Marine band going digital

StoliRaz

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What next, CB and Aviation going simulcast digital? I better shut my mouth before I give them any ideas 😒 Damned hobby keeps getting more and more expensive. Nothing like needing a $450 radio to listen to taxis and lobstermen🥴
 

mmckenna

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What next, CB and Aviation going simulcast digital? I better shut my mouth before I give them any ideas 😒 Damned hobby keeps getting more and more expensive. Nothing like needing a $450 radio to listen to taxis and lobstermen🥴

Well, look at it this way:

In 1980, a 16 channel analog only programmable scanner was $399.00
In 2022 dollars, that works out to about $1400.00

Can you imagine if you had to pay $1,400.00 for a 16 channel analog scanner?
 

n4jri

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Well, look at it this way:

In 1980, a 16 channel analog only programmable scanner was $399.00
In 2022 dollars, that works out to about $1400.00

Can you imagine if you had to pay $1,400.00 for a 16 channel analog scanner?

Well, I guess I did. When that first Bearcat 100 keyboard programmable handheld (with the metal frame) came out in the early 80's I shelled out something close to $399--and it hurt! I still have it but it's dead as a doornail. But back in the day, it was such a thrill to key in a specific frequency--and have a 'search' mode. Was intrigued to see one used as a prop on an episode of 'The Americans'

73/Allen (N4JRI)
 

pratzert

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So will the Uniden SDS100/200 be capable of listening to this "new" digital radio system?
 

mmckenna

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So will the Uniden SDS100/200 be capable of listening to this "new" digital radio system?

ITU is still working out the standards. At least they were as of last year. Until ITU nails down the standard and releases it, no radio will be.

From what documents I've been reading, they're looking at a 6.25KHz digital format and more or less along the lines of dPMR/NXDN, but nothing is set in stone yet.
 

kb5udf

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Two main concerns:
Proper implementation such that the vocoder doesn't get overwhelmed by noise (a motor small vessel underway is noisy indeed) either from being underway and/or storms. Second, given my great respect for the experience of MMckenna this needs to be idiot proof, given the challenges and considerable expertise he notes is needed to make his NXDN system(s) sound good.

With that said I have no qualms about nxdn audio quality I have monitored, it was much better than that awful sounding (my 2 cents) narrow band analog (ie 2.5khz deviation).
 

DeoVindice

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Two main concerns:
Proper implementation such that the vocoder doesn't get overwhelmed by noise (a motor small vessel underway is noisy indeed) either from being underway and/or storms. Second, given my great respect for the experience of MMckenna this needs to be idiot proof, given the challenges and considerable expertise he notes is needed to make his NXDN system(s) sound good.

With that said I have no qualms about nxdn audio quality I have monitored, it was much better than that awful sounding (my 2 cents) narrow band analog (ie 2.5khz deviation).

I've done some testing with unmuffled diesel engines on older mining equipment, which match or exceed small craft noise levels. P25 radios completely cancelled out the engine noise. Well-implemented digital voice sounds better than analog.
 

redbeard

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So will the Uniden SDS100/200 be capable of listening to this "new" digital radio system?
Yes. No. Maybe. It's the same as every single Uniden question. We won't know until they tell us. But at this rate, my money is on NO.
What next, CB and Aviation going simulcast digital? I better shut my mouth before I give them any ideas 😒 Damned hobby keeps getting more and more expensive. Nothing like needing a $450 radio to listen to taxis and lobstermen🥴
How does a single trucker or aircraft SIMULtaneously broadCAST from multiple GPS synced transmitters from a single vehicle via simplex? FUD FUD FUD
 

StoliRaz

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Yes. No. Maybe. It's the same as every single Uniden question. We won't know until they tell us. But at this rate, my money is on NO.

How does a single trucker or aircraft SIMULtaneously broadCAST from multiple GPS synced transmitters from a single vehicle via simplex? FUD FUD FUD
....it was a joke.
 

INDY72

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Yes. No. Maybe. It's the same as every single Uniden question. We won't know until they tell us. But at this rate, my money is on NO.

How does a single trucker or aircraft SIMULtaneously broadCAST from multiple GPS synced transmitters from a single vehicle via simplex? FUD FUD FUD
Umm try again. NXDN is an open standard and both Whistler and Uniden already use it. Yes scanners can and will be fine on both marine and rail NXDN that is unencrypted.
 

redbeard

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Umm try again. NXDN is an open standard and both Whistler and Uniden already use it. Yes scanners can and will be fine on both marine and rail NXDN that is unencrypted.
Nobody said that marine was going NXDN, it was stated it was LIKE NXDN. So YOU try again. dPMR is not NXDN. So just like the SDS can't listen to Yaesu Fusion even though it is C4FM and AMBE like P25, it can't listen to a different protocol like dPMR even though the CODEC is similar to NXDN.
 

INDY72

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ITU is pushing NXDN hard. But just like with railroads some will naysay until the day some user broadcasts it. NXDN is a globally usable format, fully open standard, and readily available. Logistics will win out and it will be NXDN. But believe what you want.
 

mmckenna

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ITU never called out NXDN in any of the documents I read. There was mention of similarities to dPMR (which is similar to NXDN). ITU was specifically referring to a -true- 6.25KHz FDMA digital mode (not 6.25KHz "equivalent"/DMR/TDMA/P25/C4FM/D*star or an others). To design an entirely new protocol from scratch would be a waste. dPMR/NXDN/Whatever would fill the role.

But, remember, it's in the planning stages. There's channel plans for 6.25KHz channels, and the process has begun, reality is that any "new" digital radios are probably pretty far out over the proverbial horizon.
 

redbeard

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ITU is pushing NXDN hard. But just like with railroads some will naysay until the day some user broadcasts it. NXDN is a globally usable format, fully open standard, and readily available. Logistics will win out and it will be NXDN. But believe what you want.
Did you even read the report? NXDN doesn't have the address space for the MMSI data. Exactly what was posted in post #11 in this thread. They also went on to say they would rather use dPMR as it's an open standard. If the two are so similar tell me more about how you can listen to dPMR with your NXDN enabled SDS...I'll wait.
 

AM909

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FWIW, the USCG site has talked in general about 6.25 kHz channels for at least 11 years. However, that page hasn't really changed beyond just specifying the method of channel numbering.
 

mmckenna

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FWIW, the USCG site has talked in general about 6.25 kHz channels for at least 11 years. However, that page hasn't really changed beyond just specifying the method of channel numbering.

Right. The new radio service is bigger than USCG or FCC. Since it needs to operate worldwide, it needs to be an international standard, which is what ITU does.
I'll have to go digging on the ITU website again and see if they've made any progress on it.
 

majoco

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When I went to Portugal in 2008 to meet an old ham friend who retired there, the local Spanish and Portuguese sardine and sprat fishermen (persons?) were using 28MHz CB's to talk amongst themselves and their bases - I didn't hear any VHF marine band chatter and they probably don't need it. Do you think they gave a rats about the ITU - I doubt it.
 
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