I’m more of an HF guy, yet I’ve dabbled with different aspects of this hobby now and again. I’ve recently become interested in satellite work, yet the one really big issue is I live in an HOA community. Stealth antennas are a possibility, yet you know, you run the risk of getting the HOA people all up in your business. So I’m carefully considering how to get back on the air.
I’ve dusted off some other radios in my return to amateur radio, though, and I’m taking the time to explore and try new things. We previously lived in Chicago and it was relatively easy to try new things - DSTAR & APRS, for example. The rig I’ve put in the Bronco is an Icom 7100 and it would well serve the DTAR (and APRS) itch, yet there are no local DSTAR repeaters on the air! Lol, for sure. There is supposed to be a DSTAR machine in both Bluffton (off the air) and Beaufort (also off the air). I’ve been hanging out with the BRAG guys over in Beaufort, attending breakfast meetings and participating on the weekly nets. I understand the Beaufort machine will be back online in the not too distant DMR digital v future. And that’s good, as I have experience with DSTAR from my days in Chicago. I have a sense of how it works, how to connect to different reflectors, and more. It’s not HF, but you do have the ability to have some of those global conversations that I seem to like.
There is also a DMR machine nearby. Of course I don’t have a DMR radio… I suppose I could have bought a DMR radio (because, you know, I do like gadgets), yet I’m mostly an Icom guy. Well… I’ve also have a couple of Yaesu radios… and, of course, Yaesu has its own digital mode. Sheesh. So there’s DSTAR digital voice, there’s DMR digital, and there’s Yaesu’s Fusion. It’s pretty hard to stay current with all of these options - and it gets expensive to buy lots of radios. Money aside, it’s also challenging to master each of the operating specifics, protocols for each of the “online communities”, mastering the interactions of lots of different radios, and more. Phwew, it’s a handful just talking about all of this vs learning how it all works.
I say “online communities” above and I’m actually referring to two separate things. One, the forums, the online reviews, the “how to” web pages, and more. There’s a lot to learn. But the other part? The DSTAR reflectors, the Brandmeister DMR talk groups, the Fusion WIRES-X nodes? They’re all internet centric. Meaning all that stuff stops working if the internet stops working. That’s something to think about, although most of the FM repeaters will also stop working if there is any type of wide-spread issue with the infrastructure - just think about what happened in NC with Helene. Yeah, I know, I sound like a bit of a prepper when I say things like that. lol. That’s one of the reasons I’m into HF. Anyway, most of us probably use the internet a lot.
So… that was a few paragraph preamble to introduce my interest in the latest gadget - the Shark RF Open Spot 4 Pro. What is it? In brief, it’s a low power repeater that facilitates getting you on the air if you’re too distant from one of those digital mode repeaters (or, as in my case, if the nearby repeaters are off the air). The way it works is simple - you’ll use your radio to connect to the Open Spot, which in turn is connected to the internet and serves as a gateway to all of those different digital services that I mentioned above. Pretty cool, huh? Meaning you can use your DSTAR radio to connect to repeaters, reflectors, and even directly to other users on their radios. Even more cool is you can take advantage of something called crossband, or perhaps more appropriately called “cross mode” to use that Icom DSTAR radio to talk on the various DMR systems or the Yaesu Fusion systems… or their associated reflectors, talk groups, and more.
So… I’ve got an Open Spot 4 on the way - I’ll document (more internet stuff!!) my experiences here.
I’ve dusted off some other radios in my return to amateur radio, though, and I’m taking the time to explore and try new things. We previously lived in Chicago and it was relatively easy to try new things - DSTAR & APRS, for example. The rig I’ve put in the Bronco is an Icom 7100 and it would well serve the DTAR (and APRS) itch, yet there are no local DSTAR repeaters on the air! Lol, for sure. There is supposed to be a DSTAR machine in both Bluffton (off the air) and Beaufort (also off the air). I’ve been hanging out with the BRAG guys over in Beaufort, attending breakfast meetings and participating on the weekly nets. I understand the Beaufort machine will be back online in the not too distant DMR digital v future. And that’s good, as I have experience with DSTAR from my days in Chicago. I have a sense of how it works, how to connect to different reflectors, and more. It’s not HF, but you do have the ability to have some of those global conversations that I seem to like.
There is also a DMR machine nearby. Of course I don’t have a DMR radio… I suppose I could have bought a DMR radio (because, you know, I do like gadgets), yet I’m mostly an Icom guy. Well… I’ve also have a couple of Yaesu radios… and, of course, Yaesu has its own digital mode. Sheesh. So there’s DSTAR digital voice, there’s DMR digital, and there’s Yaesu’s Fusion. It’s pretty hard to stay current with all of these options - and it gets expensive to buy lots of radios. Money aside, it’s also challenging to master each of the operating specifics, protocols for each of the “online communities”, mastering the interactions of lots of different radios, and more. Phwew, it’s a handful just talking about all of this vs learning how it all works.
I say “online communities” above and I’m actually referring to two separate things. One, the forums, the online reviews, the “how to” web pages, and more. There’s a lot to learn. But the other part? The DSTAR reflectors, the Brandmeister DMR talk groups, the Fusion WIRES-X nodes? They’re all internet centric. Meaning all that stuff stops working if the internet stops working. That’s something to think about, although most of the FM repeaters will also stop working if there is any type of wide-spread issue with the infrastructure - just think about what happened in NC with Helene. Yeah, I know, I sound like a bit of a prepper when I say things like that. lol. That’s one of the reasons I’m into HF. Anyway, most of us probably use the internet a lot.
So… that was a few paragraph preamble to introduce my interest in the latest gadget - the Shark RF Open Spot 4 Pro. What is it? In brief, it’s a low power repeater that facilitates getting you on the air if you’re too distant from one of those digital mode repeaters (or, as in my case, if the nearby repeaters are off the air). The way it works is simple - you’ll use your radio to connect to the Open Spot, which in turn is connected to the internet and serves as a gateway to all of those different digital services that I mentioned above. Pretty cool, huh? Meaning you can use your DSTAR radio to connect to repeaters, reflectors, and even directly to other users on their radios. Even more cool is you can take advantage of something called crossband, or perhaps more appropriately called “cross mode” to use that Icom DSTAR radio to talk on the various DMR systems or the Yaesu Fusion systems… or their associated reflectors, talk groups, and more.
- You can use your DMR transceiver to access D-STAR®, C4FM, NXDN® networks
- You can use your D-STAR® transceiver to access DMR, C4FM, NXDN® networks
- You can use your C4FM transceiver to access D-STAR®, DMR, NXDN®, P25 networks
- You can use your NXDN® transceiver to access D-STAR®, DMR, C4FM** networks
- You can use your P25 transceiver to access C4FM networks
So… I’ve got an Open Spot 4 on the way - I’ll document (more internet stuff!!) my experiences here.
