Ham Radio Digital Modes Comparison - DMR, DSTAR or YSF? P25 or NXDN?

Today I connect to a hotspot with the 3 most comment digital modes in Ham Radio, which are DMR, DSTAR and YSF (Yaesu System Fusion) and let you, the audience, listen to each one. We will talk about the differences, my preferences, and my recommendations for you.
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Thanks for watching!
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[@MrRobertSpearsJr]

Would love to see a newer video about setting up a DV system in a rural area that doesn't have any repeaters; and why this would be better than just turning up analog.

[@dean-ka0trl980]

Thank You for making these videos. I have been a ham since 1986 but for the last 20 years I have been inactive and now getting back into ham. The hobby has advanced so much since I was in it and I am very ignorant of the new modes. Your videos are teaching me what is new and I thank You.

[@hbryant1971]

"Choose what is closest to you". Excellent advice. However I live in the middle of nowhere in Mindanao, Philippines. There is not even any FM Analog repeaters within 300 miles. However, we do have 50Mbps Fiberoptic Internet. Therefore, the mode closest to me is whatever I program into my Hotspot. To simplify things, I setup two. One with Brandmeister and TGIF and a second with Yaesu System Fusion / WIRES X. No need for cross-mode, which often leads to problems. When I want to talk on DMR, I pick up my Alinco DJ-MD5 or Retevis RT-3S. If I'm in the mood for YSF, I fetch my Yaesu FT5DR. It seems to work well so far.

[@joeeisenhour732]

I love the DMR, I have a cousin in California and he's been doing the digital for a few years now. I got an AnyTone DMR radio. He told me about P25 and Droidstar for the android. Took me a while to get it working but I did it. I can connect to the PAPA network in southern California. Then he told me about M17. I found it on my Droidstar app and talked to him on M17. I've also made a couple of other contacts on that mode as well. The night he told me about M17 I was able to have it up and running before he did. I think that really surprised him. Now I'm trying to figure out the settings for YSF. I'll keep watching your videos and continue to learn more. I've been a ham for 52 years now. Still have my original call as I didn't see any reason to change it. Got the General in February 4th 1972. Thanks for putting on the videos and hopefully will figure out the settings for the YSF. 73's for now, Joe WB6ELL P.S. I have talked all the way around the world back in 80's when the sun spots were going crazy running 10 watts on 10 meter FM. 73's once again.

[@madmagrider]

I chose Fusion because I have multiple repeaters near me and because it's easy to use and program a Yaesu radio.

[@cbtaylor10]

Good reviews. I've been an Icom man since the mid 1980s but since purchasing the Yaesu VX-6R last April I'm impressed with them. That said, I'm digging the Yaesu FT5 for it's robust construction, form factor, and solid Fusion performance. 'Honorable Mention'. N4CBT

[@ejrandler]

Jason, as always, thanks for the great content. I appreciate that even though you have a preference, you still showcase other radios/systems/etc. I can't stand people who think that their preference is the only way to go and that everything else is crap. Thanks for not being that guy.

[@donaldsmith3048]

I got a TGIF HOTSPOT. Not had it but a week and still trying to learn all the things I can do with it. I want to be able to get on some of the different networks. I know that there is a way to do it. One thing I have learned is that in Ham radio there is always something new to learn about!

[@saltlakecountyares8942]

I run DMR and System Fusion. I like them both and there are repeaters for each close by.

[@joeframo3347]

Boy you're amazing you came along way brother I still go back to the days when you first yes indeed like I said you came a long way 😎

[@jasonritchey8610]

Dstar and System Fusion myself is what I use. Thanks Jason for the video my friend! Keep up the good work. KF5VSM 73!

[@caseyschesky3708]

I am a new General and your videos are great. A lot of info in a short package. Very interesting and informative. Thanks I have learned a lot over the last 6 months watching! KE8PFA Casey

[@W5ERX4911]

I like all these modes for different reasons and they all have something different to offer. My personal favorite is P25. I know it can be a bit daunting to get into but the voice quality is second to none. I would really like to see you do a video on P25 just so folks know what it is about.

