To hear the audio replay, click (HERE).
Meeting Notes
– Net Opening and Operations
– The Combined Michigan One DMR Tech Net convened with Brad (KE8WNV) as net control from Ferndale, Michigan.
– Net schedule: Mondays at 7:30 p.m. Eastern on BrandMeister TG 31266 (Michigan Nets channel).
– Purpose: share information, test DMR equipment, fellowship, and demystify DMR; directed net format with recording noted.
– Initial check-ins: in-and-out, mobile, and short-time stations across Michigan, Connecticut, Missouri, New Zealand, Scotland, and more; 18 check-ins in the first half, later totaling 23.
– Callsigns and locations included: AB8SA (Allen, Romulus), K1DJB (Dan, CT), KF0CQN (Curt, Villa Ridge, MO), MM7SEL (Michael, near Glasgow, Scotland), N8GMP (Glenn, Woodhaven, MI), AC2UL (Ron, Niagara Falls, NY), KB8DQQ (Bob, Haines City, FL), N8TMP (James, Sterling Heights), N8TJ/N8PJ (Tom), KC0LBY (Mark, Denver), KC8WXM (Steve, Petoskey), W8EMV/W8PMZ (Ed, Ann Arbor), KC0MYP (Dana), among others noted.
– Photography Net mention: N8SDE (Dave) highlighted a prior landscape photography net; participants gained ideas for outings.
– Participant Comments and Weather
– St. Patrick’s Day and personal updates:
– AC2UL (Ron) shared holiday wishes; KB8DQQ (Bob) discussed family tree research; N8TMP (James) planned corned beef dinner and donated photography time to a foundation; KC0MYP (Dana) noted recent dates (Friday the 13th, Pi Day, Ides of March) and tax season overtime.
– Weather:
– KC8WXM (Steve, Petoskey): heavy wet snow, temps dropping from 18°F to 13°F, ~3 feet accumulation, delayed services.
– W8EMV/Ed (Ann Arbor): windy but manageable; reports of severe conditions in Marquette and Alcona County.
– Net control (Brad): Metro Detroit flurries, high winds, reduced visibility; colder weather expected.
– Tip shared for snowblower chute lubrication (Pam or WD-40) to prevent clogging.
– Technical Projects and Equipment
– N8TJ (Tom): preparing for Tech Net; working on a wood-hauling machine and installing 6 AWG wiring between starter, ignition switch, and battery for ~40A draw to support wood stove operations.
– Net control (Brad): discussed heating preferences, contrasting boiler vs. wood stove.
– Practical DMR infrastructure:
– MM7SKL (Mike): described off-grid DMR repeater GB7AC using lithium batteries, solar panels, and 4G backhaul; Hytera equipment (HP685 HT, RD625 repeater); RF levels ~-114 dBm; frequencies including 438.550 MHz TX with 7.6 MHz shift; well-tuned duplexers; BrandMeister network usage.
– Emphasized accessibility for operators in apartments/HOAs via repeaters or hotspots.
– Is DMR “Real” Amateur Radio?
– Framing questions by Brad and Dana: advantages of DMR vs. analog, hotspot QSOs, learning curve, newcomer advice, contest criteria, and future of digital ham radio.
– Core position expressed by many: if operation requires an amateur license/callsign (and DMR IDs tied to licenses), it is amateur radio.
– Perspectives:
– Tom (NATJ/N8TJ): DMR is real ham radio; signals traverse RF and wired paths; hams adopt and advance technology; cited evolution of networks and amateur innovation (e.g., Meshtastic).
– Steve (KC8WXM): DMR uses RF on UHF to a hotspot/repeater; licensing and radio IDs required; RF involvement remains even with internet links.
– Paul (ZL2BEZ): affirmed DMR’s place in amateur radio; cited BrandMeister, FreeDMR, HamCom; historical note on MARC network in NZ (2014); encouraged periodic simplex nets to test local coverage without infrastructure.
– VE2WES (Sylvain): DMR comparable to Fusion, C4FM, FT8; valuable for apartment/condo residents.
– KD9SSY: if a license is required, it’s amateur radio by definition.
– Glenn (N8GMP): DMR renewed interest; hotspots enable condo operation.
– Dave (N8SBE): defined “real ham radio” as anything requiring a license.
– Curt (KF0CQN): praised DMR’s flexible linking versus traditional linked repeaters.
– James (N8TMP): noted some “old-time” HF/CW operators disagree but supports DMR as ham radio.
– Speaker 7: described DMR as a hybrid—internet-linked but under amateur culture and FCC regulation.
– Speaker 5: “potato/potato”; licensing and rules govern; compared broad communications history.
– Speaker 4: DMR IDs require proof of license; highlighted networks linked via private 5 GHz Wi‑Fi (non-public internet).
– W8EMV/Ed: affirmed DMR as ham radio; enjoys non-ham systems too; sends QSL cards for DMR contacts.
– KB8DQQ (Bob): digital vs. analog resilience; analog can operate with 12V and an antenna when internet/power is down; digital depends on servers/infrastructure.
– Dana: referenced ARRL Great Lakes Division Director comments indicating debate over hotspot/internet-assisted contacts; summarized newsletter research noting DMR’s commercial origins but alignment with amateur experimentation.
– Clarifications:
– Even with internet-assisted modes (hotspots, EchoLink, Winlink), traffic often includes RF segments via repeaters/gateways.
– Accessibility benefits highlighted for HOA/condo operators.
– Conclusion: Broad consensus that DMR is amateur radio, particularly when licensing and RF are involved, with recognition of differing views on hotspots and contest eligibility.
– DMR Simplex and Operating Notes
– Net control referenced recommended simplex frequencies and encouraged programming, experimenting, and RF-based operation (radio-to-radio or via hotspots/repeaters).
– Suggested periodic simplex nets to validate local coverage and emergency readiness without infrastructure.
