MichiganOne DMR Tech Net

To hear the replay of the Monday, March 2, 2026 MichiganOne DMR Tech Net, click this link:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LFA12lACpoYDWDzfrzbU_7iNoWpsVo_D/view?usp=sharing

A big thank you to Curt KFØCQN for recording & the transcription, as well as Rick AD8KN for running Netlogger.

Via https://dmrmap.app/#tg=31266&network=brandmeister

2026-03-02 Michigan One DMR Tech Net Notes

Net Notes

– Topic Title: Michigan One DMR TechNet Opening and Net Procedures

– Net control welcomed participants to the Michigan One DMR TechNet on BrandMeister Talk Group 31266.

– Meeting time: Mondays at 7:30 p.m. Eastern; the session is recorded and will be posted on the website.

– Purpose: share news, test DMR equipment, fellowship, and demystify digital mobile radio.

– Directed net procedures: participants wait to be acknowledged; announcements were requested with none initially.

– Check-ins began with distinctions between “in and out” and “short time” statuses.

– Topic Title: Participant Check-ins, Regional Updates, and Local Activities

– Multiple stations checked in with call sign, name, location, status, and brief updates from Michigan, Nevada, Missouri, Alabama, Florida, Illinois, Ontario, Quebec, California, and New Zealand.

– Weather and local activities shared: favorable Florida weather; Michigan/Chicago cold; Ontario mid-20s F with warming expected.

– Florida events: West Palm Beach Radio Club “Saturday in the Park” and upcoming Stewart Hamfest (mid-March); Central Florida RV park yard sale raised a little over $20,000.

– Safety note: deer on roads; one participant’s vehicle repaired after a deer strike.

– Topic Title: DMR Radio Learning, Net Format, and New Operator Support

– Several participants new to DMR are learning programming and etiquette; net control clarified format: brief comments during check-ins, technical questions in TechNet portion, and recheck-ins encouraged for questions.

– A new operator expressed interest in DMR and APRS and learning procedures; net control encouraged staying for operating procedure and courtesy tips.

– Topic Title: DMR Operating Etiquette and BrandMeister Talkgroup Rules

– Listen first; verify correct zone and channel before transmitting.

– After keying PTT, pause ~1 second to avoid clipping; leave gaps between transmissions for break-ins.

– Use dashboards (BrandMeister or hotspot “On the Air”) and radio LEDs (e.g., 878 red/green indicators) to confirm activity and avoid doubling.

– Avoid kerchunking; repeated short key-ups can trigger automatic timeouts or bans.

– Set reasonable timeout timers (e.g., 60–180 seconds) and avoid monopolizing a timeslot except during nets.

– BrandMeister statewide talkgroups (four-digit) have a 10-minute limit from first to last transmission.

– Use Parrot (9990) to check audio and 4000 to disconnect dynamic talkgroups.

– Audio quality: provide courteous mic gain reports; consider enabling AGC where available; adjust digital mic levels (typical 1–5) based on feedback.

– Admin guidance: tactical/chat groups must be dynamic-only, not static on hotspots/repeaters; violations can lead to sanctions.

– Geographically based TG etiquette: prefer 3126 for Michigan-involved QSOs; use 31266 for general/wide-area QSOs to avoid unnecessary network load.

– Historical note: 3126 was once restricted to Michigan; later opened, with 31266 added for worldwide use.

– Topic Title: Michigan Talkgroup Use and Quiz

– Michigan statewide TG is 3126; extended QSOs should move to Michigan 31264 (tech/talk-around) or use 31266 for the TechNet.

– Each state has its own group (e.g., Minnesota 3127).

– Quiz question: Is Michigan residency required to use 31266? Consensus: No residency required.

– Topic Title: Technical Projects and Troubleshooting (AllStar, Mesh, SSTV, Windows 11)

– A participant worked on an AllStar node, focusing on router port forwarding for two-way audio; exploring Michigan Mesh with potential MQTT integration.

– Setting up MMSSTV on Windows 11 Pro with typical challenges; Windows 11 AI features discussed, with guidance they can be turned off.

– Another participant reported improved satisfaction after moving from Windows 10 to Windows 11.

– Topic Title: Handheld T-meter Question Deferred

– A participant from Reno asked about a portable handheld T-meter; net control deferred to the TechNet portion; the participant welcomed email comments.

– Topic Title: Antennas, Portable Operations, and Equipment

– Discussed G90 with verticals and ham sticks, including a 10-meter ham stick.

– Mention of “HF 008” vertical on sale (regular 99, sale 69) planned for testing.

– Advice: verticals benefit from at least three radials; use a nanoVNA to tune coils.

– Reference to a portable vertical with adjustable slider coil; field testing planned as weather improves.

– Topic Title: DX Excitement and Special Expeditions

– Local club Slack active due to 3Y0K (Bouvet Island/Mauke) activity on 40m SSB; encouragement to attempt contacts and handle pileups effectively.

– Topic Title: Photography Net and Community Engagement

– Reminder to join the photography net ~30 minutes early to listen; newsletter quiz highlighted (Question 11 with multiple answers).

– Photography activities included a birth announcement shoot with a satisfied client.

– Bowling scores shared (135, 216, 222), with ongoing monthly bowling and technique adjustments.

– Topic Title: Hotspot Reliability and Redundancy

– One participant’s Pi-Star restarted causing TG 31266 issues; switched to backup radio/hotspot.

– Recommendation: maintain backup hotspot/radio configurations for continuity.

– Topic Title: Anytone/BridgeCom 890 “Maverick” Timekeeping and Firmware

– Reported time drift or incorrect day when GPS is off; GPS lock corrects time; ensure DST is enabled.

– Unclear whether PC codeplug operations affect the radio’s clock; testing planned.

– Maverick and Anytone 890 are electrically identical; official firmware noted as 1.03; avoid unofficial/leaked versions (e.g., with NFC) and await official updates.

– Audio and AGC: AGC on the 890 works; OpenGD77 AGC considered slightly better by some; 878/890 praised for audio; users adjusted mic levels based on reports.

– Topic Title: Net Operations and Participation

– Quiet evening with 21 total check-ins recorded via NetLogger.

– BrandMeister Talkgroup 31266 used; michiganonedmrtech.net hosts newsletters and articles; email subscription available via dmrtech.net and site button.

– Invitation to post-net chat on Hams over IP conference room 10098.

– Next week’s topic: Using APRS and GPS.

– Thanks extended to repeater owners/trustees and to KF0CQN for recording/transcription.

## Transcription of Michigan One DMR Tech Net

**AD8KN (Rick):** QST and good evening, I’m sorry I’m a little late. Welcome to this week’s edition of Michigan One DMR Tech Net. I will be your net control this week, my call sign is Alpha Delta 8 Kilo November, AD8KN. My name is Rick and I’m currently located in Haslett, Michigan. Michigan One DMR Tech Net meets every Monday night at 7:30 PM Eastern Time on BrandMeister Talk Group 31266, the Michigan Nets Channel. After all check-ins and comments are done, we’ll move to the tech net portion of the Michigan One DMR Tech Net. And the topic tonight is operating procedure and… oh jeez, I forgot it. We’ll catch that later. You may 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 Michigan One DMR Tech Net is to share news and information, test DMR equipment, and 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 and will be posted, and we will post the link on our webpage. Before we start the Michigan One DMR Tech Net, are there any stations with amateur radio-related announcements for the net this evening? If so, please call now with your call sign, name, and location. This is AD8KN.

Okay, hearing none, we’ll start check-ins for tonight. We will start with in-and-out mobile and short-time station check-ins. This is the net. So, let us know your status when you check in. If you’re short-time or in-and-out, and give us your phonetic call sign, name, and location. Please come now with your call sign, name, and location. This is AD8KN.

**N4ALK (Allan):** Alpha Lima Kilo, Allan, Fort Lauderdale, in and out tonight.

**KF0CQN (Curt):** Kilo Foxtrot Zero Charlie Quebec November, KF0CQN, Curt in Silver Ridge, Missouri. I will be in and out tonight. Thank you.

