Ham Radio - DMR radio discussion How it works

[@mikemcdonald5147]

I know this is an older video but I just found it after buying a new dmr radio. Ive never had a dmr radio so this was good info for me to watch. Thanks for keeping your old videos up for people like me.

[@loughkb]

Glad it helped

[@PaulBarwick]

Kevin, I just stumbled into the concept of DMR yesterday and have been reading up on it for hours... This video was VERY helpful. Thanks for making and posting it.

[@robertgray7908]

I'm watching as many DMR video as as I can to try to get an overview. This one covered a lot of material that almost everyone else mentioned, but no-one explained. I especially appreciated the tine slot explanation (best ever) and the talk group visualisation (also, best ever). 100% essential viewing - my thanks for your time and insights.

[@derekdowns6275]

Great explanation, thanks. Now I see 2 problems: Dependency on Windows (I won't use) and internet, which may be non-existent in SHTF scenario.

[@orangeandslinky]

I'm from Fort Wayne. I wonder if that's why I actually understand your video. I feel that I would not like DMR now. I go to radio to get away from computer stuff and I hate repeaters. Your video WAS helpful for sure. Thanks.

[@playaspec]

Some that FINALLY explained it in a way I understand! So many videos talk like you're already familiar with DMR in the business band.

[@ON4AAH]

Finally someone who gives a good explanation about the operation of DMR. Clear and in intelligible digital language.

[@arthurdent8091]

Kevin, a very good video. Nicely laid out with no fluff. You might want to include 2 things in your next version.. 1- The id of the radio that the operator must have before he can get on the air 2- A mentioning in passing of Brandmeister.

[@richardnday]

Thank you for a brief, easy to understand explanation of DMR. I have watched other channels, but I would give up. You do an excellent job of making complex ideas understandable. Now, I can decide whether I need one of these gadgets. At this point, I don’t feel a strong need, but I can make a more intelligent decision due to you.

[@xd45shooter]

One of the best vids on DMR I have seen so far! Good job!

[@statonra]

This is the only video on DMR I've seen that I can actually understand.

[@JesterHellsingborg]

Word

[@jamescarroll6954]

From stupidly staring at the radio to programming a codeplug in a couple of hours. Now, that’s cool-I don’t care who you are.

[@lucapima1974]

Says all

[@SandyZieglerVids]

Awesome. I have been googling "What is DMR?" for a few days now. All of a sudden "poof" this vid pops up on my youtube channel. I quickly subscribed to yours. Can't wait to see what else you can teach me. BTW I am a scanner hobbyist, learning about P25 Phase 2 on a Uniden BCD525p2. I had to download DMR/MotoTRBO to expand the scanners capability, not sure why, how it worked, if it helps. Thanks so much for this.

[@freesaxon6835]

Very useful, .......... Will still have to watch a few times for it to fully sink in

[@johnhiggins4698]

Thanks Kevin! Well done video. I tend to agree that putting the internet in the loop won't do well for emergency conditions where we expect the internet to either fail or be overloaded. 73, John

[@doughopkins640]

Awesome video! Studying for my HAM license but already got my claws on a Btech DMR 6x2. In the meantime, I've programmed local fire/police analog frequencies (thnxs to the digital monitor feature) and assigned them to zones depending on their grouping. Looking forward to expanding into Digital.

[@drnv150]

It works well, as long you have no major issues with the Cbridge or Brandmeister central server or the network it's connected to.

[@athertop]

Best explanation I have found so far. Many thanks for making the video. What I find lacking during searches for DMR videos is those which show how to use DMR practically. Not the radio setup, but how to connect to a talk group on a repeater, talk on it, end the talk group connection; and also what happens if two talk groups are active on a repeater simultaneously - is this even possible? Sorry I'm a newbbie, but just looking for someone to talk through the mechanics of using talk groups on a repeater. Cheers

[@danwake4431]

Most DMR radios I have seen will 'hang on' to a talkgroup it has just heard, for a set amount of time. Let's say 20 seconds. If you key up within 20 seconds it will go out on the last heard talkgroup even if your radio was set to a different one. If the 20 seconds has gone by, it will 'let go' and your radio will transmit using whatever channel you currently have it set on.

