Bridgecom Skybridge Plus Pi-star Hotspot for DMR, DSTAR, YSF and MORE!

Bridgecom has a great little device in their Skybridge Plus hotspot. Today I get to show the features and quick setup of the device.
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[@BridgeComSystemsInc]

Fantastic video. We appreciate your in-depth review. Thank you Jason!

[@rigdepot]

Jason, that is the Skybridge that I was asking you about in my email. I bought two and they work great. Kudos to Bridgecom as my radios and Skybridges came plug an play out of the box. Great support by Bridgecom also. Five stars!!! Also, I changed the antenna at one of my houses and have coverage over the whole 2.5 acres.

[@Ricks2Cents]

What antenna did you use?

[@500gwr]

I bought one the first week it came out and it works great, both ethernet and wifi. Took it on a trip powered by the enclosed battery and it lasted all day. For traveling I use a T-mobile Franklin-9 wifi host spot and it connected flawlessly. I use it in combination with the new Anytone 878 UVII Plus and it does DMR all day long without a hiccup. KI5OTT Grand Prairie

[@scottwheelhouse5715]

Do not have one-- going to get one..as well as the Anytone Handheld to go with it. Jason you just talked me into the Bridgecom Hot Spot Plus (3rd version) Thank you for all that you do!!!

[@madmax9813]

hey Jason thanks for making this video, i have one but was unable to get it to allow me to transmit on dstar; i was recieving signals fine, but could not transmit, but i believe watching your video, i will rectify that situation, thanks again, great video!

[@jerryleatherwood4201]

Jason, I have the new skybridge hotspot and am really enjoying talking with folks from around the world. thanks for the lessin.

[@HamRadio2]

Awesome

[@madmax9813]

Thanks!

[@lrobie123]

For people starting from zero knowledge of DMR, buying the Skybridge is an excellent choice. Bridgecom provides lots of chronological video training with purchase of their hotspot. Originally thought about the idea of connecting to the local DMR repeater with a DMR radio but turned out it was too far away and only limited to DMR. Currently using the YSF mode more than DMR on this Bridgecom hotspot. Yes, the cost of the Bridgecom hotspot is more than the hotspot bought on Amazon, but again if new to all this DMR stuff and not wanting to spend a year figuring how to make it work from a hodgepodge of youtube videos, this is the way to go

[@timothygoetz9742]

I would love to learn how to use my Yaesu FT3D or my 705 with my Bridgecom hotspot. I just have no idea how to use anything but the Anytone 878 that came with the plug and play package. I can't for the life of me find any videos to show me how???

[@lrobie123]

@@timothygoetz9742 to get the Icom 705 and 7300 or 8600 working with the Skybridge, you will need to have IT networking knowledge to do the setup.

[@timothygoetz9742]

@@lrobie123 no video available to walk me through it?

[@lrobie123]

@@timothygoetz9742 unfortunately not. Your local ham radio club elmers are the best way to go about this. not the internet

[@gula4856]

You're right about a hodgepodge of instructional KZbin videos. I followed a few of the BridgeCom videos to the letter but still not able to make a contact. Issues from relationship or a lack thereof with BrandMeister? WTH

[@airwolfcheck]

Great info,thanks

[@Siskiyous6]

Nice review Jason.

[@Ricks2Cents]

What are you using to be able to on the fly switch camera views?

[@bubbarob1978]

I can appreciate the craftsmanship and attention to detail on the Bridgecom hotspot but I cannot justify that amount of money for a hotspot of any kind. I am trying to figure out what features this hotspot has that justify the cost? I see nothing that's included or special to warrant this price.

[@williamlowry9585]

Because it is made by Bridgecom! You get to pay their inflated prices for their name!

