I saved this video shortly after I setup my OpenSpot 1 because I knew I would need to refer back to it some day. Well that day is today. After going through my setup multiple times, I just could find out what I was doing wrong. It seemed I had everything correct, but I could not transmit or receive. The Status area showed I should be receiving a signal but I wasn't. I watched this video again and immediately saw what my mistake was. Thanks again for posting this.
Ive ONLY been in digital for 4 weeks, and have NEVER had a better explaination than you just did on this video,,,, I was able to go step by step and and reprogram my open spot to c4fm on Brandmeister.. Made me a happy camper,, My elmer got me going on C4FM but it took forever to connect to the gateway, ,,, Brandmeister on DMR or Homebrew was instant and so many more guys to talk to, Its just as clear and I am using a FT1D Yeasu fusion,,,, I THANK YOU for this video, it was worth EVERY minute watching,,, I know it was years ago, and the new Open spot 2 is out now, but I just am catching up and just got the openspot 1,,, Very happy with it, and even got a mini router and now I can go mobile too,,, Thank you ,,, Thank you ,,,
Wow, this was great!! After a 15 year absence from amateur radio, I am trying to get back in. I am having to learn SDR, DMR, Fusion, etc. Your review makes me want to try one of the sharks. I purchased a TEKK 550 at the Melbourne Hamfest and I am determined to learn. Keep up the training. It doesn't have to be about new products, tell us more about open spot in general. 73, Eric WS4K Palm Bay, FL
Lots of fun stuff out there, that’s for sure. SDR’s were my gateway before getting into amateur radio. Well, worked with SATCOM and Troposcatter in the military, got into all the SDR stuff, then finally amateur radio. There will always be something “new” to do with RF and you can spend a lifetime+ learning/using something new...
excellent video thanks for taking the time ,I have had the sharkrf from the first release and love it for dstar but this shows exactly how to set up for the other modes (which I also use) I have not got the same level of knowledge for the other modes so this was great ,thanks again and I also love the shark rf its a really useful bit of kit and god price as well being completely stand alone ,thanks again Ron G4SNU
Thank you! It works perfectly on the FT-2D and OpenSpot2. I now have 3 "profiles" setup, one for each of FCS, YSF and DMR and can switch between them with my smartphone. Cool!
Nice job and excellent video. I just set up my SharkRF OpenSpot and am very pleased. I'm using it with a TP-Link WR802N Nano WiFi Router and it works great (about $25 on Amazon). I'm still using the OpenSpot Web Browser to change Talk Groups. I haven't quite figured out how to set up the CodePlug in my HT to allow it to change TGs. Keep up the great work on the videos. 73, George K2WO
Great video Eric. Clear instructions on the setup and operation. A good suggestion on the 3/4G router/dongle and then Ethernet from the router to the openSPOT. This will provide a solid data connection rather than WiFi which can be troublesome at times. Did you know that two openSPOT hotspots can communicate peer-peer with each other effectively creating a limitless distance private network. Just configure your HT as usual and talk to your buddy without going through Brandmeister repeaters.
This is a very thorough and well done video about the SharkRF. However, I do have a couple of questions. 1. Would it be possible to have the SharkRF receive traditional UHF analog transmissions and convert them to digital (Dstar/DMR/Fusion) so you could use your older analog only radios, and 2. Does the Shark RF send the converted digital signal out via RF or over the Internet? I didn't notice if it was explicitly stated. I haven't been active for a few years, so I've missed this new wave of Amateur Radio technology. It's really neat!
Nice video. I was just curious to see what one of these SharkRF’s were about since they are so popular. I’ve had a DVMega+RPi3 for quite a while and just put together a MMDVM_HS_Hat+RPi0W (for portability). Granted, the DVMega and MMDVM_Hat might not be for everyone that just wants something that’s extremely PnP, but works fine if you don’t mind rolling your sleeves up a little. The SharkRF OpenSpot looks like a nice, albeit expensive, product...
