It's radio Jim but not as we know it.....

Hi All,

Hope you are all keeping well and had a wonderful Christmas.  


Did Santa bring you something nice? Maybe some radio goodies?

We've all had enough of some old fat man in a suit taking all the credit, (too much like real life!), so credit due to every family member and friend that bestowed gifts on each other.

I unexpectedly, (as in I didn't ask for it), received a radio gift from one of my wonderful daughters which took me aback......an Ailunce HD1.

A veritable 'Handy', 'Handheld Transceiver', (HT for the abbreviation afflicted), 'Portable' or in other words, (that some weirdly find childish and derogatory), a 'Walkie Talkie'. You know what I mean.

On the face of it quite the jump from the little Intek/Baofeng UV5 thingie I've used up to now. Much bigger, much heftier, IP67 rated so waterproof, dustproof etc. big 3200mAh battery so should handle my button playing antics and dual band VHF/UHF, (2m, 70cm.....also 'Shhh' - PMR  )

Also as emblazoned on it's box a DMR or Digital Mobile Radio.
(Might make some shudder at the thought!)


On first power up the radio announced, 'Frequency Mode', in that voice you'd be familiar with if you've ever picked up a Baofeng.....That's just down to the voice chip because it's a totally different kettle of fish after that. Was greeted with a bright and colourful TFT screen then started happily punching those buttons working my way around a really straight forward set of menu options, (way easier than the Baofengs), so that before long I had programmed in my local analogue repeaters.

Quick key up with "M7VIC listening through GB3BF", the repeater opened even though sat in the house with the standard 'rubbery' antenna and got an acknowledgment pip. Nothing else mind you, repeaters are not as active as many think.

A while later however I did get a response and was blown away with the audio quality and clarity this new radio kicks out being much better than anything else I've used or tried. (Baofeng, Leixen even Yaesu.) A much longer QSO with a good friend later heralded great audio reports on transmission too.

I then started reading up about DMR and this here wonderful world of digital radio stuff.....
Looks like I'm going to be reading for a while!!


Yeah, yeah, I've already heard the "it's not proper radio" kind of comments and I'll decide that for myself thanks very much. It's amazing how often you're told what something isn't especially when it's opinion based.

I can agree one thing as this posting title suggests but am looking forward to exploring more.  
(I'll post up anything useful in our rather lacking DMR section of the forum.)



I can say one thing though, for the 'gift that keeps giving' my daughter certainly came up with a belter.


All the best,
Victor

Once you've got your DMR ID and it all setup, we'll have to sort a QSO on one of the talkgroups.  Can't hit a repeater from home on the HT, but can plug it into the external antenna.

That said, I've had DMR and DStar for years, and now C4FM for a while too, and never used any of them! 

Nice one Victor.
Will have to get my dmr handy out when i remember where it is and make sure my hotspot is working.
Looking forward to chatting with you and it will happen soon now m8.
Tell your daughter i said thanks as well will you.

I had to look up what DMR is

Nice pressie to have, well done.

Jeff and Alan,

It will be an absolute pleasure to be able to talk to you guys once my DMR ID comes through!  
(Plus some time to program/understand all this! )


Cheers there too Roger. It is indeed a very nice pressie.  
(Get well too there mate, me and the missus got hit with Covid this xmas as well!)


Been having so much fun reading up what I can do with all this and excited at the opportunities it heralds.
Coming back to radio has been absolutely thrilling for me and opened a whole world for this old crippled housebound fart all spurred on by helpful guys like yourselves and everyone here at Charlie Tango.

From humble beginnings with my CB, getting online, gaining a CT callsign to pursuing Radio Amateur interests and eventually a license, all the equipment I have been donated and or repaired/restored to stringing up bits of wire we lovingly call antennas. Now discovering things I'd never heard of and embracing it with enthusiasm.


It's always been a journey of discovery and I'm so grateful that so many have shared their like minded enthusiasm. Not only has it been a pleasure embracing the technology but more importantly getting to converse with fantastic people like yourselves and all here at CT.



I'll pass on your best wishes to my daughter from you there Alan mate. She'll know exactly who I'm talking about as well after listening intently about our radio journeys and just as pleased as I with the NanoVNA.
(She's the only one that doesn't get bored with my radio mumblings in conversation and obviously gets the radio affliction to gift me such items. Bless her.)


All my very best,
Victor

Hi Vic,

What a lovely and thoughtful gift from your daughter.

I know DMR is a controversial issue for many but I have to say I really like it.

Getting a code plug sorted out is a learning experience for sure!! I would suggest you look into getting a hotspot and get onto the Brandmeister network which is much more active then Phoenix.

Unfortunately when we moved here to Braunston I packed my Jumbo spot up so well that I've not been able to find it since.

