All Activity

Ok, now that I've got my DMR I.D. numbers(yes, I got 2 of them, not sure why??) why did I get issued 2 I.D. numbers? Both are for DMR and P25 but one also includes CCS7(???) whatever that is. I guess I've got a LOT of YouTube videos to watch. Also, other than not being able to run OpenGD77 Firmware, why is the Radtel RT-4D a bad DMR radio? It was the only one within my budget and I just want to do basic DMR stuff so will it work ok?

So what are the drawbacks of this radio over some others other than the OpenGD77 Firmware?

Unfortunately you’ve picked one that is not capable of using the OpenGD77 firmware, which adds ease of use and more capable functions to the more inexpensive DMR radios.

Ok, I caved and used the refund from the NanoVNA I returned and ordered the Radtel RT-4D DMR radio. That was one of the reasons I got my HAM license in the first place. Now I need to get a DMR I.D. number.

Clay County, Alabama is slighty east of Birmingham, south of Talladega National Forest. OP, it looks like there are three repeaters south of Bimringham. Best bet is probably going to be Shades Mountain 625. It looks like it's a private repeater, though. Shades Mountain 625 Bluff park, AL Frequency 462.625 MHz Output Tone 054 DPL Input Tone 054 DPL Repeater Type Permission Required Estimated Range 40 Miles Last Updated 7 days ago

I just got an email from a vender i have purchased surplus Hytera radio gear from, incluiding repeaters, cables, jumpers etc. stating that Ebay has banned certain sales of Hytera equpment etc and that Ebay is enforcing a type of FCC ban that is several years old. Anyone notcing this and is it effecting other radio brands?? I just did a search on Ebay for Hytera radio equipment and its coming up with very limited items, not the pages pages as before. No mobile equipment or repeater items are coming up in searches anymore.. Strange.

I don't understand most of what is in this thread. Far above my head, but I can speak to the 3' prostick. I use one on my Jeep for my CB. It performs really well and gets out there far enough for my needs.

There's a 3 foot ProStick on Amazon for $22, add in a mount for $14 and 10 feet of RG8x for another $17 and I can mount the entire set up to the same pole my Yagi is mounted too so I'd have both antennas handy. I might look into that but I am wanting to get that RT-4D DMR radio too so I'm not sure which way I'll go. Probably the antenna since I already have a boat load of radios.

Check with Klein Electronics or Planet Headset. They have all kinds of adapter pigtails. The image below is the Klein M1 to 3.5 mm jack. The Kenwood 2-Pin is a K1. I suggest that you call Klein Electronics and see if they have the K1 to 3.5.

You certainly can. Inexpensive whip CB antennas can sometimes be found at thrift shops also.

I've also read where you can use a simple CB antenna and tune it for 10M. That might be an inexpensive option to get me started.

If you’re talking about the Alpha-Delta dipole kit, it’s really not necessary (https://www.hamradio.com/detail.cfm?pid=H0-005111). It’s nice, and I have one, but all you really need is to connect the center conductor to one wire and the shield to the other (that’s really all this does!) Dipoles are dirt simple and they work well. Here’s an article that will help you figure out the length: https://www.arrl.org/single-band-dipoles Here is a good video showing how to build a dipole “balun”:

Main reason for Amazon is my Credit Card with them so it's no fuss, no muss to buy. Also the return policy is good. I've also seen a Balum Antenna center section that I'd have to add wire to at the right length for 10M(not sure how long they'd be out each side) that might work as well.

Honestly, even though I’m an Amazon stockholder, I would not shop for antennas there. Shop at hamradio.com, dxengineering.com, Gigaparts.com, randlelectronics.com, or possibly antennafarm. You will be dealing with companies that know what they’re selling and usually have better prices than Amazon. If nothing else do your window shopping at the places I listed and then buy from Amazon because of the easy returns.

30ms from what I've watched. Like I've said, my Autism makes me research thing ad nauseam to the point where my wife gets tired of me watching videos on a subject, LOL.

I found this antenna on Amazon that would work(maybe not the best but still, for the price) to use with my RT-900 to start to play around with 10M. Then if I find it's something I want to get into more I can save up and get some "Real" 10M stuff to mess around with. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F9475FMV/?coliid=I14V6SXJAF4IQM&colid=3RB8UUAOOLTHH

It’s similar in that it allows bandwidth to be shared, but it does so by time-multiplexing the two signals so they occupy exactly the same bandwidth but they take turns doing so. So for this fraction of a second my signal on time slot 1 is received and transmitted and in the next fraction of a second the signal on time slot 2 is received and transmitted. This switching between time slots happens thousands of times each second.

CW is what stopped me from trying to get a HAM license 40 years ago.

From what I've watched in videos the way timeslots are discribed sounds a lot like USB/LSB where a frequency band width is split to allow more traffic.

In the amateur radio world, a talk group is a virtual construct connected to a DMR network, such as Brandmeister, TGIF, etc, via the internet. Every repeater can be connected to any talk group (depending on what the repeater operators allow). Each repeater typically has two time slots so two talk groups may simultaneously be active on each repeater. A talk group that’s active on one time slot of the repeater by default is said to be a static talk group but a person using that repeater and time slot may often connect the time slot to another talk group dynamically. Dynamic talk groups typically time out and the repeater/time slot reconnects to its static talk group. Using a hotspot is nearly identical to using a repeater except it’s in your house. You set it up to link to one or more DMR networks (and/or YSF, DSTAR, etc, and you then configure which talk groups you want to be static. Also, unless you buy (or build) a duplex hotspot you only have one time slot.

If you get into CW, you have space on 15, 40, and 80 as well.

I’m navigating this same question myself. I’m taking my tech exam later this week, but at the same time my regional emcomm group that had linked GMRS repeaters got a commercial license and are moving to DMR talk groups. With the exception for the dependency on internet at the repeater sites, I think regional talk groups could be valuable for things like state-wide emergency information. That said, it seems like there’s still a lot more organized efforts on analog. All of my local county ARES/RACES efforts are still in area analog repeaters, some of which are linked. So I think the value of talk groups in an emergency depends on the severity (massive internet outages?) and the coordination of groups in your area.

Many DMR repeaters are linked. That increases coverage from local up to potentially world wide. Also if you wanted to setup your own repeater some can be operated in “single frequency mode” which eliminates the necessity of using a duplexer. That can save you a lot of money while allowing the flexibility to change the frequency at will. You can find mobile radios with this built in. Very handy when you need a repeater setup in a remote area for a group activity.

As a Technician 10M is the best I can do. The RT-900 puts out just shy of 6 Watts, that should get me a bit of range though probably not world wide. I just need to look into an antenna tuned for 10M that's somewhat portable and I should be good to go for short range POTA.