– Travel and Community
– Steve shared travel experiences in Scotland (Edinburgh, Inverness) and plans to return, building community rapport with Mike.
– Net Operations, Handover, and Acknowledgments
– Brad closed the first half with 18 check-ins and thanked repeater and link system owners/trustees.
– Handover to KC0MYP (Dana) at 7:57 p.m. Eastern, Monday, March 16, for the Tech Net portion.
– Dana introduced the Michigan One DMR Tech Net team, noted some members absent due to health, and referenced the website and subscription instructions.
– Net logging by KF0CQN (Curt); reported 23 total check-ins; recording and AI transcription to be published.
– Closure details: Net concluded at 9:14 p.m. Eastern; TG 31266 returned to normal usage.
– Upcoming Topics and Post-Net
– Next week’s topic: Hotspots vs. repeaters; advantages and disadvantages; plan to invite repeater owner Colin W8CMC.
– Post-net gathering: Hams Over IP DMR Tech Net conference room/talk group 1098 for off-air discussion.
– Newsletter quiz topics: origin of the DMR standard, TDMA technology enabling two simultaneous conversations, DMR ID assignment authority, identification of DMR networks, and why hotspot contacts count as real QSOs.
**Brad (KE8WNV):** QST, good evening and welcome to this week’s edition of the combined Michigan One DMR Tech Net. I hope you’re having a good week. My call sign is Kilo Echo 8 Whiskey November Victor and my name is Brad. I am currently located in Ferndale, Michigan. Tonight’s net logger is Curt, uh I believe it’s KF0CQN.
The Michigan One DMR Tech Net meets every Monday night at 7:30 PM Eastern Time on Brandmeister talkgroup 31266, the Michigan Nets channel. After all check-ins and comments are done, we will move to the Tech Net portion of the Michigan One DMR Tech Net.
You need not be from Michigan, as all licensed amateur radio operators anywhere in the world are welcome and encouraged to join us with your comments.
The purpose of this combined net is to share information and test DMR equipment, engage in fellowship with other operators, and demystify digital mobile radio. This is a directed net, so please wait to be acknowledged by net control before proceeding with your comments.
Tonight’s show is being recorded. Um, before we start the Michigan One DMR Tech Net, are there any stations with amateur radio related announcements for the net this evening? Please call net control.
**Brad (KE8WNV):** All right, this is Kilo Echo 8 Whiskey November Victor, not hearing any announcements. Our first round of check-ins will be in and out, mobile, and short time stations. Please let us know your status when you check in. If you are in and out, mobile, or short time, please come now with your phonetic call sign, call sign, name, and location.
**Alan (AB8SA):** Alpha Bravo 8 Sierra Alpha, AB8SA, Alan, Romulus, in and out please. Usually in southwest Michigan. Uh, in and out, no traffic this evening. Alpha Bravo 8 Sierra Alpha, AB8SA, Alan, in and out, Romulus.
**Allan (KD8VJD):** Kilo 8 Delta Victor Juliet Delta, KD8VJD, Allan, Ann Arbor, I’ll be in and out tonight. Brad, thanks for running the net.
**Mike (K8AGY):** Kilo 8 Alpha Golf Yankee, Mike, Thomas, Michigan, in and out.
**Paul (ZL2BEZ):** Uh, this is Zulu Lima 2 Bravo Echo Zulu, ZL2BEZ, Paul, Wellington, New Zealand. I’ll be in and out as well. Thank you.
**Brad (KE8WNV):** All right, we did get quite a few in and outs there. We got K1DJB. Uh, Alpha Bravo 8 Sierra Alpha. KD8VJD. K8AGY. And Zulu Lima 2 Bravo Echo Zulu. Are there any other in and out, short time, or mobile stations? Please call now.
**Michael (MM7SKL):** Mike Mike 7 Sierra Kilo Lima.
**Dan (K1DJB):** Uh correction to my call sign. This is Kilo 1 Delta Juliet Bravo, K1DJB, Dan, and can I get in and out.
**Curt (KF0CQN):** This is Kilo Fox Trot 0 Charlie Quebec November, KF0CQN, Curt in Villa Ridge, Missouri. Thank you Brad for running the net. And this is KF0CQN, I’ll be in and out.
**Brad (KE8WNV):** I just read it incorrectly there, Dan, but thanks for the correction. And we did get Mike Mike 7 Sierra Kilo Lima, Michael. Good evening, welcome to the Michigan One DMR Tech Net. Uh, your comments.
**Michael (MM7SKL):** Yeah, good evening, good afternoon. Um, saw you guys on the hose line and just thought I would check in and say hello. This is Michael, about 30 miles west of the city of Glasgow on the central west side of Scotland, over.
**Brad (KE8WNV):** Oh, very nice, and thanks for checking in. Um, one of our tech net team members here went on a trip to Scotland um last summer I believe it was. Um, said it was a great time. Um, welcome, and we are, we have a tech net portion after this at 8:00 PM, so stick around and join us for that portion. Um, and are there any additional mobile, short time, or in and out stations? Please call now.
**Glenn (N8GMP):** November 8 Golf Mike Papa, N8GMP, November 8 Golf Mike Papa, Woodhaven, Michigan. Name here is Glenn, in and out.
**Brad (KE8WNV):** All right, and we picked up N8GMP, Glenn. And this is Kilo Echo 8 Whiskey November Victor. Our next round of check-ins for the Michigan One DMR Tech Net will be general stations. If you are a general station, please come now with your phonetic call sign, call sign, name, and location.
**Bob (AB8CQ):** Alpha Bravo 8 Charlie Quebec, AB8CQ, Bob, down to Winter Haven, the Chain City, Florida.
**Ron (AC2UL):** Alpha Charlie 2 Uniform Lima, AC2UL, Ron, Niagara Falls, New York, in and out.
**James (N8TMP):** November 8 Tango Mike Papa, N8TMP, James, Sterling Heights.
**Curt (KF0CQN):** Kilo Fox Trot 0 Charlie Quebec November, KF0CQN. This is Curt in Villa Ridge, Missouri. I will be in and out. Thank you Brad.
