C4FM vs DSTAR Northwest NY

[NS9710]

I see there are equal C4FM and DSTAR repeaters in Niagara and Erie counties in NY, does anyone know which one is busier, considering getting a Ham License, however want to make sure I don’t get a license for a format that’s really not gonna work for me locally. Rarely outside of said area of NY.

 

[ko6jw_2]

Your ham radio license is not restricted to any single modulation method. I would contact a local radio club for info on local usage. ICOM and Kenwood make D-star radios and Yaesu only makes C4FM. There is also DMR to consider. No radio out there is mult-system so choose wisely. All radios can be used on conventional analog FM systems .

 

[NS9710]

I know the license has nothing to do with what digital modulation form I can use, I was just wondering if anyone knew which would be more beneficial to invest in, I'm further aware of the DMR (not much being picked up by my BCD436HP), but I didn't know which was worth the investment with the wider array of users.

Your ham radio license is not restricted to any single modulation method. I would contact a local radio club for info on local usage. ICOM and Kenwood make D-star radios and Yaesu only makes C4FM. There is also DMR to consider. No radio out there is mult-system so choose wisely. All radios can be used on conventional analog FM systems .

 

[k2hz]

I know the license has nothing to do with what digital modulation form I can use, I was just wondering if anyone knew which would be more beneficial to invest in, I'm further aware of the DMR (not much being picked up by my BCD436HP), but I didn't know which was worth the investment with the wider array of users.

Have you monitored the frequencies with your 436 to check for activity even if it can't decode the actual traffic? Even if the repeater actually exists there may be little or no activity. Some of these special modes have few users and may have limited use once the novelty wears off.