**K0AMY (Amy):** Kilo Zero Alpha Mike Yankee, K0AMY, Amy in Reno, Nevada.

**N8IYT (Gerald):** November Eight India Yankee Tango, Gerald in Battle Creek, Michigan.

**AD8KN (Rick):** Okay, we’re going to stop there. Net control has copied N4ALK, Allan, in and out. KF0CQN, Curt, in and out. K0AMY and N8IYT. Since you didn’t specify, Amy, your comments for the net, please. This is AD8KN.

**K0AMY (Amy):** Kilo Zero Alpha Mike Yankee, good evening everyone, in Reno so far. Thanks for hosting the net, Rick. And had a beautiful day here in Reno, Nevada, sun is out, a little bit on the cool side but still unpleasantly warm for this time of year, pretty weird, pretty spooky, a little bit creepy, this weather. Anyway, there might be something to this climate change thing. Anyway, I did have a question, if not a DMR question, it’s a portable handheld 2-meter question. I don’t know if I should mention it now or later if that’s appropriate to ask, and maybe somebody has some comments that could just email me. That’s all I’ve got. K0AMY back to net.

**AD8KN (Rick):** Okay, Amy, why don’t we go ahead and delay that until the tech net portion. Unless you want to do a re-check now and put it out so somebody may be thinking about it. N8IYT, Gerald, your comments for the net, please. This is AD8KN.

**N8IYT (Gerald):** Hello there, Gerald. Um, just interested in hearing more of the discussions tonight about this unit. I’m still relatively new to this 878 and DMR and getting all the pieces working, and even picking up some things on APRS, I know it might be a bad word for some people, but I’ve recently learned that much about amateur radio in the 2020s. So, if you have anything else to pass along, I’ll be glad to hear it. Doesn’t have to be about that, could be about anything else. Like to organize myself like fellow hams do. N8IYT.

**AD8KN (Rick):** Okay, very good, Gerald. N8IYT in the net. This is AD8KN. Yeah, you might find the topics for tonight’s net real well, it’s pretty much operating procedure and courtesy, and I find some of those hints and tips very helpful from time to time. So, please stick around and listen. And I’m at the bottom of the list. I’m going to open this up for general check-ins. If you want to be in and out, please announce it, otherwise, we will keep you on the list. Anyone wishing to check in to the Michigan One DMR Tech Net on BrandMeister 31266, please call now. This is AD8KN.

**KD8VJD (Allan):** This is Kilo Delta Eight Victor Juliet Delta, KD8VJD, Allan in Onondaga.

**W8EO (Ed):** This is Whiskey Eight Echo Oscar, W8EO, Ed in South Florida.

**AB8SA (Allan):** Alpha Bravo Eight Sierra Alpha, AB8SA, Allan, Warren, Michigan.

**KB8DQQ (Bob):** This is Kilo Bravo Eight Delta Quebec Quebec, Bob in Central Florida.

**N8TMP (James):** This is November Eight Tango Mike Papa, James, Sterling Heights.

**W9EY (Joe):** This is Whiskey Nine Echo Yankee, Joe in Illinois.

**N8SBE (Dave):** This is November Eight Sierra Bravo Echo, N8SBE, Dave in Ann Arbor.

**KC0MYP (Dana):** Kilo Charlie Zero Mike Yankee Papa, KC0MYP, Dana, west side of Mason.

**AD8KN (Rick):** Okay, okay, that’s a good place to stop. Sorry for all the twists and turns here, I’ve got umpteen things going on. Net control has copied KD8VJD, Allan; W8EO, Ed in Florida; AB8SA, Allan; KB8DQQ, Bob; N8TMP, James; W9EY, Joe in Illinois; N8SBE, Dave in Ann Arbor; and KC0MYP, Dana. And just to let you know, Dana, I am not looking at text messages, so if you need me, you’ve got to tell me on the air. Moving back to the top of the list, KD8VJD, your comments for the net, please. This is AD8KN.

**KD8VJD (Allan):** Hi AD8KN, this is KD8VJD here, Rick, thanks for running the net and hello to everybody on the net. Well, it’s been a kind of a nice day here, cool, you know, still in the 30s and 40s or whatever, but it’s cool, it was like there might have been a warming trend maybe later on this week, I don’t know. But let’s see, I’ve been busy wrestling with an AllStar ClearNode that I’ve had and I had to go into my router and do some port forwarding for it so that people could talk to me. They could hear me but I couldn’t hear them, so I think I might have it resolved. And anyway, I’ve been messing around with MeshTastic here, I’m looking at Mish-Mesh, you know, Michigan MeshTastic group, and I think I’m going to try to do some MQTT with that and see how that goes. And let’s see, messing around a little with trying to get MMSSTV on a newer Windows 11 computer going, and FL-Digi, which is fun on Windows 11, you know, they, I don’t know, school’s out but I got Windows 11 Pro, but I don’t know, you know, they’ve got a lot of AI stuff built into it that wants to make you do things you don’t want to do. I don’t know, anyway, so that’s pretty much it, Rick. I’ll turn it back over to you, Rick. KD8VJD.

**AD8KN (Rick):** Very good, Allan. Sounds like you’ve got enough things to keep you busy for a while. But yeah, Windows 11 can be a little bit of fun, but you can turn those AI things off, so do a little searching and figure out where it’s at, plus you don’t have to listen to it. Now we’re down to W8EO, whiskey eight echo ocean, Ed, your comments for the net, please. This is AD8KN.

**W8EO (Ed):** This is whiskey eight echo ocean, Ed, South Florida. Good evening to everybody on the net. Rick, how the heck are you? Bob, DQQ, hope you’re doing well in Central Florida. And everybody else, good evening. We are in Jupiter, the coast of Florida, on the east coast of Florida, southeast coast, and some radioactivity in a little amount several times during the week, POTA on the air, which is an all-time favorite, a little bit of FT8. And last Saturday, I went to an event run by the West Palm Beach Radio Club called Saturday in the Park, and everybody brings out their radios and anything of electronic ham radio interest to kind of a big show-and-tell with hot dogs. So, plenty of ham radio activity in Florida. We’re looking forward to the Stuart Hamfest, where we expect to see Stan coming up in the middle of March and probably a bunch of other local South Florida hams. Anyway, good to hear you all and Rick, thanks for running the net. AD8KN in the group, W8EO back to net control.

**AD8KN (Rick):** Okay, very good, Ed, W8EO. Thanks for your comments. This is AD8KN. We are down to Alpha Bravo Eight Sierra Alpha, Allan. Your comments for the net, please. This is AD8KN.

**AB8SA (Allan):** AD8KN from AB8SA. Good evening Rick and good evening to everyone on the net this evening. Welcome and greetings from Warren, Michigan where it’s still cold and I guess winter’s going to hang on a little bit longer up here. Not a whole lot going on here other than that, just trying to get used to my DMR radio, this is my first go-around with DMR, I’ve had it for about a month and a half now and trying to learn all the tricks and everything, all the programming that goes along with it. But that’s about it from here in Warren, Michigan. I do have a question I’d like to ask if that’s possible. I’m not sure, I’ve only listened to the net here a couple of times and I’m not sure what the format is. So, I’ll send it back to you, Rick. AD8KN from AB8SA.

**AD8KN (Rick):** KSL, AB8SA from AD8KN. I hate to put you off until later, but we after we’re done with the normal check-ins and comments, we go to the tech net portion of the net. And it’ll open up, you can re-check into that, you don’t have to check in, you’re already checked in, re-check and get the questions out in the air then. That might be the easiest or the best place to pose those questions and get them answered. At least you’ve got the basics down, now you’re into the fun stuff, all the ins and outs. And we’re down to November Six Oscar Hotel India in Sunny California, another warm place in the country. Bruce, your comments for the net, please. This is AD8KN.

**N6OHI (Bruce):** Yeah, thanks, Rick. AD8KN in the group, N6OHI. Yeah, it is still sunny here. We still have an hour and 13 minutes before sunset here. And it’s been a nice day, I’m thankful for that. And back to the station that was talking about Windows 11, I can only add that ever since I’ve gotten rid of the old Windows 10 and onward to Windows 11, I’ve been very happy with it. So, I hope that fellow there can also be happy with Windows 11. Anyway, yeah, that’s about it. Back to the net here, I’m looking forward to the tech portion of tonight’s net. I really appreciate the fine learning offered here. 73 to all, N6OHI.

