Join us for the DMR Tech Net, tonight, Monday, April 22nd at 7:30pm ET on BrandMeister talk group 3126 to talk about DMR Best Operating Practices

Posted on April 24, 2024

We’re on Brandmeister talk group 3126 statewide Michigan for the DMR Tech Net on Monday, April 22nd from 7:30pm ET – 8:30pm ET.

Join us as we discuss DMR Best Operating Practices and we’d like to hear from you with your comments.

Join us as we demystify and have fun with DMR (Digital Mobile Radio) every Monday night!

 

You can always chat with the DMR Tech Net team on TGIF talk group 31268, the DMR Tech Net channel or Brandmeister talk group 31266, the Michigan Nets channel.

The majority of the DMR Tech Net team celebrates birthdays in April.

Tom April 7, Dana April 13, Stan April 15, Steve April 18, Brad April 29, Brian Sept 27, and Rick Nov 12.

If you have a comment or a DMR topic idea for the DMR Tech Net, please share it with any of us.  Send an email to: steve@dmrtechnet.net,  stan@dmrtechnet.net,  dana@dmrtechnet.net, or brad@dmrtechnet.net.

If you want to subscribe to this newsletter, send an email to subscribe@dmrtechnet.net and we’ll get you added to the list.

Here are the Michigan DMR nets we know about.
Please join in & participate on them.

Saturday:

  • 7:00pm Arrow DMR Net on BrandMeister talk group 3126
  • 7:30pm DMR Trivia Net on TGIF talk group 31268

Sunday:

  • 6:30pm UP (Upper Peninsula) Net on BrandMeister talk group 31268

Monday:

  • 7:30pm DMR Tech Net on BrandMeister talk group 3126
  • 8:30pm Michigan One DMR Net on BrandMeister talk group 3126

The DMR Tech Net team is helping Dustin N8RMA with NCS duties on the Michigan One DMR net on Monday nights.  If you would like to help out with our schedule of Net Control Station operators, send an email to dana@dmrtechnet.net. Here’s the upcoming list of substitute NCS’:

  • Apr 22           Bob KB8DQQ
  • Apr 29           Ron AC2UL
  • May 6            Steve KC8WXM
  • May 13          Dustin N8RMA
  • May 20          Brad KE8WNV

https://www.michiganonedmr.net/

§ 97.119 Station identification.

(a) Each amateur station, except a space station or telecommand station, must transmit its assigned call sign on its transmitting channel at the end of each communication, and at least every 10 minutes during a communication, for the purpose of clearly making the source of the transmissions from the station known to those receiving the transmissions. No station may transmit unidentified communications or signals, or transmit as the station call sign, any call sign not authorized to the station.

(b) The call sign must be transmitted with an emission authorized for the transmitting channel in one of the following ways:

(1) By a CW emission. When keyed by an automatic device used only for identification, the speed must not exceed 20 words per minute;

(2) By a phone emission in the English language. Use of a phonetic alphabet as an aid for correct station identification is encouraged;

(3) By a RTTY emission using a specified digital code when all or part of the communications are transmitted by a RTTY or data emission;

(4) By an image emission conforming to the applicable transmission standards, either color or monochrome, of § 73.682(a) of the FCC Rules when all or part of the communications are transmitted in the same image emission

(c) One or more indicators may be included with the call sign. Each indicator must be separated from the call sign by the slant mark (/) or by any suitable word that denotes the slant mark. If an indicator is self-assigned, it must be included before, after, or both before and after, the call sign. No self-assigned indicator may conflict with any other indicator specified by the FCC Rules or with any prefix assigned to another country.

(d) When transmitting in conjunction with an event of special significance, a station may substitute for its assigned call sign a special event call sign as shown for that station for that period of time on the common data base coordinated, maintained and disseminated by the special event call sign data base coordinators. Additionally, the station must transmit its assigned call sign at least once per hour during such transmissions.

(e) When the operator license class held by the control operator exceeds that of the station licensee, an indicator consisting of the call sign assigned to the control operator’s station must be included after the call sign.

(f) When the control operator is a person who is exercising the rights and privileges authorized by § 97.9(b) of this part, an indicator must be included after the call sign as follows:

(1) For a control operator who has requested a license modification from Novice Class to Technical Class: KT;

(2) For a control operator who has requested a license modification from Novice or Technician to General Class: AG;

(3) For a control operator who has requested a license modification from Novice, Technician, General, or Advanced Class to Amateur Extra Class: AE.

