If I had a dollar for every time someone said DMR isn't real ham radio I'd already be retired. Those constant conversations online inspired this video for those that have limited experience with the mode and what it's all about.
My 2 cents is, it’s real radio…..up until the minute it involves the internet. As anyone with any sense should know, DMR does not require any internet, but we all also know, it is how many choose to use DMR by utilizing hotspots, hence the not real ham radio labels you keep hearing. I have used DMR in the past, (my Club has a stand-alone DMR repeater, however it’s been down for sometime now), I would RF directly into the repeater and talk to folks locally, just like any other analog VHF/UHF repeater in my area. What I didn’t use or will not use are hotspots.
I think we are all partially correct. It is real radio? My spin is yes! but once you inject the internet or a repeater you simply loose point to point. So no "official" contacts for awards such as VUCC or DXCC (yes modes like D-Star are used on HF) etc. I have added simplex channels to my code plug and have made contatcs at places like hamfests, even made contacts on DMR simplex at HAMCATION. Great Video and 73
Of course it isn't! The question is not something new - digital voice modulation like DMR, DStar and C4FM just make it easier to implement. I remember many years ago wandering round London with an analogue HT working US stations over both Echolink and ILRP. It worked, but it was clunky - the new DV modes just make it easier and smoother. Martin (G8FXC)
If your QSO requires AT&T/Verizon/Frontier etc., telcom, for the connection, it's VOIP, not DX. As far as 2 timeslots on one freq, neat, but, how many repeaters are so busy that they need a 2nd channel ?
Gotta love the gatekeeping on what is or isn't "real ham radio". First, if it requires an FCC amateur radio license, it's real ham radio. Second, we're supposed to be advancing the art of radio communications, for which integration of the internet or other data networks is a factor. That said, it's not a zero-sum game, you can enjoy traditional SSB or CW over HF and digital modes via the internet. From the FCC site on the Amateur Radio Service: I would say digital modes like DMR fit well within this. Setting up an access point, tuning it for best performance, and being able to communicate globally with that mode may not be as exciting as an HF QSO from one side of the globe to another, but it's still an interesting and challenging mechanism. Lately I've become aware of the East Coast Reflector which integrates DMR, DSTAR, Fusion, IRLP, and other mechanisms. Maybe not "real ham radio", it's still interesting for its expanded coverage and accessibility. Chris
DMR is a commercial standard created by Motorola for commercial comms, so it ain't real ham radio IMHO but more like abandoned ware adopted by hams...
Who really cares. ? The whole idea is to "Use the minimum amount of power necessary to maintain communications." So the FCC says. Even these Cheating modes fill that bill. I cheat a lot. When the internet goes down You may get hosed, And need to increase power.
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I'm no "gate keeper" . . . but when I hear a USA ham on DMR/C4FM, etc., get super excited about working a JA station, . . . . it makes me laugh out loud. What an accomplishment . . . by some...
The *fun* in DMR (and Fusion and Dstar) is not in connecting with other people, it's the technical aspect of figuring out the CODEC used (AMBE+ is one of many), how time division multiplexing works (only in DMR) and how it's framed and either put on the internet (and routed) or on the air. I used to do this for a living in the Air Force, installing, getting it working, each installation using one of about a 1/2 dozen CODECs, and figuring out why some interfaces down the stream didn't pass it. DMR, Fusion and Dstar are not fun for me. Our Ground Radio troops do this but with the Motorola (proprietary) protocol and the actual technical aspects of it are hidden by the computer program used to load up a code plug (they don't call it a code plug, they just called it programming up a radio) on the radios.
I'll just stick with analog thank you very much! A pan adapter, PC radio control and solar power is as far as it needs to get around here!
FT8 isn't real radio either. Why study to get a license just to let the computer and radio make your contacts. I agree with the others that day DMR is real ham radio until it uses the internet .
