DMR is Easy
Relax!
The best part about using DMR is that it affords you the opportunity to talk with other hams around the world with relative ease. It can also provide you a way to coordinate more traditional point-to-point RF contacts without resorting to DX clusters or other mechanisms.
Getting Started
If you are ready to take the plunge, there are just a few preliminaries:
- Get an amateur DMR ID for your radio by visiting RadioID. This is where you will register for an account, verify your amateur license, and get an ID number to program into your radio that identifies you to the network. The ID number assignment can take up to 24 hours, so doing this in advance of your radio’s arrival will increase your enjoyment once the radio shows up.
- Get a DMR radio. This can be either HT or mobile form-factors. There are a wide variety of DMR HT’s from China that are FCC approved for commercial use (including amateur frequencies) that cost less than $200. The cheapest is regularly available for $65 right now, and is actually a pretty decent DMR handheld. Mobile radios start closer to $300, and if you choose to go with a big name like Motorola, Kenwood or Hytera, the cost can balloon quickly. The choice, as usual, is yours.
An Introductory Talk
The following is a presentation made by Randy AA6RH to the club during its Member Meeting in January 2019.