MDC1200 on Ham

[tunnelmot]

did I just reply to a year and a half old post? WTHeck?

 

[OpSec]

Yes, you did.

 

[stevelton]

I thought I should bring this one back to see if anyone has changed their mind about MDC on Ham.

On our local 440 repeater, the repeater is built out of 2 Icom Mobiles, F221s to be exact. We have the controller set for No courtesy beep (I hate those fruity beeping tones that are on most ham repeaters as much as the old farts hate us young guys MDC) .

Instead, the repeaters transmitting radio is set to Post-ID, so when the carrier drops, the courtesy beep IS the repeaters MDC ID.

I leave my MDC on all my radios on ham bands, because I find it attracts the attention of other hams who use commercial gear, since I have little patients for people who are against the younger generation of hams pursuing a small area of radio communications, I could really careless if someone doesnt like me having it on my radios, as I dont want to talk to them anyway.
The only ham channels it is not on is ones who's owners have asked me to turn it off. I complied, and have not used their repeater since.

 

[newsphotog]

I leave my MDC on all my radios on ham bands, because I find it attracts the attention of other hams who use commercial gear, since I have little patients for people who are against the younger generation of hams pursuing a small area of radio communications, I could really careless if someone doesnt like me having it on my radios, as I dont want to talk to them anyway.
The only ham channels it is not on is ones who's owners have asked me to turn it off. I complied, and have not used their repeater since.

I don't think I'd mind MDC1200 tones, I'm used to them on the public safety bands, but I don't use them either. I've never heard MDC1200 on the repeaters in my area, but I wouldn't mind if someone did use it. But I'm probably the minority in my area. If you didn't want to talk to anyone that got angry about using MDC1200, boy, would you be a lonely soul on the repeaters in my area!

I think courtesy tones in general are useless. As a ham, I'd hope you would already be able to tell when someone was done talking, and to also leave some pauses in between transmissions every now and then in case someone wants to break in. At least MDC1200 serves a purpose. Courtesy tones are right on up there with automated 15-, 30-, and 60-minute voice ID's that are nothing more than talking time clocks and tells you which PL to use.

As a side note, I think the courtesy tones from the bubble-pack FRS radios are the worst. Thank god tones like that are not used on the ham bands.

 

[DaveNF2G]

If some hams could learn how to adjust their deviation and/or mic gain, tones might not be so much of a problem. We have a couple of seriously undermodulated hams in my area. If anyone was sending MDC or NASA beeps or anything else, we would probably get blown out of our chairs as we have the volume turned up so high to hear the whispering stations.

 

[stevelton]

Yeah, one of the guys in my group is soft spoken, so I try to keep one hand on the volume knob when he and I are talking.
It wont be so bad when I get a radio that does DOS.
Steven

 

[auxscan]

I know a GMRS repeater that requires all its members to have a tone, wheither it mdc, modat or GE. Its more affective this way cause radio ID is shown on radio that can decode them and the operator can know who's dead keying or jamming other operators.

 

[APTN]

I don't think I'd mind MDC1200 tones, I'm used to them on the public safety bands, but I don't use them either. I've never heard MDC1200 on the repeaters in my area, but I wouldn't mind if someone did use it. But I'm probably the minority in my area. If you didn't want to talk to anyone that got angry about using MDC1200, boy, would you be a lonely soul on the repeaters in my area!

I think courtesy tones in general are useless. As a ham, I'd hope you would already be able to tell when someone was done talking, and to also leave some pauses in between transmissions every now and then in case someone wants to break in. At least MDC1200 serves a purpose. Courtesy tones are right on up there with automated 15-, 30-, and 60-minute voice ID's that are nothing more than talking time clocks and tells you which PL to use.

As a side note, I think the courtesy tones from the bubble-pack FRS radios are the worst. Thank god tones like that are not used on the ham bands.

I have never used bubble-pack radios, so I can't for them. However, I have used commercial grade radios from Motorola and Kenwood. I'd rather have tones than have users "walking on" each other. Anyways, I've heard MDC1200 in amateur usage on occasion. I say more power to the user if they can obtain commercial-grade equipment.

 

[KE4RWS]

Tiny Ham Portables

I also use mostly /\/\ stuff and have MDC1200 active on some channels for the reasons already listed here. I gravitated away from amateur gear (portables mostly) due to the cheap build quality of nearly all amateur-made portable radios. I hate cheap-ass belt clips, antenna's and the overall feeling that your portable will fall to pieces if you drop it ONE time. Many years ago I used Jedi series portables for work and found them to be hugely popular and in great numbers in the field (HT1000, MTS2000 MTX, etc). They have a great reputation, batteries are available everywhere, and genuine /\/\ accessories are inexpensive as well. I don't want to worry about breaking one of those cheap little amateur-made radios simply by using it. Plus, I absolutely HATE those tiny little ham radio portables. Their just way too small for my big hands, period. Plus the receive audio leaves a lot to be desired from those little piezoelectric-style speakers. Although I do have some commercial mobile stuff as well, overall I do like amateur mobiles of current design and possess some models.