Great info in once place! One question: On the Connectors, DMR/Homebrew page, at the bottom you select Group Call. On the RFshark manual, they use Private Call. As a complete noob, Interested in why? BTW, thanks for changing the frequency. 436.0 MHz is set aside for satellite use, and while the 10 mW won't cause a problem, the HT definitely will.
so because I'm stupid and don't understand this little box I need to ask questions LOL so basically it doesn't matter what type radio I have, I can talk on any of the other modes with the radio I have and it (converts) it to what mode I want? 2. you use a handheld can I also use a mobile o base station? 3. so it goes from your handheld to the little box via rf ? then from the little box it goes to the internet ? then internet to a repeater somewhere? or how does this work? If it goes over internet is that then voip? what speed internet do you need? Sorry for all the questions it seems more confusing than it should be to me LOL its just a little box lol
You need a Dstar radio to use this to talk to other Dstar users. Fusion radio can talk to other Fusion, or cross link to DMR, and vice versa DMR to Fusion, transmit RF from handheld into box, it goes from box to internet, and wherever it needs to from there on the other side. 6 megabit internet would be preferred. MObile if you have some way of providing a mobile ethernet connection. Primarily this unit is for base operation.
Can you do a video on how you program the radio to work with DMR and D-Star? There are no videos or any info on how to program your radio to work with the openspot that I can find. I have an MD-380 and a TH-D74 Thanks!
Gow can this device be used to bridge dstar, fusion, and DMR simultaneously so that you don't have to select one of the other. They can all talk back and forth to one another. I have read it one use you doing just this but using Yaesu wires-x to somehow connected devices. I agree with the statement that with everything going digital in the event of a major catastrophic event and the internet is down what then? Ham radio is not the communications of last resort. If the internet is down you can plan on cellular being down as well. Highly critical of hotspots in HTs are basically used to talk over the cellular network instead of amateur radio radio to radio. I'm fortunate that my repeater site vendor his 25 sites linked together on the and Intranet and so my repeaters will remain length even if the internet goes down.
JustAnotherGuy you can't do that with any hotspot. there is something for a repeater that allows that, its a module you can put in the repeater, but not sure what or if it still exists. the sharkrf can only cross Dmr/fusion
got mine today. documentation sucks rocks so far. is this thing /fm/ from the radio to the openspot and back? if so, does that mean any fm radio will work? or will i have to have a digital radio and set it to some digital mode on the simplex frequency? 'cause i have not the slightest idea how to do that--i just need to be able to talk into town for skywarn stuff and i can't reach any repeaters.
Good Morning, So to operate the OpenSpot on both DMR and Dstar I would have to go into the software and manually switch the connector. It will not do that automatically? KB3Z
I have an unlimited data plan through my phone and Ipad. Is there a way to use that data hotspot to the shark open spot without a dongle? This way, always have internet in the vehicle for the open spot......(there are no DMR/Fusion) repeaters in my area.)
ok, i've set up my openspot nearly exactly as you show here. i found a reflector designated 'digital training' REF078A and set that. i've set my radio to xmit on 435.000mhz fm and it doesn't work. my radio is a dstar radio (d74) and there's a mode called 'dv'. is that the mode i have to use? what is the openspot listening for?
Not sure what is going on. I have my openspot to operate Dstar with my IC-92AD. But if I am on reflector 1C for example I hear the conversation when I change the channel to 2A or any other channel. Why is this happening? Mark KB3Z
Im not sure what you mean by change the channel. Normally you have to unlink the current reflector on the hotspot and link to the next one. For instance, on my ID5100 talking through my Openspot3, If I set "Link to ref030c" and push PTT for 1 second, it sends the command to the hotspot to link to 030C, but then if I want to change to 001c, I have to switch my radio to "unlink reflector" press PTT to send the command, then switch radio to "link to ref001c" and press PTT for one second. After the hotspot is linked, I set the radio back to "Use reflector" for normal conversation. I am not familiar with the 92ad but I think you have multiple memory channels programmed each for the commands, am I right? One has I for info, one has L for link, one for U for unlink, etc...