(g) When the station is transmitting under the authority of § 97.107 of this part, an indicator consisting of the appropriate letter-numeral designating the station location must be included before the call sign that was issued to the station by the country granting the license. For an amateur service license granted by the Government of Canada, however, the indicator must be included after the call sign. At least once during each intercommunication, the identification announcement must include the geographical location as nearly as possible by city and state, commonwealth or possession.

[54 FR 25857, June 20, 1989, as amended at 54 FR 39535, Sept. 27, 1989; 55 FR 30457, July 26, 1990; 56 FR 28, Jan. 2, 1991; 62 FR 17567, Apr. 10, 1997; 63 FR 68980, Dec. 14, 1998; 64 FR 51471, Sept. 23, 1999; 66 FR 20752, Apr. 25, 2001; 75 FR 78171, Dec. 15, 2010]

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-97/subpart-B/section-97.119

Good operating practices for Digital Mobile Radio (DMR) ensure efficient and effective communication while promoting a positive experience for all users. Here are some key practices specific to DMR:

  1. Familiarize Yourself with DMR Basics: Understand the fundamental principles of DMR, including how to program your radio, navigate talk groups, and use features like call routing and private calls.
  2. Program Your Radio Correctly: Take the time to properly program your DMR radio with the necessary frequencies, talk groups, and other settings. Ensure that you have the correct configuration for the repeaters and systems you plan to use.
  3. Choose the Right Talk Group: Use the appropriate talk group for your communication needs. Avoid causing unnecessary congestion on popular talk groups by choosing the most suitable one for your conversation.
  4. Listen Before Transmitting: Before transmitting, listen to ongoing conversations on the talk group to ensure that you are not interrupting or talking over other users. This helps maintain communication etiquette and prevents unnecessary disruptions.
  5. Identify Yourself Properly: When transmitting, use your call sign as required by regulations. This helps other operators identify you and promotes accountability and compliance with licensing requirements.
  6. Keep Transmissions Concise: Be brief and to the point when transmitting on DMR. Avoid unnecessary repetition or extended messages that can tie up the channel and inconvenience other users.
  7. Respect Time Slots and System Capacity: Understand how time slots work in DMR systems and avoid monopolizing a time slot with long transmissions. Respect the capacity of the system and be mindful of other users sharing the same resources.
  8. Avoid Kerchunking and Unnecessary Keying: Refrain from “kerchunking,” which involves keying up the repeater or talk group without transmitting any meaningful information. Similarly, avoid unnecessary keying that can cause interference or disrupt ongoing communications.
  9. Practice Courtesy and Etiquette: Be courteous and respectful to other users on the DMR network. Avoid using offensive language, engaging in disruptive behavior, or causing unnecessary interference.
  10. Stay Informed and Updated: Keep yourself informed about any changes or updates to DMR systems, including firmware updates for your radio and modifications to talk group configurations or repeater settings.
  11. Be Prepared for Emergencies: Familiarize yourself with emergency procedures and protocols for DMR communication. Be ready to assist in emergency situations and prioritize emergency traffic when necessary.

By adhering to these operating practices, DMR users can contribute to a positive and efficient communication environment, fostering collaboration and enjoyment within the DMR community.

Getting banned from a talk group on the BrandMeister network typically involves behavior that violates the rules and guidelines established by the talk group’s administrators or the network itself. Here are some common practices that could lead to being banned from a talk group:

  1. Disruptive Behavior: Engaging in disruptive behavior such as continuously interrupting conversations, playing music, making loud noises, or transmitting inappropriate content can lead to a ban.
  2. Violation of Network Policies: Any activity that violates the network’s policies, such as using the talk group for illegal activities, promoting hate speech, or transmitting prohibited content, can result in a ban.
  3. Excessive Kerchunking: Constantly keying up the talk group without transmitting any meaningful communication (kerchunking) can be considered disruptive and may lead to being banned.
  4. Failure to Follow Talk Group Guidelines: Not adhering to the specific rules and guidelines set by the talk group’s administrators, such as respecting designated topics or modes of operation, can result in disciplinary action.
  5. Harassment or Abuse: Harassing or verbally abusing other users on the talk group, including using offensive language, making personal attacks, or engaging in discriminatory behavior, can lead to a ban.
  6. Spamming or Flooding: Sending a large volume of unnecessary or irrelevant messages, often referred to as spamming or flooding, can disrupt communication and may result in being banned from the talk group.
  7. Impersonation: Pretending to be someone else or using someone else’s call sign without authorization is a serious offense and can lead to immediate banning from the talk group and potentially from the network.
  8. Repeated Violations: Continuously disregarding the rules and guidelines of the talk group despite warnings or previous disciplinary actions may ultimately result in being banned.

