Getting Started on DMR (DMR Part 1)

To get started on DMR, you will need:

1. An amateur radio licence

I'm assuming you already have this, but if not then you need to go here first: Getting started - Radio Society of Great Britain - Main Site : Radio Society of Great Britain – Main Site (rsgb.org)

2. A DMR transceiver

There are many of these available, and there are plenty of reviews on YouTube: (7) dmr radio comparison - YouTube

Chinese rigs are a good place to start, as they are less expensive than Japanese or American. I went with the Retevis RT3S (non-GPS version): RETEVIS RT3S Dual Band DMR Radio GPS UHF&VHF Dual display Dual standby FPP

Options for buying include:

Note that Aliexpress now charges VAT at source, so there should be no additional duty to pay.

Make sure that your purchase includes a programming cable. You're going to need it!

3. A DMR ID

Every station (including repeaters) has a unique 7-digit identifier on the DMR network. UK IDs start with 234 or 235.

To register for a DMR ID, go here: https://www.radioid.net/

You will need to provide proof of your licence. A suitable PDF document can be downloaded from OFCOM, following registration at their site: Ofcom Amateur and Ships Radio Licensing Portal - Ofcom

4. (Ideally) Access to a DMR Repeater

A list of DMR repeaters is available here: Repeater List DMR (ukrepeater.net)

Notice that there are several networks in operation, including Phoenix UK, Brandmeister, FreeDMR, etc. Where I am in the southeast of England, most repeaters are connected to the Phoenix UK network.

If you don't have access to a repeater, all is not lost as it is possible to build your own hotspot, which is in effect a personal repeater.


In the next article we will look at building a codeplug, which is the essential programming needed to get on the air. 

Next: Part 2 - Building a basic codeplug for DMR

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Preventing "brown out" on a solar-powered Pi Pico

Image
The problem I have been experimenting with a solar-powered Meshtastic node, comprising a Pi Pico W and a Waveshare LoRA SX1262 board (also available from AliExpress , of course). I have housed these in a budget garden solar lamp (from eBay - many available - such as this ), which provides the charging circuit, the battery, and the enclosure. I had hoped that it would also provide the solar panel, but I found this to be insufficient so I replaced it with a larger 6V solar panel . The node runs fine when the battery is charged, but there is a problem when the battery runs down - which can happen overnight after a cloudy day. The next day when the sun comes up, the battery voltage starts to climb and at some point the Pico attempts to start up. This causes a current spike, which pulls the battery down, and the Pico shuts down. It then gets into a restart loop, which never properly resolves, and the node fails to start properly. What is needed is a way to cleanly switch the power on and
Read more

Building a basic codeplug for DMR (DMR Part 2)

Image
What is a "codeplug"?  Confusingly, a codeplug is neither code, nor a plug! The term originates from a time when a physical plug was used to configure a radio's parameters. Nowadays it refers to a configuration file, which is typically prepared on an external PC and then uploaded to the radio. Overview This blog post continues from  Part 1 , and it assumes that you already have: A callsign A DMR ID A DMR rig - I will be using a Retevis RT3S for this example The programming software and cable for your rig. For the RT3S, the Windows software can be found here:  RT3S Software The example described below assumes that you are within reach of a DMR repeater on the Phoenix network, and that you know the details of that repeater (transmit and receive frequencies, color code). For now will configure the rig to access the DMR+ (Phoenix) network via a repeater. Subsequent posts will explain how to add analogue repeaters and simplex channels, hotspots, other networks, etc. The steps
Read more

Adding Brandmeister to the Hotspot (DMR Part 4)

Image
So far in this series of articles we have: Built a codeplug for the Retevis RT3S, enabling it to operate on the Phoenix (DMR+) network via a local repeater. Built a Hotspot and added a new zone to the codeplug, so that the RT3S can access the Phoenix (DMR+) network using the Hotspot. I chose Phoenix initially, because that is the network that my nearest repeater uses. Whilst this gives worldwide coverage, it is not the only DMR network. Confusingly, there are quite a few networks out there - including Brandmeister, TGIF, FreeDMR and probably others. Each has its own layout of talkgroups and timeslots. Sometimes these are similar, and there are links between networks so that some talkgroups are accessible on more than one network, but each has its own quirks and so they are different and mainly incompatible. With a Hotspot, it is possible to join more than one DMR network simultaneously - up to four networks - using functionality known as DMR Master. In this blog we will look at buildin
Read more