**AD8KN (Rick):** Okay, very good, Bruce. Thanks for your comments. And yeah, we’ll look forward to hearing you later. KB8DQQ, Bob, your comments for the net, please. This is AD8KN.

**KB8DQQ (Bob):** All right, thanks Rick and good evening everybody. This is Bob in a 55-and-over RV park here in Central Florida, and the big event every year is a big yard sale they have. They bring all the things for sale into one general area, different departments of course, and in the clubhouse they have lunches and baked goods and a silent auction. And on the grounds, they have a whole lot of stuff for sale. The most amazing thing to me is three days, Thursday for the residents, and Friday and Saturday for the public. And good weather for all three days, and they took in, believe it or not, about a little over $20,000 for a three-day sale, and some of those items were going for four or five dollars and ten dollars and fifteen dollars a piece for some of the furniture and stuff. Amazing. We’ve got another about four weeks and then we’ve got to head back north, I’ve got a three-acre yard to deal with. And we’ve been enjoying the warmth down here, right now I’m on my back porch at 72 degrees and it’s still dark, and so we’re looking forward to a whole week, the whole week is going to be in the middle 80s and maybe just a smidge above, and sunny almost all those days. Can’t ask for more than that in the wintertime. Back to you Rick, KB8DQQ, way outside the Picky Leaves of Diamonddale, Michigan, amongst the waterlilies of Haines City, Florida.

**AD8KN (Rick):** Well Bob, I hope you’re enjoying yourself down there and lots of things to drag home. Now we go to the grand poobah of the photo net discussion and hopefully, there won’t be clouds for the lunar eclipse tonight. N8TMP, your comments for the net, please. This is AD8KN.

**N8TMP (James):** AD8KN from N8TMP. Good evening Rick and everyone else on the net. Rick, you caught me off guard here, my wife has placed a Meijer ship-to order and the lady just came to drop everything off, so I’m doing my honey-dos by having to put all this away while I chit-chat. So, hope everybody had a great weekend, a busy one as always over here. I ordered myself a 10-meter hamstick, so I got that over the weekend and got the adapter and put on the mag-mount on my truck so I’m going to take my G90 and go play. So, I’m looking forward to that. And then a little photo shoot Saturday morning, had fun doing those birth announcement pictures, so my client was very happy with those, so I was happy with them. And then the wife and I did our monthly bowling Saturday night, which I didn’t do too well my first game, I bowled a 135 my first game, but my second game I ended up bowling a 216 and my third game I bowled a 222. So, I think that 222 is I think my second highest that I’ve bowled. So, that’ll get my average back up. Not sure how I bowled that well, but maybe it was the RumChata shots the wife and I were doing. So, we’ll have to try that again next month once a month in bowling like that. That’s all over here, I’m going to get back to putting groceries away, Rick. Thanks again, we’ll send it back to you. AD8KN from N8TMP.

**AD8KN (Rick):** Thanks for your comments, James, and hope you get through the honey-do list. Just as a warning folks, there are folks out there that aren’t retired, when you’re retired, the floors become your domain, so you have to vacuum and wipe and do all that stuff. So, that’s what I was doing today. But anyhow, move on to Chicago, W9EY, you’re up and N8SBE is on deck. So, Joseph, your comments for the net, please. This is AD8KN.

**W9EY (Joe):** Okay, AD8KN and the net, whiskey nine echo yankee. Yeah, this is, I think, third time checking in here. Nice group, nice relaxing on a Monday night. And yes, we are still working, just hanging out with the two cats. And yeah, still getting used to the journey of DMR, so I’m looking forward to everyone’s comments. And it still is chilly here too, it’s supposed to warm up this week but it’s probably in the mid-30s right now, so hopefully, it’ll turn around. All right, so we’re going to send it back to net and we’ll be listening. This is W9EY.

**AD8KN (Rick):** Okay, Joe, thanks for your comments and yeah, we’ll look forward to questions later. Now we’re going down to A-squared, N8SBE, you’re up with KC0MYP on deck. Go ahead, Dave. This is AD8KN.

**N8SBE (Dave):** Hi, thank you, Rick. AD8KN in the group, this is N8SBE, Dave in Ann Arbor. And we don’t have a whole lot going on this evening, I did participate in photography net and we had a lot of fun there, so I always urge people to show up about half hour early and at least listen in on the photography net even if you don’t feel like participating. But my slack for the local area amateur radio club is blowing up right now because of the 3Y0K Bouvet Island expedition is on 40 meters on FT8 and it’s got about 90 people calling them. So, that’s the excitement for tonight. Back to net, N8SBE.

**AD8KN (Rick):** Okay, Dave, great, yeah, that Bouvet Island could be a real fun experience to try and get in there with those guys. So, we’re down to the grand poobah of the tech net, KC0MYP, your comments for the group, please. This is AD8KN.

**KC0MYP (Dana):** Hi Rick, hi everyone else on the net. Good evening here. I got two radios on, there, see if that helps out a little bit. I can adjust it on my other one. Anyway, good evening, and I don’t know if you want to call me the Grand Poobah, something from The Flintstones, but it does happen, just have to down. I just got a DVD and I’m looking forward to watching, *Waking Ned Devine*, good movie, set in either Ireland or Scotland, and need to share that with our good friend Steve, KC8WXM, because he took a trip to Scotland last fall. So, it should be fun. I’m curious to later tonight, did you guys do the quiz in the newsletter? Because question 11, interesting, I’m curious what you guys think that answer is. There’s actually five choices, but then again James, N8TMP, gave us a sixth answer. So, and if you guys haven’t listened to that photography net, it’s really good, and that’s on at 7 o’clock. And if you haven’t been outside, go outside, take a look, there’s a full moon, or close to it, and it’s about 45 degrees up in the eastern sky. Check it out, cool stuff. Anyway, looking forward to discussing DMR operating etiquette and some common sense issues in DMR. We’ll kick that off after the check-in portion of this when it’s done. Rick, thanks for running net control, net logger, and thanks to Curt for doing the recording and transcription of the net. KC0MYP back to AD8KN for the Michigan One DMR Tech Net.

**AD8KN (Rick):** Okay, we are at the bottom of the list and ready for more check-ins. Anyone wishing to check in to the Michigan One DMR Tech Net, I’ll get my name straight, Michigan One DMR Tech Net on BrandMeister 31266, please call now with your call sign, name, and location. This is AD8KN.

**KC8WXM (Steve):** This is Kilo Charlie Eight Whiskey X-Ray Mike, Steve in Onondaga.

**N8TJ (Tom):** N8TJ, Tom, Dryden, Michigan, checking in.

**VA3PC (Paul):** Victor Alpha Three Papa Charlie, VA3PC, Paul, Callender, Ontario.

**AD8KN (Rick):** Okay, net control copied Kilo Charlie Eight Whiskey X-Ray Mike, Steve. N8TJ, Tom, and VA3PC, Paul. Back to the top here, KC8WXM, your comments with N8TJ on deck. Steve, it’s all yours. This is AD8KN.

**KC8WXM (Steve):** Thank you, Rick. And thanks for taking the net control tonight. Great job. And everyone else who’s on the Michigan One DMR Tech Net. I just looked outside to the east and I don’t see any moon. Must have missed that. I think it was just until 8 and then it disappears. But anyway, must be cloud cover or something. Anyway, it’s cold, it’s 32 out right now, but it was 3 degrees, as far as I, like one, one under 3 degrees this morning. And I had to run over to Gaylord this morning or this afternoon, go get my blood drawn for my VA appointment Friday. And someone said that when they got up it was minus 3, so it’s cold. Anyway, everyone drive safe out there. I saw a couple of deer on the way driving on Thumb Lake Road. So, you gotta watch out for those deer, I hit one already on New Year’s Eve, but we got that all fixed already, so which is good on my deductible, was only fifty dollars, so we got that all fixed up. But anyway, I don’t have much else. I did get an antenna, a hamstick antenna for my G90. So, I’ll be testing that out when the weather gets better. It’s one that you just stick in the ground, so I think I have to get a stake and just attach it to a stake or something. But I think it has a stake with it, one of those Radioddity ones you can has a little slider coil thing on there so you can tune tune your stuff up on there. And I guess I got another one coming out for Radioddity that’s pretty nice, but I’m gonna try this one out, see how it works. I think N8TMP also has one like it too, James. Anyway, AD8KN back to Rick from KC8WXM.

