HowTo How do you program DMR / MOTOTRBO / NXDN?

[ka3jjz]

To the best of my knowledge, this question - which does show up from time to time - has been asked but never really documented. Certainly not fully. The only doc I saw (with thanks to an unknown individual - I plumb forgot his/her name!) is in the mess that is the Uniden TWiki, viz.

http://info.uniden.com/twiki/bin/view/UnidenMan4/DigitalMobileRadioUpgrade#Programming_and_Using_DMR_and_Mo

Steve did a nice job of documenting this process in Sentinel for a MOTOTRBO system....

DMR Help

How do i put in DMR chs in sds 200 scanner 151-154 mhz for SMECO -Electric cooperative

forums.radioreference.com

(Before someone asks, I did ask JB about updating the TWiki. He's got much bigger fish to fry, I'm afraid)

To be blunt - we need more of this! It's the kind of question that the wiki can be used to store the answer so that the same topic isn't restated again and again.

Just by way of review, there are really 5 programs that can work with the various DMR / MOTOTRBO / NXDN capable scanners. These are (note: Not FreeScan);

• ARC-XT (for the 325P2 / 996P2)
• ARC-536 (for the 436/536/SDS100/SDS200)
• Sentinel (same as ARC-536; sadly not much if anything in the Easier to Read manual)
• ProScan (all Uniden)
• EZ Scan (Whistler scanners. I suspect the method would be identical regardless of the scanner used, but I could be wrong)

Of course no one should expect to write up every one of these apps. Take one, any one. Yes I know the support is incomplete (Hytera systems are an issue for Unidens, Whistler NXDN trunking really isn't) but these should also be explained.

Details on how to use utilities like DSD+ (and others if applicable) would also be welcome. To it's credit, the TWiki does have a little on that program, but neglects to tell you where to find it (duh!)

The upgrades to these modes have been out there for some time. 'nuff said

Mike

 

[ka3jjz]

Case in point....

Newmarket DMR Programing Help for Uniden BCD 996P2

Good evening. I am in Canada,Ontario,in Newmarket. I have a Uniden BCD 996P2 and are trying to setup the DMR function. I paid Uniden and got the unlock code. I am trying to add Tiny, Tay Townships,and Point to Point but hear no audio. Can someone please help out? Thank you

forums.radioreference.com

Mike

 

[merlin]

Sounds like a crate of apples/oranges/lemons and asking how to make juice.
First, each and every scanner has its own features, capabilities, and limitations meaning they program differently. To my know, MOTOTRBO and NXDN are digital trunking protocols, DMR is widefield for digital voice/data.
DSD+ is a PC based decoding app for a lot of different digital voice modes and tone features.
Now a lot of this interlinks like a section for systems, a section for a compatible digital voice modes, a section of groups and their digital modes, and then channels and their digital modes.
Your 'case in point',no decode audio,,programmed correctly just lacks the proper on board DSP for 'that' digital audio mode. (or programmed for it.)
That is where something like DSD+ comes in handy.
(If I am wrong here, correct me.)
73s

 

[mmckenna]

MOTOTRBO and NXDN are digital trunking protocols, DMR is widefield for digital voice/data.

MotoTrbo is Motorola's version of DMR.
MotoTrbo can be conventional or trunked, same as DMR.

NXDN is a digital protocol, it can be conventional or trunked.

Kenwood refers to their NXDN and NXDN trunking as "NexEdge".​

Icom refers to their NXDN and NXDN trunking as "iDAS".​

NXDN can handle data and/or voice.​

​

 

[ka3jjz]

If Uniden would write something up for DMR/Mototrbo/Hytera and NXDN (all flavors) for its own Sentinel program that would be a start. Yes this would be a huge job (as it would need to cover 4 scanners at once). Good documentation is pure kryptonite for developers (I am one, so I know whereof I speak...) but it's an absolute necessity, particularly with newcomers..as I wrote in another thread, their TWiki is a logical place to develop this, since I suspect the instructions would be common for all 4 scanners. Then they'd have to write up something for the 325P2 and 996P2 (because the DMA version is different), but I am willing to bet the instructions would be close. You could clone the pages written for the HP based scanners and make the necessary changes. .Mike

 

[ka3jjz]

Not only do we now have dedicated sections for DMR/MOTOTRBO in our 436 and SDS FAQs (as mentioned elsewhere), but we have a start for the P2 scanners here

Programming the P2 Scanners for DMR / MOTOTRBO - The RadioReference Wiki

wiki.radioreference.com

P2 owners that are using these scanners for DMR and MOTOTRBO, this is for you. I will start another page for NXDN if data starts showing up for this mode If we get enough information I'll combine the data into a single series of pages.

Mike

 

[bagmouse7]

I wrote this guide a long time ago, is this the type of document you are looking for?

Fun with DMR: programming a single channel DMR system

Here is my fist pass at a setup up a setup guide for a single channel DMR system using a Uniden 436 and the latest release candidate (2). I am monitoring my local amateur DMR repeaters who are all part of the PRN DMR repeater network. This gives us some interesting monitoring opportunities now...

forums.radioreference.com

I wrote this mostly to document the process of grabbing all the DMR UIDs and getting them into Sentinel.
These documents are hard to keep current, especially when you point to links that may change.
Hope this helps.

 

[ka3jjz]

That's a start, bag, and I think I've already linked this, but I will check.

Thanks....Mike