[@jensvoigt3376]

get one of each D Star, YSF andDMr and using all thank you for your great video

[@keithfrost1268]

Fusion was the first I'd heard of. I went D-Star because I wanted to talk with a friend who'd moved out of state. He had an Icom.

[@larrybragg7406]

Thank you for sharing. I noticed the sound quality only varies by radio, not by the digital signal. I'm in Bakersfield CA. We have Fusion, DMR and P25. I recently learned how to program a codeplug for DMR. Prior to this, it was confusing but Bridgecom was an excellent resource.

[@K3JRZOnTheAir]

When I got into ham radio, my local HRO (yeah, I’m like 20 minutes from the New Castle, DE location) said that System Fusion repeaters we’re popping up in the area and they persuaded my to get a Yaesu FT-1D from a VX-8 (or a model down). There weren’t many YSF repeaters actually up in my very local area, but there were a few 25+ miles away that I was able to hit if I used a better antenna or my 991. Since I couldn’t control the repeaters that I could get to (or they were down more than up) I decide to go with a OpenSpot 1 as my first hotspot. Gave me more freedom to do as I wished. Eventually got a OpenSpot 2. I go to DMR sometimes in my OS2, but haven’t talked to anyone talking through a TG on a local repeater. I usually stay on the System Fusion side of the OS2, switching between the FSC & YSF reflectors.

[@joeblow8593]

DMR sounds really good on your video. I have both D-Star and C4FM Fusion. Never really used either much

[@davidg5308]

Thanks Jason! I use DSTAR and YSF. All of the big 3 and more here in the LA area, but just don't feel the need for any more. Go with what you can and enjoy it!

[@HamRadio2]

Thanks for sharing

[@johnberry704]

" get one of each ". Perfect response

[@forgetyourlife]

Get none of each. The analog response.

[@mossup-]

Great video thankyou, once you have chosen your selected mode, i chose dmr as here where i am in the UK i only have one local dmr repeater tha is too far for my handheld to reach, so i went dmr and got 2 pistar hotspots, one simplex and one duplex, the problem i found is people are spread across many networks like some are on brandmeister and some on pheonix and some on tgif and again some on freedmr, for me there is too many, most local UK repeaters are on pheonix so maybe that is one choice i should go with. either way i am loving dmr so far, had some issues with brandmeister when running 2 hotspots on it, thats when i decided to put the second one on a different network. love your vids, thankyou ♥

[@proudtex]

Started with D-STAR, but my local club hosts the Texas Patriots room on our Wires-X repeater.

[@jackK5FIT]

There are a couple of D-Star repeaters and a couple of Fusion repeaters in my area. I bought a Yaesu FT70D and a Jumbo Spot to play around with and got everything working and talked a bit on the America Link channel. Signal reports both ways are great. Santa brought me a Radioddity GD77 last Christmas so I could play around with DMR some. No DMR repeaters yet but I understand one is in the works. Looking forward to expanding my digital voice footprint. Thanks for the video! Jack K5FIT

[@mac98sho50]

I have both DMR and YSF. I do have repeaters for both near me, but I mainly use hotspots mainly. I have been hanging on Fusion more lately than DMR.

[@Jah_Rastafari_ORIG]

Actually, you can translate any digital mode to any other using DVSwitch. I've also found that voice quality can vary widely, based on radio model, firmware rev and most importantly, whether the user's radio has been properly tuned (not to mention the tuning status of the hotspot/repeater/etc. they're using).

[@donaldsmith3048]

My first radio is a AT 878UVPlus DMR. Ran out of memory for users long ago, but it stil works. I have been thinking about getting a DSTAR but many people are working on ways to put them all together so talking on one goes on all of them.. only local I think but when it is working I can talk to all the digital modes around me. DMR is a programming trouble but sounds best.

[@dennismarble3591]

I really appreciate and enjoy your videos. Not on yet take my technical exam 3/25. Please keep making videos.

[@QRPadventures]

Well, did you pass?

[@dennismarble3591]

@@QRPadventures Yep, first to finish and 100% correct. I joined a club and hope to get some Elmer experience soon.

