AnyTone AT-D868UV DMR Radio
Adding an additional communication ability to my toolbox, DMR radio enables me to contact other DMR radios (and other modes when linked together) in my local vicinity as well as world-wide. (This is also a great 2 meter / 70cm radio).
I really didn’t know anything about DMR and other digital voice mode radios, but after encouragement from KD0WDO, I purchased the AnyTone AT-D868UV DMR radio. What better way to learn than to jump in.
My first challenge with the radio was to program it with a customized “codeplug”. Now, there’s a new concept… well not really. A codeplug is simply a file that saves all the settings on the radio and a favorites list of frequencies and talk groups.
Oftentimes you can get a starter codeplug from another DMR user, an online website, or even from the manufacturer. Open that codeplug on your computer and modify it to your liking. Then, upload that file up to your radio and you’re done.
I was amazed at the clarity of the audio… even stations across the globe.
A nice addition to the DMR radio is a hot-spot. When using a hot-spot, you do not need a local repeater to get on the air. I chose the MMDVM Hotspot Spot Radio Station WiFi Digital Voice Modem purchased from Amazon. Set up went pretty well and it worked great for almost a year. Then after Brandmeister changed their security on their dashboard, my hot spot quit working.
The downside to DMR radios, especially during an emergency event, is they are dependent on the Internet to work. Your RF signal is only from the radio to either a repeater or hot-spot. The signal is then transmitted across the Internet to another hot-spot or repeater where the radio at the other end would hear the traffic.
