Hey folks! Is anyone here using dmr hotspots on TGIF or brandmiester? I know it will be useless without the networks(if there is no network), but same with any social media. It would be cool to ragchew now and then. It dooes make a pretty neat infrastructure between groups providing there are networks. Im usually on BM tg 31458 "sc Midlands" and tgif tg 411 "carolinas".
We could ask for our own tg too... I know some people.
Ross KG4NWE

Hey there @Ross Brawley I've personally haven't used any DMR or SDR to date. Though you're more than welcome to join in and add what it takes, software, raspberry pi versions or something like that. Thanks for the opening of the topic of VoIP "radio" options. As I've heard said, if we never embraced newer trends of Communications we'd all be drawing pictographs on cave walls.
I'm not even sure what those mean, maybe you should start there for us troglodytes. Ook, ook. KI7JMZ
Good point...DMR (Digital Mobile Radio) is an international standard for digital radios that has been in use since 2005. This mode is very popular overseas because of its reliability, spectrum efficiency, cost savings and tendency to extend battery life. In addition to the thousands of commercial enterprises using DMR, its use in amateur radio, primarily on the 70cm band, has seen a surge in recent years.
SSoftware-defined radio (SDR) is a radio communication system where components that have been traditionally implemented in hardware (e.g. mixers, filters, amplifiers, modulators/demodulators, detectors, etc.) are instead implemented by means of software on a personal computer or embedded system.[1] While the concept of SDR is not new, the rapidly evolving capabilities of digital electronics render practical many processes which were once only theoretically possible.
Wow …. I think I understand Ancient Greek better. (Did an Archaeology Dig Roman 3BC) LOL. Como is certainly my weakest link. P.T. you have a way of helping us newbies understand. Please 101 a little. THANKS
Don't worry too much about it at this point in your commo. Essentially what he's doing is using his radio to transmit the signal to a radio/Internet interface (raspberry pi) and logging into a Talk Group with others. This then gets piped out to the other users logged into the talk group over the internet back to their raspberry pi and then back to your radio.
The advantages is that a low power handheld could be used to communicate globally to any other person logged into the same Talk Group. The drawback as Ross mentioned is without an internet connection it becomes useless as instead of using the radio propagation to establish communication it uses infrastructure that we're not in control of. In this case the internet is the infrastructure that could prohibit our ability to coordinate with each other when it goes down.
Ok, memories are coming back.....Although I have little inclination to spend the kind of money these will require. I am, however, being dragged, kicking and screaming into the Century of the Fruitbat. I have been introduced to Winlink, and am being "encouraged" to practice with it.....Sigh.
I have the same notions. And the beautiful thing of the hobby is that there's plenty of room for everyone. From vintage tube radios cracking out CW to DMR talk groups. I'm still an old school Antenna guy, but to each their own and as packet radio was at one time a primitive RF internet, purhap there will be a development of an network independent of the interweb
I hope so. At the last meeting of our local radio club, a guy asked us to keep an eye out for old routers for home wifi setups. he's trying to establish some kind of network that will give members a private network kinda thingy using radio equipment. sort of like what we have through a repeater, but different. Sorry I can't give better details, but the meeting room had lousy acoustics, and being a deaf old mechanic, I couldn't get a clear understanding. Sounded kinda interesting, but I'm not sure how useful it would be to me. I'm not that into rag chewing, and I don't see how it would be good for much else. I guess I'm just a cantankerous old fart....
I currently have 2 DMR hts. Aliunce HD1 and RT82. Using an MMDVM pi zero hotspot. Still learning as time permits but have been on TGIF groups.This has a steep learning curve if you don't have an elmer. I got lucky and got a manufactures rep to help be build my code plugs. For the guys not using DMR, consider it another option in your bag. Most DMR are capable of both analog and digital comms. There are tri-band mobiles as well.