To add to this, if you are setting the openspot from the web interface, when you choose 2a, you have to click "save" on the web interface to execute the changes
I had a Dvap. I also had a .ICF file with all the memory channels that worked. For some unknown reason this does not work with the Shark RF. I really do not want to have to go into the Openspot software to make reflector changes. I want to do it within the radio's memory channels. I hope I expressed that in the proper way.
LET ME ADD ONE OTHER THING SOOO.... WE HAVE ALL THIS DIGITAL TECH NOW AND WIFI ALL THAT STUFF BUT ANOTHER THING I DONT UNDERSTAND IS IF WE GOIN ALL DIGITAL WHAT WE GONNA DO IN A COSTOPHORY WE WONT HAVE WIFI GUYS/GALS?? AND ANALOG BE OBSLETE JUST LIKE TV ALL DIGITAL AND NO ANALOG SO EITHER U HAVE TV OR U DONT THERE NO IN BETWEEN ANY MORE.JUST LIKE HAM RADIO WILL BECOME?
The DMR radios still function without the hotspot. There is even a video on this channel showing that functionality. If you lose infrastructure, you can still use DMR point-to-point. These devices make life easier in the meantime.
These hotspots allow you to improve audio quality, coverage, and battery life all in and take up a third of the bandwidth of an analog repeater. These devices are tools, but they don't make things "obsolete". If you go to any hamfest around the world you'll see NEW devices dedicated to modes like CW and using very low power QRP. Ham radio is a means of last communication when all else fails, but it is primarily a hobby... This hotspot and the new digital modes add to the number of people who enjoy and preserve ham radio, and who inevitably branch out to other analog modes. That sounds like the exact opposite of "obsolete".
If didn’t have internet connectivity, I’d just use analog (practically all digital radios also do analog) or digital simplex. The digital stuff isn’t meant to replace good ‘ol analog, it’s just another mode. Not everyone in amateur radio is a “prepper” or doomsdayer. I just like it for playing with tech and it’s an enjoyable hobby. It’s fun learning and playing with all the modes, having conversations around the world, etc...
I was told to go to openspot.local in the URL bar to go to the setup for SharkRF. I need the url to get to setup to use my Sharkrf..... 10.0.0.160 .... Doesn't work for me either. I just want to know what I need to do to setup this unit.
I talked with Chris that sold me the SharkRF. I was not aware I had to plug the Cat-5 cable into the modem instead of my laptop. Once I did that the rest was easy. Thanks for you assistance.
WHY? Haven't you seen some devices with printed manuals that have misprints, or outdated information? This unit is going to evolve, an online manual is perfect to keep it up to date.
Which device on the market let's you use all 3 digital modes without having to find 3 seperate images, and cross from Fusion to DMR? My DVmega doesnt do that. And it costs less than a DVmega/Pi combo with more features.
Agreed but DV is still not ready for market and is driven from the wrong direction. What has happened to real Ham radio that develops its own technology and drives it forward. It is a sign of the times that folk are being driven to consume and not think. I suspect we will never agree but as a long term electronics and software engineer I have seen this battle go around and around. PS I was a software engineer before MSoft and Jobs made it a mass market career :-)
Desmond's Donders I disagree. we are seeing tons of growth in the ham hobby thanks to the maker movement. I just got my general and a HF radio specifically from learning about the stuff from hackaday and also some crossover from the firearms/prepper community. check out faradayRF for another neat project trying to take advantage of more of our amateur spectrum. Or what about the geosynchronous satellite we will be getting next year? a 5w 10ghz/5ghz setup will communicate anywhere in the sats coverage area with over 1000 FM quality channels (some for data, some for audio, etc). it's an exciting time to be in the hobby!
Forget it, if I have to use the internet to communicate with other people it's not amateur radio anymore. And of course somebody is making MONEY off that internet connection too.
I agree. The same can be said about repeaters. Using a 100 watt repeater to boost the signal of a 5 watt HT is not ham radio since it is not a direct radio to radio transmission. CW is not ham radio since it does not use spark gap technology the way Marconi intended. SSB is not ham radio since it is not true amplitude modulation. etc. etc.
