Yet another DMR question...

Status
Not open for further replies.

gcopter1

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Mar 1, 2014
Messages
838
Location
Winter Park, Florida
A bit of background, been a licensed amateur since 2016, technician.
When I first got licensed, I used DMR, with the help of another ham who gave me a codeplug to program my MD and Motorola radios.

I then moved on to Yaesu Fusion, something I was able to understand better, had no real problems programming the radios and understanding how it worked.

Since then, I moved away from ham radio and dedicated myself to listening.

I'm big into scanning and now interested in DMR, specifically Amateur DMR, and want to understand more about how it operates.

My question deals with DMR repeaters and connectivity.

I know that in the YSF world, if a repeater owner has their gear connected to a Wires-X node, I can program my radio to that repeater and use the Wires-X function to choose a "room" anywhere in the YSF system and talk at will.

But, in the DMR world, that doesn't seem to be the case?

So, if I were to get a DMR rig, program my local repeater frequencies, would I be able to "dial in" any talkgroup and talk there?

Is it dependent upon what specific DMR network the repeater owner is subscribed to, i.e., DMR-MARC or Brandmeister, etc.?

I see some local repeaters not having any talkgroups, just TS/CC info while others do specify actual talkgroup info in addition to the former.

This leads me to believe I've got some leeway into what talkgroup I want to use for a given repeater/system combination?
 

cmjonesinc

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Apr 25, 2011
Messages
1,399
You've got the right idea. I'm not aware of any repeaters with an adhoc function to choose any talkgroup on a network you would like. Typically from what I've seen you get to choose from what the machine offers. So if it's part of a network you can have access to the talkgroups the repeater owner decided to carry on their particular machine. Just because it's using dmr as it's digital mode doesn't mean it is linked to any other repeaters or part of any network. There are many standalone repeaters that operate just like a conventional analog machine but just use digital voice. For instance my state has a multistate linked dmr network but it isn't part of brandmeister. So while it's wide area, it isn't worldwide or even nationwide. Some repeaters operate like that but have a specific talkgroup that is linked to an outside network. So to confuse things even further you can choose that talkgroup and it will connect to another system and patch them together for the duration of your conversation. Then it will either timeout due to inactivity or you will clear the patch yourself. It can be a bit confusing. If you really want access to all the talkgroups on a specific system like brandmeister you may be better off getting a Hotspot. Then you can select which talkgroup you want to use. Downside is that you're limited to the small range where your Hotspot is. I have one myself because my localish dmr network isn't connected to brandmeister and is also on the rim of where I can communicate reliably. Hope that helped answer some questions.
 

gcopter1

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Mar 1, 2014
Messages
838
Location
Winter Park, Florida
Thank you, that's what I suspected in my so far limited research.
In my experience with YSF, or for that matter, a DSTAR repeater, if I can find one with open connectivity, I can pretty much dial in whom and where I wan to talk to.

Hotspots are a different matter altogether as they offer reflectors that are merely patches into "ecosystems" as in, a hotspot can't bring you into a true System Fusion, DSTAR or DMR experience, but just a bridge between systems.
 

gcopter1

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Mar 1, 2014
Messages
838
Location
Winter Park, Florida
Previously, when I used to own a Yaesu FT2DR, I travelled from my current location to another part of the state.
It had a system Fusion repeater enabled with Wires-X.
I was able to use Wires-X, change rooms to where my buddy was a distance away, and carry a QSO.
No reprogramming on my radio needed, I did, of course, in advance 'cause I knew I would be making that trip in the future, but, the point is, even without that, I could always use my cellphone to look up repeater book, program my radio via FPP and be talking.

Not so sure I can do that with DMR, and even then, the talkgroup thing, seems to be a limiting factor?

With the DSTAR is the same thing, although, if memory serves, as long as the repeater is linked to the internet, I can always dial in where I want to talk.
 

gcopter1

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Mar 1, 2014
Messages
838
Location
Winter Park, Florida
For the price, the Anytone-D878UV, seems to be a fantastic radio I would love to try in DMR. Not to crazy about the connectivity thing, guess it's a matter of perspective?
 

popnokick

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Mar 21, 2004
Messages
2,837
Location
Northeast PA
Unless the talkgroups have been restricted by the repeater admin, a BrandMeister repeater allows you to select any BM TG via your radio's codeplug, or manually keying the TG contact # if your radio supports that. An "open" BM repeater operates very much like a hotspot. Repeaters that are connected to Internet voice networks other than BM usually have specific, hard-coded TGs assigned to each DMR timeslot on the repeater. It's very important when you use a repeater to understand what network the repeater is using and how the TGs are configured.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top