[@justincase9638]

@@boblatkey7160 That is a small but important consideration for me... I may buy one. ( American company)

[@gailpeterson4012]

thanx needed the pi star setup info

[@HamRadio2]

Glad it helped

[@michaeldavidheit]

Great introductory video sir. I have an Anytone DMR AT-D878 UVII Plus and the new skybridge. I've haven't tried to do any programming on my system yet because I spent the last two years battling cancer .. now I'm over that battle, and need to get my bridge set up for a Wi-Fi hotspot ( from my iPhone) and also see if I can get it set up for my Icom mobile unit that has Fusion capability .... that way I can use it at home on my network there, or in my truck when mobile or even my motorhome, at work, etc. Thank you for your videos they really help and motivate me to get back into hamming again. RAT-poison (chemotherapy) tends to kill motivation. 73 AD7VV

[@johnmichaelmclaughlin3937]

I am running both ICOM 9700 and ICOM 7610 and I have both connected to a computer via USB port. My question am I able to establish a Netwerk connection through the USB port as well? Or am I committed to running a hot spot and connecting a cat 6 cable? Also will the sky bridge support two radios through a switch? Thanks your vid’s are great!

[@W3GYV]

It looks and feels like a pistar on a Rasp 3+ so is the same as mine with a nicer screen!

[@RookieLock]

I need one so badly, LOL. Hope to eventually get one once I get back to work :/

[@futurefantastic]

Help I have a yaesu ft-5d and when I have the radio in hri direct mode the radio will not key up the wiresx software. The only way the radio will key up the wiresx software is when the 3.5 mm plug is not plugged into the radios micophone\output jack.

[@gregsmith1116]

Hi Jason, that micro USB is a power cable and not a charging cable because my brand new SkyBridge did not come with a battery. Does yours?

[@jonathanandrews3232]

I personally live in a very small apartment, Very limited on antenna space, So I went with this and I'm going to be getting it in roughly a week or so, I will let you know on how it works looking very forward to using it it will be my 1st DMR, And keep up the good work awesome videos

[@JohnDoe-zg6fn]

So how did it go? Is it working for you? What radio are you using?

[@AlphaCharlieFour]

I do see the merits in this product. Myself, I just can't see spending that much money on a pi-star hotspot. I mean I guess it's good for people who don't want to or have trouble configuring/assembling a hotspot. I just feel like if I'm going to spend that much money on a hotspot I'm going to buy a open spot 3 and be able to cross mode DSTAR with a built-in battery.

[@1MinuteFlipDoc]

my thoughts too! and an open spot 3 is cheaper! LOL

[@500gwr]

I believe this does crossband with DSTAR. The price went up Nov 29th by about $100.00

[@AlphaCharlieFour]

@@500gwr unfortunately it doesn't cross mode D-Star this requires an ambe chip on board.

[@jayanderson9068]

When you typed in the radio frequency is that the spot where I type in my local Dmr repeater frequency that I’m Using ?

[@Bill-bi5dj]

What is better wires x or DMR

[@thesarge8516]

Yes I was wondering could I this device is set up a secure network to talk with my security officers because we are using older radios we're about to get DMR radios and I was wondering if I could use this device to link them all together using the hotspot and Wi-Fi are local area

[@shadowsilverlight1651]

as Little Britian would say, "Computer says No". i will be happy to let the company keep this product...too expensive.

[@Ron-xn4wf]

WOW ! This is way over my head. I might as well forget digital .

[@karlament6939]

I'm just Curious Are finder b one, what is that? If you don't mind me asking. It almost looks like you're cell phone with an antenna on it?

[@DanClark-kq1dq]

Does the hotspot work any differently if it is using the ethernet interface instead of wifi?

[@pedrocatalan9814]

It’s a nice device, but too pricey.

[@shawnwade302]

It looks like a pie three because there's no USB 3.0 and it's got a full size HDMI. But a pie three is perfectly fine for what it's doing

[@K5ORD]

@Ham Radio 2.0 - I am debating between the SkyBridge and the TGIF hotspots. It seems the TGIF has more features? Are you using one of these as your regular hotspot? Comments? Suggestions?

[@Factory400]

OMG....that pricetag is wild.

[@johnszczepaniak8679]

Not that bad of a price. We have just gotten used to cheap analog radios. I am about to pull the trigger on the combo set. I am thinking that the tech support will make it worth it.