I saved this video shortly after I setup my OpenSpot 1 because I knew I would need to refer back to it some day. Well that day is today. After going through my setup multiple times, I just could find out what I was doing wrong. It seemed I had everything correct, but I could not transmit or receive. The Status area showed I should be receiving a signal but I wasn't.
I watched this video again and immediately saw what my mistake was. Thanks again for posting this.
Ive ONLY been in digital for 4 weeks, and have NEVER had a better explaination than you just did on this video,,,, I was able to go step by step and and reprogram my open spot to c4fm on Brandmeister.. Made me a happy camper,, My elmer got me going on C4FM but it took forever to connect to the gateway, ,,, Brandmeister on DMR or Homebrew was instant and so many more guys to talk to, Its just as clear and I am using a FT1D Yeasu fusion,,,, I THANK YOU for this video, it was worth EVERY minute watching,,, I know it was years ago, and the new Open spot 2 is out now, but I just am catching up and just got the openspot 1,,, Very happy with it, and even got a mini router and now I can go mobile too,,, Thank you ,,, Thank you ,,,
Thanks for the showing how to cross mode from C4FM to DMR. I was wondering how that was set up. Greatly appreciated!
Wow, this was great!! After a 15 year absence from amateur radio, I am trying to get back in. I am having to learn SDR, DMR, Fusion, etc. Your review makes me want to try one of the sharks. I purchased a TEKK 550 at the Melbourne Hamfest and I am determined to learn. Keep up the training. It doesn't have to be about new products, tell us more about open spot in general.
73,
Eric WS4K
Palm Bay, FL
Lots of fun stuff out there, that’s for sure. SDR’s were my gateway before getting into amateur radio. Well, worked with SATCOM and Troposcatter in the military, got into all the SDR stuff, then finally amateur radio. There will always be something “new” to do with RF and you can spend a lifetime+ learning/using something new...
excellent video thanks for taking the time ,I have had the sharkrf from the first release and love it for dstar but this shows exactly how to set up for the other modes (which I also use) I have not got the same level of knowledge for the other modes so this was great ,thanks again and I also love the shark rf its a really useful bit of kit and god price as well being completely stand alone ,thanks again Ron G4SNU
Thank you! It works perfectly on the FT-2D and OpenSpot2. I now have 3 "profiles" setup, one for each of FCS, YSF and DMR and can switch between them with my smartphone. Cool!
Thanks. Still good info in sept. 2022. New to dmr today with my ft3d.
Nice job and excellent video. I just set up my SharkRF OpenSpot and am very pleased. I'm using it with a TP-Link WR802N Nano WiFi Router and it works great (about $25 on Amazon). I'm still using the OpenSpot Web Browser to change Talk Groups. I haven't quite figured out how to set up the CodePlug in my HT to allow it to change TGs. Keep up the great work on the videos.
73,
George
K2WO
Great video Eric. Clear instructions on the setup and operation. A good suggestion on the 3/4G router/dongle and then Ethernet from the router to the openSPOT. This will provide a solid data connection rather than WiFi which can be troublesome at times.
Did you know that two openSPOT hotspots can communicate peer-peer with each other effectively creating a limitless distance private network. Just configure your HT as usual and talk to your buddy without going through Brandmeister repeaters.
Great refresher! Thankfully.
This is a very thorough and well done video about the SharkRF. However, I do have a couple of questions. 1. Would it be possible to have the SharkRF receive traditional UHF analog transmissions and convert them to digital (Dstar/DMR/Fusion) so you could use your older analog only radios, and 2. Does the Shark RF send the converted digital signal out via RF or over the Internet? I didn't notice if it was explicitly stated. I haven't been active for a few years, so I've missed this new wave of Amateur Radio technology. It's really neat!
that have cleared a lot of fog away on use of my openspot, thanks that was great +++++
Thanks for the great video. It really clarified the setup for the original Shark OpenSpot. John W3JEN
Nice video. I was just curious to see what one of these SharkRF’s were about since they are so popular. I’ve had a DVMega+RPi3 for quite a while and just put together a MMDVM_HS_Hat+RPi0W (for portability). Granted, the DVMega and MMDVM_Hat might not be for everyone that just wants something that’s extremely PnP, but works fine if you don’t mind rolling your sleeves up a little. The SharkRF OpenSpot looks like a nice, albeit expensive, product...
