G1SCY wrote: ↑Wed May 15, 2019 12:35 pm
I apologise in advance for this posting but I believe something was lost in my last posting.
Yes Im a virgin to DMR and to Hotspots.
Based upon the responses in your previous thread -- nothing was lost on our side.
So can some one tell me how to make a QSO using my hotspot.
Please.
So what does my radio need to be set to.
It needs to be set to a channel whose parameters match the hotspot configuration (input/output frequency, color code, time slot 2) and which has a talk group/contact of interest (Contacts are either Group or Private; your DMR ID is a private contact ID -- if you don't have private contacts programmed in the radio, it will just display the DMR ID # when you receive; if you have the contact list populated, it will display whatever name [callsign] is associated with the DMR #).
.
The hotspot needs to have DMR mode turned on -- you probably want to have all the other modes turned off (in the future you might play with the DMR<>YSF or DMR<>NXDN cross over modes) and needs to have a DMR master which carries the talk group of the channel selected in the radio.
I guess my hotspot needs to be connected one way or t'other to my hotspot. WiFi or Ethernet
Pardon? I'm guessing you meant "... hotspot ... my
Internet connection..."
I have my call sign G1SCY and my DMR ID both are inbedded in my radio an Anytone D868uv and my hotspot.
My hotspot is configured albeit I can't get the hotpot talk to my PC using WiFi but its ok using my router and an ethernet cable.
Since you are in a Pi-Star forum, the presumption is that your hotspot is running Pi-Star software. You haven't stated what boards you have (DV-Mega, Zum, Jumbo, etc. for the radio interface; R-Pi3b, 3b+, R-Pi Zero W, etc. for the computer/network interface).
In normal operation, Pi-Star WiFi will be connecting to a WiFi access point (your router). The only time your computer should even have a direct WiFi connection to a Pi-Star system is when the latter is NOT configured for your WiFi access point. In that situation, it will change from a WiFi client into its own WiFi access point, and your computer -- if told to make a WiFi connection -- should show an option with a name like "pi-star setup". If that appears, you need to use the control panel to add your WiFi router information, and then reboot the device.
Also -- it will not use WiFi if an Ethernet cable is connected.
I have a reasonable understanding of DMR.
I have a Moonraker code plug on my radio and Mirfield electronics whom I bought the radio of have put the Hotspot on 434mHz
Did they also program the radio with at least one hotspot channel (and if they did, what talk group/contact). The Moonraker code plug, from the web site I looked at, ONLY provides entries for the UK repeaters. It knows nothing about hotspots. You (or whoever provided you with the gear) needs to use the radio programming software to add channels, and possibly any talk groups (contacts) that are not already defined -- for example, BrandMeister TG235228, is unlikely to be in the Moonraker codeplug (that talkgroup supposedly echoes the Plymouth TS1 TG9 local traffic per the GB7PL web site).
And if you are using a BrandMeister talk group, the hotspot will need to be configured with the nearest BM master node (I suspect BM_United_Kingdom_2341)
Or point me in the direction of a tutorial
https://amateurradionotes.com/pi-star.htm
https://amateurradionotes.com/dmr.htm
Do you have the radio programming software (CPS) and cable? It should be provided for radios sold to amateurs -- but since DMR radios were originally "land mobile" (business, government) usage, programming was restricted to providers -- the end-user was not given programming capability.
Connect the radio via the programming cable, start the programming software, and (very important) READ the radio contents and then save the configuration to your computer -- call it <whatever>_Moonraker.
Then, open the channel list (of the TyT CPS that is a
[+] Channels Information
on the left. Scroll through the listing of channels (per the Moonraker site, that will have one entry for each Analog FM repeater in the UK, and at least one channel for each DMR repeater (more likely, at least two channels -- one for time slot 1 and another for time slot 2).
Do you see any channels that might be hotspot specific? I configured mine with channel names starting "DV HS ..." for "DV-Mega HotSpot". If you don't see any, you will have to add some. Before you add the channels, open the (again, I'm using the TyT CPS for the MD390)
Digital Contacts
window. Using "BrandMeister TG235228" as the example, scroll through the contacts looking for a "group call" entry with the call ID # 235228. If you don't see that combination (group and 235228), add a new contact. Give it a name that makes sense to you (gb7pl plymouth local)
Now go back to the channel information window (click on the last channel in the list). Select [ADD]. Fill in the information: Digital, 12.5kHz, normal squelch, TimeOutTimer - 180 or whatever, Power LOW, Give the channels a name that makes sense, fill in the RX and TX frequencies to match the hotspot, Admit Criteria - Color Code. Contact name -- pick the contact you just created above, Group List - None (you can come back later if you define group lists), Color Code -- match what the hotspot is set to, Time Slot 2.
Now go to
[+] Zone Information
and click on the last zone defined. On the resulting window, click [ADD], give the new zone a name (HotSpot). From the list of Available Channels, find the channel you just created, and [Add>] it to the empty list of channels in the zone. (Note the difference between [Add] and [Add>], the first is to add a zone, the second is to move selected channels /into/ the zone.
Save the configuration (use another name <whatever_hotspot>).
Now comes the nerve wracking part... WRITE the configuration to the radio. This will take a while, make sure you have a full battery.
Disconnect the radio.
Using your browser, open the Pistar dashboard to the configuration page.
Control software should be MMDVMHost, and Simplex
If you make changes, click [Apply changes] and wait for the page to update.
Make sure DMR mode is ON, all others are OFF. [Apply Changes] and wait again.
Scroll down to "DMR Configuration" and select your local BrandMeister node for DMR Master, make sure color code matches what you programmed in the channel. [Apply Changes] and wait
Go to the Pistar dashboard Admin page, and verify you have green for DMR and DMR Net (I believe the first is the hotspot radio and the second is the Internet link to the master). On the left it should show your ID, color code, and TS2 green, along with the master you selected earlier.
Pressing PTT for a few seconds should result in the radio being picked up (it will appear in "local RF activity" AND result in the BM master connecting you to the talk group). The talk group should now appear in the DMR info on the left.
The above configuration gives you a channel that should mirror your GB7PL Plymouth LOCAL QSO (TG9 TS1 on the actual repeater).
For the UK specific group, see if TG 235 is already in the radio contact list (I suspect that one might be -- if not, you would add it just like you added 235228 [any group # starting 235 is probably specific to some part of the UK]. Then create a duplicate of the hotspot channel, but change the contact to the 235 entry (and give the channel a meaningful name). Go back to the zone information, and add /this/ channel to the hotspot zone.
At this time you might want to create a "group list" containing both contacts, and then set both channels to the group list. What this does is mean traffic on any contact in the group will be heard, and you can then switch to the proper channel to respond. Note that, unless you also configure multiple static or dynamic groups in BrandMeister this feature won't be much use. I have the two Michigan Statewide groups set up as static -- they don't get much traffic -- and TG 3100 as a dynamic. I can be set to 3100 channel, but if activity pops up on SW1 or SW2, my radio will sound it.