DMR Tip 5 Using a talk group on the fly or make a "private call"

Sometimes you just want to use a talk group once in a while.  If that's the case, why create a whole new channel.  Or, if you are going to travel to a new area, you can save yourself some time by not having to create a whole bunch of talk group channels, just use the "On the fly mode" as I call it.
This is also how you make a "private call" if that person is setup in your radio (see adding a talk group on the radio above).

Use the procedure below to use an existing channel on the radio but override the talk group.  I did this when I wanted to dynamically add the Hurricane net to a local repeater.  Have fun.

The Ham Ninja's Anytone Code Plug

N1CLC DMR Code Plug

If you have an Anytone 878UV and want a code plug (settings file) to get started, use one of the ones that I built (link is on the version number in the Code Plug Section Below).  This code plug is a trimmed version of a much larger one that I have, designed for San Diego ARES team in San diego.  Feel free to take this and modify. 

** Be sure you follow the instructions to change the Radio ID found at "DMR Tip 4 - Setting up a new Anytone" before you load onto your radio so that it uses your ID and Call Sign. **

Links to the code plug at bottom of article.

(Also, AF5T mentions that you can import this plug into the Alinco DJ-MD5 and DR-MD500..)

(click on “read more” to see rest of article.)

DMR Tip 4 - Setting Up A New Anytone DMR Radio for the first time

You just received your Anytone 868 or 878, took it out of the box... Now what do you do?  Obviously you should be able to use it simplex by entering in a frequency from the VFO but if you want to use it for DMR, you’ll need to put a few channels into it.  One of the things that I like about this radio is that you can enter everything you need from the front panel.  The other thing I like is that the programming software is free, any they are continually enhancing it.  This article explains the high level steps to follow when setting up a configuration file, called a code plug, from scratch.

Using the PC to program it is preferable when setting up the radio mainly because you need a channel setup for each repeater talkgroup combination.  If you have three talk groups and three repeaters you want to use, you’ll probably setup nine channels.  There is a way around this however.  You could just setup a channel for each time slot on the repeaters you want to use and then just override the current talkgroup from the list on the radio.  I cover this on my 868 / 878 radio tips in the “Using a talk group on the fly” section.

DMR Tip 3 - Digital Monitor Modes

I’m going to cover “Digital Monitor”, what it is, does, and why you should use it.  I use an Anytone 868 & 878, but the general principle applies to all DMR radios with this feature or a “promiscuous mode”.

Digital monitor feature has three modes, “Off”, “Single Slot”, and “Double slot”.  You can set it in the menus (Click on the “Menu” button on the Anytone HT and tt’s the first menu item when you select the Up button).  Here, I’ll just be referencing the “switch” in that menu.  On my radio I have a button assigned to change the mode it’s in quickly so I’m not fumbling around in the menus.  I use this programmed button the most on my radios.. 

DMR Tip 02 - What Time Slot Should I Use?

I’ve had a few people ask me what “time slot” (TS) they should use when setting up a talkgroup on a particular repeater.  For DMR Tip 02, I'll focus on answering this and give you links for more information on finding repeaters and configuring your radio correctly.

Here is a good description of what a time slot is by  NEDECN:

With a TDMA (time division multiple access) system like DMR, the mobile or portable radios are synchronized typically by a repeater and assigned a time slot. In DMR Tier 2, there are two time slots, i.e. 2-slot TDMA. A mobile radio transmits for 30 milliseconds and then receives for 30 milliseconds. It listens for a permission to transmit and then begins a call to all other talk group members who will also receive on that same time slot, e.g., Time Slot 1. Meanwhile, a different group of users on another talk group could be using Time Slot 2 simultaneously. Well almost simultaneously, offset by 30 ms., but you would never know the difference, because two voices can come out of two radios simultaneously from the same repeater.

DMR Tip 1 - Using Parrot Talkgroup To Test Your Radio

This next post on my Digital Mobile Radio (DMR) tips series, we’ll look at an easy way to test our radio and also check that the repeater is working properly.  To do this, use the Parrot talk group.  By using this talkgroup, everything you transmit is recorded and played back to your radio. 

[  This article assumes you have a DMR radio and can program it to use a repeater and talkgroup. ]

Using the parrot talk group, every transmission is repeated back to the radio. This allows the operator to test  multiple things.

●     Verify that the radio is working and getting into the repeater. 

●     Because the parrot repeater is on the internet, when you hear yourself, this verifies that the repeater is working and it’s connected to the Brandmeister network.

●     This test allows you to test audio quality and levels.

The Ham Ninja's DMR Tips and Tricks

As I dive into this aspect of ham radio, DMR, I thought I would share some of the tips and tricks that others have shown me or that I've figured out on my own.

I'll be updating this BLOG page when I find other things that I think people could use help with.
(Last Update 10/8/2018)

Most of what I'm about to talk about assumes you are using BrandMeister.  I'm a newbie, so if you find a mistake, leave me a comment and I'll edit the post. (Click on images for larger)

The Ham Ninja's AnyTone AT-868UV & AT-878UV DMR Radio Tips

I'm covering a couple of procedures for configuring the Anytone AT-868UV as well as providing some links to good references at the bottom.  

You can read my review on the radio HERE but in summary this is a much better radio than I was anticipating.  The market has a few very cheap Chinese radios like the BaoFeng UV-5R, and this is nothing like that.  I have a few nits in my review but overall, I give it two thumbs up, even when comparing to my analog HTs.  

NOTE: All of these tips apply to the Anytone AT-878UV unless otherwise noted.  Also, if you don't know what DMR is, see "DMR Defined".

I'll be updating this BLOG page when I find other things that I think people could use help with.