**AD8KN (Rick):** Okay, very good, Steve. Thanks for your comments and don’t forget the radials. A vertical antenna like that you probably need at least three radials if not more. And if you’ve got a NanoVNA, that would probably help you tune that coil up. And we’re down to Tom, one of the founders, N8TJ, your comments for the net, please. This is AD8KN.

**N8TJ (Tom):** AD8KN, N8TJ, hi Rick, you’re sounding good and hello to everyone on the net tonight. Just tending to the fire here for a few minutes. That’s one nice thing about DMR is you can move around the house, stoke the fire, you don’t have to stay in the shack. In and for Steve up there, X-Ray Mustard, I’ve got I’ve got a little vertical too for my G90. And I was copying some Petoskey, a couple Petoskey stations today and yesterday that on a good day 80 meters is is good. We should set up a net, I bet we could do it. The antenna that I got is the HF008. It was on sale a couple weeks ago, I don’t know if you if that’s what you got, but it was regularly ninety-nine dollars, on sale for sixty-nine. So, anyway, I got one, I can’t wait to try it out. I haven’t tried it out yet, I’ve been using my G5RV in a hurried configuration. Back to net control, N8TJ, Dryden, Michigan, standing by.

**AD8KN (Rick):** Okay, Tom, thanks for the comments. And now we’re going to go north across the border to Victor Alpha Three Papa Charlie, our politically correct, if I can speak right, Paul. Your comments for the net, please. This is AD8KN.

**VA3PC (Paul):** Ah, thanks, Rick. Everybody on frequency, politically correct. Hmm, I prefer personal computer. Sometimes I’m not politically correct. Um, other than that, a wonderful day up here today, it was in mid-20s Fahrenheit and it was brilliant sunshine, so it was it was a good day. And it’s even going to be above freezing tomorrow, so spring is coming. I I don’t think the groundhog was too far wrong. Back to you, AD8KN from VA3PC.

**AD8KN (Rick):** Great, Paul, thanks for the comments. Yeah, that darn groundhog. My brother lives there, he could probably take the 222 and remove that groundhog from service but that’s a sometimes fun thing to do. But anyhow, we’re down at the bottom of the list. Anyone else wishing to check in to the Michigan One DMR Tech Net, please call now with your call sign, name, and location. This is AD8KN.

**ZL2BZZ (Paul):** AD8KN, ZL2BZZ, Zulu Lima Two Bravo Zulu Zulu, Paul in Wellington, New Zealand. I’ll be in and out tonight, thanks there, Arthur.

**AD8KN (Rick):** Okay, we’ll cut it off there. I heard ZL2BZZ, Paul. I wondered where you were tonight. Thanks for checking in, and I’ve got you as in and out. And I saw VE2WES, Sylvain. Are you checking in or was that just a kerchunk? This is VE2WES from AD8KN.

**VE2WES (Sylvain):** AD8KN, VE2WES, well, good evening. No, just want to break in and say hello. Thank you so much for doing the net. KD8KN, VE2WES, standby, in Quebec.

**AD8KN (Rick):** Okay, thanks for checking in, Sylvain. We appreciate all the check-ins we got. Thank you to everyone who checked in to the first half of tonight’s Michigan One DMR Tech Net. This week we had a total of 19 check-ins so far, hopefully, we’ll get some more. For more news and information about this net, please visit us at michigan1dmrtech.net. I also want to thank the owners and trustees of any repeaters or link systems for their time and investment in DMR for the radio amateurs of Michigan. We’ll now start the second half of the DMR tech net portion of this net, thank you to myself for running net logger. This is AD8KN, welcome the tech net team for the technical portion of the DMR Tech Net on BrandMeister Talk Group 31266, the Michigan Nets Channel. KC0MYP, the Grand Poobah, take it over. This is AD8KN.

**KC0MYP (Dana):** Thank you, Rick. I don’t know about that Grand Poobah, but thank you for running net logger and also for getting the check-in portion started for the Michigan One DMR Tech Net. Good evening, everyone. It is 8:09 and it’s the first Monday in March, March 2nd. And this is the technical portion of the Michigan One DMR Tech Net. We’re on BrandMeister Talk Group 31266, you know it as the Michigan Nets Channel. We’re all about explaining, using, and demystifying Digital Mobile Radio. Again, my name is Dana, call sign KC0MYP. I am located on the west end of Mason, down here in the lower peninsula of Michigan. I will be the net control operator tonight with good assistance from the outstanding Michigan One DMR Tech Net team. That includes, you heard him earlier, Tom, N8TJ. We didn’t hear Stan, Stan’s got health issues tonight, he’s WB8QJZ. You did hear from Steve, KC8WXM. We didn’t hear Brad, KE8WNV, hopefully, he’ll check in shortly. You did hear Rick, AD8KN. We also have James, N8TMP, and our recorder of the audio stream tonight is Curt, KF0CQN. And as Rick said, we do have a website at michigan1dmrtech.net to learn more about our topics, see the weekly newsletter, and you can also read some pretty interesting articles we post about amateur radio and DMR. If you want to join the weekly email list, it’s easy, you can send us an email, subscribe at dmrtechnet.net, or go to our website, look in that top right-hand corner where there’s a button that says subscribe or join the email list. Pretty simple, pretty easy, we’ll take it from there. All right, let me reset.

See, that’s one of those tips that we might talk about. Common sense: timeout timer. Mine’s set for 180 seconds. You can adjust yours wherever it’s convenient, some people go 60, some go 120, mine’s at 180. But figure out what works for you and you can change it anytime you want. All right, our topic tonight is some really cool stuff. We’re talking DMR operating etiquette and common sense with DMR. A lot of people are new to it, and it’s similar but different than regular amateur radio, what we call ham, because we’re digital on this one. But there’s a lot of cool stuff in there, and we’re going to talk about that momentarily. And also we will take, if you checked in earlier and you have a comment or a question or want to share something, answer question 11 on the quiz, possibly. Re-check back in. If you haven’t checked in yet and you want to join the conversation, check in with name, location, and call sign. Not that difficult to do on that one. And let’s see here. We are going to start the show talking to the co-founders of the Michigan One DMR Tech Net.

Okay, Tom, good evening. Tonight our topic is, as you heard, DMR operating etiquette and common sense, and also I’m really curious for anyone that checks in, question 11 in the quiz: Are you required to be a Michigan resident to use BrandMeister Talk Group 31266, that is the Michigan Nets Channel? So, the answers, there are five to pick from, the first was yes, second one was only if your call sign has the FCC zone number 8 location in it, that could be like Steve, KC8WXM. Third answer, maybe. Fourth answer, you first need permission from Tom, N8TJ, or Stan, WB8QJZ. And the last answer is no. So, are you required to be a Michigan resident to use BrandMeister Talk Group 31266, the Michigan Nets Channel? Tom, N8TJ, let’s get your answer and tell us what’s new in your thoughts and comments about tonight’s topic: DMR operating etiquette. KC0MYP, turn the mic over to the co-founder, N8TJ, Tom. Take it away.

**N8TJ (Tom):** Okay, Dana, how you doing? You’re sounding good, and so is everybody on the net tonight. Good topic, you know, the etiquette, it’s a lot like all ham radio modes, digital voice is the gentleman’s bit, the gentleman’s voice mode of all voice modes because you can speak so clearly. And as to question 11, I was actually going to take on that 3126 responsibility, so I was going to add a graduated a graduated scale so it’s a 10-minute limit. Your first communication and transmission on 3126 will be limited to one minute. As you prove etiquette and proper operating technique, you can then graduate to two or three minutes, then four or five, then six or seven, but BrandMeister will still cut you off at 10. So, that’s my idea, see what everybody thinks about that one. And happy to flag the comments on that one. Back to you, Dana, N8TJ, Dryden, Michigan, 39 miles west of the Blue Water Bridge. Standing by.