[@alannorthdevonuk763]

I am looking into DMR but found it so confusing it was a bit off putting. However, this video explained in general terms the real basics of DMR very clearly giving me knowledge of the system I can start to build on. Some more research then I can just see myself getting yet another radio. Regards, Alan 2E0EUZ (UK)

[@justincase9638]

My first time on your channel -- great opening! love it..

[@MrTPF1]

Good discussion. I've been a ham for a while, but I'll be honest, I'm lost with the proliferation of all the digital gadgetry that's burst onto the field. Your discussion helped a lot on DMR.

[@keithford9564]

Enjoyed your video just got my radio last week still playing with it. it is different just putting in analog frequencies for now no DMR repeaters are around here. I own two analog repeaters here in Alabama. very helpful 73's

[@noirmagique]

Crystal Clear walkthrough! Much appreciated. Wouldn't it be cool if you didn't need that windows VM?

[@loughkb]

It'd be nice if manufacturers supported other OS's with their utility software. Many DMR radios don't even support Macs, let alone linux. But hey, virtual box is free, so there's at least a way.

[@alfo6085]

Thank you very much for sharing your time and expertise. Best explanation I have come across.

[@JohnWallace74]

Your radios isn’t on or off for the time slot, it’s on 100% of the time. It only decodes to audio the 50% (that time slot you are interested in).

[@peternowinski6168]

GREAT TURORIAL. I love the introduction music and opening footage. I am also an video editor.

[@davidwilcox9110]

Thanks Kevin. Your simplicity helped this old ham better understand what all the kids are doing….ha! Dave K8WPE

[@llaymard]

Thanks for making this video. It is an excellent introduction to DMR

[@kenausten1912]

Many thanks. Just getting into it. Still waiting for ID. TYT UV 380 . Now have a good idea. No dmr repeaters near me. Intend to prog Zones for different parts of UK when traveling. Avoided Dstar as it had been shut down locally due to lack of use and spiralling costs. Thanks again Gw4gja

[@arbutuswatcher]

DMR is an interesting new facet to ham radio. I like the concept of interlinking things, much like the WAN & Mesh networks of the I.P world. Just the same, I wonder how well it works independently of a networked system? Any better or worse than analog FM?

[@r.w.leblanc6326]

So Very Interesting I can not wait to pass my exam and be able to get involved with DMR thank u for the great explaination

[@K0LWC]

Fantastic video, Kevin. It's been great seeing how fast DMR has been growing among the ham radio community. Videos like this certainly help spread the word about how awesome Digital Mobile Radio can be to play with. I've been making some videos about DMR, too! Thanks again! 73 - K0LWC

[@jimbrownza]

Ok so the sound at about 3 minutes explains what I'm hearing on one of the Johannesburg repeaters which used to be for normal voice but has been re-purposed.

[@clivewilkinson5394]

Wow! Been trying to understand what seemed to be. The mumbo jumbo around DMR. thanks now I know. Suddenly it all makes sense. Thanks.

[@kln8128]

Watched a lot of DMR videos.....this was the best....thank

[@Sys-Edit0r-1995]

I know of a SDR software that can decode DMR, NXDN, D-STAR, and Yaesu System Fusion called SDRAngel. So far I think it's only for Linux. Cool thing too is it can TX too (not digitally unfortunatly) although I haven't tried that because I don't own a txcvr SDR.

[@spaceshipdev]

Helped me tons, thanks! I had programmed in RX groups but not assigned them to channels. Eureka!

[@jeffryblackmon4846]

I think I'll continue with CW, AM and SSB.

[@patrickallen1183]

Thanks for presenting this in an easy to understand format - great job. I have enjoyed this, seen numerous videos on programming, but not one video on how to find communication, to both listen and talk, and how to leave communication so you are not holding something open and maybe preventing someone from making a connection. For example, how would I interface with the North American talk group? Thanks. Another video idea is setting up a custom scan, so you can listen safely in your car. Thanks again.