[@lawrencecheung73]

Thank you for your informational videos !!! I'm a total "newbie" and I am learning so much from you. Just subscribed !!!!

[@pedrocatalan9814]

Hey Jason. Another great video. You don't touch on the multi mode reflectors, like the Quadnet Array. There are several nets held on there every week. You can use any of the three modes to connect to it, and be heard by all the participants. The cross encoding is done at the server end. There are other multimode reflectors out there too. I have to admit, I find the audio on DSTAR to be much better than DMR. one big problem with DMR, is the varying audio levels depending on the radio the user has. I have a Motorola XPR 6550 and an Anytone 878. You can really tell what radio someone is using just by how loud or soft the audio is. I'm sure you have seen this before. Keep up the great work. 73, VE7LO.

[@swedesspeedshop2518]

So listen to these guys talk and get what you want . Got it 👍

[@billcrow5403]

I use DMR because we have numerous repeaters in Oklahoma. Also I have one at the school I teach. Wish Kenwood would come out with a DMR ( ham) radio like the D74

[@jamesa4958]

Thank you

[@dont4450]

Great review

[@RodLittle]

DMR works best for me YMMV - so your videos on DMR are much appreciated

[@domgiampietro6005]

Good info; being a "late bloomer" into digital, its great to finally learn the difference btw the various modes, as I dive-in with my new AT578Pro. All your videos are fun to watch too! Thanks. KF7VIB

[@rohnkd4hct260]

I have DMR,DSTAR ,YSF and P-25. I live in area where I have very limited repeaters. Most all my DV ops are over a Hotspot. To me, P-25 sounds the best but , I love DSTAR.

[@jneale5204]

I have one of each. Anytone 878 for DMR, Icom ID-5100 for DSTAR and the Yaesu FTM-400 for YSF. We don't have a DSTAR repeater in the area anymore. I still keep the ID-5100 in my truck because some of the areas I go to for work have DSTAR, We have DMR and Fusion in the area and both work good. I even have the FTM-400 set up as a PDN. With that being said YSF is my favorite mode. KM4NHN

[@albing1397]

I have all 3 here in SE Wisconsin, as well as FM. While I programmed repeaters into all my radios (3 DSTAR radios, 2 Fusion radios and 4 DMR - HT, base and mobile), I have mostly reverted to using hotspots. I enjoy DMR (Brandmeister) the most, but only with an RFinder hotspot (still a lot of programming). DSTAR is by far the easiest to program with the hotspot - only program 1 frequency, change reflectors via the DR mode (Openspot 1 & 2). I'm not too worried about using the internet backbone as without the internet, most of these digital repeaters would not be linked anyway. Fusion rooms and Wires X not too active. Many linked FM systems around here via UHF linking. Over 100 repeaters on 2m, 220 and 70 cm in SE Wisconsin. With so many local systems, there is mostly quiet (sandbaggers). In mobile travels east of Mississippi River, most (local) activity is FM, but DV allows you to better reach back home. WA9RYO

[@briankendall1978]

I have been keeping my eye on the M17 that open source digital voice protocol. That seems like it could be very cool!!

[@earlsimmons5497]

I agree with you regarding DMR. I haven't used YSF but have both dstar and DMR and like DMR much better.

[@RicSpivey]

I've been using dmr with a lot of help from your channel. A LOT of help lol. But I'm definitely enjoying it. I have one hf radio (g90) but planning on upgrading to something 100w and I was so close to sold on a ic-7300 but I'm seriously considering an ft-991a because I think I may enjoy ysf more than just hf D-star. That'll probably hold me off for a while... Maybe

[@jss672006]

Good video thanks!

[@jpb5385]

This is great. I appreciate this. I would like to see more on how to use System Fusion. I’m new to the hobby and have an FT3D but know little about the digital side.

[@CharlotteCaniac]

I’m new too and have a FT3D. Is it simply a matter of connecting to a Fusion nearby repeater?

[@pale_2111]

I've got a FT3D and use in on Wires-X every once in a while because I just got one hotspot. It takes some time to get used to it, but made a few contacts on a few reflectors. I suggest that you make a log before you start because it'll come in handy when you run come across someone again.