[@zgofarm]

I have an old pi-star 0 hotspot that has just about reached it's life span. Are there any 5ghz pi-star hotspots for DMR yet?

[@HamRadio2]

I've not seen any for that band

[@colinsphoneemail]

damn, for $430 they can keep it.. don't need the battery that bad.. I'll stay with my Zumspot 3.5 elites

[@mdnkln]

Are there any options with this for GMRS?

[@HamRadio2]

No

[@ae4xo]

Expensive

[@XJwolf4]

do you have to only use an anytone radio?

[@HamRadio2]

No, any DMR or YSF or DSTAR radio will work

[@chiefmatt1556]

Can you Get on DMR with a Motorola Ion without one of these Hotspots?

[@HamRadio2]

I think so but not sure - never got to play with an Ion

[@Ghostbit]

Bridgecom listing states the battery is only 3000MaH, not 5000 and is a $30 dollar value. That's almost ridiculous. You can buy an Anker 10000MaH slim for less then $22 on Amazon with high speed charging, would I would bet my meager fortune this Bridgecom no-name battery doesn't have.

[@aquaponicsusa634]

I didn't't see an entry for time slot. What gives?

[@ke4est]

Is Bridgecom trying to go out of business, with the ridiculous price of this unit.

[@HamRadio2]

They're selling 10 or so a week, so it doesn't appear so.

[@ke4est]

@@HamRadio2 Well I didn't mean to sound so negative, I actually went to maybe get one, even though I already have more than any one man should have hihi. Between the ones I have built and the ones I have bought. The price just kind of shocked me that is all.

[@HamRadio2]

@@ke4est They announced a price increase last month due to supply chain issues and rising costs of shipping. HINT: Icom is about to do the same thing. It's affecting everyone

[@ke4est]

@@HamRadio2 I too have been looking for another pi3b myself. Guess I will have to get another 4B for a little more. They are getting hard to find too, I can still get them(pi4) from pihut, but just have to wait longer since they are in the UK.

[@matthewlangley5565]

Does it cook breakfast? If Im gonna pay 3x the price of other nodes Im gonna want it to be able to cook up some food.

[@HamRadio2]

It's not a node, it's a hotspot. But no, if you understand hotspots then perhaps something else would be better. Trying to always find the cheapest option for Ham Radio isn't really the best plan, though

[@robk3005]

I don't have any BridgeComm products, but I have heard nothing but good things about them. I got started in digital voice using a JumboSpot USB and BlueDV, but I couldn't get DMR to work with it. Replaced the USB Bridge board with a Raspberry Pi W, configured and bam....DMR worked for the first time on a hotspot with my radio. Works great for DMR and Fusion, but I only enable one mode at a time. 73 de VE5RJK

[@rejphotography]

So can this be programmed to be a hotspot for DMR and D-Star at the same time? I don’t necessarily mean to run both networks simultaneously, but I would like the capability to switch back and forth between the two without having to reconfigure. I’m relatively new to HF and completely green when it comes to digital modes. All of my gear is Icom which uses D-Star. My Ham Radio club is an ARES club with AUX Comm responsibilities with local police and other emergency services. The club primarily uses DMR and I’m buying an AnyTone AT-D878UVII Plus from BridgeCom to be able to participate using DMR. I would like to be able to use the SkyBridge hotspot for D-Star as well. Especially since my everyday carry is an ID 52, my base station includes an Icom 705 & 7300, and I’m about to make my mobile rig a 7100 (not to mention there are very few D-Star repeaters in my area). Thoughts? -73 KG5YMD

[@HamRadio2]

DMR and dstar at the same time, yea

[@rejphotography]

Thank you for all you do. I find value in your content almost daily. -73

[@JohnDoe-zg6fn]

👍🏼👍🏼

[@Ricks2Cents]

Do you have to have a Ham Radio license to test?

[@williamlowry9585]

yes

[@JohnDoe-zg6fn]

Yes, you should have a license, but nothing is stopping you from doing it. Be warned though if you transmitt and try to talk to people without a call sign nobody will talk to you. Then what's the point? If you want it to just listen to people then that's fine as well.