It’s important for users to familiarize themselves with the rules and guidelines of each talk group they participate in and to respect the administrators’ decisions regarding enforcement. Maintaining a positive and respectful environment benefits all users of the BrandMeister network.

What is the proper way to break in when a conversation is going on a talk group?

Say your call in between TX. You usually will be acknowledged and then you can join the conversation or make your call. Please try and only transmit your callsign and wait to let the next station talk and pass it to you next, this is common courtesy.

This handy operating aid contains four useful references including the UTC time conversion chart, the ITU phonetic alphabet, guidelines to using the RST System, communication procedures and good phone operating guidelines.

Voice Code Situation
Go ahead K Used after calling CQ, or at the end of a transmission, to indicate any station is invited to transmit.
Over AR Used after a call to a specific station, before the contact has been established.
  KN Used at the end of any transmission when only the specific station contacted is invited to answer.
Stand by or wait AS A temporary interruption of the contact.
Roger R Indicates a transmission has been received correctly and in full.
Clear SK End of contact. SK is sent before the final identification.
Leaving the air or closing the station CL Indicates that a station is going off the air, and will not listen or answer any further calls. CL is sent after the final identification.

 

Word list adopted by the International Telecommunication Union

A–Alfa

B–Bravo

C–Charlie

D–Delta

E–Echo

F–Foxtrot

G–Golf

H–Hotel

I–India

J–Juliett

K–Kilo

L–Lima

M–Mike

N–November

O–Oscar

P–Papa

Q–Quebec

R–Romeo

S–Sierra

T–Tango

U–Uniform

V–Victor

W–Whiskey

X–X-ray

Y–Yankee

Z–Zulu

 

Readability

 

1–Unreadable

2–Barely readable, occasional words distinguishable.

3–Readable with considerable difficulty.

4–Readable with practically no difficulty.

5–Perfectly readable.

 

Signal Strength

 

1–Faint signals, barely perceptible.

2–Very weak signals.

3–Weak signals.

4–Fair signals.

5–Fairly good signals.

6–Good signals.

7–Moderately strong signals.

8–Strong signals.

9–Extremely strong signals.

 

Tone

 

1–Sixty cycle a.c or less, very rough and broad.

2–Very rough a.c., very harsh and broad.

3–Rough a.c. tone, rectified but not filtered.

4–Rough note, some trace of filtering.

5–Filtered rectified a.c. but strongly ripple-modulated.

6–Filtered tone, definite trace of ripple modulation.

7–Near pure tone, trace of ripple modulation.

8–Near perfect tone, slight trace of modulation.

9–Perfect tone, no trace of ripple or modulation of any kind.

If the signal has the characteristic steadiness of crystal control, add the letter X to the RST report. If there is a chirp, the letter C may be added to so indicate. Similarly for a click, add K. The above reporting system is used on both cw and voice, leaving out the “tone” report on voice. Turn card over for examples.

https://www.arrl.org/quick-reference-operating-aids

Chpt 6 – Communication With Other Hams

Having learned all that interesting material about rigs and electronics and radio waves, you know a lot about the technology of radio.  In this chapter we turn to operating – how are contacts made and what does a contact consist of?  We begin with the elements common to nearly every causual ham radio contact.  Once you know these, you’ll learn how the ham bands are organized so that you know where to tune the radio.  You’ll then discover how ham radio is conducted using repeaters and in the organized activities called “nets,” especially during emergencies.  This chapter conludes with coverage of a few of ham radio’s many specialty activities.  Clear your throat and get ready for the first contact!

This page is organized to support the Fifth Edition of the Ham Radio License Manual.

Here’s how to find out who the Frequency Coordinator is in your area.

And everyone needs a frequency chart of the ham bands!  Here’s a chart showing the latest Technician privileges.

The organization and practices of the National Traffic System are the model for most net operating procedures.

A properly formatted radiogram can be seen here.

The ARRL’s FSD-218 is a handy single-page reference for traffic handling.

 

For fun, check out the following websites and print references:

  •  Field Day is a great way to find out about many different types of operating – find a club’s Field Day location and check it out!

Amateur Satellites
+          The best place for comprehensive information on Amateur Radio satellites is the AMSAT organization that coordinates most amateur satellite information.

Special Modes
If you’re interested in “fast-scan” TV, check out ATV-TV and the P.C. Electronics websites.

