible, but would still need batteries and such.
 

otobmark

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Well the drone thing is kind of a stunt at this point to my thinking. CAP supposedly will put up airborne repeater if the paperwork is right. Cost to the taxpayer ridiculous no doubt. Tetra radios sound perfect with their extender function. Remember Nextel push to talk? A few models of those could relay traffic, even when not connected to cell tower.
The tech is there so real question is why won’t moto, Kenwood et al give use what a cheap Chinese chip radio will?
 

otobmark

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Look at the Cheap Chinese Radio on a good Service Monitor they transmit so wide they wash out everything around them.
Oh do I know that!

As an aside, even when using moto or kenwood DMR radios if I have 2 radios sitting on the table on the same repeater and talkgroup there is some kind of interaction while RECEIVING traffic. Usually one of the radios will go silent and not always the same one. They sort of jam each other in close proximity.
 
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