[@Ricks2Cents]

@@JohnDoe-zg6fn In my area Ham Radio Operators transmit constantly on GMRS Frequencies. They are even using repeaters to do this.

[@JohnDoe-zg6fn]

@Rick Ramirez Ricks2Cents Even if you have a amateur radio license you are still suppose to have a gmrs license to transmit on gmrs. Each radio service is licensed separately. One is not suppose to transmit on the other. But gmrs is a little more lax than amateur radio. Most people don't care if you are licensed or not on gmrs. But they definitely care on amateur. I have both license and use both services, they both have their purpose.

[@conradsenior5843]

I am halfway through this and there has been no discussion of what it does, only how to configure it. I'm bailing out. If Bridgecom gave you this, they should choose someone else to do reviews.

[@HamRadio2]

You should try starting at the beginning instead of in the middle. If you don't understand how to drive, you don't go to a racetrack and rent a NASCAR for the day - you take driving lessons first. Start here - kzbin.info/www/bejne/on-QeXRmmriFnqM&ab_channel=HamRadio2.0

[@locotico71]

I bought it used from an original owner. Bridgecom wants to charge 80.00 for 1 hour tech help. It’s too bad they are so pricey with tech help.

[@HamRadio2]

their tech support is free for their customers. since you didn't buy from them, you aren't one of their customers.

[@DominicMazoch]

Issue: In case the Internet goes down or slows down, LOL. As a Harvey and Uri storms survivor....

[@HamRadio2]

Not everything in Ham Radio is about Emcomm

[@tres311]

Man all this is over my head, what is a pi star? I’ve briefly heard of raspberry pi? Just looking to get into radios and have communication ability if shit goes sideways in a couple years. I feel like they’re coming for the internet, it’s only a matter or time.

[@HamRadio2]

I have several videos on this channel explaining Pistar and hotspots

[@Harvey-Paul]

I bought one. Works fine. Too much branding, duplicated on case and display.

[@philbou1]

I ask Bridgecom to preprogram. they ask me $100 to be pre-program. Now if you buy the full package which is $800 they will do for free.

[@Jody_the_real_cool_cat]

the "Not" is crossed out with a line, stating this IS a toy lol

[@HamRadio2]

That's an underline, but LOL

[@Jody_the_real_cool_cat]

@@HamRadio2 I’ll go with crossed out, because it’s def my toy! Lol the difference between kids and Men, is our toys cost more! Haha thanks for the great content broski, 73

[@locotico71]

If i can figure it folks. You should be able as well. A lot of trial n error

[@HamRadio2]

lots of videos on KZbin about how to program Pi-star

[@cwilliams6884]

Honestly though why wouldn't I just use discord for internet comms when it is far superior in every way

[@HamRadio2]

Far superior is arguable. I hear people on Discord often who sound like crap. But these systems are for Hams only, so that's a reason

[@toddw]

"This is not a toy" If you notice the word "not" is crossed out. I think that's the joke.

[@ManuelPinner]

it's a Pi 3,

[@timodea8335]

need a \pass word

[@timodea8335]

Tiagpthans

[@amham48]

$425.00...give me a break!

[@michaelmullins9874]

So after hours and hours of trying to figure all this out, I finally get onto the various networks, and think, WOW, this is fun,,,,,NOT!!! I bought the full blown Bridgecom systems package, and honestly do not see what all the hype is about. Now the radio and hotspot just sits on a shelf collecting dust.

[@lrobie123]

sell it on Ebay. no returns

[@Ricks2Cents]

Interested in selling it?

[@JohnDoe-zg6fn]

I can take it off your hands.

[@jasonj5641]

Too many commercials

[@jgaffney6]

Jason this is way overpriced plus a restocking fee of 25%. No Thank You I built my own

[@ScanFan_Ed]

Wouod anyone know is BridgeCom still configures our Wifi login in? In the order page, it appears that they just ask for our Brandmeister login info now. Thanks!

[@christineconnell6772]

Thanks!