**Dana (KC0MYP):** Thank you Tom, appreciate your comments on that one. And by the way, you bring up something… I don’t know if it’s in the newsletter, but if you’re on a four-digit Brandmeister talk group in the United States, of which there are 50 or 51… 51. Michigan, it’s 3126. Every state has their statewide talk group. In Michigan, it’s 3126, in Minnesota 3127, etcetera. But in Michigan, and with any of the four-digit talk groups, if you are on the four-digit talk group, there is a 10-minute QSO limit. So that means if Tom and I are chatting on Statewide 3126, from the time the first conversation starts until the last is done… 10 minutes. If you go longer than that, you could find yourself in a temporary ban. Just wanted to share that with you. That’s one reason why we ask you to use 31266 Michigan Nets. We don’t want people to use it because there’s no timeout limit; you’re not banned for going more than 10 minutes, and we love to see and hear activity on this channel.

Other hints would be select the correct zone, make sure you are on the correct channel. What happens to me every now and then, I click off or do something and I broadcast on the wrong talk group. Listen first—that’s something Stan always says—listen, listen, listen, and then when you do key up the mic, pause. Wait a second or two because it’s a digital compander that has to expand the circuit out and make it audible; otherwise, it just does not sound good, it’s pretty distorted on that. And also make sure that you do use the parrot channel 9990. That’s how you check to see if you have a connection to the internet and you’re getting back. And I think I just let go of my button so… hopefully everything got through. And as well as using the parrot channel 9990, there’s also the disconnect channel 4000. Those are good channels to have. Also, pause—always leave room for somebody else to pop in. And other things, as I mentioned earlier, use our talk group 31266 Michigan Nets if you have extended QSOs and you don’t want to worry about a 10-minute limit.

If there is a long discussion, every state also has a TAC channel, talk-around channel, or technical channel. In Michigan, that is 31264. If you go to Brandmeister website, you can see all those channels listed and grouped by state. And use the parrot channel before you come out and ask, “Hey, give me an audio check.” Well, use the parrot channel; you can check your own audio on that. Hold on… let me say a few more things then I’m going to turn the mic over to Steve, KC8WXM, for his hints and tips because Stan isn’t here tonight. When you’re finished with a dynamic talk group, disconnect. Use that 4000 channel. Do not kerchunk. By the way, in case you guys didn’t know it, if Brandmeister detects five key-ups from your radio within a one-minute period, you just bought yourself a timeout, either an hour or four hours, I forget what the number is. So don’t kerchunk, kerchunk, kerchunk. Just want to pass that on. And also don’t dominate a time slot unless it’s a net or something like that.

So, anyway, enough of that. We’re going to take your check-ins after we hear from our good friend Steve, KC8WXM, for some hints and tips as Stan isn’t here tonight. Michigan One DMR Tech Net team, Steve, KC8WXM, you mentioned that quiz also. Your comments tonight about DMR operating etiquette and any comments you’d like to share. KC0MYP, turning the microphone over to Steve, KC8WXM.

**Steve (KC8WXM):** KC0MYP, thanks, Dana, and hello everyone on the net. You’re a little scratchy on the ends of that transmission. Just for an audio quality check, that’s something else you might want to talk about or let other people know if they have some audio issues. Most everyone’s mic gain was set pretty good, but I had to crank up the volume a little bit and then there was one person that came in that the mic gain was way up and I had to turn the volume down. So it’s nice to let people know if they’re too loud or not loud enough, that way they can adjust their mic gain. Some people just won’t adjust their mic gain and you’ll have to deal with that, but I have to look at getting a radio besides an AnyTone that can do automatic gain. M1KE was someone on the AnyTone right now, that’s why I hear the differences, but there’s automatic gain control on the mic or some of the other firmware adapted GD77 firmware stuff that they can have automatic gain control so you don’t have to deal with the volume changes, which I think would be something you don’t have to worry about when you’re doing regular amateur radio using repeaters; volume should have to deal with it with digital.

Just a question to think about. But anyway, be polite, leave some gap in between your transmissions. Don’t be just trying to get in there. And remember when you key up, you do have to wait a bit, maybe a second before you start transmitting or you get… some of your transmission might be clipped off and no one hears the first part of it. Anyway, that’s my comment for tonight. This is KC8WXM, back to KC0MYP with the net. Hello, this is KC8WXM, I think I’m still on 31266, I’m keying up. I see on the dashboard, KC0MYP are you still there?

**Dana (KC0MYP):** All right. The other radio was not working, and you can hear it now, so it wasn’t transmitting like I wanted to. Yes, Steve, thank you. I just looked at the dashboard and you got through. Sorry about that, that’s what happens when you switch radios. Sometimes it can do that. But, KC0MYP on the Michigan One DMR Tech Net, it’s time for your comments, your questions, your thoughts, your ideas about our topic tonight: DMR operating etiquette and common sense. And also, if you have your answer to our quiz question number 11: Are you required to be a Michigan resident to use this talk group, Brandmeister 31266, the Michigan One Net channel? Love to hear your thoughts. If you’ve checked in already, it’s time to recheck to share your thoughts again. And if you haven’t checked in yet, it’s a good time to do it too. Phonetic call sign, call sign, name and location. This is the Michigan One DMR Tech Net waiting for your check-in or your recheck-in so we can hear your comments. KC0MYP waiting for check-ins and recheck-ins right now.

**Curt (KF0CQN):** This is Kilo Foxtrot Zero Charlie Quebec November, KF0CQN, with a recheck.

**Allan (N4ALK):** Alpha Bravo Eight Sierra Alpha, Allan, North Michigan, a recheck.

**Dana (KC0MYP):** Okay, net control heard our good friend Curt, KF0CQN. I was going to call on him anyway, but we’ll get to him in a minute. And then also Allan was a recheck, AB8SA. Curt, Steve had mentioned about the automatic noise limiter or automatic volume control, and I believe the radio you have, that AnyTone 890, has that. But what is the answer to quiz question number 11 and your thoughts, ideas, or hints or tips you want to share about DMR operating etiquette? KC0MYP passing the mic over to KF0CQN for the Michigan One DMR Tech Net.

**Curt (KF0CQN):** Well, thank you, Dana. Good evening, everybody. I’m going to start with the quiz question. Obviously, since I’m in Missouri, the answer is no, you do not have to be a resident of Michigan. Beyond that, I’ve heard a couple of people talk about hitting the button, wait a second for the digital compressor to kick in—that’s a great idea. I also recommend giving a few seconds… just kind of take a breath between transmissions, you know, somebody else may want to jump in and have a comment or ask a question. So give it some space for that to happen. I think is a great thing to do. You know, we’re all here to listen and learn, so let’s listen and learn. So, anyway, those are my etiquette thoughts, and I will turn the mic back to you. KF0CQN, back to net control.

**Dana (KC0MYP):** Thank you, Curt, appreciate your comments there. You know, you may have also gotten permission from Tom (N8TJ) or Stan (WB8QJZ) to use this talk group. I don’t know, but you’re holding out on me. Could be! AB8SA, Allan with a recheck, and tonight our topic again is DMR operating etiquette and common sense. Allan, your thoughts, and what’s your answer to that quiz question number 11 or any of the other quiz questions in the newsletter this past week? KC0MYP turning the microphone back over to AB8SA, Allan, take it away.

**Allan (N4ALK):** Good evening, Dana and the rest of the net. Well, I didn’t look into the email with the questions, but I’m going to say that you do not need to be a Michigan resident to use this channel. Other than that, it’s good listening to comments about etiquette, learning a lot here. And I did have a question that’s not related to etiquette but it was with regards to… oh my gosh, brain fart here. Oh my gosh, I had a question for it, I’ll try to remember what it is. Oh, actually, I did remember what it is. It’s about time. I’ve got the new AnyTone 890 radio and my time, if I set it, does not stay set. It will correct itself if I turn the GPS on, but if I turn the GPS off, it will go to some erroneous time a day earlier. So if I could get that answered, that would be awesome because I’ve tried to do it and it just keeps changing. Send it back to you, Dana. KC0MYP from AB8SA.