**Brad (KE8WNV):** All right, um Curt was in and out. We also got AC2UL, Ron. KD8DQQ, Bob. And N8TMP, James. Uh, AC2UL, Ron, your comments for the net.
**Ron (AC2UL):** Actually I was in and out. As the comment I have is I want to wish everybody a great day tomorrow. The Irish are out there, and hopefully all the bagpipes and drums and all that are marching okay. Um, back to you net control.
**Brad (KE8WNV):** Oh, sorry about that Ron, I must have missed that. Um, KD8DQQ, Bob, your comments for the net.
**Bob (KD8DQQ):** Thank you Brad. I’m not sure it’s gonna be a big day for me. Oh, I brought my green shirt with me so I can at least wear that tomorrow. And I’m not big on the pubs, so we’ll just be kind of celebrating with just a glass of cold pop I think. Anyhow, been working on the family tree down here. Started that about two weeks ago. Haven’t done much with it for about a year. And in the last two weeks, I’ve added just about 500 people to my wife’s family tree. It’s not real hard to do because two people came in 1650, they had 12, and theirs had 12, and theirs had 12, and that adds up real fast. And then trying to get as many as I can on the tree before I can’t do it anymore. But it’s been enjoyable and I’m about ready to quit because I’m getting a blister on my butt and elbows. With that we’ll send it back to net control and thanks for letting me in Brad. KD8DQQ, on the outside of the picky weeds of Diamondale, Michigan, amongst the water lilies of Haines City, Florida.
**Brad (KE8WNV):** All right Bob, well I’m right there with you. Not big on the pubs or drinking anymore, so I’ll probably be doing a whole lot of nothing tomorrow. Might find me a corned beef sandwich somewhere or something to get halfway in the spirit. Uh, N8TMP, James, your comments for the net tonight.
**James (N8TMP):** K8WNV from N8TMP. Well good evening Brad, thanks for running the net. Good evening everyone. Yeah, you guys mentioned corned beef. That’s exactly what I’m going to be doing tomorrow. The wife already has that, she’ll make that tomorrow, so we’ll have that for dinner. And then that’ll probably be my extent of celebrating. Went to the pub up here yesterday to pick up a carry out and they were all decorated for St. Patrick’s Day and people had hats on and beads and everything. And there weren’t that many people in there and I wasn’t even thinking, I’m like, is today St. Patrick’s Day? It’s like nobody’s here, they’re acting like it. But nah. But uh, yeah I probably won’t be going out there. Hope you have a good weekend. I donated my photography time yesterday to a foundation that was started on behalf of there was this one, I think this happened a couple years ago. I think she was from like Michigan State or that area that her ex-boyfriend or during a boyfriend ended up murdering her and then himself. And so it was a, I guess it was a big story. So the family started a foundation to support awareness and that stuff. So they had a Love Shouldn’t Hurt photography session. I was one of the, one of two photographers that I donated my time to that. So it was very happy to do that and try to make a difference where I can. We’ll send it back to net control. I want to welcome again Brad as you did MM7SKL. Brad, this is N8TMP.
**Brad (KE8WNV):** All right, well I hope that was a good event and it went off really well there for them. Um, so yes we are at the bottom of our check-ins. Are there any additional check-ins for the general check-ins for the Michigan One DMR Tech Net? Please call now.
**Dave (N8SBE):** Yeah, this is November 8 Sierra Bravo Echo, N8SBE, Dave in Ann Arbor.
**Tom (N8TJ):** N8TJ, November 8 Tango Juliet, Tom in Dryden.
**Steve (KC8WXM):** Checking in. Kilo Charlie 8 Whiskey X-ray Mike, KC8WXM, Steve in Ann Arbor.
**Mark (KC0LDY):** Kilo Charlie 0 Lima Delta Yankee, KC0LDY, Mark in Denver.
**Brad (KE8WNV):** All right, we picked up N8SBE, Dave. N8TJ, Tom. KC8WXM, Steve. And KC0LDY, Mark. Uh, N8SBE, Dave, your comments for the net tonight.
**Dave (N8SBE):** All right, thank you Brad. KE8WNV and the group and the net. This is N8SBE. And we did have another great photography session about a half hour before this one started at 7 o’clock in the time here on Eastern Time. And tonight we were talking about landscape photography, which is something that’s very near and dear to my heart. So we encourage people to show up about a half hour early, and at least listen in if they don’t want to have to participate. There’s a lot of good information there. Back to net. N8SBE.
**Brad (KE8WNV):** All right, well thank you Dave. And yes that is a terrific net. I have listened in on it a couple times. Don’t have much comment wise to add to it, so I just listen. Um, and N8TJ, Tom, your comments for the net tonight.
**Tom (N8TJ):** Okay Brad, KE8WNV, net control. This is N8TJ, Tom and Dryden, Michigan. We’re friendly as served country style. I’m getting ready for the tech net here in a few minutes, and got a few comments ready for that. And had a pretty good weekend out here cutting wood. And I’m just out here in the shop now working on my wood hauling machine. But I’ve been working on it for a couple weeks now. And I’ve got some 6 AWG gauge wire to run between the starter, the ignition switch, and the battery. So it’s, it kicks up to 40 amps or so, maybe more, I don’t know. It seems a hauling machine, so I’ll be hoping to get that online here shortly so I can get a little bit of help moving wood around for my wood stove. N8TJ back to net control. Take it away Brad.
**Brad (KE8WNV):** All right, well thank you Tom. And I’m glad I don’t have to deal with all that extra to get heat in my house with wood and all that. I just turn the boiler on for the season and I’ve got heat. I rather like that. Uh, and KC0LDY, Mark, good evening, your comments for the net tonight.