Great info in once place! One question: On the Connectors, DMR/Homebrew page, at the bottom you select Group Call. On the RFshark manual, they use Private Call. As a complete noob, Interested in why?
BTW, thanks for changing the frequency. 436.0 MHz is set aside for satellite use, and while the 10 mW won't cause a problem, the HT definitely will.
Well done. You were organized and thorough. Much better than other videos. 73. Jim KF7GCT
Great jobbbb I did't want to buy another FT. Touch screen would be nice.I did get the OPspot2 trying to use my FT1
I was hoping for a link to that solar battery pack. I bought a cheap one once. Once!
so because I'm stupid and don't understand this little box I need to ask questions LOL so basically it doesn't matter what type radio I have, I can talk on any of the other modes with the radio I have and it (converts) it to what mode I want? 2. you use a handheld can I also use a mobile o base station? 3. so it goes from your handheld to the little box via rf ? then from the little box it goes to the internet ? then internet to a repeater somewhere? or how does this work? If it goes over internet is that then voip? what speed internet do you need? Sorry for all the questions it seems more confusing than it should be to me LOL its just a little box lol
You need a Dstar radio to use this to talk to other Dstar users. Fusion radio can talk to other Fusion, or cross link to DMR, and vice versa DMR to Fusion, transmit RF from handheld into box, it goes from box to internet, and wherever it needs to from there on the other side. 6 megabit internet would be preferred. MObile if you have some way of providing a mobile ethernet connection. Primarily this unit is for base operation.
thanks so much for the fast response. Clears up some of the questions I had and confusion I had as to what this little box could or couldn't do LOL :)
HamRadioConcepts NOT so in all cases since there are now talk groups that lets all talk to each other.
Can you do a video on how you program the radio to work with DMR and D-Star? There are no videos or any info on how to program your radio to work with the openspot that I can find. I have an MD-380 and a TH-D74 Thanks!
Do you have a video where you can send commands via a Dstar radio to the open spot?
Does the frequency have to be uhf or can it be a 2m frequency ?
Spot on video.
Thanks for this Eric.
Brilliant.
I have a Yaesu FTM100 and the Shark seems to be far better than WIRES X going by this video.
looks class and for what it does its not expensive..... thanks
Excellent review. Will this unit do DMR->Fusion?
Gow can this device be used to bridge dstar, fusion, and DMR simultaneously so that you don't have to select one of the other. They can all talk back and forth to one another. I have read it one use you doing just this but using Yaesu wires-x to somehow connected devices.
I agree with the statement that with everything going digital in the event of a major catastrophic event and the internet is down what then? Ham radio is not the communications of last resort. If the internet is down you can plan on cellular being down as well. Highly critical of hotspots in HTs are basically used to talk over the cellular network instead of amateur radio radio to radio. I'm fortunate that my repeater site vendor his 25 sites linked together on the and Intranet and so my repeaters will remain length even if the internet goes down.
JustAnotherGuy you can't do that with any hotspot. there is something for a repeater that allows that, its a module you can put in the repeater, but not sure what or if it still exists. the sharkrf can only cross Dmr/fusion
Can you make Dstar individual routing calls with SharkRF open Spot and can you link to an actual DStar repeater rather than a reflector ?
got mine today. documentation sucks rocks so far. is this thing /fm/ from the radio to the openspot and back? if so, does that mean any fm radio will work? or will i have to have a digital radio and set it to some digital mode on the simplex frequency? 'cause i have not the slightest idea how to do that--i just need to be able to talk into town for skywarn stuff and i can't reach any repeaters.
But can it get a Yaesu onto DStar?
Kevin Moderow there are groups that have all of them at the same time but you can’t just choose the ones that you want.
great video thank you.