Slow-scan TV on HF and VHF is comprehensively covered at WA9TT’s website.

Meteor scatter communications is discussed in general on its Wikipedia article and more specifically to ham’s at N5KDA’s popular website.  You can find the software you need and more information on K1JT’s WSJT page.

The Wikipedia article on Radio-Controlled models is a good place to start for information on using ham radio in this novel way.

 https://www.arrl.org/chpt-6-communication-with-other-hams

If you want to donate to BrandMeister to help them run their DMR network, Corey Dean N3FE shared the following links:

3102 and 3104 donations https://www.nfoservers.com/donate.pl?force_recipient=1&recipient=n3fe%40repeater.net

3103 donations https://www.nfoservers.com/donate.pl?force_recipient=1&recipient=w7xm%40w7xm.com

Robert Bretzman K4WZV of the TGIF network mentioned this if you want to donate to their network:

The servers that run the TGIF Network draw money from a coffer fund. We pay for much of it out of our own pockets, so we very much appreciate any donations. If you wish to donate, you may do so by clicking the donation link: https://www.paypal.com/donate/

https://tgif.network/faq.php

If you want to donate to RadioID.net, Glen Bizeau VE9GLN said you can subscribe to his website for additional features:  https://radioid.net/account/membership.

You can also purchase RadioID.net merchandise at https://store.radioid.net/.

Garrett Down KD6KPC of Repeaterbook.com shared this if you want to donate to his website:

To run a website like Repeaterbook.com, revenue is needed to keep it active on the web. There are bills to be paid, hosting companies to be paid, SSL certificates to be purchased, and other expenses that go along with the research and development of the data. The costs add up.

Repeaterbook has committed to keeping access to its data completely free. Since we don’t charge for the data or access to the site, we decided to incorporate ads into the site. The ads generate revenue that has been sufficient to pay the bills (most months). With the advent of ad-blocking technology, we began to see ad revenue slip. We get it. Many people don’t want to see ads and our stats indicate that up to 30% of our site visitors are using an ad blocker. Some say the performance on the site has even suffered waiting for ads to load. And come are concerned about Internet tracking through the ads (yes, Google does it).

We think we have found a solution to meet in the middle.

You can now subscribe to Repeaterbook and obtain a membership that will silence the ads on Repeaterbook. This form of obtaining revenue while quieting ads is used on qrz.com.

So now we have two option to fit your preference:

  1. Enjoy Repeaterbook completely free, while enduring the ads that appear.
  2. Sign up for a Repeaterbook subscription and silence the ads.

To take advantage of this offer, you must be a registered user in good standing.

Look at our Subscription Plans.

https://www.repeaterbook.com/index.php/en-us/ad-free

Finally, join and become a member of your local amateur radio club.  They can use your dues to help defray the costs of running the club and repeater.

Topics for future DMR Tech Nets:

  • Go over the Digimon feature to explain what it is, how and why to use it.
  • Private calling on your DMR radio.  How to set it up on your equipment.
  • What’s involved with being a NCS (Net Control Station)?
  • Do you contribute to the DMR networks/modes you utilize?  Why or why not?
  • Firmware and software radio updates.
  • Hot Keys.  What are they, why use them, and how to set them up.
  • DMR tips.  Like what Steve KC8WXM mentioned to better (and faster) utilize DMR features.
  • Adding or changing DMR channels via keypad programming.
  • How to update your DMR digital contacts via https://radioid.net/
  • Asking check-ins what they know now that they didn’t know when they started with DMR that would be helpful to other beginners (Elmering).
  • A timeline to get started of essential things to do with DMR and why.
  • Which DMR radio do you use the most & why?
  • Proper DMR practices & procedures to use on-air.
  • DMR text messaging
  • Advanced features of the Anytone 878 handheld and 578 mobile radio.
  • Going over the different DMR networks (Brandmeister, TGIF, M17, DMR+, YSF, etc).
  • Useful radio accessories to use with your DMR equipment.
  • Unique names used instead of the amateur radio alpha codes.
  • Antennas for handheld, mobile, and home radios.
  • Logging software.
  • QSL cards  Do you send them out?
  • Repeaters, hotspots, or both?  Which do you use and why?
  • WPSD hotspot dashboard.
  • APRS & GPS setup and usage.
  • Custom call signs.
  • What are your predictions for the DMR world in 2024?
  • What networks and talk groups do you use, and why?
  • What features do you wish your DMR radio had?

https://dmrtechnet.net/

DMR Tech Net