**Mark (KC0LDY):** Good evening Brad and the net. This is Mark, KC0LDY in Denver, Colorado checking in. I didn’t really have any comments for the net tonight. I just want to say thanks for running the net this week, and I hope everybody has a great week, and stays warm and dry up there in Michigan. KC0LDY.
**Brad (KE8WNV):** All right, well thanks for joining us Mark, and checking in. And yeah, our weather here in Metro Detroit anyway was getting nice, and then today it just decided to go back the other direction and got some snowfall today. Not any accumulation like up north got, but it was coming down fast enough on my drive home that it reduced visibility quite a bit. Let’s move next to KC8WXM, Steve. Your comments for the net tonight.
**Dana (KC0MYP):** Hi Brad, Ed, Steve, and everyone else. I just tuned in. Didn’t have to work, had to do some overtime tonight, went longer than I thought. But hey, it’s tax season so another month to go. In case you guys missed it last Friday was Friday the 13th, Saturday was Pi Day. I went out and picked up a couple pie price $3.14. I go into Speedway which is also 7-11, and I picked up 3 pies and been enjoying those for either breakfast or lunch every day. Really cool stuff. Sunday was the Ides of March yesterday. Today is nothing, just well, Michigan One DMR Tech Net day. And tomorrow is St. Patrick’s Day, but man, Brad, I agree with everyone else. Steve started hearing about all that snow up there. I saw some pictures, not good. In fact I found a webcam for the Michigan Storm Chasers that showed Petoskey. Pretty interesting on that. Tonight on the tech net, coming up here shortly, we’ll be talking about an interesting topic. Hope everyone has a check in. We’d love to hear comments, but the topic is, is DMR digital mobile radio, is it real amateur radio? Some people will argue one way or the other. This should be interesting. KC0MYP, back to Brad for the Michigan One DMR Tech Net. KE8WNV.
**Brad (KE8WNV):** All right, well thank you Dana. And the answer to that question is, if you have to have your amateur call sign to operate it, it is an amateur radio. In fact that’s the answer. If you have to have your license, you have to be right to use it, and it is amateur radio. Um, and times change and technologies change. It’s not a good substitute for HF sideband. Um, but it is amateur radio. Um, but we are at the end of our check-ins and this is KE8WNV with the Michigan One DMR Tech Net. Are there any additional check-ins? Please call net control.
**Dana (KC0MYP):** Oops, Brad may have uh called it a night. He gets up early. He gets up sometimes 2:00 in the morning depending on his work schedule. So he may have faded into the background. So anyway, we’ll carry on. If you’re still around check back in Brad. We’d love to hear your comments on tonight’s net. I’m Dana, KC0MYP, acting as your net control this evening, substituting for Brad. He had a few technical difficulties a few weeks ago, but he’s got it all squared away. Sounds great tonight. Excellent job. Well, let’s see. I know Steve is out there, KC8WXM. I do want to hear from our good friend and DMR Tech Net member also, that would be our good friend Steve up in Petoskey. And Steve’s call sign is KC8WXM. Steve, I kinda messed a little bit about all the snow you have, I know you got hammered up there. But what’s your thoughts, is DMR real amateur radio? And then after that we’re gonna start taking some check-ins to get your thoughts on the air. So Steve, let’s take a detour up to Petoskey. Your thoughts on that subject. KC8WXM. Steve, over to you.
**Steve (KC8WXM):** Thank you Dana, appreciate your comments in there. Yeah, that’s simplex is probably something a lot of us with DMR don’t get into very often because we’re always using repeaters and hotspots. But you’re right, there is a whole section of the band plan dedicated to digital simplex. And that works out real well. Well, back to the topic at hand. We did ask the question in the newsletter, is digital mobile radio really amateur radio? And I did a little research to see what other people were saying. And I ran across a blog post from a guy named Kevin, his call sign is KB9MQU. And he wrote an article titled “Is DMR Real Amateur Radio?” And I’ll quote a little bit from his article. He says, “I hear it all the time. DMR is not real amateur radio because it relies on the internet. And if the internet goes down, your DMR radio is useless.” He goes on to say, “Well, the same could be said for EchoLink, IRLP, AllStar, and even D-STAR and System Fusion.” And he makes a very valid point. Just because a mode uses the internet to link repeaters or nodes together doesn’t make it any less amateur radio than using a repeater linked via RF. So that’s our question tonight. Is DMR real amateur radio? Do you agree with Kevin, or do you have a different perspective? We want to hear from you. So let’s take a look. Let’s start taking some check-ins to get your thoughts on the air. Please come now with your call sign, name, and location. KC0MYP, the microphone is yours.
**Dana (KC0MYP):** Thank you, Daryl. I understand about the dog. I’ve got one myself. He’s on a pillow behind me. In fact, after it checked in earlier, I had to take Tommy outside ’cause he wanted out and he stays on his pillow till I take him out. I’d rather have him go potty outside than inside, but that’s another story, another world. So thanks for your comments. Appreciate those tonight. And W8CMC, Colin’s repeater in Detroit is getting a lot of use. I think it’s the only DMR repeater in that area. So pretty cool. Thanks for your comments on that tonight. Oh my goodness. I’m curious how much snow they have up in Callander, Ontario. VA3PC, our good friend Paul. Paul, your comments tonight for the Michigan One DMR Tech Net. The topic is: is DMR real amateur radio? You’re a newbie to DMR, you’ve used amateur radio for quite a while. Curious to hear your thoughts. KC0MYP turning the microphone to Paul, VA3PC.
