DMR Radio? Debate??

[airfixpilot]

Is DMR Radio (use of repeaters and internet), real radio?.. Why?, When in the old days when HF and longwires to transmit on SSB around the world, or even 80 meters were used, it was said to be true radio, right?.
Now with a £100 handheld ( which I have), like a Retevis RT3s you can talk world wide, from home, car or walking. You just need a repeater to connect. THATS IF YOU HAVE a AMATURE LICENCE.

The use of Brandmeister, PI-Star or D-Star, has made it easy for the radio user to do this with PC programming software. Now with the Foundation exam online, the normal person in the street can pass the exam within about one month, and go onto DMR with a callsign after getting a free DMR ID.

Any comments on this subject welcome.

Airfixpilot

[Whisky1]

It's radio but not as we know it Jim....I use Dmr I also use ssb and cw and enjoy digital voice now and then.
I call it plastic radio but it's fun a bit of rf into my hotspot and I'm talking around the world, the other day I was talking to a mobile op in Texas....Real radio I'm not really convinced but it's fun.
I tell the haters to take it or leave it, makes no difference if you enjoy it.

[ch25]

I tried dmr. Not my pair of shoes but was useful.
Ham radio beauty is, that there is something for anyone.
analog, digital, long and short waves and so on.
Dmr is just a small part of bigger picture.
Chris

[DX-Digger]

Its all a matter of perspective really, I mean Its a great way of alerting your friends that there is a rare DX on such n such a frequency.
or callin on say TG505 to see if any VK's can hear you on 40mtrs etc.
I mean they said AX25 Packet radio wasnt real amateur radio but it was used all over the world to send messages and bulletins etc.
The internet soon saw that off as 1200 Baud was very slow. Broadband is much better.

You could say that the guys working ssb cw or DATV via QO-100 Satellite isnt real radio as its via a repeater in Geostationary orbit, but RF is involved and mainly home brew gear is built and used. The thrill of working all over europe with a qrp 2.4GHz uplink using say a Pluto SDR etc can be fun.
Technology moves forward and if we fail to embrace and use it, we get left behind. Ham Radio is thought of as an old mans hobby, but this new technology
helps to bring it upto date.

At the end of the day if you enjoy chatting on a local Analogue repeater then digital is the same but the repeaters are all linked up.
You can of course use DMR simplex with no repeater or hotspot, and in the uk there are frequencies allocated for that very purpose.
There are also gateways that allow you to speak to Icom DStar users and Yaesu YFM users.

Is it real radio? in my eyes yes, but others may not think it is. you cannot un-invent technology, and as Radio Amateurs we alter and adapt technology
to suit our purpose.

Just Remember this.
ITS A HOBBY There are no rules saying you cant do this or that as long as you are licenced to operate and experiment then make it your hobby and not
some one elses

Just my opinion, I hope I dont get too much flak
73 and enjoy YOUR HOBBY

[26mb04]

CW is digital... I know what you mean though and I sort-of agree, but it's what people make of it. I'm not a huge fan of digital, but I like the idea of free-form text messaging that DMR has (as did BIS1200 before it).

[Tigersaw]

Tried it, soon got fed up of everyone sounding like they had their fingers up their nose

[Werthers]

DMR provides those who are not privileged and live in poor locations who are not able to put up decent antennas to get on the air and make long distant contacts without the aid of long wires or big antennas.

These days long wires etc are just not practical in this day and age, however DMR is not a replacement by any means as Ham radio is an experimental scientific hobby therefor, all bands are needed and should be used. DMR is still real radio and you can still have DMR simplex just the same as you would on analog it is just another mode.

There are options for HF for those who live in poor locations or have antenna restrictions such as a Mag Loop antenna but those can be very hit and miss and don't always work and for some others they are a good way to get on HF and make contacts.

I'd say internet is not real radio at all.

[paulears]

DMR is a good head scratcher - ham radio has been downgraded in operating for years with cheaper and cheaper radios. Now, with DMR we have the rise of the ham experts again. I'm not one - those people who really write better code plugs using facilities I didn't even know the radios had make me smile. I look at them and try to reverse engineer what they did and realise there's a real skill in making digital operation simple and effective. Just editing them to make them work on your own local repeater is a skill I struggle with. I don't enjoy doing it, and it's brought in new people to the hobby who are influential and teach you things, unlike many who just talk and bore you to death. I don't really care if it's digital or not - having interesting people to learn from and talk to is the key for me. Idiots who don't even know how to match an antenna, or complain because a connector needs solder drive me to despair. People who don't even know any ham radio history just make me wonder what kind of hobby it would have become without digital. If it's a bit tough for some people that's kind of OK, somehow.

[Werthers]

Each Ham is in a different situation, some have cars where as others don't and the ones that don't, can't have a mobile setup if a home setup is out of the question if you live in lets say the middle floor or ground floor flat with no garden which is common today. Most landlords or property's do not allow antennas to be installed even if there was an area to put one. Nobody wants to go portable with members of the public pointing and laughing at you and taking photos of you on there phones. Many people who are in dire situations have already tried and tried and tried again and failed and there isn't anything you can do when you don't have the right requirements, this is where DMR comes in. Its just the way things are today, not everybody has a house with a garden with a car.

[LeakyFeeder]

I use DMR but not thru the internut...
We have a small but growing group here that use DMR to get away from the idiots n have a natter without interruptions..
Too many self appointed radio bobbies on the DMR repeaters for my liking

[MorseMan]

CW is digital... I know what you mean though and I sort-of agree, but it's what people make of it. I'm not a huge fan of digital, but I like the idea of free-form text messaging that DMR has (as did BIS1200 before it).

I suppose technically it is digital.
Thinking about it morse or vail or gerke code as it should be known is a binary system on & off.

I don't know why we call it morse code as he only used numbers & a code book, Alfred Vail invented the letters
& Friedrich Gerke invented the code we use today (International code).

I have tried to send & receive American railroad telegraphy to other radio amateurs with ofcoms permission.

Once you know one code it's virtually impossible to use another for head copy.

[26mb04]

Try using the International Code of Signals, I'm pretty sure it's still a valid code and you can download it here.

The old version (from the early 30's) has a lot more code substitutions than the more recent versions. It's probably obsolete in reality, but I can imagine it having been a real game changer in its day.

[Werthers]

DMR is real radio as its the same concept as analog but with extra features. Digital is just another mode. There are also digital simplex frequencies available. DMR is not limited to repeater use.

As we are going forward into the 21st century not everybody is able to put up antennas due to restrictions etc so DMR provides people an easier way to get on the air who have limited means.

Personally I find DMR radio to be somewhat boring as there are only a small handful of people on it, often the same people talking about the same boring things, some have very loud audio where as others you can barely hear so adjusting the volume after each over is often needed. DMR is very quiet for the most part but enjoyable when active on those odd occasions when people aren't taking about the same boring things.