[@tomahawk5118]

Thanks for breaking it down. Reminds me of how the internet works mixed with analog repeaters.

[@5280_colorado]

Love this. It's to the point and very incredibly good.

[@joecachia2]

Noob here. Have some questions if you don't mind. So Repeaters , Talkgroups, Zones, timeslots etc are all setup by the owners of the repeater . And these can be businesses on certain frequencies , or HAM operators that setup repeaters on frequencies already assigned to HAM's . 1) So what if a HAM joins a talkgroup owned by a business ? is it allowed or possible at all ? 2) How does one register to a talkgroup ? 3) How can you make a private call ? Does the recipient need to give you his ID ? Sorry if this is too long, but I am struggling a bit with this DMR thing.

[@loughkb]

Businesses are always self-contained and not internet connected. No cross-polination can happen. When you key your radio on a talk group, the radio is announcing itself and is automatically in the group until it times out. Yes, a private call needs ID's.

[@joecachia2]

@@loughkb thanks

[@pwtprojects5610]

The primary goal of the DMR standard is to specify a digital system with low complexity, low cost, and interoperability across brands, so radio communications purchasers are not locked into a proprietary solution. However, in practice, many vendors have introduced proprietary features that make their product offerings non-interoperable with other brands.

[@hfe1833]

FINALLy, an explaination that i can understand digitally clear

[@mikesimpson7748]

I am planning a motorcycle trip from NC to Alaska this summer. DMR will be a god send if I can use DMR repeaters for a emergency.

[@andreasselin8265]

Thank Kevin i'm new in DMR i just order the radioddity gd-77 and wait you're video help me to understand 73

[@jolebole-yt]

Me after watching 20 DMR videos - still don't fully understand DMR lol. Your vid explains some things but I have to continue the quest of DMR...I love how you using Linux. Are you using your SDR tru an SDR Server or directly plugged in the Linux distro machine ? I have an AirSpy SDR that will not get detected in Ubuntu out of the box. Works fine from an SDR Server on Raspberry Pi. Thanks

[@cccEngineer]

Great video. Simply explained to be easy enough to understand.

[@branvinivideo]

Appreciated the overview, thank you!

[@n4lq]

I was doing ok until 10:54 but you lost me when you brought in all the other repeaters and then that menu on your computer totally blew me away. It's back to 40m CW for recovery :*)

[@ptplacemike]

Basically lets say you are going out of town and you have all their repeaters info . What you would do is more or less repetitive work the names and numbers of the contacts/groups may remain the same but the frequencies are different and the colors are or may be different. Just like the MD-380 can be used with analog repeaters. Hope this helps.

[@Cephas049]

Great explanation. BUT, do you have to be connected to a computer, or is this all taken care of internally on your handheld unit and the repeater?

[@hectorcastro7978]

Great video, but could we go now to the hardware and hotspot and so on....Do you have a video of this? Thanks

[@loughkb]

Nope, sorry, haven't done any more with dmr

[@johnmiklor7023]

If you have questions regarding DMR, here's a link that may assist with putting the pieces together. www.miklor.com/DMR/DMR-Tutorial.php/

[@snaponjohn100]

That was a great post. By the way I grew up in southern Indiana, Vincennes. My sister still lives in Fort Wayne. Is there any way of connecting groups like say in Indiana that were old friends of yours or things like that? Sort of like on Facebook you can friend people. God bless you. John

[@DJTPA007]

Great video. I'm very interested in DMR. I hope I can find someone in my area that knows DMR to learn from. Due to the COVID-19, No local ham clubs are open yet. Thanks, KO4FFG

[@acestudioscouk-Ace-G0ACE]

Thanks for this very clear explanation, now I understand how it works.

[@statesideqsod]

Very clear explanation. Thanks for posting

[@ajcobbs]

Totally new to DMR.. Trying to catch up.. Good video.