**Paul (VA3PC):** Well, good evening, Dana, and everybody on frequency. Um, snow. Yeah. Okay. Wanda got uh three inches of snow while I was in Thunder Bay last week. And uh and then we got another three or four inches came down. I traveled back on Saturday and uh it was clear that day. Sunday we got uh a mixed and then it turned to rain. And uh all that wonderful snow sucked up the rain that fell. And when I went out to blow it today uh with the snowblower, it was just barely dribbling out of the uh discharge chute. And in fact uh uh some of it was packed um quite well in the discharge chute and it kind of limped and fell out of it in uh 5-inch square blocks of ice almost. So yeah, two hours later we were done with that. Uh so yeah, we got a bit of snow. Anyway, uh as for your your question tonight, um I got into amateur radio uh oh I don’t know, mid-70s. And for about the first 15 years I played around with VHF, UHF, and repeaters. And uh in 1990 I uh I put up my first HF uh antennas and finally had a property where I could uh I could do that. And yes, it’s uh it’s a different world on HF. But um it’s all a matter of uh amateur radio, just different modes, um different operating parameters. But yes, uh DMR is certainly amateur radio. Uh so is Echolink. Uh except when you’re not using any RF on that. But as long as your signal travels over RF in any part of the conversation, I’m pretty sure that defines it to me as to what amateur radio is. So back to you, Dana. KC0MYP from VA3PC.
**Dana (KC0MYP):** Thank you, Paul. Thanks also for the weather report up there. We got a lot of wind down here, it’s blowing pretty hard where I’m at, but uh very little snow, as Brad mentioned earlier. And there’s very little on the snow here, but Steve, I don’t know how many inches he’s got, but he’s got several. And uh something I learned with snowblowers, if you spray like Pam on them, or WD-40 on the exhaust chute, it makes it a heck of a lot easier to eject it out without getting stuck. So that’s experience talking on that one, hopefully that will help you or anyone else out there with that. Who is up next? Let’s take a look over here. We have N8GMP. That would be Glenn from Woodhaven. There we go, I couldn’t read my handwriting earlier. Glenn, welcome back to the Michigan One DMR Tech Net. We’re curious your comments, your thoughts about is DMR real amateur radio? Glenn, thanks for your patience. N8GMP, the microphone is yours.
**Glenn (N8GMP):** Well, let me start off by thanking you for hosting the net. And uh like everybody else here, I was uh licensed a while ago under KB8WMB in the mid-90s, and I messed around a lot, let the license lapse, and uh recently retook the test and got a vanity call, ’cause I didn’t want to sound that new. But uh DMR radio has been uh for me a renewed interest in the hobby. Uh I live in a condo, and uh using a hotspot to get all over the place is uh is a really really cool thing to me. Uh grew up on the west side of the state, and uh cut my teeth on the amateur repeaters uh W8IRA. Might be familiar with it, a linked repeater system on the west side of the state. So I’ve always been interested in linking repeaters. Uh I love that kind of stuff. But anyway, definitely a renewed interest in the hobby and uh that’s about all I got. Uh N8GMP.
**Dana (KC0MYP):** Thank you, Glenn. And yeah, the W8IRA, they got real good repeaters on the western side of the state and they do a great job on that. And yeah, if you have uh DMR, it makes it a heck of a lot easier if you’re in a home where you can’t put an outdoor antenna up, or HOA restrictions, um townhouse, possibly a condo, etc. It does make it a lot easier to get your signal out on that one. Thanks for sharing. In fact, speaking of that, next week our topic on the Michigan One DMR Tech Net, we’ll be talking hotspots and repeaters. In fact, I’m gonna see if I can get Colin, W8CMC. That’s what he said his call sign is, when I hear him on the radio. But uh he’s a repeater owner, we might try to get him and some others to talk about those because repeaters are the way we all started on FM. And then uh nowadays it seems hotspots are a 2 to 1 uh more people use hotspots than repeaters, but there’s advantages and disadvantages of both. We’ll talk about that next week on the Michigan One DMR Tech Net. Let’s see here. Oh my goodness, we’re heading back down to Ann Arbor. Dave, N8SBE. Dave’s been using radio a long time. This is going to be good. Stay tuned so we can hear Dave’s comments on is DMR real amateur radio. Dave, N8SBE, welcome back to the Michigan One DMR Tech Net. Thank you for putting on the photography discussion roundtable before our net. And uh you heard a nice compliment earlier. So the microphone is now yours. Dave, N8SBE.
**Dave (N8SBE):** Uh good evening, Dana, and the Michigan One DMR Tech Net. Uh this is N8SBE, Dave down in Ann Arbor. And uh I’ll have to say uh that my definition of uh whether something is real amateur radio or not uh is if you have to have a license, an amateur radio license, to use it. And that brings up a whole lot of interesting things. Like Echolink. A lot of people are Echolink users uh think they just do a PC to PC, but there are many uh repeaters out there that have Echolink nodes attached to them, and so if you end up on one of those uh nodes, it will go out over the air. And similar things happen with uh DMR. Uh even if you use a hotspot and you feel well, I’m just getting to a hotspot, and then everything else is on the internet. Uh not so here, because uh there can be many uh DMR repeaters out there that have that node uh listed as a static node on their repeater uh where a dynamic node some point or another somebody has brought it up, and that means that your transmissions will go over the air. Uh that goes for Wires-X as well. Uh you could even run uh with I think it’s Peanut uh strictly on the internet, but some point or another it very well may go over an amateur radio band. And because of that, you must have an amateur radio license. And as far as I’m concerned, anything that requires an amateur radio license is amateur radio. So that’s my definition in a nutshell. N8SBE.
**Dana (KC0MYP):** Thank you, Dave. Very thorough as always, appreciate your comments on there. As I said there’s no right or wrong answer, but it’s kind of interesting to hear everyone’s take about is DMR real amateur radio. I saw on the dashboard Pierre, KD9SSY. Pierre, stand by. I don’t know if it was just a kerchunk, that’s what it looked like, but uh we’ll head to you in a minute. I want to touch base with a couple of the other Michigan One DMR Tech Net team. Uh James, N8TMP, and then also I want to touch base with our net logger tonight, that would be Curt out in Villa Ridge, Missouri, KF0CQN. And then maybe touch base also with Tom, N8TJ, to see what he’s heard, any additional thoughts and comments he’d like to share or questions he’d like to ask on that one. But first, let’s head over to Sterling Heights. James, N8TMP. The question for tonight’s Michigan One DMR Tech Net: is DMR real amateur radio? James, the microphone is now yours.
