Trying some DMR monitoring - what should I be hearing?

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kc2kth

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So I haven't tried monitoring anything DMR previously but decided I'd plug in a local amateur repeater to my TRX-1. The only thing I've heard so far must be the repeater id. What I hear is what sounds like a short digital "burst" followed by the repeater id in Morse. Is it normal to hear that digital burst?
 

troymail

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So I haven't tried monitoring anything DMR previously but decided I'd plug in a local amateur repeater to my TRX-1. The only thing I've heard so far must be the repeater id. What I hear is what sounds like a short digital "burst" followed by the repeater id in Morse. Is it normal to hear that digital burst?

Sounds like you haven't programmed it as DMR. If you've programmed the repeater frequency as conventional, make sure you've set the "Mode" column to "DMR" and the squelch column is defaulted to "cc:* sl:* tg:* (unless you've programmed specific talkgroups).
 

Wackyracer

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I find that DMR audio is way louder and It will actually say DMR on the display.
 

Ubbe

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For some reason the auto mode will not let the scanner switch between DMR and analog modes. It needs to be forced to one or the other.

The DAC gain value in settings will adjust the audio level between analog and digital.

/Ubbe
 

kc2kth

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OK, well I guess it was just the repeater I was trying to monitor. Just added in a half dozen more and I'm hearing activity on one within seconds of starting to scan my new Ham DMR list. I'm not sure I'm hearing all of the conversation on either slot. I may try programming each frequency twice, once for each slot, instead of relying on the wildcard there. Since I believe there are only two slots that shouldn't be too hard.

thanks folks!
 

BrianG61UK

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I may try programming each frequency twice, once for each slot, instead of relying on the wildcard there.

That's what I do for amateur repeaters because it's quite common for both slots to be in use and with wildcard slot and both slots in use the scanner tends to switch from one slot to the other every time there is an over, which makes it impossible to follow either conversation.
 

vocoder

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So if it is a single channel DMR frequency to monitor, you program it as conventional or TRS?
Will the single channel DMR system have a constant data stream on it?
Or does the data TX only when the PTT is activated?
 

BrianG61UK

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So if it is a single channel DMR frequency to monitor, you program it as conventional or TRS?
Will the single channel DMR system have a constant data stream on it?
Or does the data TX only when the PTT is activated?
I've always done them as conventional on my WS1088.

Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk
 

troymail

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So if it is a single channel DMR frequency to monitor, you program it as conventional or TRS?
Will the single channel DMR system have a constant data stream on it?
Or does the data TX only when the PTT is activated?

As always, "it depends".

A single channel DMR frequency could be configured to be used like a conventional frequency with a single set of users (just like the old analog conventional only digital).

However, a single DMR frequency can also be used for both of it's slots effectively becoming two different frequencies. Being DMR, that single frequency can also be configured by the system owners to carry multiple talkgroups supporting different users.

Whistler's implementation allows you to program any DMR frequency as either conventional or as a trunked system.

The easiest thing to do is to program it as conventional. However, if the frequency is being used as more than a simple digital conventional channel, you'll hear a variety of mixed conversations if programmed with wildcards (cc, sl, tgid). Then, for each TGID (at least), you'll need to add another conventional object to "separate" those logical channels.

If you program that same frequency as a trunked system, you can easily tell the radio to store the wildcard TGIDs found as a new talkgroup.

Of course, if the "system" has more than one frequency, you'll miss conversations in either mode of programming unless/until you've programmed all frequencies.

As far as the data - Whistler detects and ignores the data on the frequencies.
 

BrianG61UK

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I've never found a case where I needed to separate different TGIDs or CCs.
The only case where conversations get muddled up is the two different slots.
 

kc2kth

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Ah, I like the idea of programming these as trunked systems instead of conventional. The amateur repeaters I'm listening to all use both time slots with multiple, different TGs in each slot. After a day or so of listening I can generally tell what I'm listening to, but having a way to see and organize the TGs would be nice.
 

SCPD

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Ah, I like the idea of programming these as trunked systems instead of conventional. The amateur repeaters I'm listening to all use both time slots with multiple, different TGs in each slot. After a day or so of listening I can generally tell what I'm listening to, but having a way to see and organize the TGs would be nice.

Just program the talk groups in .. the scanner will stop on them as they are used for DMR MARC. Also add a wildcard as well for the TG's you do not have listed.

For Brandmeister .. use a wildcard only.

It also helps to program the radio id's of all the hams into the radio id section. I do mine by callsign and first name .. so you can see who it talking on the display. There are just over 62,000 id's currently.
 
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