[@fishalcoholic]

Yeah....nope. I'm sticking with the wire in my trees 😁

[@_intzc]

this is the only dmr that doesn't need a nerf

[@jhlewis10]

I think I am going to dive into this with that GD-77. Few questions, I checked repeaterbook, and did not see a way to download a route file for when I travel to FL for example, I would have program this manually? Can I send a short text to a friend that would move through the system and hold on his radio for him to see it at a later time?

[@sparker2289]

I just got a DMR radio but strictly want to use it for police, fire scanning. I had a couple questions and was hoping you could help me out?

[@jpeagle4]

Thank you so much sir! you just made two more hams in my family

[@fransahm1956]

I get it... but it seems like in the 90s we had "Webtalk". It was a free audio chat room on the web. I would be more interested in using the airwaves to eliminate the internet. Seems like a lot of work to connect to VOIP. Rebuilding WinLink would be nice. It seems to have faded into the woodwork.

[@davecasler]

Great explanation, very helpful! de KEØOG

[@BrianYoung]

Wow Kevin, if you have David Casler's stamp of approval, I'd say you've done a good job :P He's how I study for my ham-zams K4DOX

[@jack002tuber]

Dave Casler! I'm an Oggie! This video, I came here to learn about DMR, is it a popular mode? Are there many hams using it?

[@n1kkri]

I have the Baofeng DM-1801. The software looks exactly like what your using. I found the software to be exactly cosmetically as the GD-77. Is there a limit to the max amount of channels you can scan. Is there a limit to how many items in a zone, scan, and GX Group ? Thanks Ken

[@kcw1879]

So is this like, or usable as a HAM radio? I got a friend an AT-D878UV for Christmas. He said it was just a walkie-talkie so he could not use it???

[@jamesweisbeck2966]

what do the id numbers with the i on them mean? i525 etc

[@BruceInFlorida]

Thanks for a down to earth explanation of DMR. This is the first time that " I think " I understand how the process works :) So, when systems are up, I can potentially "work the world" but when everything is crashed, including my one local repeater, what can I do with a DMR radio?? Is there a Simplex option available ? Thanks de N4BRM !!

[@pageveazey9874]

I've just gotten the latest and greatest version of the Baofeng DM5R that is actually supposed to operate on separate tier 1 and tier 2 properly. I noticed that you are running the exact same program that I have. I can't find anyplace where you Save the individual Analog and Digital channels. The best I can do is operate in VFO mode Analog Simplex and Repeater Splits. I'm going to have to get someone locally who is using DMR to program this thing so it works properly. I've applied fore my ID number. I've been a Ham for 44 years and this is the most confusing thing I've ever seen. I at least figured out what the COLOR thing was by watching your video. The one thing that I've learned is that this mode will be great in a disaster if everything thing in the system is up and working but will be useless if any part of the system is down. I'll keep fooling with it because its a new toy to play with but I'm not going to put my life in the hands of Digital VHF and UHF radio. I've never been a fan of linking repeaters together anyway because if you like them all together, one nut job can tie up half the Country with his BS conversation about his flat tire on the way home from work.

[@tyson0016]

It's my understanding that private calls are not allowed on the DMR-MARC network, correct? If so, is this basically just used as a digital version of HAM? I guess the advantage being you can isolate conversations through the existing talkgroups. Are there scenarios where you can use the network for one-to-one calling or would you have to have your own repeater for that?

[@loughkb]

Yeah, I think on the networks you're limited to public talk groups. I haven't gone any deeper into it since doing this video.

[@dukemaulsby2905]

One thing that wasn't addressed.....where do you get the software??

[@loughkb]

Generally comes with the radio on CD or can be downloaded from the mAnufacturers web site.

[@AI5HV]

I really like the way in which you presented the information in this video on the basic understanding of DMR. AI5HV /73

[@ElCalin]

I am having reports from digital hams that they can NOT see any of my personal information displayed on their digital radios (call sign, Name, City, Country, etc) Just blank screens from me, I checked my Brand Meister profile, and everything is there, also Pi-star page can someone please help me to solve this problem, thanks. K9ABO

[@kansas7614]

Who can use the DRM radio? what license do you need? Can someone with a GMRS license?

