By Dale L. Puckett, KØHYD
In the December article we introduced the concept of hotspots. These magic devices let you communicate with D-Star, DMR and YSF users worldwide. You can use them anywhere, even without a local repeater. They do this by connecting your handheld radio to the Internet, routing the signals to a gateway.
This month we’ll tackle the link between your hotspot or local repeater and your radio. You do this by programming your handheld by creating a code plug and installing it in the radio. We’ll also take a brief look at using your radio after installing the code plug.
What’s in a code plug?
You can break a code plug into two parts. The first determines the frequencies your radio is operating on. The second guides you through the DMR network.
Some of the items you program include time slot, color code, talk group, channel, and zone.
DMR gives you two time slots. The time slot setting in your code plug determines which one your radio will use.
The color code is analogous to the CTCSS code in your analog radio. Your local repeater operator determines the color code you must assign.
The talk group you pick determines where you plan to communicate. For example, you assign talk groups to states, regions and countries. Each has a network ID. You define these talk groups in your code plug and assign them to your contact list.
The channels in your code plug bring all the information together in one selection. They contain frequency, power, talk group, and color code plus information.
Finally, zones give you a place to gather channels related to each other. You can put up to 32 channels in a zone and many radios can handle as many as 256 zones. One zone might contain your local repeater channels while another holds simplex channels.
Additionally, your code plug defines your admit criteria. This tells your radio when it may transmit. Most repeater operators prefer that you use the color code to determine when to send.
How do you set up your code plug?
The first step in setting up your code plug is to decide who you want to talk to. Or worded in a different manner, which talk groups you want to operate in.
You create talk groups in the contacts section of your code plug. You define them as either private or public. A public contact is a group all.
You can start your DMR adventure with a small selection of your talk groups. For example, start with Brandmeister 3100, which is the nationwide talk group. Then add 3120, which is the Kansas talk group.
Use talk group 2 to connect to your local repeater when it becomes available. It will also connect you to other repeaters linked to your local repeater.
The other talk groups you will want to add are the TAC channels. Talk groups 310-313 are the most popular. Use these channels for longer QSOs. Many with a military background say TAC stands for tactical. Others call them Talk Around Channels.
If you need to test your radio every once in awhile you’ll want to enter private talk group 9990. This is the Brandmeister Parrot or echo test which lets you hear your radio played back to you. Talk group 9998 serves the Motorola-based systems.
How do I enter channels?
First, enter the frequency, power, color code, talk group and time slot information. It goes in the channel section of your code plug software. Give each channel a name that is easy to identify.
What about zones?
The last step is to create your zones. Place the name of any channel in a zone that you want to group with others. You may place these channels in more than one zone.
What’s next?
After you’ve used your radio’s code plug software to define these items, you load it into your radio. Follow the directions provided by the manufacturer.
Once the code plug is in your radio you can use it by selecting a contact that contains the talk group you want to use. Then, key the radio and this will connect you to that talk group. If you are using the Pi-Star hotspot software, you can confirm that the radio is talking to the correct group.
Other information!
There are many sources of information about setting up and using your DMR. If you learn by watching, search for your radio on YouTube. If you learn by reading and following step-by-step directions, search Google for your radio.
An outstanding source of information is the Bridgecom website. Check out their Anytone radio support page. You’ll find about a dozen videos there to teach you the tricks.
I hope this series of entry-level intros to digital radio has helped you begin your journey. If so, let me know what else you would like to see. I’m considering an article or two exploring the world of SDR dongles and their software. If you have any questions or comments, you may contact me at kØhyd@arrl.net.