SOTA-Link Project

Will do.

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I tried putting this thread through Google Translate but it didnā€™t help :-s

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The first post indicates a DMR talk group. Has this been done/nominated/set up etc etc etc. If so what are the details.
Compton

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DCS 033D allows inter-connectivity between DStar/C4FM/DMR users.
DCS 033S is a DStar only Sota-dedicated module already used by various people (F6HBI, etcā€¦)
DCS 033V allows inter-connectivity between DStar and Echolink.
DCS 033W also allows inter-connectivity between DStar and Echolink.

Why not ask F4EGG & F4GEN to turn the DCS 033S into a multi-mode (DStar/C4FM/DMR) module like the DCS 033 D but dedicated to SOTA (like it has been historically albeit DStar only)?

We could also ask them for the possibility of a SOTA-dedicated Echolink/DStar module as well.

A single DStar/C4FM/DMR/Echolink SOTA-dedicated module would be ideal but I am not sure whether it is technically feasible as of today.

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I have requested a TG allocation from BrandMeister and Phoenix/DMR-Marc. So far neither has replied.

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Agree with all your suggestions. Itā€™s just a matter of getting others to ā€œbuy inā€ to the vision.

Progress update

I have applied to set up a Fusion Gateway: https://www.ukrepeater.net/my_vetting.php?id=3631

The node will be at my house which is a very poor VHF location. However, what it does allow is linking the Yaesu Wires-X system to the wider DV community. More exciting news on this shortly.

I have purchased the domain SOTALINK.net for an information page on this project.

I have tried numerous approaches to to DMR people to get a TG allocated for this project but I have had no response at all from anyone in authority.

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ā€¦as if by magic, as a result of this post I am now in the process of getting a BM DMR TG.

Probably 973 SOTA.

Thanks ON7DQ and ON3YH!

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the magic has happened

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Great! Iā€™ll probably look at buying a DMR HT at Friedrichshafen then. The DMR repeaters are popping up like mushrooms around here!

Good luck with the continued integration work. and Thanks.

73 Ed.

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I am now listening on DMR TG973. However it occurs to me that itā€™s probably not that easy for DMR users to access the group as it will not be in their current code-plug. Hopefully someone will get there in the end. I have managed to access the SOTA DMR TG using my openSPOT and a C4FM HT.

Hello,

Itā€™s great to have the DMR access now, a lot of DMR users here in EA2 (many SOTA activators) will be happy to contribute.
We are planning some DMR coverage tests, Iā€™ll post more about that in the future.

Thanks for this development.
73 de Ignacio

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Exciting stuff. I need a new HT soon, and Iā€™ll be getting something DMR compatible for sure.

73,
Joe

A word to the wise Joe, make sure the HT is Tier 1 and Tier 2 capable. Some of the very cheap DMR handhelds only do Tier 1 - which means you will only hear half of the traffic on any repeater. Also try to buy a dual band HT (many are only 70cm) and one with a Scanning function. Promiscious mode if you really want to hear absolutely everything on the repeater (more for developers though).

The DMR HT will do DMR or analogue FM, hence the reason, I say get a 144/432MHz version rather than just a UHF model.

Ed.

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Thanks much Ed. Definitely in the market for a dual-band model, but hadnā€™t run across the tier 1/2 capability distinction.

Joe

As I understand it, connections through a DMR repeater are time division mutiplexed meaning that two QSOs (or even Nets) can take place over the same repeater at the same time, with one group not even knowing that the other group is there.

There are also two types of DMR repeaters (excuse me if I get the names wrong, this was just from listening to a podcast last week)
C-Node DMR where the talkgroups (think of them like voicemail virtual conference rooms) that users of the repeater can connect to are controlled by the repeater keeper - so if the room you want to go to isnā€™t on the list you have to contact the repeater keeper to add it.
Brandmeister DMR where the users decide what they connect to (and leave the repeater connected to). A certain amount of anarchy there with the freedom of connectivity.

All DMR handhelds will work with either repeater standard but to get to that second channel you need to have a tier II capable HT. Of course if you run your own personal ā€œhotspotā€ into the DMR network over the Internet, youā€™re going to be the only person using it, so then the $50-$60 Tier 1 UHF only, limited number of channels DMR HT will be fine.

It looks like the ā€œKnown namesā€ are TyT, Tytera, Hytera and of course Motorola. Quality and price in that sequence of course as each manufacturer brings out a new model, which is best varies.

Baofeng is the manufacturer who brought out the cheap DMR (Tier 1 only HT) but they are now working with Radiodity on Tier 2 HTs as well.

Itā€™s probably best to ask around, what others in the area, using your loacl DMR repeater are using and go with that as then they can send you a ā€œcode-plugā€ - which is nothing more than a pre-written configuration file for all the local repeater channels and talk rooms, that you load into the HT via a USB port.

73 Ed.

Are the TGs defined in the code plug? If so you will need to get BM TG 973 added.

For others who might want to know more about the subject, I found this excellent discussion of Tier 1 vs Tier 2 DMR:

To be honest, Iā€™m not sure. Iā€™ve only listened to a podcast on DMR. I do believe that if the repeater is not running Brandmeister, the repeater owner/manager will need to all the talk group before it can be accessed.

Hopefully some DMR expert will come and correct me - or this is something that Ignacio will be able to clarify after his tests.

73 Ed.

A little more progress. I have engineered a cross-mode link between C4FM and DMR. It is currently streaming traffic from FCS4-20 (CQ-UK) to BM TG973. It should work both ways so if anyone wishes to try on the DMR group that should get into the Fusion network. For technical reasons I cannot test it here.