[@codecage9333]

Kansas, I hope you got your answer by now! You need an Amateur Radio (HAM) license. The license itself is much cheaper than the GMRS license.

[@dereklea1183]

To add to Steve's response, digital isn't allowed on GMRS either. Get your ham ticket, it's basically free and good for 10 years just like the GMRS license's are now.

[@dalemyers5096]

Ok, now what about d-star, fission, and the other one. 4 altogether

[@loughkb]

Well, if someone sends me a radio with those capabilities, I'll do an appropriate video. ;-)

[@dimmoos757]

Is there any decrypting program(for sdr) ,for encrypted DMR?

[@loughkb]

Probably. But you would need the key set by the system admin on the DMR repeater.

[@semiblindbritguy2268]

Thank you for a Clear description M3RPG

[@victorquincanon4933]

I hit the like button when you went binary at 4:20 or so.

[@KevinModerow]

Great video. It seems Yaesu Fusion is much more user friendly.

[@rangersmith4652]

Brilliant and clear. Thanks. You earned a sub.

[@w6gps]

Thank you my headache has gone away and is clear. Just curious how you got to record your computer on video ..it looks very good thank you again

[@caulktel]

Sooo, I understand now how DMR works, thank you. Why do they sell special amplifiers for my hand helds? Wouldn't a regular amp do the same job? What's different, it's still RF.

[@loughkb]

I don't know, it's 12.5khz FM. It is turning on and off every 30 milliseconds though. IF your amplifier had regular TX/RX switching, it probably couldn't keep up.

[@FrostyDog9186]

That's one reason, Kevin. Another is that many VHF/UHF amps aren't very linear. That's not too much of a problem when you're running FM voice signals, but adding even a little bit of distortion to a digital signal like DMR will drive up the bit error rate and can quickly degrade your link quality even if you're putting plenty of RF into the receive antenna.

[@etherxrally]

Take a look at the class of amplifier. Some amps only conduct part of the time. Digital modes(tdma especially) require better amps and in some cases amps that conduct at 100% duty cycle. This allows the data to be sampled more accurately. Class AB amplifiers with analog voice are fine because humans wont notice or can mentally fill in any gaps. With digital you need to capture the bits in order to assemble the audio. There are a few tricks to fill in some gaps but overall you need as many bits as possible to make good sounding audio.

[@loctite222ms]

My understanding is because DMR is constantly switching between Tx and Rx on a 10s of millisecond range, traditional linears aren't going to work.

[@johncliff5417]

Hi Kevin , Thank's for another full explanatory video. I like the coments from some of my local U.K guys." South Yorkshire ghost hunters." Just how true. I will not use one of those radios because it has one of these new fangled digital readouts. Get back in to your cave !. In all honesty though kevin, it takes all sorts to accept change. Please carry on the good work there. 73 de G0WXU - John.

[@stevebellner9356]

Very well done. Easy to understand.

[@pupeno3]

When you say what it sounds like... how are you interpreting? as FM?

[@galax574]

yes

[@johnkelley8270]

Pretty good video for an introduction but I still don't know how to program the radio. I don't care about ETSI, take the radio touch it and tell us how to use it.

[@Munky332]

I'm still lost AF. you went through the menu's, but I still don't see it from a radio-radio or radio-repeater-radio setup. IE, i'm in the middle of nowhere, but i've got a buddy 5 miles away also with a DMR radio. what do we need to program in for DMR "simplex"? anything? Where can I find info about DMR repeaters? what resources are there? Also, if i'm listening in on a freq, without any settings programmed in (in analog mode?) will I hear DMR transmissions? Analog transmissions? or will it sound like garbled hell? If I transmit, how do I know I'm going out via DMR or via Analog? I will say, the zone thing seems kinda cool, especially with radio's that have GPS built into them -- you could have the radio pre-programmed for different states, and as you get to a certain area, does it just change over your settings? ie say I program my radio for a certain set of repeaters near me locally as zone 1, but I travel home to my parents for the weekend. and have the repeaters there loaded up in zone 2. when I travel, will it automatically "block" or filter out the channels in zone 1?