[@QRPadventures]

@@CharlotteCaniac You can use a Wires-X and a YSF repeater. You can also connect the FT3D to a computer and use it as a hotspot for Wires-X. Lots of youtube videos about it. Good luck and welcome to the hobby.

[@stacksmasher]

One thing for sure Digital sounds very good!

Excellent advice. Here in New England the digital activity is mostly DMR so it's an easy choice here. There are quite a few System Fusion repeaters because of Yaesu's seeding with cheap repeaters, but most are operating in the fixed FM output mode so they're making minimal use of digital capabilities. I suspect that a big reason for DMR dominance here is the New Englanders are cheap, even by ham standards. DMR radios can be bought inexpensively because of the HTs from China.

[@jayrogers8255]

Agreed. That being said, I am in New England, & don’t have DMR. I have NXDN, P25, & D-Star. I prefer the audio on P25, but own an NXDN repeater.

[@jeffreydonaldson3708]

I have a Yaesu FT70 that of course does System Fusion. There are quite a few repeaters in my area that will handle Fusion. Right in my home town probably 2 to 3 miles away is an active DMR repeater. I could hit it with a dummy load. I guess that will be the way to go for digital.

[@rjlewis3932]

I've been using digital for about 2 years now. First, I've never bothered programming a digital repeater frequncy into my radios. I only use hot spots. DMR is the least expensive and most active, TG 3100 during the day and 91 any other time. I can bridge to the most popular YSF room, America-Link via TG 31656. YSF and WIRES-X is an expensive mess. I use a Yaesu 70D, but sometimes have issues with WIRES-X connectivity. There are 2 secondary rooms, American Ragchew and Alabama Link which are not very busy. D-Star, even 30C and 1C aren't used nearly as much as they were when I first got in to digital. I also use Blue DV Ambe 3000 server wirelessly on an Android device connected to a Thumb DV plugged into a RPi 3W. With that setup, I can access all 3 modes seamlessly without ANY programming.

[@pd3jaghamradio509]

Great video, i love the C4FM WiresX and YSF , but i have them all dmr & Dstar& C4FM 73' from the Netherlands Jason Jan PD3JAG.

[@tiagoguizzo3876]

I like them all, I think all digital modes have their place but I to my ears system fusion, specially on an FT-70D, has the best audio quality.

[@QRPadventures]

Agreed!

[@kg5muc706]

i have all 3. like them all

[@SbrGrendel65]

I’ve got all three around 10-12 miles away around me, but DMR has one 2.4 miles away. So with that being that way I’m leaning to DMR. About to take test real soon...

[@dmb3428]

I need to look more into the different varieties, 2m-70cm seems dead here at times so I have a hard time justifying investing in another rig for it so having a d-star option in addition to may make sense

[@mcdeadsquirrel]

Great video !!!! Thank you !!!! '73

[@horaciopetrera4753]

best 73 From LU1BJW, a true D-Star believer.

[@jerry_satcom]

I have at least one radio for all the digital modes (D-Star, Fusion, DMR, P25, and even NXDN), plus a Wires-X node and a bunch of mmdvm’s. (Not to mention a few AllStar nodes too.). Comparing the DV modes isn’t something I really like doing as it’s kind of like comparing oranges and tangerines, but DMR is very cheap to get into (there are many DMR CCR’s), plus if someone new learns DMR first, the other modes will be extremely simple afterwards. Not that DMR is overly complex, but it does involve some simple TDMA multiplexing. Having worked with mux’d supergroup trunks consisting of hundreds of channels before, mux’ing two 6.25 KHz channels (TimeSlots in DMR terminology) is trivial. The downsides to DMR is that there isn’t much dynamic audio range when it’s being funneled through a 6.25 KHz straw. Also, DMR gets its roots from the commercial world in Europe, so using it for amateur use is kind of like putting a square peg into a round hole, same with P25 and NXDN. D-Star and Fusion were created by amateur radio for amateur radio and imo, the reflectors on those modes tend to carry more interesting QSO’s. Try them all out and see which you like. By starting with DMR, if you aren’t sure about Fusion (or P25), you can use crossmode to get a slight feel of their reflectors before investing in an actual radio for them. Yes, there are apps too like DroidStar, but the AQ won’t be as good as a native radio. Also; by having native radios for the modes, you can use them also with just repeaters or even simplex’s. Just because they are digital doesn’t mean they have to be internet linked, it just means they are digital. Have fun and explore them all, but imo, it probably makes most sense to start with DMR if you want to check them all out eventually. I’m now into FreeDV (a HF DV mode).

