DMR Hotspots

[radiotechs]

I was looking at the DMR hotspots, openspot 2 etc

It appears this becomes a simplex link to a radio and is patched into a DMR System allowing coverage in a small area that had none.
Has anyone had any experience in them ? The research I have done looks like it is Brandmeister, DMR Marc in the setup screens, but wonder if can connect to a standard Motorola IP Site Connect system by pointing it to the master IP Address ?

Or is this limited to preconfigured systems ?

 

[Astro Spectra]

They do not talk IPSC directly but must work either via a reflector (hotspot to hotspot) or via the IPSC2 bridges that do indeed connect hotspots to IPSC repeaters

 

[Vocoder]

I've been playing with them for some time. Most of them are multi-mode: DMR, P25, Fusion and NXDN. I'm running one as a repeater, another one as a high-power simplex hotspot (50W on VHF) and over the weekend completed a DMR<->P25 cross-mode bridge. It's pretty cool using my P25 radios to talk on the statewide DMR TG now

 

[Alpha]

I've been playing with them for some time. Most of them are multi-mode: DMR, P25, Fusion and NXDN. I'm running one as a repeater, another one as a high-power simplex hotspot (50W on VHF) and over the weekend completed a DMR<->P25 cross-mode bridge. It's pretty cool using my P25 radios to talk on the statewide DMR TG now

This is cool stuff. I have been studying and reading about the HBLink, DVswitch stuff, and thinking of doing the same thing for the same reason as you. I would like to set up a similar P25-> DMR translator stack and have been looking for a good "How-To" type of article or blog.

If you would, please start up a new thread on this, or append to this one, and please, if you can, attach the various config files for P25 and DMR Bridges, etc. Please redact any sensitive information in them before doing so, but seeing someone's working config files and a brief description of how you accomplished this would be really great! There is a distinct lack of general knowledge information about this subject out there. There is lots of specific information and documentation on the individual tools and utilities, but no comprehensive "overview" type of document that explains what all the various parts are and what they do, and how they interact with one another.

Thanks!

 

[N4KVE]

They sound horrible. I don’t use one, because there’s 5 ham DMR repeaters locally, but I can always tell who is talking through one because they sound like crap. GARY.

 

[Alpha]

They sound horrible. I don’t use one, because there’s 5 ham DMR repeaters locally, but I can always tell who is talking through one because they sound like crap. GARY.

Probably due to the dual vocoding going on when doing so. From my reading so far, it seems that such a stack involves translating DMR->Analog and then Analog->P25, and vice-versa going the other way. This is because the 2 systems use differing vocoders, one uses IMBE (P25) and the other uses AMBE (DMR), so no direct packet payload translation is possible. This is probably where the crap audio comes from, you most likely have to adjust levels of analog audio recovery and how that's transferred to the next stage that turns it back into DMR (or P25 going the other way). That, coupled with the dual vocoding in general, probably is what makes it sound horrible.

 

[Vocoder]

...You most likely have to adjust levels of analog audio recovery and how that's transferred to the next stage that turns it back into DMR (or P25 going the other way). That, coupled with the dual vocoding in general, probably is what makes it sound horrible.

Correct for the cross-mode bridge - it does take some attention to levels. A stand-alone DMR Hotspot though, can sound identical to any Moto repeater... again, if the levels are right and to be honest.. pretty much anytime a s*itbox $40 Chinese radio isn't being used with it.

I'll write up a quick 'how-to' tonight or tomorrow, but it sounds like you're doing your research!

 

[FMTRU140D]

I agree...just listen to the North America P25 reflector to hear how bad some of them sound...like using a Baoturd radio running P25. Come to think of it they are probably using a Chinese radio.

I am interested to know what is necessary to make the audio sound halfway decent(first thing use a decent radio).

 

[Forts]

I'd love to be able to set up a handful of them as a private WAN just to yak on with my buddies. I think I saw some progress was being made on this a while back but honestly haven't looked into it recently (I know the OpenSpot Sharkrf devices can do it, but they are pricey).

 

[Vocoder]

This is cool stuff. I have been studying and reading about the HBLink, DVswitch stuff, and thinking of doing the same thing for the same reason as you. I would like to set up a similar P25-> DMR translator stack and have been looking for a good "How-To" type of article or blog.

If you would, please start up a new thread on this, or append to this one, and please, if you can, attach the various config files for P25 and DMR Bridges, etc. Please redact any sensitive information in them before doing so, but seeing someone's working config files and a brief description of how you accomplished this would be really great! There is a distinct lack of general knowledge information about this subject out there. There is lots of specific information and documentation on the individual tools and utilities, but no comprehensive "overview" type of document that explains what all the various parts are and what they do, and how they interact with one another.

Thanks!

Here you go:
https://communications.support/threads/16022-HowTo-P25-lt-gt-DMR-Cross-mode-bridge

 

[Alpha]

Thank you so much! That is exactly the type of write-up I was hoping for. I had already stumbled across it due to my subscription on groups.io, but I kind of figured that was yours! I haven't scratched the surface yet, but that was precisely what was needed - someone to put it all together in one place.

Thanks again!