M0PQA

The following post summarizes the adventures of Matt (M0KJI) and Pablo (me, M0PQA): two middle aged men, less than 2 miles away from each other, trying to talk on their 7100s.  One of the features of D-Star that I enjoy the most is callsign routing. I enjoy what it does as much as how it does it. Using the IRC protocol for implementing call routing in the core of D-Star is an exercise of pure ingenuity that I truly appreciate. The ircDBB network. Diagram from here Callsign routing has been around in D-Star since forever. Even the now yellowish user manual of my 7100 shows how to do it. However, with the proliferation of hotpots, the backbone of callsign routing for D-Star decided to service only proper repeaters, and leave hotspots without access to their network. This decision triggered rapid changes in the default configuration of Pi-Star, the software that you are running in your hotspot, to make use of a different network, named Quadnet - www.openquad.net ...

Few things in amateur radio are more frustrating  confronting a DMR handheld for the first time. In this post, I'll touch on the basics of a codeplug to help you overcome that frustration. Link to a working codeplug that you can borrow and adapt to your needs at the end. It also includes APRS and DPRS settings. By now, most of you have heard about DMR and the blockbuster Anytone 878. DMR has taken off as the leading digital voice mode due in good part to affordable handhelds and the ease of use of hotspots. Once properly setup, a DMR radio is simple to operate. However, loads of amateurs using a codeplug that was given to them, and that won't let them profit from any of the awesomeness of DMR. This post is for beginners that want to set up their brand new handies. I included my own codeplug at the end of this post. Step 1. Go get an ID This is not your callsign, but a number tied to your callsign. You will need it for the configuration of both your radio and you...