**Dana (KC0MYP):** Thank you, Allan, that is a good question. And with the GPS on, it should lock in and get the times automatically. Keep in mind this coming Sunday is daylight savings time kicks in, so you have to have the DST-on feature in the settings on the radio. But you know, we have a couple members of the DMR Tech Net team that do own that radio. We’re going to start with our net logger first, that would be Rick, and then we’re going to go back to Villa Ridge, Missouri and talk to Curt who is also recording the show for us tonight. So, Rick, AB8KM, you heard Allan’s question. Would you like to answer it and then when you’re done, pass the microphone back to our good friend Curt out in Missouri? KC0MYP over to AB8KM.

**Rick (AB8KM):** KC0MYP and the net, this is AB8KM. Well, that’s a good question. I do have the 890 and I never noticed that issue. I’m going to have to experiment and see if mine does it. It just… that one doesn’t make sense why it wouldn’t store the time. And one other suggestion while we’re added here, before I turn it over to Curt. I am going to a hotspot. I have my own hotspot and I use the dashboard, WP3 precisely, but that’s where I can see if I’m actually making it in. So if you notice I waited a little bit tonight, I was waiting for my call sign to pop up on the dashboard before I started to talk. So that’s one way to make sure that you’re getting in and not stepping on someone because if somebody else has it, then back off and you’ll miss them. So, KF0CQN, Curt, have you noticed that issue with your 890? This is AB8KM on the net.

**Curt (KF0CQN):** This is KF0CQN. Yes, I have. Currently, I was looking at my radio and it’s reporting that it’s 3:33 AM Central Time, which obviously it’s not. So I do have that. I kind of just chalked it up to a firmware issue and unfortunately, probably 100 percent of the time I’ve used it indoors and it’s never got a GPS lock to really reset its clock. And I don’t know if that’s part of the issue or what, but it certainly does have a time issue on it. Although, just thinking about that, I know I reset it manually but I also hooked it up to the computer and did some code plug updates and I don’t know if that resets it or screws it up. Maybe related to that too. Anyway, I also noticed that I didn’t answer Dana’s question about the automatic gain control on the 890, and yes it does have it, and yes it works. It’s all good. I would say the OpenGD77 is a little bit better but either one of them are perfect. But I do love the audio quality on the 878 and the 890, I think those are some of the best sounding radios that I’ve got. So anyway, this is KF0CQN, and I will turn the mic back over to Dana.

**Dana (KC0MYP):** Thank you, Curt, appreciate that. And you know, another reason I was looking at my radio, I’m talking on an AnyTone 878, and if you look at the top of the radio, you’ve got those lights. When you are talking, the LED light should be red. When somebody else is talking, it’ll turn green. It’s a good idea if the channel is in use. So keep that in mind, there’s another hint or tip. And I believe on that 890, it could be a firmware issue because I think they also just came up with an update for it. I’ve got to check on that. I believe so, so hopefully Allan, stay tuned, we’ll see if we can get some more details on that one for you. You know, I always like to hear from our good friend Paul out in Wellington, New Zealand, his thoughts, especially for questions. He’s been doing this for a while, he’s got a lot of equipment, a lot of hotspots. I would like to hear his voice too. He checked in earlier tonight in and out, but let me just run real quickly back out to Wellington and see if ZL2BEZ, Paul, did you hear the question that Allan has about the new AnyTone 890, the radio’s not keeping the correct time, but when it gets the GPS lock it does fix it automatically. So, just curious your thoughts on that and any other hints or tips that you have about DMR operating etiquette? KC0MYP passing the mic over to Paul, ZL2BEZ, for the Michigan One DMR Tech Net.

**Paul (ZL2BEZ):** Well, Paul couldn’t be busy because it’s Monday night around 8:35 Eastern time, but it’s Tuesday afternoon in Wellington, New Zealand on that one. All right. Paul, if you can, you can check in. I know you also do other nets and other things but check back in, we’d like to hear any additional thoughts or comments you have. Speaking of that, if you have an idea, a comment, suggestion about DMR operating etiquette and common sense when using the radio, hey, for sure, we want to hear it. If you have a question, ask it. We can’t help unless we know about it. So, if you’ve checked in already, time to recheck. If you haven’t checked in yet, come back with your phonetic call sign, call sign, name and location for the Michigan One DMR Tech Net.

**Michael (WM1V):** This is Whiskey Mike One Victor, recheck.

**Dana (KC0MYP):** Wait, I missed that one… okay.

**Dave (N8SBE):** This is November Eight Sierra Bravo Echo, Dave in Ann Arbor, recheck.

**Curt (KF0CQN):** This is Kilo Foxtrot Zero Charlie Quebec November, Curt from Villa Ridge with another recheck.

**Dana (KC0MYP):** Okay, this looks like a good time to jump in. Two good friends of the Michigan One DMR Tech Net, that would be Dave, N8SBE, out of Ann Arbor with a recheck, followed by Curt, KF0CQN, our good friend and member of our team from Villa Ridge, Missouri. Dave, before I pass the mic over to you, did you go out and see that full moon, maybe take some pictures? Just asking, because Dave’s a member of the photography discussion round table that is at 7:00 before our net. Dave, N8SBE, let’s turn the mic over to you. Your comments, your thoughts, your ideas about DMR operating etiquette and your answer to question 11 in the quiz in the newsletter this past week. KC0MYP passing the mic to N8SBE for the Michigan One DMR Tech Net.

**Dave (N8SBE):** All right, Dana. KC0MYP and the Michigan One DMR Tech Net, this is N8SBE, Dave in Ann Arbor. And answer to question 11 is no, you don’t have to be a member, you don’t have to be a part of Michigan. You can always use the 31266, that’s what it’s there for. And actually, the question I was going to ask is what happened to Brandmeister TAC 310? I knew that at one point it was extremely popular and then they put out an edict saying that any hotspots that had 310 as a static talk group, they were going to ban. And I’m trying to figure out what that was all about. Back to net, N8SBE.

**Dana (KC0MYP):** Hey, Dave, thank you for your comments. And I think I can answer that one. I was talking to one of the admins for Brandmeister here in the US, his name’s Corey Dean, and I asked about TAC channels, the tactical or talk-around channel, and in Michigan that’s 31264, otherwise it’s 310 to 319 is for worldwide usage. But one of the rules they have is you cannot make a TAC channel static. If they see that, they will… sorry, I released the finger off my radio. That happens when you get bronchitis, guys, and also have to hit pause because I have to cough a little bit. And with a TAC channel, they will not let you make that a static talk group because that’s dynamic only. So that’s where, as you brought up, if you try and make any TAC channel—there’s 50 in the United States plus also worldwide you’ve got 310 through 319—but if you try and make it static, then they can do things like possibly ban you. And not a fun thing. But thanks for bringing that up. Hopefully that answered that question. If anyone else has a comment on it or Dave, you want to add more stuff, no worries, check in or recheck in to hear your thoughts on that.

We have another check-in from our good friend Curt, KF0CQN. Curt, what additional thoughts would you like to share tonight?

**Curt (KF0CQN):** Well, thank you, Dana. This is KF0CQN. I just went out to BridgeCom and checked on the Maverick firmware update, which the Maverick and the AnyTone 890 are electrically the same. The only difference really is the color of the case and the BridgeCom labeling on the header of it. But they’re still sitting at version 1.03, I don’t see any new firmwares released on that. Looking at a couple other forums, there is an unofficial leaked version of 1.03 that has NXDN enabled. I don’t recommend anybody loading an unofficial version unless they want to send back their radio because it’s got bad firmware on it, doesn’t want to work. So right now we’re at 1.03 and awaiting an update. So, anyway, this is KF0CQN and I will turn the mic back over to Dana.

**Dana (KC0MYP):** Thank you for the update on that one, Curt. My friend Jeremiah, W9JHM, let me know as well as another fine gentleman, Dwayne Reese, and I’m trying to remember what his call sign ends with, like N9 or N8DMR. What a call sign, DMR! But it stands for his initials. So, pretty cool stuff there. Tom, N8TJ, you’ve heard a lot tonight. What additional thoughts would you like to share about DMR operating etiquette and any of the comments you might have on what you’ve heard so far tonight? KC0MYP passing the Michigan One DMR Tech Net microphone over to N8TJ.

