While at Dayton, I met Rick Zach K1RJZ at the DMR-MARC booth early one morning and began asking questions about DMR. I soon knew that I needed to have Rick on the show to help demystify this new-fangled radio technology and help get me on the air! DMR or Digital Mobile Radio is one of the hottest things happening in the Ham Radio Hobby right now. Commercial success of the mode has driven down the prices and made it accessible to the Amateur Radio hobbyist. Join us to learn how this exciting mode is quickly becoming a game changer! Listen Here: LINK Show Notes: Here DMR-MARC Thanks for listening! 73, K4CDN
DMR is a great mode. Unfortunately, the MARC system has become overrun with appliance operators and self-appointed repeater cops. Before it used to be radio techs and people actually interested in learning something. Now, it's filled with people that don't understand the tech that are constantly disconnecting the C-bridge mid-QSO. Then, when you go back to North America because TAC-310 was disconnected, a self-appointed repeater cop tells you that you're going to burn up the repeater if you talk on North America, but not on TAC-310. (Still trying to figure out the logic on that one.) Brandmeister, on the other hand, is a pretty neat system.
DMR (or Fusion,dstar,p25,etc is IMHO, with respect to ham radio, a solution in search of a problem. p.s. Internet is not ham radio. Use hf to work dx not the internet. When all else fails, the Internet won't be there. Just my opinion, YMMV.
Well, some could argue that ham radio is a solution in search of a problem! Internet is not a requirement for any of these modes. We have a DMR network here in Colorado that is linked by microwave, just like a analog linked system, only it's digital. You can leverage the Internet if so desired, just like we're doing right now on QRZ. Experimentation is one of the hallmarks of ham radio, IMHO. Getting folks on the air with something new, learning, experimenting, etc. is a GOOD thing. DMR was built for the commercial market, but gaining experience with it as a ham might actually land a ham a job in the LMR market. DMR brings a lot of things to the table that aren't available with the glut of FM repeaters out there. Linking, talkgroups, TDMA time slots, spectral efficiency, power savings on the end user radio, etc. - lot's of possibilities. But sure, we don't need it anymore than we need an FM repeater, we don't do it for NEED, we do it to learn, have fun, engage others, etc. When all else fails, I won't be looking to ham radio! Steve KV6O
I think it's opinions like that that are quickly writing amateur radio into irrelevancy. In the western world, when was the last time the Internet failed across the entire country? Maybe Katrina? But that was 11 years ago. Things are way different now than they were in 2005. It's time to get with the times, or move aside. You don't need the Internet for DMR or any of the other digital voice protocols to work. They can be linked via microwave. (But let me guess, since that's above 50 MHz, that doesn't count as radio either.)
True, but the local DMR repeater (or DSTAR, or Fusion) will still be there and the repeaters do not need the Internet to communicate. The Internet just enhances the ability to communicate. At least with DStar it can also handle data pretty easily. Have not seen the same thing with DMR or Fusion yet. Those modes need a DRATS program. Heck the DMR and Fusion radios I have don't even have a data port like you find on the DStar radios.
What Fusion Radios are you running? Both the FTM- 100 and FTM-400 both have data ports for the SCU-20 Cable, and the FTM-400 also includes a USB dataport on the front.
The Internet worked in parts of Post-Katrina LA. Carl used it for Echolink connections to pass traffic to HF users in OH so they could in-turn contact the Coast Guard Stations in FL. Hear about it here: Episode 24, Katrina. That is one of the most compelling and moving shows I've done to date! K4CDN
There you have it, folks! The fact of the matter is - ham radio is growing more and more irrelevant as an emergency service for two reasons: 1) If it uses the Internet or anything (gasp) DIGITAL, it isn't real ham radio. 2) Look at the average age of ham operators and look at their health condition. Let's address issue 1, first. The "old guard" can't get out of the past. Internet linking is much more intricate than almost any other aspect of the hobby. It require knowledge of networking. It requires knowledge of Linux. It requires the old "hard" skills of soldering and such. It involves radio. Point is, it requires a more diverse skill set than the average fuddy duddy has. There are a lot more moving parts than throwing a wire into a tuner and tuning up to call CQ. Issue 2: The military requires some sort of physical fitness. All public safety agencies, including the volunteer fire departments and police auxiliaries, require some level of physical fitness. In my experience, most hams are grossly obese and ripe with medical conditions. These people become more of a liability than an asset. Further, the one that very few people want to discuss, is that large cities have levels upon levels of backup communication systems. On multiple bands. Sure, in the rural areas, there is still value. But your high risk targets (think NYC, LA, Chicago, Miami, Vegas, etc.) have multiple levels of backup. Luckily, the government learned a lot from 9/11 and Katrina. Not to mention, the Internet is more stable than a lot of people want to admit. Especially the fuddy duddies that are afraid of technology newer than the 60s and refuse to run PL capable rigs. My $0.02 worth.
It's a Big Pool with room for everyone... I hope those of you who posted have also taken the time to give us a listen, we have a lot of fun delving into this Massive Hobby (from 96 y/o WWII CW instructors to Micro-Controllers) ! 73
In our case in NH, we have a far northern county on the Canadian border with NO cellular service. Snowmobiling is the primary winter industry up there. ATV'ing is becoming the summer industry. Breakdowns and injuries are not unusual. For that reason, we are installing a DMR repeater in a town called Clarksville which will cover that no-mans-land where cellular does not exist. That is a serious problem looking for a viable solution and we will soon have it. Unusual, maybe so. But never the less, real. Rick, K1RJZ
For those hams located in Minnesota. We now have five wide area UHF DMR repeaters located in the following cities; Burnsville, Faribault, Medina, Minnetonka and Rochester. We have fill in repeaters in Dayton, Minneapolis, and Oakdale. We are actively working on bringing coverage to the Brainerd lakes area and as always we are interested in working with local clubs or individuals to bring coverage to areas like St Cloud and Stillwater or any other area in Minnesota that would like to come on board. Here is what you need to do to in order to enjoy our system after purchasing a DMR compliant radio; 1. First step is to get yourself a DMR-MARC Radio ID. Visit here: http://www.dmr-marc.net/cgi-bin/trbo-database/userreg.cgi Follow the Steps there. Once validated, the DMR-MARC team will send you an email w/ your DMR-MARC Radio ID. Note this ID down somewhere. Yourself and Your radio will be identified with this ID across your DMR user experience. 2. Download the MN-DMR codeplug for your Radio Model. Visit here: http://mndmr.net/resources-2/mn-dmr-code-plugs/ Download the corresponding codeplug and upload the codeplug to your radio. If you are doing this yourself, you will need access to the programming software for your radio. You could also reach out to your local MN-DMR enthusiast and have him/her help upload the codeplug to you radio. Whether you do it, or having someone do it for you, please ensure you use the DMR-MARC Radio ID you got in step #1 and include that in your programming. You’re all set. You can start using your DMR radio and the MN-DMR network. For more information you can visit the Minnesota DMR Enthusiasts website at www.mndmr.net/ Coverage Map http://mndmr.net/mn-dmr-interactive-coverage-map/
Great Episode!! I have been on DMR for a while and really enjoy it! This PodCast is top notch!! I like all modes of Ham Radio. Remember its a hobby and were here to have fun!
It's been around for years. It's just finally starting to catch on thanks to the TYT MD-380. For whatever reason, people are afraid of Motorola gear.