I'm back up in the loft before the twelfth night so I'll have another look it would be really good to have a chat with you on DMR.

Enjoy the HD1 I always fancied one from when they first came out but could never quite justify the spend because my Moonraker HT 500 does pretty much the same thing without the 10 watt output power.

Anyway bud enjoy the new toy and if I can find my hotspot I'll get set up and we'll definitely have a catch up.

73's Gary.

Is there a chance of a new call sign femail one around your qth there Victor.
Probably not but i thought i would ask.

Hi Gary,

Cheers mate much appreciated.  

Loads to read and actually understand, came across the Brandmeister network so cheers for the heads up there. Yet to figure out things like hotspots, (sure there'll be a self build option which will be right up my street!), as well as many, many other things.

Seems I have a few DMR repeaters that should be within range of my homebrew 70cm Yagi-Uda I built a while back so that's handy to start with.

Would be an absolute pleasure to finally converse with yourself Gary. Haven't yet hit a repeater your way and you seem to be beyond my pathetic groundwave path and too close for NVIS!

But they do say where there's a will there's a way and I'm sure this awesome gift is going to allow it and many other opportunities.



All the best to you,
Victor

Would be nice wouldn't it Alan?

The other Daughter loved motorcycles too and always took any opportunity to pop pillion with me before she became a mother.

They're both busy Mums doing a wonderful job of looking after their children so I'll forgive them for not having much time for other interests. But you're right, my eldest daughter would be an ideal candidate with her avid fascination for radio and how it connects people.

Well time will tell you never know.
Kids will get older and hopefully give her a bit of free time.

No radio related goodies from Santa this way unfortunately Victor, but with my better half working much of the festive period I have had time on my own to play about with bits of wire and work some frequencies and people that I wouldn't normally, so am quite happy.

That radio looks to be a very nice, generous and thought out gift from your daughter. I hadn't heard of it, so just looked up a few vids on the utube and it gets quite favourable reviews. You are very lucky, hope you have a lot of fun with it

Hi Neal,

It was my only radio goodie for Christmas, (not complaining), and thoroughly pleased with it. A massive jump up from the Baofeng being so much sturdier, bigger battery etc. and really easy to program from the front panel. Only played around  with analogue modes at the moment but got my DMR ID so hopefully today I'll get to play around with the digital side of things.

My daughter is an absolute star to present me with such a gift.


Shame your better half has been working, we all deserve a break now and then but glad to hear you got some radio time. 
(My Missus was supposed to be working but we got hit with covid unfortunately.)

I'm bound to mention more of this radio, just been using it to listen to the ISS.


All the best to you,
Victor

No radio goodies in my sack so i bought my own lol.
Another ic-7300 with pan-adapter fitted plus sdr-play so a bit of learning to do on that.
Also i did some boxing day shopping online that was anf the NEW shack id being delivered on the 11th Jan.
So planning to be done all in my head at the moment but looking forward to having space and not sharing my radio with a jet-wash and a lawn mower lol.

Oh, hope you didn't get it too bad and that you are all over it Victor?

You'll have to post some pics of the shack Alan to make me jealous when you are all set up.

We're not too bad thanks Neal. Double lines and full on symptoms.
Just got out of bed again today....seriously cutting into my radio time!!!

Victor
How are you getting on with DMR ??.
Have you got TG 4400 in yet.

Hi Alan,

Bit of a steep learning curve with all this DMR stuff mate!


The analogue side of things has been easy enough and it's performing better than any of the other radios with me now bagging nine repeaters on 2m & 70cm.  

Unfortunately just only one of those is a DMR repeater, (no hotspot as of yet), and even though I thought I'd programmed the radio OK I haven't had any response to radio check calls. Couldn't get a 'Parrot' or 'Echo' response either but not sure if I'm actually making it to the repeater despite picking up traffic.

Then spent all afternoon trying to sort out the mess that is the Mrs's laptop, finally got the Ailunce software installed only to get the flipping annoying PL2303 errors!!!!!

Got the contacts list uploaded now and awesome to see callsigns as well as  locations flashing up on the radio screen but still no-go on transmit yet(?)

I'll get there.........eventually.


Giving up for the day now, me and the missus are feeling much better so she's been baking a homemade pie for dinner. Nice to be able to smell something for the first time in a week!

I will catch you on DMR soon mate, (next year now at this rate! ), especially if I keep plugging on, ('plugging' - get it?)


All the best to you and wishing you all the best for the new year,
Victor

Just let me know when you get tg4400 in and working.
I use a raspberry hotspot through brandmeister and can see my hotspot repeater on there site.
It also shows when i last transmitted.
Not got much idea on the programming myself i just found a ? codeplug ? with loads of stuff in it so it does for me.
Today was the first time i have turned it on in weeks as not out in the shack but sat by the radiator running ft8 lol.
One day my friend one day soon.

