If you’re like me your getting more involved in digital modes. It’s an exciting part of the ham radio hobby. Digital Mobile Radio (DMR) continues to grow in popularity across the country, partly fueled by the expansion of the Brandmeister digital network. If you’re lucky you have multiple DMR repeaters in your area with plenty of talk time available to local ham radio operators. If not, you’re going to need what’s known as a ”hotspot” to get involved in the digital fun. A DMR hotspot will allow you rag chew without tying up a local repeater.
What is a hotspot?
A DMR hotspot is a gateway that allows your radio to connect to a digital network like Brandmeister or DMR-MARC. You can also use your hotspot to connect to other digital network’s like Yaesu System Fusion and D-Star. Most hotspots operate as a simplex gateway. This means they transmit and and receive on a single frequency. All you need to do is program your DMR radio for the hotspot frequency, make sure it’s connected to the Internet and you’re on the air!
The hotspot above is commonly called a PiSpot. It’s a Raspberry Pi 3 B+ microcomputer with a DV Mega board on top. I have one and absolutely love it. It’s my most solid and dependable hotspot.
How far will a DMR hotspot reach?
When you purchase a hotspot you may wonder what the range will be? The answer is… it depends.
- What kind of antenna are you using on your hotspot?
- Where is the DMR hotspot placed in your home?
- What kind of materials make up the exterior of your home?
I put a Diamond SRH-320A antenna on my DMR hotspot and placed it near a window around 35-40 feet in the air and tested just how far my hotspot would reach to my AnyTone 878 HT. Here are the results:
Thank you for a wonderful report! I’ve been toying with the idea of a hotspot and knowing it operates on simplex, imagine it’s easy ro program manually. Does it require entry of time slot and color code?
Do you know how hotspots differ from each other? 73 de va3cow. Jay
Yes, on the channel you program in your radio you’ll need to make sure the color code and time slot match what the hotspot software is set for. The main difference between hotspots is whether they are simplex or duplex (like a normal repeater). I’ve always purchased simplex hotspots because duplex can lead to small minor issues with some DMR radios. Another important factor is whether a given hotspot can do WiFi. This is important if you want to use it mobile with your cell phone providing the Internet access. There are easy, just simply order it, hotspots like the Openspot. These units are pricey. Then there are kits like what I have (Raspberry Pi3 B+ and the DV Mega radio) where you build it yourself as a DIY project. It’s not hard to build one, and building it yourself will save you a lot of money. It’s really your preference. I hope this helps! 73
And do you have “Low-e” glass in your windows? It eats radio waves. Here comes the science: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5501855/#:~:text=The%20use%20of%20low%2Demissivity,prevent%20indoor%2Doutdoor%20wireless%20communication.
That’s pretty cool, thanks for sharing. I didn’t know that was a thing!