I bought an AnyTone 878 a few weeks ago, mostly just to play with it and see how I liked it. There’s a lot to like with the idea of using a digital radio to access a multitude of talk groups. An added benefit is the SharkRF Open Spot a bought a few months ago works with the DMR radios - either to provide access to D-STAR reflectors (cross mode), or to access DMR talk groups. I’m just beginning to experiment with talk groups and the cross-model capabilities of the Open Spot, so more on that later.
The most important thing you need to do with a DMR radio is to program it. Depending upon who you buy your radio from, it may or may not come with programming software. I bought mine from Amazon/BridgeCon and it came with everything you need. Having said that, RT Systems also makes a tool for the AnyTone 878. Despite having both, I still had some challenges with the “Code Plug” - which is the name that folks have given to a working configuration/programming. I ended up asking a friend in the local club to send me his Code Plug and installed it to my radio. Because these are digital radios, though, I needed to change the DMR ID from him to me. Else the radio would be transmitting using his DMR call sign. It wasn’t that complicated to figure out how to change it. Many guy swill also customize the banner that is displayed at start-up to showw his call. Those were the only two changes I made to the configuration file (code plug). The call sign and the splash screen.
This radio is a six watt radio as compared to most handhelds being 5 watts - so, theoretically, the AnyTone will offer better performance. There is a steep learning curve with this radio, though - more so than any other that I’ve experimented with. And, yes, I’m a geek.
More soon…
The most important thing you need to do with a DMR radio is to program it. Depending upon who you buy your radio from, it may or may not come with programming software. I bought mine from Amazon/BridgeCon and it came with everything you need. Having said that, RT Systems also makes a tool for the AnyTone 878. Despite having both, I still had some challenges with the “Code Plug” - which is the name that folks have given to a working configuration/programming. I ended up asking a friend in the local club to send me his Code Plug and installed it to my radio. Because these are digital radios, though, I needed to change the DMR ID from him to me. Else the radio would be transmitting using his DMR call sign. It wasn’t that complicated to figure out how to change it. Many guy swill also customize the banner that is displayed at start-up to showw his call. Those were the only two changes I made to the configuration file (code plug). The call sign and the splash screen.
This radio is a six watt radio as compared to most handhelds being 5 watts - so, theoretically, the AnyTone will offer better performance. There is a steep learning curve with this radio, though - more so than any other that I’ve experimented with. And, yes, I’m a geek.
More soon…