[@danwake4431]

Munky, do a search on 'talkaround', that is the DMR term for simplex. If talkaround is not selected, DMR radios will look for a repeater when you key up. If there is none around it will say 'repeater not found' and give up. If you select talkaround it won't look for a repeater, it will simply transmit with your settings (color code, etc). Yes you will hear DRM if you are listening on analog, it will just be an unpleasant noise though. Most radios will prominently display Digital or Analog, or D or A. you'll know what you are transmitting on.

[@DAVIDGREGORYKERR]

I thought that that it was QAM/QPSK based, I think it is time to ditch windows and run the Windows applications that you use most under Wine64, Winetricks64 and the windows archiver that windows uses to unpack zip and cab files, I think that the 7ZIP plugin for the Archiver should be able to unpack cab and zip files making easy to install the windows applications inside Wine64.

[@andrewbrafferty]

Does the software for this radio not allow you to change the admit criteria? I noticed the choice seems to be "Always" and grayed out throughout your video. Typically for repeater usage you'd want to choose an option similar to "Color Code Free" so that you are not inadvertently stepping on someone else's QSO.

[@loughkb]

There is a key combination that unlocks the grey options.

[@xaviernj]

yes, to do so, I think you need to go into ADMIN mode. on that software you get there by clicking CTRL-ALT-SHIFT -5 then enter the password of DMR961510

[@Jah_Rastafari_ORIG]

For my operating style, RX Groups are basically channel-scan that you can't turn off; I _hate_ them. Better to have one of the latest gen of radios w/switchable promiscuous mode... more like selectable monitor.

[@MnACreations]

I got a code plug from a local ham for my GD-77, I am trying to figure it all out..

[@thefreese1]

Good explanation but still can't understand a real use for it other than emergency group for hook up to NOAA weather via skywarn, excetera excetera. not much traffic on the local repeaters around here as is :-). so don't see a need to share the frequency. But I bet it would be handy in the big cities if there are lots of people on the machines

[@KC4LZN]

I see you're running Linux and a program I haven't seen for decoding DMR. Do you have a video explaining how you set up that decode with your RTL-SDR?

[@loughkb]

+John Wilson nope, no decoding going on. I'll have to rewatch the vid to see what you saw. There is something built on gnuradio that will decode non-encrypted Moto digital, can't think of the name of it at the moment.

[@KC4LZN]

I stand corrected... you are absolutely correct. It wasn't decoded... I've just been going nuts trying to find the process to decode digital radio on a linux box and have failed on all attempts. There are a lot of videos that claim they provide a process to decode digital with RTL-SDR but some of them are vague at spots, with you having to "figure it out" and I haven't figured it out yet. Just don't want to put it on a Windows box, virtual or otherwise.

[@russellferris2876]

ok I have a problem where my radio Beeps at me intermittently how do I stop it

[@zarmril]

"lone worker" could be activated. lone worker is a commercial setting that is commonly used by firefighters. try disabling it.

[@JOSE-sr9ld]

hello, this radio baofeng dm, is dmr or dpmr ????, thanks

[@jasongeerer8163]

Could i do this with my Icom 718? This VOIP is like echolink on steroids

[@caulkins69]

I don't get the point of time slots. Why not just halve the bandwidth per stream?

[@Jah_Rastafari_ORIG]

Better audio quality, better range. They call it '6.25kHz equivalency' (same as P25 Phase-II).

[@jimawhitaker]

Really nice video thanks. Can you recommend a low cost radio to start with? I've read that some have issues. de N8XYN k

[@kevinhartley3456]

The Connect Systems CS-580 UHF handheld is an inexpensive, simple, stable, basic DMR handheld. Its what I started with last year.

[@brunogallizziGoldenOldie]

nice info, well explained might get one soon thx 73s

[@adoberguepereiraforte8700]

ola amigo. poderia mim informa como muda por usb neste progrma..grato