D-STAR vs. Fusion vs. DMR (Check in net)
Apr 24, 2017 11:50:57 GMT -8
Post by ke0lmx on Apr 24, 2017 11:50:57 GMT -8
Greetings all!
Just finished listening to the latest Roundtable podcast. What a great net, I look forward to listening to them every week.
Based on the extensive conversation on D-STAR vs other digital modes (I'm a die hard D-STAR fan as a disclaimer), I thought I would share my experiences.
I have a DMR radio, and in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota DMR is rather hot right now. There is almost always quite a bit of traffic on the 3127 (Minnesota Statewide) talkgroup. However, this traffic seems to mostly be the persons who are setting up the repeaters. I don't really hear many other operators than the usual 8 - 10 most active people. There is nothing wrong with this of course, other than the possibility of using up all the coordinated UHF frequencies for their repeaters.
I had many conversations on a popular FM repeater about Fusion. They were all very excited about how active their Monday night net was, and that they normally have well over 100 check ins from across the country. I was excited by this prospect, so I ended up buying a Yaesu FTM-100DR so I could join in the fun. I needed a VHF/UHF base station anyway, so this seemed like a good plan. I can use my ID-51A and MD-380 through their respective hotspot so with the addition of the FTM-100DR, I can listen to three digital modes and FM almost at the same time. Anyway, I digress. I attend my first Monday meeting looking forward to the interesting stories I would hear. The net starts and asks for Minnesota stations, and to let them know if you have traffic or not. I'm one of the first stations to check in, and announce that I have traffic. I then proceed to listen, and for more than an hour I hear station after station check in, with no traffic. Once all stations are checked in, there were maybe three or four with traffic. I was shocked.
The next week I also checked in, with no traffic. I will probably do the same tonight.
I check into 2 or 3 D-STAR net's every week. There are anywhere from 8 - 15 check ins on those nets. They run about the same time (hour or so), but everyone usually has some traffic and it is enjoyable to listen to. I look forward to them almost as much as the D-STAR Roundtable. So not only do I find D-STAR easier to use and more flexible once you are over the initial learning curve, I have also found that the quality of the conversations and technical exchange of information to be of a higher quality.
I realize that this is only my perspective, and there are many more out there. I don't regret buying the Fusion radio, it works very well. I don't regret buying the DMR radio, it didn't break the bank. I really hope that D-STAR can hang on and survive the digital convergence.
I usually hang around on REF053A, but do occasionally hop over to XRF002 to see of anyone is around.
Just my $0.02
73
Tim KE0LMX
Just finished listening to the latest Roundtable podcast. What a great net, I look forward to listening to them every week.
Based on the extensive conversation on D-STAR vs other digital modes (I'm a die hard D-STAR fan as a disclaimer), I thought I would share my experiences.
I have a DMR radio, and in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota DMR is rather hot right now. There is almost always quite a bit of traffic on the 3127 (Minnesota Statewide) talkgroup. However, this traffic seems to mostly be the persons who are setting up the repeaters. I don't really hear many other operators than the usual 8 - 10 most active people. There is nothing wrong with this of course, other than the possibility of using up all the coordinated UHF frequencies for their repeaters.
I had many conversations on a popular FM repeater about Fusion. They were all very excited about how active their Monday night net was, and that they normally have well over 100 check ins from across the country. I was excited by this prospect, so I ended up buying a Yaesu FTM-100DR so I could join in the fun. I needed a VHF/UHF base station anyway, so this seemed like a good plan. I can use my ID-51A and MD-380 through their respective hotspot so with the addition of the FTM-100DR, I can listen to three digital modes and FM almost at the same time. Anyway, I digress. I attend my first Monday meeting looking forward to the interesting stories I would hear. The net starts and asks for Minnesota stations, and to let them know if you have traffic or not. I'm one of the first stations to check in, and announce that I have traffic. I then proceed to listen, and for more than an hour I hear station after station check in, with no traffic. Once all stations are checked in, there were maybe three or four with traffic. I was shocked.
The next week I also checked in, with no traffic. I will probably do the same tonight.
I check into 2 or 3 D-STAR net's every week. There are anywhere from 8 - 15 check ins on those nets. They run about the same time (hour or so), but everyone usually has some traffic and it is enjoyable to listen to. I look forward to them almost as much as the D-STAR Roundtable. So not only do I find D-STAR easier to use and more flexible once you are over the initial learning curve, I have also found that the quality of the conversations and technical exchange of information to be of a higher quality.
I realize that this is only my perspective, and there are many more out there. I don't regret buying the Fusion radio, it works very well. I don't regret buying the DMR radio, it didn't break the bank. I really hope that D-STAR can hang on and survive the digital convergence.
I usually hang around on REF053A, but do occasionally hop over to XRF002 to see of anyone is around.
Just my $0.02
73
Tim KE0LMX