It was initially only a commercial protocol before being adopted by the amateur community. It uses 4FSK (Frequency Shift Keying) and TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access) and encoded using the AMBE+2 Codec. DMR networks exist that link repeaters via the internet. The one thing that is often misunderstood is the face that DMR can be used simplex just like any other digital mode and never use any of the internet features. The benefits of DMR are that with the mode being originally commercial it makes the radios that are available cheaper then some of the other digital modes. Data is also included in your voice transmission which includes your unique ID, Who the transmission is intended for again an ID, and sometimes other data like GPS location.
Transmissions can be directed to either a group or individuals. TDMA allows 2 QSO’s to happen at the same time.
Basic Terms Used
Colour Code
Colour codes are the DMR version of CTCSS. It is not a colour as such as it is just a number from 1-15 that you set in the programing.
Radio ID
A radio ID is a unique 6 digit ID number that is linked to your callsign. You need to apply for an ID before you use DMR. Issuing of ID’s in done in one place. radioid.net
Time Slot
A time slot is the result of using TDMA mentioned above. Repeaters operate using 2 time slots conveniently names Time slot 1 & 2.
Repeaters Quickly switch between Time slot 1 & 2. Your radio then listens to the time slot programmed.
What Is A DMR Radio ID?
A Radio ID is a unique number assigned to you (and your callsign) by the RadioID.net Team. Like a telephone number or IP address, your Radio ID identifies you as a unique radio user on the various DMR networks and repeaters around the world. Because DMR is digital, we have so much more that we can do with the RF flowing to and from our radios. For example, because of Radio IDs we can see and display the callsign of the person talking to us on the radio face by the use of the RadioID.net Database. Every time you PTT your DMR radio, your Radio ID gets transmitted to the DMR network and everyone can see who you are.
Pretty cool, right?
BUT DON’T FORGET.. YOU MUST STILL ID BY VOICE TO BE LEGAL! Even though your callsign shows up in the network logs and on other users radios does not mean you are identifying yourself a licensed ham. You must ID like you do on analog.
So why else is this so cool? Identifying every radio and repeater uniquely with an ID enables the very essence of DMR networking to function. i.e making private calls to each other, organizing specific talkgroups for countries, states, regions, cities, clubs, special interest groups etc.
In short, a Radio ID enables you to talk to and hear only the people and traffic that you want to.
It’s totally free to get your Radio ID and you NEED ONE if you are going to have a DMR radio and use it. Is it the law? No. But you aren’t going to enjoy using DMR unless you have one, so do yourself a favor and get registered with RadioID.net as soon as you buy a DMR Radio.
How Do I Get A Radio ID?
It’s easy to register with RadioID.net and get your own Radio ID. Just click the button below, read the entire page to understand what you are about to do, then click the USER REGISTRATION button at the bottom of the RadioID.net page.
The procedure looks something like this:
In order to complete the account registration and get an ID you must get the official TTJA document to up load to their site to complete the registration.
An original Government Document with your Callsign clearly visible. This is the only way to verify you are the License Holder. A ‘Screen shot’ of a webpage, or the ‘Reference Doc’ can be taken by anyone and are NOTacceptable.
DMR Networks
Now that you have a unique Radio ID you are ready to use your radio on a DMR Network. There are several networks out there, but we are using two them on our repeaters. Brandmeister and ADN Systems network.
Brandmeister network is very large, with hundreds of repeaters networked together around the globe and thousands of users using them. ADN is a brand new network with growing up community around the globe.
We’ll go into much more depth discussing each of these networks separately on their own dedicated pages. There are many similarities between how the two function, but a few major differences as well.
What Is A Talkgroup?
A DMR talkgroup is simply a way of grouping many Radio IDs into a single digital contact. Or put another way, a talkgroup is a method of organizing radio traffic specific to the DMR users that all want to hear the same thing and not be bothered by other radio traffic on a DMR network that they are not interested in hearing.
Talkgroups can exist for many purposes. You can have talkgroups for countries, states, counties, regions, cities, special interest groups etc. Just about any group of DMR users could have a talkgroup assigned to them if they wished to organize traffic that they can all monitor and take part in, without having to talk to each other one by one.
Talkgroups are also specific to individual DMR networks, BUT they all generally follow the same numbering scheme. So you need to make sure that you know what the various talkgroups are for each of the DMR networks that you may use.
For example, Talkgroup 24804 on the ADN network might not be the same as Talkgroup 24804 on the Brandmeister network.
Be sure to manage your Talkgroups separately if you use more that one DMR network!