GigaParts sold out of Hytera ham radios, now offering special pricing on land mobile substitutes.

I think the best time of my ham radio repeater life was in NC. (Back in mid-1980's)

 

We use the PD-682 at my work and they do both time slots, so far very nice radio's for commercial use without paying the Motorola price to get DMR.

Randy
K4HCU

 

To even get on a DMR system here in the pacifist Northwest you have to contact the local DMR GROUP, good luck getting ahold of someone.

If you do get in contact with the local DMR GODS they will then perform a check on you, apparently no lids, no kids no space kadets allowed, only blue bloods and the rest of us malcontents need not apply.

Then if you are one of the fortunate ones who passes the entry test you then need to take your radio to the local groups technical guy, translation the poor sucker backlogged with radios needing programming, then the tech guy programs the ID in your radio and into the infrastructure so you can get on the local DMR system.

If you're not approved because they aren't familiar with you or you're not with the in crowd then you are reserved to using your radio in analog.

It's an extreme and lengthy time consuming process, in fact it's such a waste of time with DMR radios unused that 2 local hams gave up and sold their Hyteras and went back to using our local 220 MHZ to HF remote base system.

One comment heard was that the local DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLE line was 10000 times faster than signing on and getting approved for the DMR network.

 

another last ditch attempt by gigajunk to drive up sales at the end of the year!

 

Man you are so out of touch. DMR, DSTAR, and Fusion are growing exponentially. I use DSTAR and DMR, and although analogue FM is seldom used locally, the digital modes are busy.
In tests we carried-out locally comparing DV simplex with FM simplex, wide and narrow, DV won hands down. Signals were readable in DV mode that were just noise in analogue.
Digital is the future. Get with the emerging technology or soon you'll have no one to talk to on the bands.

Best regards, Stewart EA8/GM0GTU, Tenerife.

 

I don't quite believe the above statements.
You can register and obtain a DMR ID online in minutes, and you can also download code plugs to load in to your DMR radio from online. If for some reason your local DMR repeater group won't allow you access, no sweat, just get a personal hotspot, and the World's your Oyster.

 

Maybe then, but definitely not now. Some of us have proved beyond doubt that DV mode is superior to analogue. We could hold a QSO point to point in DV simplex mode from several locations at distances where FM, wide or narrow, was unreadable.

 

GM0GTU,

So now by some magic the results comparing digital to analog have changed in favor of DMR range?

The same codec, no difference in error correction since DMR'S existence but now it swings in favor of digital, only if you want to sway the results in favor of one mode or the other would that be true.

And as for registering on DMR NET out here in the northwest we still need to secure repeater owners permission to get on any DMR systems and after the k1dmr fiasco/lawsuit hams are hesitant about getting on DMR.

Additionally they are only allowing MOTO, Connect and VERTEX equipment on their repeaters.

 

If you are thinking about trying DMR (and, despite the trolls disparaging digital modes), and don't want to spend a lot of money, the new Connect Systems CS-580 looks like a nice rig. I've used an MD380 with few issues, but the CS-580 has some very nice features, and will likely have better customer service/support. Yes, the radio is made in China, but CS is a USA company that has a good reputation for customer support.
I think that the digital modes offer some additional flexibility over most analog systems, in that you can have multiple talk groups with different coverage areas. I've found that digital does not "degrade" as gracefully as analog, but, just like digital TV, when it is in the 'zone" it is really nice.

 

It's a shame that a lot of the appliance operators literally RUINED DMR with their "first personals" and incessant signal checks... and by being amazed at how someone 2000 miles away is full quieting into their local machine. I blame the Baofeng and other cheap radios for these low quality... or dare I say: NO quality ham operators.

I'll stick to P25NX.

 

I am not sure how this affects range but DMR uses DSVI AMBE+2. DSTAR uses DSVI AMBE+. The claim is that the error correction is improved with DSVI AMBE+2.

The spec for the Connect Systems CS800 claims:

Analog Sensitivity
.35μV/-116dBm (20 dB SINAD)
.22μV/-120dBm (12dB SINAD)
Digital Sensitivity
.3μV/-117.4dBm(BER 5%)
.7μV/-110dBm (BER 1%)

From these specs I cannot see how the range of DMR is greater than analog. It is possible and most likely given a specific Delivered Audio Quality (DAQ), DMR range could surpass analog. I think that would be DAQ 5.

73,
Mark N5RFX

 

I totally disagree on this. Jerry (who helps run the ham end of Connect Systems) has all but given up on servicing his radios.

If people want REAL support they need to either buy from Hytera or Motorola. I personally prefer Motorola, but Hytera service has been beyond impressive. A lot of American hams, with their typical narrow view on the world, don't even realize that Hytera is one of the biggest suppliers of radios to governments in Asia and the Middle East. And last time I checked, there were a lot more people living in Asia than North America.

Hytera is a Chinese company, but with American business standards... which is rare when dealing with Chinese companies.

Baofeng on the other hand?

 

Glad to see you weigh in on this one. You touch on the phenomenon of rather dull hams wanting to appear to be "leading edge" simply by the act of buying something. Anecdotal stories in hand, they sally forth to hand out digital noogies and stumble into IQ potholes. To them "digital range superiority" = "ham smartness superiority".

 

It isn't. People should enjoy DMR for the quiet audio you get when using it and stop trying to prop it up with false claims. It does not need your help.

 

What do these radios do different than D-STAR ????? Other than, no one uses DMR in my area....