**Tom (N8TJ):** Okay, Dana, N8TJ here. And I had to switch radios and hotspots. My Pi-Star restarted and now 31266 doesn’t come up for some strange reason, but I will troubleshoot that later. I have a backup radio, backup hotspot ready to go, which is a good idea if you can do that. And so the comments are great. And all the Brandmeister confusion, I remember that TAC 310, and TAC 310 used to be a good place to go and then all of a sudden everybody ran from it. See, that’s because there’s too many rules on Brandmeister. So good etiquette, I suppose, would be to help people understand the rules, just like if someone’s on sideband and they’re splattering their audio or if they’re too close to a band edge, you might mention that to them politely. But it is hard to keep track of all the goings-on with a highly administrated system that digital voice can be. So, in any case, gotta keep it fun. Good night, Dana, I’ll turn it back to you. This is N8TJ in Detroit, Michigan.

**Dana (KC0MYP):** Thank you, Tom, appreciate your comments tonight. And you know, you bring up something, and we were talking audio levels, and that’s something that’s kind of a sore subject at times, but if you have a radio that has an automatic level control, you don’t have to worry about it. But for the rest of us, some volumes are way too loud, some are too soft, and you have to constantly adjust the volume level on the radio, which can be tricky at times. So, if you can, use the parrot channel and tweak your digital mic level. I think typically it’s one through five, most people leave it at three, some people crank it up to five. I know that we were talking to our good friend Ben, VE2VB, up in Canada who just got his 890, but he tweaked it when he was chatting because he talked about it being pretty loud and then he tweaked it down, sounded great. So if Ben’s listening, he has some additional thoughts about the 890 or DMR etiquette, we’d love to hear them.

Anyway, I’m at the bottom of the list. Who else has a thought, or who has another comment? Recheck in or check in. Call sign, name and location for the Michigan One DMR Tech Net.

**Kirk (KN6UMV):** Kilo November Six Uniform Mike Victor.

**Dana (KC0MYP):** My goodness, it’s a quiet night tonight, but we did hear Kirk out in Wash… or excuse me, in California, Manhattan Beach. KN6UMV, Kirk, we’d love to hear your thoughts, your ideas, your comments about DMR operating etiquette along with common sense. KC0MYP on the Michigan One DMR Tech Net, turn the microphone over to Kirk. KN6UMV.

**Kirk (KN6UMV):** Good evening all. This is Kirk, KN6UMV, in Southern California. Excellent net tonight, I’ve enjoyed listening to it. Operating etiquette… to answer your question, I would say no, you don’t have to be a member of Michigan to use that talk group. I’ll qualify that with an etiquette tip that I think everybody should follow that I haven’t heard mentioned. That is, if you’re using a talk group that is static, that’s geographically based like 3126, one of the two parties should be in Michigan because what you would not want to happen is somebody like me in California talk to somebody in Florida but yet be using the Michigan talk group. That would be bad etiquette because we would be using one time slot in the repeater in California, one time slot in the repeater in Florida, but we’d be lighting up a lot of repeaters in Michigan when neither of us has a foothold in Michigan for that QSO. Back to net.

**Dana (KC0MYP):** Kirk, that is an outstanding idea. In fact, Brandmeister was enforcing that: if you wanted to use 3126, you had to be a resident of Michigan at one point. Honest to God, they did that, and they finally relented on that and opened it back up. But that’s also when we got 31266, didn’t matter where you were, anywhere in the world you could use it, you didn’t have to live in Michigan on that. So, good stuff on that one.

Something else you kind of touched on there. Another question in the quiz: how many time slots does a DMR repeater have? Unlimited, two, four, or one? Interesting. But Curt or Kirk kind of mentioned the answer for that one. But good stuff. Who else has a comment or a question? Let’s see who else has a thought. And maybe Steve or Rick want to come back, maybe our good friend James has any additional thoughts or comments he’d like to share tonight? This is the Michigan One DMR Tech Net on Brandmeister talk group 31266, waiting for check-ins or rechecks right now.

**Allan (N4ALK):** This is AB8SA recheck.

**Dana (KC0MYP):** Well, it’s quiet tonight, but we did hear a recheck from our good friend Allan, AB8SA, in Farmington Hills, Michigan. Allan, welcome back to the Michigan One DMR Tech Net. Your comments tonight.

**Allan (N4ALK):** All right, Dana, and thanks for running the net tonight along with the other folks who are assisting you. Do appreciate getting that, and I’m going to have to look over closer because I usually don’t feel like using resources without kicking in in some way or supporting the effort. I might not be climbing towers these days, in move past the age of climbing towers, but they have other kinds of support, should fill me in on that or having you look up on online.

I did have a question though. I have noticed that frequently talking about audio levels tonight, people having various audio levels, when they’re checking in. Some are very quiet, some, you know, fairly strong, and some I would even say they were 11 by five instead of nine by five. But I’m wondering if the parrot facility on DMR repeaters tends to reflect back the response based upon the audio level that you use when you’re transmitting to it? I’m hoping that my question is clear although I’m sounding like I’m using too many words to say something that should be very simple. Wondering if that is also a good way of being able to tune the proper level for your own transmitter, or if that is something you really need to do with somebody else that you are in contact with on a particular channel on a particular net.

**Dana (KC0MYP):** Thank you, Allan, that is a very good comment, very good question on that one. And sometimes the answer is “it depends,” but we’re going to go back to Detroit, Michigan to Tom, N8TJ, but first we’re going to go back up to Petoskey and hear Steve, KC8WXM, both members of the Michigan One DMR Tech Net team, see what their thoughts are on audio levels and adjusting them. Steve, KC8WXM, welcome back to the Michigan One DMR Tech Net. We’d like to get your comments on Allan’s question. Steve, turning the microphone over first to Steve and then he’s going to pass it over to Tom.

**Steve (KC8WXM):** Sorry, I was busy, I missed the question. Can you repeat the question?

**Dana (KC0MYP):** I was wondering if you were still awake because I know Steve said that earlier because he gets up at like 4:00 or 5:00 in the morning. But the question Allan had was adjusting audio levels. Is it better to use the parrot channel if I’m not mistaken, Allan, if that’s the case jump back in and let us know, or is it better to talk to a friend like you and I are chatting right now and let us know audio quality, audio signal strength? Steve, let me throw it up to you and then when you’re done, throw it to Tom, N8TJ. KC0MYP on the Michigan One DMR Tech Net, turning the microphone over first to Steve and then he’s going to pass it over to Tom.

**Steve (KC8WXM):** Well, I think it would be a lot better to actually have someone on the other end that can check with your audio level. And sometimes it may be hard, you might have to have a couple people in there checking one’s audio level at the same time. Preferably someone that doesn’t have a device with automatic gain on it, because if I’m on my mic then I wouldn’t be able to tell because all the volumes are the same and I don’t even think there’s a setting that automatically does that. I think the GD77 firmware has a setting that you can turn on. The AnyTone, you have to play with your mic gain, so there might be some… might have to check with a couple people and see what the audio levels are. So that would be my comment on that. This is KC8WXM, turning it over to N8TJ, Tom.

**Tom (N8TJ):** Okay, N8TJ here. And making sure I’m transmitting. Okay, and so I use the parrot channel a lot. I was just on D-Star, I’m not on it that much and this weekend I did five parrot channels, I listened back, listened back. I also position the microphone or the radio at a certain proximity to my mouth so that it doesn’t sound over, you know, raspy or whatever. I really work on that a little bit to try to get it to sound good. That’s one thing. But then you gotta get the opinion of your fellow hams, use your friend. Now, some of these guys on the net, they have no friends, and that’s going to be a problem. So if you don’t have a friend, then you’re just going to have to rely on the echo, which works very well. Back to net, N8TJ.

**Dana (KC0MYP):** Thank you, Tom, and Curt, who’s been doing this for a while with a bunch of radios, Curt, is there anything you’d like to add to Allan’s question? Your comments, please. On the Michigan One DMR Tech Net, KF0CQN, the microphone’s back to you.