[@Dusty_Ham]

Thank you very much Jason, I'm just about to start looking for my first DMR radio. They are the only repeaters in my country unfortunately. Now I have to search for a decent inexpensive hotspot and HT. My Baofeng isn't working out for me at all unfortunately.

[@EvgeniX.]

check out OpenGD77 radios such as the tyt 380. really nice! btw only DMR in my country as well :)

[@docmcr1953]

Super video! I applauded for $5.00 👏👏

[@HamRadio2]

Thanks!

[@NorthCountryHam]

I have my AT878 plus, and my 991A w/ C4FM, I have used both, and its a toss up for me, I'm still tweaking my programming on the Anytone . I have to go through my pi-star to connect at home, I don't reach the repeater w/ the HT unless I'm out driving

[@TheNoCodeTech]

#ThNHR #TeamReplay for the win! Great video man.

[@spiritzweispirit1st638]

Thank You! Your Sooo Listentoable' and Way Fair!😶👍

[@Gravelbomber]

DMR is huge in Illinois, especially the Chicago area. You can go pretty much anywhere and be in range of at least 1 DMR repeater...with an HT. I was trying to decide what to get next, and ended up getting the openspot 3, instead of another radio. KC9OSX

[@hbryant1971]

P25 was "introduced" in 1994 with Motorola Astro for LAPD. The audio is quite "funky" due to old CODECS. 28 year old technology which is still the public safety standard today.

[@Porty1119]

Modern P25 radios use the same AMBE vocoder used by DMR. Phase 1 (FDMA) sounds better than DMR, Phase 2 (TDMA) sounds about the same as DMR, but with superior noise cancellation due to the target market.

[@whome9936]

Goodness! I'm a technical editor, new to amateur radio, and I need only read the title of this video to know that ham is lost in acronyms. (I'm not blaming this channel; it's everywhere.) Ironically, a hobby centered on communication has a high barrier to entry because it is bad at...wait for it...communication. Jargon is an impediment to meaning.

[@HamRadio2]

I suggest you start at the beginning. Not every video I post is for someone who is brand new. Being a technical editor wouldn't help you in any field that has its own jargon, terms and acronyms.

[@whome9936]

@@HamRadio2 Yeah. I just edited my comment to indicate I was not blaming your content or channel. Sorry for any ambiguity. I don't claim that being an editor should help me overcome the problem-only recognize it.

[@500gwr]

Been using the Anytone 878UVII Plus on the Dallas repeater with a lot of success. Would like a hot spot - looking at the Bridgecom skybridge: waiting for some reviews before I buy.

[@ManuelPinner]

I like DMR, Now I like to Try the other Digital Modes to, Here in New York City, There is More DMR than the other Digital Modes,

[@NewZealandAmerican]

In the Chicago area APCO P25 which most AMERICAN public safety uses for choice of digital voice is very popular with many Repeaters. Also another voice mode very popular in the Chicago area is "P26" 🤣

[@MrSparks54]

I have DMR, DStar and YSF, personally I like DMR more than the other digital modes but as you say, they are all good.

[@TheBluntNinja]

What about DMR do you like that makes it top your list?

[@MrSparks54]

@@TheBluntNinja DMR for me is easier to use and seems to be more stable (dgitizes less).

[@KC1PDW]

I FT-3dr running a pi-star raspberry pi zero. i would like to see videos on setting up repeaters for 10 meters and yaesu and dmr for my area. thank you for your videos they help a lot. and HRCC , K8MRD,KM4ACK

[@EricFullwood]

I've had my Extra Class license for about 3 years. Tried everything from AM to FT8. CW is the only thing I find interesting. Talking on the air never really grabbed me. CW SOTA is my passion.

