Welcome to my DMR for ham radio webpage
This page is full of rabbit holes, there is a lot to cover here you might want to get a cup of coffee and a sandwich

If you need help with DMR this is the right web page for you



DMR is really not that hard to use, once you get the very basics down

Learning DMR is not that hardbasic skills needed for dmrWhat is a "Hotspot" for DMR?







You can learn more about DMR here

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The first step is to get registered with RadioID.net and get your DMR ID
Here are the steps to get all of your DMR credentials registered and verified
Required for BrandMeister hotspot connections




DMR Doesn't Have To Be Super Expensive
For around $214 you can have a DMR setup, DMR HT & a MMDVM hotspot, Starter pack Baofeng DM-1701 $70
 and a nice MMDVM pi-zero hotspot with a LAN port for ($116) Depending on where you buy the radio some come with OpenGD77 already installed



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Are there any DMR repeaters near you?
  




 
It's like having your own personal low powered digital repeater at home or in your mobile

Also most everyone who starts off using a DMR repeater gets a hotspot for the freedom they provide, no restrictions or sharing.
Boomerang    Amazon    eBay    SkyBridge Max






There are a bunch of them to choose from

Note: BrandMeister & TGIF require an account for access to their networks

BrandMeister   TGIF   DMR+ IPSC2 Global Master Servers   DMR+ IPSC2 "QuadNet"   XLX   AmComm   QuadNet System-X   FreeStar   FreeDMR   System-X
Note:DMR+ IPSC2 networks have talk groups and reflectors to connect to with links and bridges to many other networks

Note:XLX is a reflector linking multi protocol network similar to D-Star with numbered REF reflectors and Rooms, 26 rooms per reflector labeled A to Z

Others include and are restricted to RF only no hotspots and most require permission to use
c-Bridges: DMR-MARC, DCI TRBO, NATS, CACTUS, K4USD, Crossroads, Lonestar, DMRX, Chicagoland, Rocky Mountain Ham, DMR-FL,
Bronx TRBO, Minnesota TRBO




Take your time, don't be in a rush, follow the directions carefully
How to set your TGIF password

   More Advanced hotspot features for those who want more than just one DMR network
How to enable DMR gatewat




What if my hotspot starts acting funny?  It won't if you set it up and leave it alone

The #1 most common issue I run into with people having hotspot issues is a missing or wrong password,
not connected to the DMR server
if you mess around with any of the DMR or other configurations the hotspot password is removed.

The #2 would be WiFi or Internet issues, either the router assigned a new IP address or other Internet related issues

Hopefully you made a backup, you can just restore your hotspot to the last known working conditions.
This checklist is packed full of tips and tricks gathered over years of messing with these picky devices, 90% of its users are successful at resolving their HS issues

These little devices are very picky and have zero tolerance for type-o errors, if so much as one small detail is off it will render the thing useless.
Set it up and put it somewhere out of the way and away from RFI devices, don't shut it just leave it on, it updates nightly at around 03:30

I do not recommend tinkering with the settings unless you know what you're doing!

If you did and now it doesn't work all hope is not lost
My MMDVM pi-star Troubleshooting Check List


Quick links to your dashboards configuration settings using pi-star.local
To access your hotspot configuration dashboard click here same user name and password (pi-star / raspberry)
Use caution when you tinker around and always make a back up before you do anything.
Double check your configuration settings If you're having high BER % try calibrating the device
Check your gateway script for errors, Try rebooting the hotspot
Update your hostfiles or Upgrade to the latest pi-star OS



How do I find talk groups
BrandMeister Talkgroup Information
Download my XLSX master talkgroup list



My BrandMeister unlabeled talkgroup listBrandMeister Talkgroup ListBrandMeister Wiki Page Talkgroup ListBrandMeister "Hoseline"

BrandMeister "Last Heard"Call Sign MapDMR Regional Call Talk Group MapWarning about 10 min limit


Other talkgroup information
Using Private Call on BrandMeister


Each DMR network has it's own set of talk groups that are specific to that network
TGIF Talkgroup List CSVQuadNet Talkgroups ListFreeDMR Talkgroup List

 DMR IPSC2 TalkgroupsDMR IPSC2 QuadNet Talkgroup ListSystem-X Talkgroup List

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How can I manage all these talk groups
Note: TGIF comes with it's own talk group manager on the pi dashboard, for BrandMeister you must add it manually
managing TGIF talk groups

Understanding Dynamic vs Static TalkgroupsSystem-X QuadNet talkgroup management





Here you can find some prefabricated code plug CSV files to import, most all DMR CPS software has some sort of import / export feature usually in CSV format, super easy to make changes and my collection of DMR ham radio CPS software download links
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I crank out code plugs like a sausage factory
*The Soup working on code plugs


  
email the soup


You're welcome to copy, repost, share anything you find on this site, if you have something to add or share please tell me about it

Created Oct 2024 KC5DJR