**James (N8TMP):** KC0MYP from N8TMP. Well, good evening, Dana, and everybody else on the net. I’m going to go with yes it is. There are a lot of good comments tonight and I agree with them. Uh as Dave said and Brad said, if if you need a license for it, then uh yes, it is uh is amateur radio. Um and as Tom indicated, you know, a lot of good things come out of uh amateur radio operators, you know, tinkering around and uh new, new things come about. So I think that’s always, always good. Um and uh like some other people had said, you know, maybe things change, and you’re living in an HOA and you can’t do that, or you’re in an apartment, so this is a good way to get out and still uh you know participate in amateur radio. Um, I would have to assume that if you talk to some of the old-time HF guys, um, they will probably say no. Um I guess they probably, you know I’m just a technician, so a little bit on 10 meters I know. Um I don’t know CW and that, so I would assume some of the the older, old-time guys will say well you’re not really an HF uh operator if you don’t know CW. So uh I guess to each their own. But Dana, my real question is tomorrow being St. Patrick’s Day, is Steve going to be out on his driveway with his bagpipes even though he’s got a few feet of snow? That’s my question. Back to net, N8TMP.
**Dana (KC0MYP):** Oh, that’s good James. Thanks for your comments. By the way, Steve and I were chatting, I think it was yesterday about snowblowers, and I had mentioned that he had picked up one, and pretty happy with it ’cause Steve’s had problems with his, and who knows, he may get a call. And by the way, after the net tonight we will be on uh Hams Over IP, the DMR Tech Net conference room, talk group is 10098. So if you are on Hams Over IP, join us. And that’s a good way to chat with us off the air, it’s kind of fun, we’re just discussing life in general. Hey, we always enjoy that. So thank you, James. Appreciate your comment. Let’s head out to our net logger. That would be Curt out in Villa Ridge, Missouri. KF0CQN. Curt, the question tonight for the Michigan One DMR Tech Net: is DMR real amateur radio? What are your thoughts, your comments? Curt, the microphone is back to you.
**Curt (KF0CQN):** Well thank you, Dana. This is KF0CQN. Um I’m gonna agree with everybody that, you know, if you need a license to get on the air, it’s amateur radio. But I would also uh think about this. If you have a 2 meter linked repeater network, I don’t think anybody would say that’s not amateur radio. Well, we got pretty much the same thing, except we get to pick what we’re linked to. So DMR is kind of an advantage that way is I get to pick who I want to talk to and what talk group I want to talk on. So I think I have an advantage over the linked repeater systems. So anyway, I say 100% it’s amateur radio. And I’m going to say KF0CQN back to net control.
**Dana (KC0MYP):** Thank you, Curt. Also thanks for running Net Logger for us tonight. You know I forgot to click on the AIM window to do that here. My hands are free. And also, in case you guys didn’t know, Curt also records the show for us. He gets the link and we get that transmitted out either tomorrow or uh Wednesday, whenever we have time on that. He also takes the transcription from the audio recording and converts it with AI. Doesn’t get everything right, but it gives you a rough idea and also I think is really cool, gives us a summary of what we talked about. If you haven’t seen that, we do post it on the website, it’s also in the newsletter, we call it follow.it. Following in the lead of the Michigan One DMR Net. And our good friend Dustin, K8R… what is it? What is Dustin’s call sign? Oh lordy, I can’t remember off the top of my head right now. Stand by. It is uh… having some many things to remember with tax season, working every day kind of wipes you out on that one. N8RMA, thanks for your patience on that one. Um Tom, N8TJ. You’ve heard a lot tonight. What else? What other comments would you like to add about is DMR real amateur radio? And uh you heard some stuff about CW, about uh you have to use your amateur radio license to talk, doesn’t matter what band you’re using on that. But uh just curious, additional thoughts from Tom, N8TJ.
**Tom (N8TJ):** KC0MYP, very good. N8TJ here. Got a lot of great comments uh tonight on the net, uh and uh threw a few comments back uh the argument that well, you know, it’s a commercial system. Well, Morse code was uh used on the railroad and for ships and things commercially before the hams are the same guys doing it mostly before you had the hams. But I think just about, you know, the data like the HF data and the packet and stuff is uh is largely commercial. It’s amateur radio operators that take it home and figure out more cool stuff to do with it and innovate it. So that’s why amateur radio exists really for the good of all mankind. Anyway uh, good topic tonight Dana. This is N8TJ sending it back to KC0MYP and net control from Dryden, Michigan, where friendly is our constant style.
**Dana (KC0MYP):** Tom always mentions Tom Safari hours from the bridge and um where 69 crosses over. Oh God I can’t think. I’m drawing a blank right now, but my brain’s a little tired on that one. Thank you Tom and uh good comments on that. A lot of interesting stuff. And by the way this is Tom’s topic he suggested. Years ago we just sometimes recycle stuff, ’cause not everyone was joining us years ago. So thanks everyone for popping in tonight. I did see on the dashboard a couple call signs and I want to double check before we take additional check-ins. If KD9SSY, Pierre, if he had any comments and thoughts. If you do or don’t, and after that we’ll touch base with our friend Sylvain up in Canada, VE2WES. Let’s go first to see if Pierre would like to share any comments for the Michigan One DMR Tech Net. Topic tonight is: is DMR real amateur radio? Pierre, if you have a comment, we’d love to hear your thoughts. KD9SSY, the microphone is passed to you.
**Pierre (KD9SSY):** KC0MYP, this is KD9SSY. Uh I can’t add a lot different, there’s a lot of great collective wisdom here and I’m really benefiting from it. This is a great topic. I think the most compelling argument is, hey, if you gotta get a license it’s amateur radio. My definition. That’s great, I love it. Back to you Dana. Back to the net.
