All Activity

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.

Will the repeater linked with the talkgroup connect to the internet or will I need a hotspot to connect through my internet?

That’s wise and honestly you’ll need to get into the 80, 40, and 20 meter bands in order to talk worldwide. For instance, the Montana Traffic Network is on 80 meters at 0030 Zulu every day. It’s part of the National Traffic System, which is presented here: https://www.arrl.org/files/file/NTS Presentation 6-2012.ppt

Sorry, the TN confused me. I should have realized that because of your other post where you talked about using AllStar in AZ. Anyway, every state has talk groups and every developed country has talk groups and there are continental and worldwide talk groups and you can get onto a repeater and activate almost any of these talk groups in order to talk to someone there. If you want to talk to someone in Poland, activate a Poland-English talk group. It still relies on the internet of course.

Consistent and reliable, non-emergency communication, all around the world. You can’t rely on the internet in a true emergency.

I was born in Tennessee but I actually live in Arizona.

I really do want to get into 10M at some point in time. My little Radtel RT-900's will do 10M, how well is to be seen and I'd need an antenna for 10M to really take advantage of what little power they offer. I know there's some small QRP(I think that's the right saying) radios that are 5 watts and made for POTA activation on 10M and are really portable but before I invest I'd like to do more research.

There are thousands of talk groups for many different purposes. Here is a list of the Tennessee talk groups on the Brandmeister network: https://www.radioreference.com/db/sid/9928

Now that I have my Technician's License I can get into DMR if I want too. My question is, what benefits will I get by going DMR for someone basically looking to use my radios for EmComms? I see Radtel has an RT-4D for $52 bucks which would be an inexpensive way to dip my toe into the DMR world and Baofeng has the 1701/1801 too but what can I do with DMR that I can't do with my Analog radios? Thanks in advance for any answers or advice.

While not as vulnerable as the cell systems, the loss of the internet, is not impossible, regardless of the redundancy built into it. Local access is especially vulnerable. A single dig-in can disrupt access for an entire state in some cases. If you really want distance without reliance on any infrastructure, you’ll want to get into HF. People will tell you that it’s not reliable, and it’s true that you can’t just dial up another country at will, but there are shorter distance traffic networks, HF radio to HF radio, where people are trained to pass messages accurately worldwide by relaying the message in a predetermined manner. GMRS (and FRS), is excellent for distributing messages to your family that you gather via ham radio.

Now if I could just get some of my family to get on board so we can have EmComms if the Cell System ever goes out. That's my entire reason for getting into GMRS/HAM, Emergency Communication. As much as I hate to say it, HAM seems to be the way to go, GMRS doesn't have many repeaters and what they do have are down all the time. I still think GMRS is useful in a limited capacity but if you want any kind of distance you need HAM Linked Repeaters to cover the miles you're looking for.

Way to go, Frank! It’s fun, isn’t it?

I was testing out my radio and wanted to see if I could hit the Tolleson repeater from my daughters house. It's hooked to an AllStar network so when I called it up and I got a response.................from East Tucson, AZ. We chatted for a bit and then signed off but I was amazed that we could communicate that clearly from such a long distance(for us) over the linked repeaters. The GMRS repeaters in my area are all but dead but wow, HAM repeaters, that's where it's at. Dozens of them, especially in 2M and 70cm bands and some that are linked with AllStar, EchoLink, etc. let you pretty much talk Around the World from your backyard. I'm so glad I got my HAM license. It opens up a whole new world of frequencies and repeaters that I can use. If anyone is on the fence about getting theirs just do it. You'll be glad you did.

Howdy, license twin! Got mine the same day, also starting to wade through the fun technical details of connecting and etiquette.

buy a cheap Baofeng DM32 and get your toe's wet. This radio, for the price, is pretty decent.. I'm not a fan of it's encryption, which works but only for short distances but the Analog, DMR, Talk Groups and Zones make it an enjoyable radio to use. The huge battery will eaily get you a few days of use between charges as well.

I’m sorry, I don’t know where Clay Co. is in Alabama, but there are 82 repeaters listed in Alabama including some that might no longer be operating. If you click on Repeaters on the menu above, you can find the ones closest to you or you can click on Map and see what’s on the map closest to you. I’ll put the links below: Repeaters: https://mygmrs.com/repeaters Map: https://mygmrs.com/map/

There are some Bluetooth dongles that will plug into the Kenwood style Jack as well out there. I don’t have any firsthand experience with any of them myself to make a recommendation though.

Back to you Bill aka @HamsterDancer, you may also give the family FRS radios if you like and you can use these along with your GMRS radio. No need for call signs using FRS radios. Quite frankly unless you’re using a repeater no one would know either way, however your effort to do things correctly is admirable.. Cheers