If you’re not sure if you’re hitting the repeater, can you not check in analogue mode?

Also, I’m sure you’ve checked this, but make sure your DMR ID is in the code plug, and make sure you don’t have any form of TX inhibit on the channel.

Hi Jeff,

Unfortunately this repeater is DMR only no analogue, another repeater a similar distance away I can get to in analogue but it's a Fusion repeater so no-go on digital.

DMR ID is all set, no TX inhibits but there's got to be something obviously wrong. I had noticed I can only receive traffic in 'promiscuous' mode and when I set a talk group I get apparently nothing(?) Listening to the same repeater in analogue modes, (on another radio as well as the HD1), I hear the bursts of digital noise but fairly infrequently. Otherwise it sounds as desolate as a lot of the repeaters around my way.

It isn't helped by the fact that there are multiple digital standards, the manual is a bit 'Chinglish' and most of the 'help' out there concerns hotspots rather than actual repeater access. I'm just glad that there are guys such as those at 'FreeStar' and 'DV Scotland' etc. all doing their very best to tie together all this stuff. 


Cheers for the suggestions though Jeff, much appreciated mate. Now that I have the software working on the wife's laptop I'll try some other options and look at codeplugs available. (If I can pry it out of her hands from her constant cookery searches!  )


All the best to you and happy new year,
Victor

When I get a chance, I’ll flick you a screenshot of a DMR repeater channel setup in my Anytone 878.  All the better Chinese radios seem similar, so some settings might give you a hint.  

I’m assuming you’ve got the right timeslots for the TG, etc. as you said you were hearing stuff and it’s just a TX issue?

No worries Jeff and thanks for the offers of help.

I seem to be getting somewhere in that I can now see my DMR ID and Contact Group transmission being picked up by the repeaters DMR live stream. (Yay!!) Unfortunately it's not identifying my call sign for some reason. Gone back to 'radioid.net' and checked my BM status and looks like I may have to sort out BrandMeister as I presume that's what the 'BM' status is about.

Slowly but surely getting there...still not getting a Parrot Echo and if I'm not being identified that's probably why no one is responding to me!

Got to leave it for now, some household chores to do but will have a play again later.

Heck of a steep learning curve!


All the best and thanks again,
Victor

Wish i could help you Victor but not that clued up myself.
Also the bit's i picked up are for a hotspot and brandmeister setup sort of things.
I think the BM is as you say brandmeister and might be where you need to be setting something but not sure at all.
Have you had a look on facebook many dmr gropes i think on there might be one for your radio there is for the 878.
Fingers crossed here.

Edit my 878 is sat on the window ledge by my side waiting.

Hi Alan,

Just come back to it for a mo but gonna have to break off again for dinner soon.

The BM selection was indeed for BrandMeister and I now seem to be showing up there. I think the repeater etc. aren't showing my details until they do a contact/database update which only seems obvious now.

Figured out that I'm absolutely dumb to this all as I hadn't set RX lists, (but 'Promiscuous' mode dealt with that), as well as my Talk Group settings. I can manually dial in a talk group and see my transmission now popping up on DMR live but it looks like I'd have to manually enter again each time?!?! It's either that or I have to set up separate Channels for each Talk Group and still scratching my head concerning the Contacts lists.

I've probably been shouting back to calls but on the wrong TG!
 
Still doesn't explain why I haven't had at least a response somewhere to one of my calls though. (Although considering 'promiscuous' mode should mean I receive everything I haven't heard a lot of traffic.)

Slowly but surely getting there Alan mate and looking forward to being able to talk to you on it. Bless you for digging out your radio and I'll do my very best to ensure your efforts aren't wasted. (Not giving up with this!!)


Sheesh, my ancient FT270 was much easier than this....despite having to initially align it, design and build a CTCSS board before I could fire up the local repeaters. Electronics is my forte - struggle with how people implement software though!

Don’t worry about your callsign showing…..think of that as Caller ID.  As long as your DMR ID is registered, you’ll be fine.  

I think one of DMR’s “limitations” is the fact it’s been lifted from commercial radio and shoehorned into amateur, so some of the things we do don’t fit well….so you get the whole talkgroup vs repeater vs timeslot vs channel issue you’re describing.

What I did on mine (and I’m by no means saying this is the best or only way) is set a repeater up with a specific timeslot in a channel memory, and a default talkgroup (usually TG9/TS1 for me, which is “this repeater only”) and then on the Anytone I can go to the menu and scroll through all the talkgroups I have configured to change which one is used by that channel for that “call”.  Just remember it’s usually implemented so some talkgroups are on specific timeslots.

This is written by one of the locals and is a good guide in general, despite being Austrlia specific re TG’s.

https://3fs.net.au/dmr-in-australia/