**Dana (KC0MYP):** Thank you Pierre, appreciate your comments on that, and you made it crystal clear, plain and simple. Appreciate the simplicity and the clarity on that one. Alright Sylvain, I saw you on the dashboard, VE2WES up in Canada. Welcome back to the Michigan One DMR Tech Net. Your comments, your thoughts on our topic tonight: is DMR real amateur radio? Sylvain, your thoughts. The mic is yours.
**Sylvain (VE2WES):** KC0MYP, VE2WES. Well, good evening there Dana. Good evening to all frequency. Uh on the talk group I should say. Uh topic, a very nice topic tonight. Uh thank you so much for uh Dana for doing the net this evening, I really appreciate it. I’ve been like uh probably like 10 or 15 minutes that I just arrived here on the on the net. And um topic is your topic is very very interesting, very very interesting. Uh DMR communications I think is uh it’s a real amateur radio amateur communication mode. Uh but it’s uh yeah it’s a I I agree with other people it’s a very nice mode of communication uh especially if you live in the apartment building, you don’t have the right to uh to put up an antenna on the roof and or probably live in a condominium what have you. So it’s uh I think it’s a uh it’s a DMR is like a fusion or C4FM or D-STAR or what have you. It’s a uh a good mode, mode of communication. Anyway Dana, uh we just had a like a 12 hours here, a power outage here, it was a seven, seven hours with me, was seven hours uh with uh power outage. So um anyway, uh thank you for doing the net there. I really appreciate it. I don’t know if Dan VE2VB is through the frequencies in and itself on the uh on the net this evening, but if so well uh glad to hear you there. Uh other than that uh nothing much here to report yet Dana. Thank you so much for doing the net. I really appreciate it. KC0MYP and the net, VE2WES Sylvain in Saint-Gabriel-de-Brandon, Quebec, Canada. Back to you there Dana.
**Dana (KC0MYP):** Thank you Sylvain. Always good to hear your voice. By the way, I guess one of the, I’m just one of the 8 members on the Michigan One DMR Tech Net team. Don’t thank me, but thank the team. That includes, you heard earlier Tom N8TJ, Stan WB8QJZ, you heard earlier from Steve KC8WXM. There’s also Brad who was net control earlier KE8WNV, Rick is out sick tonight AD9KN, you heard earlier from James N8TMP, as well as Curt KF0CQN. Anyway, I’m at the bottom of the list. So let me look previously, let’s see if anyone else wants to recheck, or if your name’s not on the list I’m going to read, check back in. We’d like to hear your comments. Let me see. K1DJD, Dan. AB8SA, Alan. KD8VJD, another Alan. K8AGY, Mike. We already heard from Paul, we already heard from Mike. Glenn, N8GMP, wait we heard from you on that one. Um, Ron, AC2UL. How about uh Bob down in Florida, KD8DQQ? How about um Mark, KC0LDY? Ed, W8EMV. We already heard from Daryl, N8IYT. We heard Paul, Sylvain and Pierre. So if you haven’t checked in earlier, come on back. We want to hear your thoughts and comments on our topic tonight which is, is DMR real amateur radio? If you haven’t checked in, now is a good time to do it. Name, call sign, and your location. This is KC0MYP, waiting for check-ins for the Michigan One DMR Tech Net.
**Joe (W9EY):** This is Joe, W9EY, in Chicago checking in.
**Bob (KD8DQQ):** KD8DQQ, recheck.
**Dana (KC0MYP):** Well, we did hear two. We heard our good friend Joe down in Chicago, W9EY, and then a recheck from Bob KD8DQQ down in Haines City, Florida. Let’s head to Chicago. Joe, did you guys get a bunch of snow today and over the weekend? W9EY. And is there a big parade tomorrow for St. Patrick’s Day? Joe, turn the mic over to you for the Michigan One DMR Tech Net.
**Joe (W9EY):** Hey Dana, and the group, thanks a lot. You know it was funny, I was just about to comment about how comfortable I’m getting with DMR, it’s been about a month, and uh my radio got hijacked by a TGIF group that I had set up as static yesterday. So I had to disconnect from that one. But I’m back here now. Thank you for your patience. And um you know I was thinking about this, and and I I would say that it’s it’s not true radio as the other gentleman was saying, because we do have a link to the internet. So I would consider it more of a hybrid. I think I think but I would say this: that the practice of it, the way we communicate, the protocols that we use in terms of uh call signs, and the courtesy we give each other, and um you know the way we ID, the fact that it’s regulated by the FCC. But I would say the culture of it for certain is amateur radio. Now, is it radio, you know free waves like you know we understand radio, I’d say no. But um I think that there’s some parallels and I think that, I think just the practice and culture of it, it is amateur radio. Back to you.
**Dana (KC0MYP):** Thank you Joe, appreciate your comments on there. And yeah you are correct, that is a minor annoyance that seems to happen… you know we are real patient, maybe the word is, but also very considerate and kind if someone you know jumps in, we try and always add them to the conversation, and also we try and get call signs, tie them in… Good points, thanks for sharing them on that. You know I was doing a little research here between transmissions and it seems that DMR simplex frequencies, they’ve got some different ones out there, some are UHF, some are VHF, maybe we’ll have to talk about that on an upcoming Michigan One DMR Tech Net. Who knows… Anyway, I’m at the bottom of the list. What are your thoughts? Have you heard… a recheck from you tonight… Come now… phonetic call sign, name and location… waiting for check ins and rechecks right now.
