Hytera Enters the North American Amateur Radio Market

The Hytera Radios is for commercial use, just work in 12.5 kHz " No 20, No 25 is illegal in USA, for DMR use is OK but for Analog mode maybe has some issues with the audio

73's Juan WX3C
Hytera Dealer in West Palm Beach Florida

 

Actually, they do 25 kHz analog according to the spec sheet.

 

Apparently the last CPS allows you to change those parameters, sorry I should have looked at that before passing the note.

 

Here are some of the most commonly asked questions that many hams have been asking about the Hytera line:

Q. What’s the difference between the amateur Hytera radios their land mobile counterparts?

A. The biggest difference is the amateur model is less expensive. During our initial market test, there is no difference between the two radios but future revisions are expected to include the removal of features such as encryption and man-down, restriction to amateur frequencies, and additional features and interface improvements based on feedback from the amateur community. Click here to give us your suggestions: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DMR-suggestions

Q. If I buy the programming cable, where do I get the CPS software to program the radio with?

A. The official download site is: http://www.gigaparts.net/downloads

Q. Are the radios programmable from the keypad?

A. Front Panel Programmable (FPP) is a feature on the radios that have a keypad (not the PA362), but it’s not enabled out of the box. To accomplish this, we have to upload a code plug that includes the enabling of another feature, Wideband Transmit, and that can only be done with a “Super User License.”

Q. Can I get the Super User License?

A. The Super User License is only available to licensed amateur operators. We are working on a system to distribute this at no charge in way that will involve a simple license validation process.

Q. I have a bunch of product suggestions but nobody has been listening, what do I do?

A. GigaParts and Hytera need your product suggestions and feature requests! There are new models in the works specifically for amateur radio and Hytera wants to know what hams need. Submit your ideas and gripes here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DMR-suggestions

 

Very pretty just a bit to pricey I will wait for the forthcoming TYT Mobile.

 

There are DMR radios coming along the pike with more ham-friendly features, but Hytera doesn't seem to be making them. The difference between the new Hyteras and existing commercial Hyteras is that by ditching encryption, which is illegal to use on ham radio in most countries anyway, they have dropped their prices at least into the same ballpark as other Chinese DMR radios. Whilst some argue that Hytera are better quality than many of those, and there are a few that are poor quality, or lack essential features, that doesn't apply to as many as some people like to accuse. Hytera's idea of a ham version is a no-encryption version, which is valid only up to a point.

Are there some radios that should be avoided? Yes, and they fall into two main categories. The first is radios in reputable brands that are not suitable for ham use. Some of those have no keypad and occasionally no display, which are usable but not fun. Others are Tier I, which have legitimate uses, but Tier II operation is needed for all ham repeaters. You can use a Tier I radio as a ham, but only simplex.

The second category is those that have particular deficiencies. For example, the BeiFeng TD501 (no relation to BaoFeng) has no PL tones, so although you can use it on FM, good luck accessing most FM repeaters. A related category is radios that were advertised as Tier II, but are only Tier I (BaoFeng DM-5R, TYT MD-398, Radioddity GD-55). See above as to why that is a problem.

My Tytera (really a TYT) MD-380 works fine, but there is practically nothing yet that is dual band or has a VFO, and certainly nothing like that from them or from Hytera (again, not the same brand). Alinco makes a single band radio with a VFO. Anytone has advertised a dual band radio with a VFO, but you can't buy one yet. And that brings us back to the BaoFeng DM-5R, which is a dual bander with a VFO, but is not a Tier II radio, even though advertised as such, and then advertised as upgradeable to Tier II, but can't be.

So, if you want a radio with a VFO and not just memories, either buy an Alinco, knowing it has only one band like everybody else, or wait until at least March for the dual-band Anytone and hope there are no problems with that. Anytone does already make Tier II radios, albeit single banders with no VFO, so it sounds promising? The TYT MD-2017 is also supposed to have a VFO, but no delivery date.

 

Look here: http://www.hytera.com/productResources.htm?columnId=416&proId=3577&resourceType=1#page-index (

I have been using Hytera PD685GMD, MD785G (VHF stations) for about two years now and they are very well built and works well. The PD685 is IP67 classed.

For those that run their radios in a private net it's possible to also use encryption.

If there are many repeaters in an area with the same talk groups that are interconnected through internet it's possible to program the radios to perform roaming so that it shifts to a better repeater if the signal gets too weak. The factory default level that Hytera has set seems to be a bit too low, so raising it to -101dB the handover seems to work better. This is however for VHF and not UHF.