Good Morning, So to operate the OpenSpot on both DMR and Dstar I would have to go into the software and manually switch the connector. It will not do that automatically? KB3Z
I have an unlimited data plan through my phone and Ipad. Is there a way to use that data hotspot to the shark open spot without a dongle? This way, always have internet in the vehicle for the open spot......(there are no DMR/Fusion) repeaters in my area.)
Sabe me dizer se funciona no radio icom 2820h com Dstar
can you make a review for us about two way radio?
So its UHF only?
Are you able to change TG's via the Fusion radio?
Can the openspot be setup to work on DMR-MARC? I need to get to the W9CTO repeater that is part of the Hosier DMR network.
Hi.When you set the openspot from c4fm(fcs) to dmr why we don't put our dmr id?
Up Dating FT1D DMR It working on OPspot2 📡. thanksssss 73
But I want to use my Samsung cell phone for the gate/mobile. Now how???
Can this be used to access the DMR and Dstar networks and make contacts without a radio?
Mike Notarnicola unfortunately no, u need the radio. although for DMR you can use a fusion radio
ok, i've set up my openspot nearly exactly as you show here. i found a reflector designated 'digital training' REF078A and set that. i've set my radio to xmit on 435.000mhz fm and it doesn't work. my radio is a dstar radio (d74) and there's a mode called 'dv'. is that the mode i have to use? what is the openspot listening for?
Yep, try DV.
Not sure what is going on. I have my openspot to operate Dstar with my IC-92AD. But if I am on reflector 1C for example I hear the conversation when I change the channel to 2A or any other channel. Why is this happening? Mark KB3Z
Im not sure what you mean by change the channel. Normally you have to unlink the current reflector on the hotspot and link to the next one. For instance, on my ID5100 talking through my Openspot3, If I set "Link to ref030c" and push PTT for 1 second, it sends the command to the hotspot to link to 030C, but then if I want to change to 001c, I have to switch my radio to "unlink reflector" press PTT to send the command, then switch radio to "link to ref001c" and press PTT for one second. After the hotspot is linked, I set the radio back to "Use reflector" for normal conversation. I am not familiar with the 92ad but I think you have multiple memory channels programmed each for the commands, am I right? One has I for info, one has L for link, one for U for unlink, etc...
To add to this, if you are setting the openspot from the web interface, when you choose 2a, you have to click "save" on the web interface to execute the changes
I had a Dvap. I also had a .ICF file with all the memory channels that worked. For some unknown reason this does not work with the Shark RF. I really do not want to have to go into the Openspot software to make reflector changes. I want to do it within the radio's memory channels. I hope I expressed that in the proper way.
Is it only UHF?
LET ME ADD ONE OTHER THING SOOO.... WE HAVE ALL THIS DIGITAL TECH NOW AND WIFI ALL THAT STUFF BUT ANOTHER THING I DONT UNDERSTAND IS IF WE GOIN ALL DIGITAL WHAT WE GONNA DO IN A COSTOPHORY WE WONT HAVE WIFI GUYS/GALS?? AND ANALOG BE OBSLETE JUST LIKE TV ALL DIGITAL AND NO ANALOG SO EITHER U HAVE TV OR U DONT THERE NO IN BETWEEN ANY MORE.JUST LIKE HAM RADIO WILL BECOME?
If you are a doomsday guy, you wont have a digital handheld in your go kit.
The DMR radios still function without the hotspot. There is even a video on this channel showing that functionality. If you lose infrastructure, you can still use DMR point-to-point. These devices make life easier in the meantime.
These hotspots allow you to improve audio quality, coverage, and battery life all in and take up a third of the bandwidth of an analog repeater.
These devices are tools, but they don't make things "obsolete". If you go to any hamfest around the world you'll see NEW devices dedicated to modes like CW and using very low power QRP.
Ham radio is a means of last communication when all else fails, but it is primarily a hobby... This hotspot and the new digital modes add to the number of people who enjoy and preserve ham radio, and who inevitably branch out to other analog modes. That sounds like the exact opposite of "obsolete".