**Curt (KF0CQN):** Well, thank you, Dana. This is KF0CQN. I would say I would find a channel with some traffic on it and then set my volume level to where it is comfortable to listen to, and then I tend to go over to the parrot channel and set my dynamic mic gain to a level that is comparable to what I was hearing on other nets, so that I’m kind of comparable to other traffic and hams out there, and then from there I would move to the “phone-a-friend” option. Anyway, this is KF0CQN, back to net control.

**Dana (KC0MYP):** Thank you, Steve, Tom, and Curt on that one. Yeah, my friend Jeremiah, W9JHM, let me know as well as another fine gentleman, Dwayne Reese, trying to remember what his call sign ends in, like N9 or N8DMR. What a call sign, DMR! But it stands for his initials. So, pretty cool stuff there.

Who has another question or comment? We’d love to hear it. It is 8:58 PM Eastern time on the Michigan One DMR Tech Net. Your comments, your thoughts, your suggestions and questions, we’d love to hear it. Check in now, phonetic call sign, call sign, name and location. Or if you’ve checked in, just recheck back in. KC0MYP waiting for any additional rechecks or check-ins.

**Ron (AC2UL):** Alpha Charlie Two Uniform Lima, AC2UL, Ron, Niagara Falls, New York.

**Dana (KC0MYP):** Net control heard our friend Ron. Hope he’s all done shoveling snow. But Ron’s in Niagara Falls, AC2UL. Your thoughts, your comments and… we were talking earlier tonight, question 11 in the Michigan One DMR Tech Net quiz: are you required to be a Michigan resident to use Brandmeister talk group 31266, the Michigan One Nets channel? Ron, your thoughts, turn the microphone over to you on the Michigan One DMR Tech Net.

**Dana (KC0MYP):** I think we might be having some issues, but let’s try this again. Ron, AC2UL, your comments or questions for tonight’s Michigan One DMR Tech Net. Ron?

**Ron (AC2UL):** Yeah, Dana. I’m having a little bit of a problem here tonight, in and out, I don’t know why. It could be the weather, who knows what it is. I just love the topic tonight and I love that you usually try to repeat it, not every so often as it gets boring, but you know it’s nice just to get new ideas out there. One idea that I’ve had here, a few of them is, one is if you don’t have any friends out there, it’s a great way to get friends. Just ask for a radio check, that usually helps out quite a bit. I use an app on the phone so I can actually listen to myself and I’ve also used that with a radio, hear what’s going on, both ways with the radios that I have here at the house. So I have two radios and it works out good for something like that. The other thing is if I’m talking to people and I feel like their audio’s right in, I mention it to them and we usually try to work it out. People are actually generally very appreciative of that because they want to have a good clear signal going out there. Anyways, great topic, Dana. You and your team do a great job. This is AC2UL, back to net control.

**Dana (KC0MYP):** Thank you, Ron. I was wondering if you were having some technical issues tonight, but you came through loud and clear. Sounding good, always appreciate your comments on that. And something else, you know, it wasn’t in the newsletter but you used the lights on the top of your radio to see if the channel is in use. If it is, you’ll see it green. When you’re talking, you’ll see it red. And it does come in handy. It’s also nice with other talk groups out there, Ron. If you have a hotspot, it also shows up there. I really like using the dashboard that you can also go onto the last heard if you’re in BrandMeister.

**Dana (KC0MYP):** Net control also heard Daryl, N8YIT. Daryl, hopefully we answered your questions, but would you like to elaborate more or comment some more? We’d love to hear it. Welcome back to the Michigan One DMR Tech Net. The microphone’s back in your corner now.

**Daryl (N8YIT):** Well Dana, thank you. I was not hearing you at all for a good period of time after you guys back from the last person that you turned to. I wasn’t sure if there was something going on on that end. But at this point, what I will do is I’ll stay here. I have some other things I’m going to take care of. Thank you very much for the attention on my issue and I want to appreciate it. You got me thinking about it this evening with the comments from other people having to listen. I almost fell out of my chair laughing about some people not having any friends as well. But yeah, radio checks should probably help with that. Thanks, and I’ll talk to you around folks and I’ll look forward to talking with you further down the road. This is N8YIT.

**Dana (KC0MYP):** Daryl, you made me laugh. People not having any friends, but you know what, sometimes that is true because with ham radio we’re typically introverts on that one because we hide behind a radio instead of going out in public. That could be true. By the way, after the net, if you guys have time and you’re on Hams Over IP, we try and get a couple of us on the DMR Tech Net conference room, the, let’s see here, what do we call that? Channel 10098 on Hams Over IP. It’s always fun to sit and chat. And besides, some people like Daryl mentioned and other people have too, we’ve got these channels. Use them. It’s even worse when you have the radio on and you don’t hear any activity. As I tell people, if I hear you and I can talk, I will. But with my current job, I have to have the radio off. I’d get in trouble if I have it on. I’d rather keep the job and then I’ll turn the radio on when I’m off duty at night or before I get on the air in the morning. So I just want to share on that one. At the bottom of the list, let’s do a check here. Is there anyone else with comments, questions? We’d love to hear it. Otherwise, we’re going to be winding down the Michigan One DMR Tech Net. Before I take some more check-ins though, I’d always like to check with the rest of the team. AD9KN, Rick, you’ve heard a lot, you have a lot of good ideas. Anything else we missed tonight about DMR operating etiquette? Rick, let’s turn the microphone over to you.

**Rick (AD9KN):** This is KC0MYP from AD9KN. Yeah, my mind is kind of mush right now. But yeah, that one probably goes, probably needs to be said more and more and more and to listen, listen, listen. Listen to what’s going on on the, in the talk group, through your repeaters, whatever. And that way you can get an idea of what the, what the operating custom is on that, on that talk group or whatever and make a better, better appearance there. So that’s my ending comment and so far we’ve got 21 check-ins, Dana. KC0MYP in the net from AD9KN.

**Dana (KC0MYP):** Thank you, Rick. Always appreciate your comments. And you know, it’s not always quantity, it’s quality, that’s what I appreciate in that. First couple of weeks ago on our four-year anniversary shows, we did reach over 32 check-ins, but we’re lagging tonight. That’s okay. Great discussion, great comments from everyone. All right, we’re going to throw it out one more time. If you haven’t been heard yet, now’s the time. Otherwise, we’re going to be shutting this net down. So, KC0MYP, my ID on the Michigan One DMR Tech Net. If you have a comment, thoughts, want to answer that quiz question number 11, we’d love to hear your ideas. Come now, phonetic call sign, name, and location for the Michigan One DMR Tech Net.

**Dana (KC0MYP):** Well, not hearing anyone else for the Michigan One DMR Tech Net. I do want to thank everyone that did check into the Tech Net tonight. For more news and information about this net, you can visit us online at michiganonedmrtech.net. You can also subscribe to the newsletters if you haven’t done that yet. I also want to thank the owners, trustees of any repeater or link systems for their time and investment in digital mobile radio for the radio amateurs throughout Michigan, as well as the United States, North America, and all over the world. We really do appreciate it. If you can support them, please do so. You can always find a donation button on their websites. Thank you for joining us tonight on the Michigan One DMR Tech Net. And Rick, we don’t need to check with him, he said we had 21 check-ins tonight. Thank you, Rick, for running Netlogger and the net started at 7:30. Thank you to Curt, KF0CQN, for recording the show and doing the transcription. We’ll get that out as soon as we can. It may not be tonight, but it’ll be in the next day or two on that one. And our topic next week is going to be using APRS and GPS. Should be fun, should be fun. So thank you everyone for joining us tonight. I’m now going to close the Michigan One DMR Tech Net. It is 9:11 on Monday, March 2nd, 2026 as we roll into March. Don’t forget next month, we’ve got a whole bunch of the Michigan One DMR Tech Net team celebrating birthdays, so get ready, we’ll post the information in the newsletter. Anyway, I’m closing the Michigan One DMR Tech Net. We’re going to return this talk group BrandMeister 31266 back to normal DMR amateur radio use. If you have Hams Over IP, you can jump on conference room 10098 and you can chat with a few of us from the Michigan One DMR Tech Net team. This is KC0MYP, wishing everyone 73s and good evening.