Another factor is to consider your programming to use "Color Code Free" instead of the default "Channel Free" to allow PTT. Allowing Tx regardless is a possibility but it can lead to that you think you get out but the repeater is listening to someone else. The "Channel Free" is sensitive to interference and may prevent you from transmitting just because there's an interference from something unrelated to your traffic like a computer or LAN switch.

The GPS function is nice if you either want to do APRS service (there is a possibility to link the DMR stations to APRS in some nets) or locate your buddy.

It's worth to notice that Hytera is coming with a radio named PD-AR685, which is a PD685 with encryption and man-down functions removed and with a considerably lower price. Here the PD-AR685 is almost half the price of a PD685.

So far as I see it the major disadvantage with DMR is that the radios aren't dual band.

There is also a possibility to use the radios for data communication - the radio presents itself as a network card to the computer on the USB connector. However if you enable the data services to the computer you lose the local GPS and a few other services since the data channels are redirected to the computer instead.

Notice that to get roaming you need to purchase a license to enable it in your terminal.

When it comes to interoperability the Hytera radios works well with voice to other radios, but not when it comes to text messages. (Called SDS)

Another nice feature is that you also can configure your DMR system to be interacting with a SIP Phone switch like Asterisk. However don't expect it to work it you run the repeater in mixed mode where the repeater supports both analog and DMR calls. In general running mixed mode is something that can be the cause for confusion. The RD62x repeater (25W) is pretty competent and have a network connector, built-in power supply from AC and a 12V input as well for backup battery. It can also supply/charge the battery so you don't need to install anything extra to charge your backup battery. It also has a 26-pin HD D-sub connector where you connect the programming cable but you can also get out audio as well as some other features like monitoring a door switch.

The MD785 has the same connector with a compatible pinout so the programming cable can be used for that radio as well. The only catch is that if you have a microphone with number-buttons then you have to disconnect that microphone when connecting the cable to the computer since the USB bus is shared on both the HD D-Sub and the microphone connector.

 

I've just posted a long suggestion there. Would love to get some feedback, and I would love even more to see the functionality implemented!

 

Well said Gary. You've written up your summary in such a way that I have clarity around my own frustrations with DMR, for today. I think get their over time for Hams and you summarized the current situation well - "My goal was to say DMR is fun, but it isn't what you expect. Whatever you expected.". That said, I'm having fun with it but it's going to take me a while to find it as useful as I had hoped.

 

I agree, "China's No.1 Two-way Radio Provider Hytera"

I'm a cheapham & will buy a TYT for a lot less than they're asking price of "$449.00" at gigaparts

 

I'm not sure what the DMR label signifies. I know it stands for Digital Mobile Radio but is that a modulation mode separate from the other modulation modes?

I have a Yaesu Fusion radio, the FTM-400xd. Is that considered a DMR radio or is the DMR acronym an umbrella term to used to describe all the current digital modes?

 

These looks very nice however, nowhere can I find any information on how many digital contacts these are capable of holding? I went to Hytera’s website and nothing is listed. Why does this matter? A DMR ID number can be associated with a call sign and name. This is a great feature. Instead of having the users ID number display when receiving a station, a name and call sign is displayed. Most rigs as of now can hold 1000 digital contacts, not to be confused with channels.

There are around 50,000 ham digital contacts available. If your radio will hold 65,250 contacts like some, (this will be insufficient in another year) then you simply load the whole database in and you’re done. If you have a radio that will only hold 1000 contacts like most of them, then you must create a list of 1000 contacts by picking them out of a database. Once might be okay, but you will need to keep this list updated. If you radio can hold the whole database, (50K contacts) then you do not have to create one and it takes only seconds to update it.

In the commercial world, 1000 contacts are more than enough, in our world, there are more than a thousand hams, so 1000 is clearly not enough to hold the entire database. In my own practical scenario, I live in NV. I cannot load all the ham contacts in NV and CA in my radios, there are more than 1000.

My radios only hold 1000 contacts each. What this means is, when a ham is on the digital contact list in my radio, and he is transmitting, then his name and call sign is displayed on my radio instead of a DMR user ID number. One last thought, it is convenient to stay within the same manufacture of DMR radios, simply because it makes moving contacts, channels and zones very easy by using the copy and paste functions between code plugs. For example, Motorola XPR series.

Thanks, Dan KM6CQ

 

http://dmrassociation.org/dmr-standards.html
Read all of it.

 

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The more informed may not want to help subsidize some countries any more than is realistically necessary, however small their stance may be in the scale of things. It matters to some.

The passive types are often too oblivious to see what is happening - I would argue they are the ignorant ones.

(third time lucky with the enforced watered down version - last 2 deleted )

 

Hello! Just a question...

Will the RD985 or any DMR Hytera Repeater 's SIP feature work with other DMR Handhelds such as TYT MD 380?

Thanks!


Regards from Argentina