NO I JUST DIDNT THINK OF IT LIKE THAT. THANKS
If didn’t have internet connectivity, I’d just use analog (practically all digital radios also do analog) or digital simplex. The digital stuff isn’t meant to replace good ‘ol analog, it’s just another mode. Not everyone in amateur radio is a “prepper” or doomsdayer. I just like it for playing with tech and it’s an enjoyable hobby. It’s fun learning and playing with all the modes, having conversations around the world, etc...
How do I find what my QTH location GRID is and where do I find it?
look on your details page on QRZ info when you search your callsign
Do I have to get wires x to use this with the ft991?
How do I use my Fusion radio with the rfshark openspot to talk to DMR and D-Star please?
W5GIF
You can use your Fusion radio to talk on DMR, not D-star
hy i see you doing crossmode but no dstar to dmr wit a dstar radio?? ve3hye 73
because this device will not do Dstar to DMR.. You have to use an XRF reflector or similar to do it.
Can you do DMR to D star and fusion ??
No D star needs a D star radio.
So will dmr to fusion be possible ?
openspot.local doesn't work and I spent a lot on this thing.
T Wayne Moore what local do you mean?
I was told to go to openspot.local in the URL bar to go to the setup for SharkRF. I need the url to get to setup to use my Sharkrf..... 10.0.0.160 .... Doesn't work for me either. I just want to know what I need to do to setup this unit.
I talked with Chris that sold me the SharkRF. I was not aware I had to plug the Cat-5 cable into the modem instead of my laptop. Once I did that the rest was easy. Thanks for you assistance.
GREAT video thanksw9nmm
For the cost of this unit I would expect a printed manual at the very least.
WHY? Haven't you seen some devices with printed manuals that have misprints, or outdated information? This unit is going to evolve, an online manual is perfect to keep it up to date.
If it needs so much evolution perhaps it is not yet ready for market.
Which device on the market let's you use all 3 digital modes without having to find 3 seperate images, and cross from Fusion to DMR? My DVmega doesnt do that. And it costs less than a DVmega/Pi combo with more features.
Agreed but DV is still not ready for market and is driven from the wrong direction. What has happened to real Ham radio that develops its own technology and drives it forward. It is a sign of the times that folk are being driven to consume and not think. I suspect we will never agree but as a long term electronics and software engineer I have seen this battle go around and around. PS I was a software engineer before MSoft and Jobs made it a mass market career :-)
Desmond's Donders I disagree. we are seeing tons of growth in the ham hobby thanks to the maker movement. I just got my general and a HF radio specifically from learning about the stuff from hackaday and also some crossover from the firearms/prepper community. check out faradayRF for another neat project trying to take advantage of more of our amateur spectrum. Or what about the geosynchronous satellite we will be getting next year? a 5w 10ghz/5ghz setup will communicate anywhere in the sats coverage area with over 1000 FM quality channels (some for data, some for audio, etc). it's an exciting time to be in the hobby!
just download zello its free if you want to talk on the Internet
for the price.. no wifi? no way..
You'll need a bunch of rubber bands to hold all that stuff together as it slides around on your dash board.
I'm sorry but not impressed.
Bring back anolog repeaters, digital is a pain in the backside.
Forget it, if I have to use the internet to communicate with other people it's not amateur radio anymore. And of course somebody is making MONEY off that internet connection too.
David Branscome I don't agree. Internet is as ubiquitous as electricity now... Do you produce your own electricity to power your radios?
Good point Tom
Too late, sold all the ham stuff and bought a couple of really nice bicycles. I couldn't be happier.
I agree. The same can be said about repeaters. Using a 100 watt repeater to boost the signal of a 5 watt HT is not ham radio since it is not a direct radio to radio transmission. CW is not ham radio since it does not use spark gap technology the way Marconi intended. SSB is not ham radio since it is not true amplitude modulation. etc. etc.
It’s just another mode, not too much unlike EchoLink or another other VoIP, but has its place and is enjoyable...
nerds