But that's me . . .


Randy

 

[bezking]

I know a GMRS repeater that requires all its members to have a tone, wheither it mdc, modat or GE. Its more affective this way cause radio ID is shown on radio that can decode them and the operator can know who's dead keying or jamming other operators.

In the NYC area?

Info, please!

 

[gewecke]

Our local pd uses MDC1200 on their uhf repeater as well as some other agencies,so some of our EMA members who are also hams have mdc1200 on their 2 meter radios,but I see no reason for it.
I stay 220 mhz. and above anyway.
n9zas

 

[KE4RWS]

Inexperienced Radio Programmers . . .

I can also say that people who get these MDC-capable radio's and program them without prior experience can result in MDC being "activated" without the programmer realizing it. Depending on the RSS/CPS it can happen. So in some cases it's merely a matter of an inexperienced programmer.

Years ago you HAD to buy a Motorola RIB along with some expensive software and equally pricey cables . . . IF you could get it at all. By the time one purchased all necessary equipment and their radio of choice, they could have bought five high-dollar ham radio's.

Then came the high-dollar clones. Even later came RIB-less cables and $20 RIB clones and cheap-as-can-be cables. Given the current price of a lot of /\/\ stuff on the used market, anyone can buy this stuff nowadays to program it themselves for less than a ham portable. And of course /\/\ lost it's lock on software some time ago as well, which was the other half of peoples' inability to legally acquire the necessary stuff to do it themselves.

Now any Tom, Dick or Harry can acquire what they need to program their own stuff for almost nothing (and in some cases, nothing). All they need is a low-cost commercial radio and they're in business.

 

[robertmac]

Not needed

On amateur radio. Another example of dumbing down. There is absolutely no need for CB sounds on amateur radio.

 

[KE4RWS]

????

It's already been established that most of us who use MDC1200 do have a reason to use it. Just because you don't use it in no way means those of us who do use it for legitimate purposes are now CB'ers or are using it as a CB'er would. I know for a fact the people in my area who are currently utilizing MDC use it for ID purposes, which has nothing to do with CB mentality.

If anyone in my operating area doesn't like hearing a small blurp at the end of a transmission then they're welcome to switch to another repeater. MDC1200 is hardly an annoying sound to begin with (no more than CW or any other digital mode that continually sounds the ENTIRE length of the transmission). But it's easy to make something out of nothing these days just because someone doesn't understand it . . .


Randy

 

[kf4pep]

On amateur radio. Another example of dumbing down. There is absolutely no need for CB sounds on amateur radio.

Dumbing down?

Take a look at this:

Amateur Radio Repeater System covering Chicago and Northeast Illinois - FishFAR

A first rate networked repeater system with 5 outputs, and multiple receive sites one every repeater that automatically guage what reciever has the strongest and use it.

Far from dumbing down, it is one of the most well built, well developed ham reapetr systems in the world.

And you can't get on without MDC.

 

[newsphotog]

Dumbing down?

Take a look at this:

Amateur Radio Repeater System covering Chicago and Northeast Illinois - FishFAR

A first rate networked repeater system with 5 outputs, and multiple receive sites one every repeater that automatically guage what reciever has the strongest and use it.

Far from dumbing down, it is one of the most well built, well developed ham reapetr systems in the world.

And you can't get on without MDC.

Agreed.

"CB Sounds" would include roger beep (aka "courtesy tones" on the ham bands) and echo. The courtesy tones remind me so so so much of FRS radios. Long, drawn-out hourly voice ID's are pretty unnecessary too. At least MDC1200 serves a purpose.

 

[stevelton]

Agreed.

"CB Sounds" would include roger beep (aka "courtesy tones" on the ham bands) and echo. The courtesy tones remind me so so so much of FRS radios. Long, drawn-out hourly voice ID's are pretty unnecessary too. At least MDC1200 serves a purpose.

Well put. Thank you.

BTW, anyone know what type of controller the fishfar group is using to activate the system with an MDC code?
I am going to guess that it is something built into a Moto repeater.
But Around here mostly new icom and older ge mobiles make up the repeaters.
Is there an external controller able to do this?

Steven

 

[Irishfireguy3622]

There are a few of us living in Dayton using MDC1200 on the UHF repeaters in the area for its intended reason. I'm a fishFAR member too. My girlfriend lives in Chi-town and thats a great system to use! *squak*

 

[KB3KBR]

where do you guys get your motorola gear with mdc?

 

[KE4RWS]

Where?

Ebay, local auctions, ham shows.