[@WillLeingang]

100% sincere in saying you are an inspiration to me!

[@swedesspeedshop2518]

99% of conversations are small talk . Weather, radio equipment, gardening etc very rarely does it get interesting past that

[@mhpreach]

From my perspective. I would like to see basics of DStar. The Basicsbof Fusion. The basics of P-25. Been on DMR a number of years both as a user and a two radio tech. Would like to try DStar don’t know what rooms reflectors to go try. I have two DStar icoms have used much.

[@keekdachoseone7]

If you want mainly ham radio for American amateur then go with dstar if you want amateur all around the world go with ysf if you want ham and also listen to some business bands get dmr if you want ham radio some business bands and listen to train bands get nxdn if you want ham and police and fire get p25

[@neilspector9221]

I am in an area that has several DSTAR repeaters.We have one System Fusion and one DMR repeater. So I have one of each radio...

[@saddlebrookesilversmithand9493]

Didn't learn as much as I thought I would/should.

[@PaulieShortcuts]

Good vid Jason. If I have a Ft3d and open spot 3. Could it communicate with a business band that is encrypted dmr? I’m pretty sure the ft3d wouldn’t even transmit outside licensed frequencies.

[@news_internationale2035]

FreeDV is my fav digital voice mode.

[@HamRadio2]

That is an app, not a mode. But it is a good choice.

[@havok4103]

So, good video but what about the features of each? I watched a video showing the dstar can do simplex to a single callsign keeping the signal mute from others, im not aware of the ability for fusion to do that, i think fusion only has groups to join right?

[@chuckchampion694]

I'm getting r finder b1 soon

[@Rusty-Williams]

The school system I am retired from went with Kenwood NXDN for our business radio system. I was in charge of all the HT's and used the NXDN software to reprogram them. (I got that simply because I was the only ham operator in the school system and only one who knew anything about radios) I got used to the audio sound and from your video DMR and YSF are the closest in the way they sound. YSF is a "little" better than NXDN and DMR is just a "little" bit worse, but not much. I'm thinking of going digital here, but just checking out all three to see which will be the best fit for me. 73 de KB9TMP

[@HamRadioLiveShow]

Nice video Jason. I have a request for a show with information about various digital modes. I don’t have a repeater I could get locally to show these. I’d like to use your video that very well explain all of these loads. I’ll be sure to present your channel and put a link in the description to your channel. I live in “the desert of digital” lol. Not a lot of repeaters close by to interface with. I appreciate all you do to help advance the knowledge of the Amateur Radio. You put a lot of work in on your channel. Thank you for all the hours of work you put in. All my best to you and your family Jason, Larry

[@K5ORD]

Newbie question… Can saved frequency settings (channels) be saved with alpha-numeric names? If no, which DV HT’s can label channels with alpha characters?

[@grampsradio]

I used that very popular ham radio licensing website to memorize the answers to the questions so that I could get an amateur radio licence so that I could practice using ham radio. I took my Technician Exam on one Friday and then my General Exam the very next Friday. I don't know a damn thing about ham radio. All I had to do to get a General Class Amateur Radio Licence was memorize the answers to questions that I didn't even understand. That was easy enough. Now I have a "legal right" to learn how to use Ham Radio. Once I learn how to use it, I will never use it. I wanted the license, simply to be able to "legally" transmit so that I could practice using it, so that in the event of a complete and total long term grid down event, I'd have ham radio knowledge for emergency communications. Now.... I need to know what type of equipment I should buy for that purpose. After I've purchased the proper equipment and learned how to use it, it will all go into a farady cage and there it will stay, until a long term grid down emergency occurs. I would want the ability to communicate regionally, statewide, nationwide and even worldwide. Any equipment advice would be appreciated.