**Ron (AC2UL):** Alpha Charlie 2 Uniform Lima, Ron. Recheck.
**Ed (W8EMV):** W8EMV, Ed in Ann Arbor.
**Dana (KC0MYP):** Net control heard AC2UL Ron out of Niagara Falls with a recheck. Ron, welcome back… your comments…
**Ron (AC2UL):** Good evening again. Um, I have a comment that I think is a general type one, ’cause we have this discussion multiple times, and I thought about it the last time, but I think it really pertains to what kind of type of discussion. The reason why I say that is that uh, you know, if it requires a license, that was one of them, and I think that’s a good definition, if it is a license-type thing. Yeah, you’re definitely in the, in the bandwidth there and stuff like that. But you also can look at some things like CB radios. Uh CB radios up until 1981 required a license from the FCC. I believe it was 1991 that they no longer required it. But you still had to work under the rules and regulations of the FCC while you’re operating that rig. Uh so I I think that that’s, you know, one of those things, like I say, it’s one of those things that you know it when you see it. And uh I keep looking at that, and even if you look at something like onboard ships with the flags and how they communicate between ships, or the little uh signal lights and stuff like that. Um it’s interesting. The other one that’s going to come into play here is Starlink, I think. With communications around the world easily, uh even though you go through the various repeaters, you can actually do that with Starlink now, and uh once it gets down and gets affordable, you know that might uh be something else that adds another layer of offerings out here for you to use. Um so it’s it’s it’s it’s just interesting, it’s just something that I was trying to figure it out myself at one point in time and you know you go back to the old telegraph days and even go back to the smoke signal days and stuff like that. You’re communicating with somebody over a distance, sometimes it’s repeated, like they Indians used to do with the smoke signals. So back to you, Dana.
**Dana (KC0MYP):** Interesting observation Ron, thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and comments on that. And there’s no right or wrong answer, just kind of curious, but I’m kind of in the majority of what you heard tonight: hey, you’re talking, you’re using RF to get to the hotspot or the repeater, or even radio to radio if you’re using simplex frequencies. And it says you can use 145.79 on the VHF band, or 145.51 on UHF… 441.000, 446.500… so I’ve got to try that, program those into my radio and play around a little bit with those. Who knows. We know, but we want your opinion, what’s your comments. What would you say if we ask: is DMR real amateur radio? If you’ve checked in, recheck back in, if you haven’t checked in yet, we’re getting close to the end, time to do it now or never. KC0MYP waiting for rechecks or check-ins for the Michigan One DMR Tech Net. If you’d like to share your thoughts on: is DMR real amateur radio? Waiting for check-ins and rechecks right now.
**Ed (W8EMV):** Whiskey 8 Echo Mike Victor. Ed, Ann Arbor.
**Caller:** ZL2BZ.
**Dana (KC0MYP):** Oh we did hear two. We heard our good friend Ed down in Ann Arbor, W8EMV. Ed, your comments on a recheck tonight from the Michigan One DMR Tech Net. Final time the topic is: is DMR real amateur radio? Ed, the microphone is yours.
**Ed (W8EMV):** Thanks Dana, um, and hello net. Um, I’d say uh DMR is definitely real ham radio, but there’s a whole bunch of stuff that isn’t real ham radio that’s still lots of fun. Um, FT8 is a lot of fun. Um, I’m told that uh in the right circumstances uh EME is going to be a lot of fun, moon bounce is going to be a lot of fun. Things that are not quite ham radio. Um, and I suppose if you’re a purist, um anything beyond a spark gap is probably not quite real. Um, so CW is close, um, but uh these voice transmissions they’re there’s newfangled stuff, and don’t let me use that much bandwidth. So um I don’t know. I have a lot of fun with DMR, I send QSL cards for DMR contacts. Uh, talk to people around the world. Um, it’s uh it’s different parameters, and we should enjoy it for what it is. With that, uh, back to net. This is W8EMV back over to Dana.
**Dana (KC0MYP):** Thank you Ed. And yeah, I like how you said QSL cards. Maybe we have to talk about that again one of these nights. And by the way, thank you, I believe you did send me a QSL card. And I always thought that was really cool. Good stuff on that. And thank you, appreciate your comments tonight. I’m at the bottom of the list. So let’s go back to Dryden, to the co-founder of the Michigan One DMR Tech Net. Tom, N8TJ, you’ve heard a lot tonight about our topic. Is DMR real amateur radio? Your final thoughts, and then we’ll wind it down. So let’s turn the microphone over to N8TJ.
**Tom (N8TJ):** Okay Dana. N8TJ here in Dryden, Michigan. 39 miles north of the Blue Water Bridge. And uh I think the results are in, and it sounds like yes, DMR is ham radio unanimously. If I was uh adding things up here. It was a good topic tonight, and fun to get on the radio on Monday nights, check everything out and let the nets flow and make sure everything works and have some fun discussion. Look forward to next week Dana. Maybe a few QSOs in between. This is N8TJ turning it back to net control on the Michigan One DMR Tech Net.
**Dana (KC0MYP):** Thank you Tom, always appreciate your comments in there. And speaking of next week, our topic’s going to be Hotspots and Repeaters. Should be good. I’m now going to close the Michigan One DMR Tech Net. Let me see, 9:14 PM Eastern Time, Monday March 16th, 21 degrees here in Mason. And we’re going to return this talk group, Brandmeister 31266, we call it the Michigan One Net channel, back to normal DMR amateur radio usage. 73s and good evening from Dana and the whole Michigan One DMR Tech Net, KC0MYP. And if you haven’t joined us on Hams Over IP, I already see we got a few people there. Dave and James and Steve… they’re probably talking about me. You never know. That is Hams Over IP, the talk group or conference room I should say, extension 10098. Come join us. KC0MYP, I’ll be clear.
**Curt (KF0CQN):** This is KF0CQN. And I’m showing 23, 23 people checked in tonight. KF0CQN back to net control.
**Dana (KC0MYP):** And thank you again Curt for running net logger for us tonight and for recording the show and for getting the AI transcription. We’ll get that out on the web and the newsletter here in the next day or two. Okay, as we said our topic next week Hotspots vs Repeaters, should be good. I’m now going to close the Michigan One DMR Tech Net… wait, I already did that. KC0MYP, have a good night.