[@N9IBZED]

I am in an area where I need to use a hotspot because I don't have any repeaters in my area that that I can hit reliably I have an AnyTone 878 that I use with my hotspot now but want to try something else out that is easier to program and or if need be change settings from the radio without using programming software so am trying yo choose between dstar and YSG i can only afford to get one radio but can't figure out which yo get which would you get if you wrre in my position and why

[@oldblindsonny8476]

I am using analog mode but thinking of going either d m r or DSTAR

[@2012elf]

I use DMR on Any tone D578uv and 878uv (KE8OYOY)

[@wcgems]

You may have already done this but should do a comparison between the ZUMSPOT and the TGIF

[@DineroyvidaenLA]

Which system would be better if I am planning to be full time living in an rv traveling throughout the country and going to Alaska, Baja eventually.. thank you

[@ManuelPinner]

Here in New York City have Lots of DMR Repeaters,

[@ManuelPinner]

You can get Icom and Yeasu DMR Radios to, I have a Alinco DJ-MD5X DMR and a Yeasu FT5D HT, use these with My Open spot 4! Getting the ICOM ic 52,

[@MrRicksho]

have a question for you. i have a raspberry pi 4 that i use exclusively for running hamclock. is it possible to use this Pi and build a hotspot to use Digital voice modes for use on my ft5d radio? do u know the steps for building this?

[@echo-hotel]

I still have no idea what these are. I’m new waiting on my call sign. Have an ic-705 with d-star or I’m stuck with that for now one repeater near me (10 miles) that I’m not sure I can hit in the mountains of WV

[@adnassiamarador9547]

I have two VHF radios. I live in South Florida. I would like to connect with Jamaica because my brother Shankar Maragh is missing there. I want to know which radio can connect there. I could make contacts on Echolink but recently Jamaica is not logged in.

[@VintageElectronicsGeek]

Thinking I would learn about these modes...what is it? After watching this video, I still don't know. Was a HAM operator but got out of it shortly after Echolink started, to many operators sounded like CBers....that hasn't changed....just now getting back into it. The search continues.... ~Jack, VEG

[@rider275]

I am new to HAM radio. I located a DSTAR repeater near me. Are there older DSTAR radios that you would recommend? Thank you.

[@rogershults5607]

Hello Jason KC5HWB I have got DMR Yaesu system Fusion D-STAR my pick of the litter is D-STAR and the reason is that is no codeplugs our database to worry about 73

[@hbryant1971]

What we HAMS need is a Multi-Mode, Analog, DMR, D-STAR, P25, YSF, NXDN rig offered in HT, Mobile, and Base Station form....

[@hbryant1971]

@RadespotosR Absolutely!

[@QRPadventures]

Its called an OpenSpot 3! Go get one!

[@daveborchard2019]

What are the popular and active YSF and DMR networks equivalent to the active RFC030/C, 30 Charlie?

[@buttyug]

I’m New to the digital RF concept. Is Wires X the only one that you can gateway into rooms from say 20 miles away if you can be received by the node? Looks like it can be done with C4FM or analog with DTMF codes. I hope this is wrong and can be done at usual repeater distances with other modes as I like dstar mobiles and the DMR Anytone 578. Hotspots just don’t make any sense to me, if I have direct internet access then I already have access encrypted voice calls across multiple platforms 🤷🏽‍♂️

[@daviddurflinger3104]

Bob is cool, listen to his channel all the time.

[@bluewatermike9249]

Thank you, and had one question. How did you decide on a frequency to use in the hotspot? All the vidoes I watched just pick one and keep moving through the set up. I will be using fusion because I have a Yaesu HT and there is a fusion repeater within reach. I did also get the DMR ID as you suggested in another video, and didn't know if the mode had a bearing on the frequency you choose. Thanks again. KE8RDW

[@BennyCFD]

If there no DMR repeaters nearby you can use any frequency you want. Just set low power in the DMR code plug settings.

[@USAFJUNKIE]

I already decided to use fusion because I like the audio quality and potential for the Group Monitor function if out with friends. Plus, I like that I can use YSF2DMR through my hotspot. That said, I'm curious what mode you'd recommend to someone who travels a lot for work, making the types of repeaters near the user a non-factor.

[@rickwaldron3278]

I’m new and still studying. Do you need a hotspot to use any of the modes you are talking about? DMR,DSTAR,YSR