Sky Valley Amateur Radio Club

	J a n u a r y 2 0 2 0	It's like back in the day when our cell phones went from Analog to Digital. It's like when the 33rpm albums went to cassette tapes then went to CD's. Then when CD's went from regular to double stacked. (Ok, I'll stop now) DMR is now taking over the Ham Radio World by Storm! From Analog to Digital. If you have an opportunity to go to a DMR class......	The next class will be determined in 2020 due to the pandemic. When we are able to have a class, it will cover overview of APRS, including HT radio config (Baofeng, Anytone, Kenwood) for use with Android (and possibly Apple) smartphones, including value of APRS in emcomm activations. We expect to have some extra time in that workshop to update Anytone 878 firmware & codeplugs, for those who have been through the training on how to do it but want the confidence of someone looking over their shoulder. We also may cover ad hoc simplex field programming on those radios from front panel only, time allowing.
Thank you to Stephen W9SK, Matt N7ROO and Erik N7HMS for the great class!	ACS DMR Check In first Tuesday of the month on Haystack Tac2 @ 20:30 hours local time.		W7SKY Code Plug for D868 11-11-2020
Click to see the Presentation		Click to see the Display Screen of DMR 878

Below Is RADIO Information
Be aware that a class assumes you already have an Anytone radio, either model 868 or 878 or 878 Plus (if you have a 578, you will benefit from the class, but will not have any in-class hands-on unless you bring your own power supply and mag-mount antenna or dummy load into the room). The Anytone D878UV HT is the best DMR HT to get IMO, for the following reasons: Does BOTH FM analog and DMR….no need to carry two radios (very few other makes to that currently) Both analog and digital APRS…valuable for emcomm use, only brand radio I know that does this. Built-in GPS…no need to have separate GPS when doing APRS, plus displays direction & range to the other caller Handles up to abt 200K callsign database (DMR can display the last caller’s callsign & city) Good quality on par with Japanese brands. Optional Bluetooth…for hands-free operation with headset/earbud/mic or with your vehicle’s BT stereo Perhaps the best reason: IF you join the PNW Digital group (https://dmr.groups.io/g/PNW) (requires providing callsign and residence address, as membership is only open to PNW residents who are licensed hams), which is FREE, you can get a DEEP discount on the Anytone radios (let’s just say for now under $200, but be surprised) by sending an message to the admins there after joining. Regarding Bluetooth: The “Plus” model is the one with BT, costs a few dollars more. It comes with an earbud/mic that is tested/proven to work well with the radio. It also comes with a PTT button with small Velcro strap for putting on your vehicle’s steering wheel or wherever else you’d like it. I like the earbud/mic BT and PTT button while driving, and when doing public service so that I don’t have to be holding the radio. It’s handy. The present Anytone radio firmware pairs with and works well with some vehicle BT stereos, and not so well with others. I had trouble getting it to work well with my 2016 Ram 1500 pickup, but in the end I prefer using the earbud/mic anyway as I don’t like my music interrupted when driving. Your choice. My opinion is that it costs so little more than the non-BT model that it’s worth it for “future-proofing” reasons at a minimum. There is a separate BT option kit for upgrading a regular 878 to a Plus. It is NOT for the faint of heart to install: requires a several special tools, a fine point temp-controlled soldering station, good eyesight and lighting, and 45min-2hrs of time to disassemble your radio, unsoldering a connector along the way, installing the BT daughterboard, reassembly. Since I was one of the original 878 buyers, I later purchased the BT option when it became available and installed it…and since did that for one of our NBAT members who is non-technical and afraid to attempt it herself. Frankly, I don’t recommend this option kit, especially since you can buy the Plus model from the outset and not have to deal with this upgrade later. Next steps along the DMR path: Customize your codeplug. Many users choose to remove Zones from the list, so that they don’t have to cycle through so many that they’re not interested in (typically nowhere within range or even in our state) to get to the one(s) they need to use. You can also create a new Zone with your most frequently used half dozen or so Channels. You can also create new Channels for the FM analog repeaters that you use that may likely be missing from the stock PNW code plug you originally started with. And a favorite of us folks here in North Bend is to create new simplex Channels that we need for emcomm when the repeaters are knocked out. Talk to your emcomm folks about someone creating a “standard” codeplug just for your team. We are creating our next generation standard codeplug for our NBAT members here that will be both easier to use and include more emcomm-related repeaters and simplex Channels. Remember that you can set your Anytone “Power On” settings to default to specific Zones and Channels when you turn on the radio. - Stephen W9SK
Below Is CLASS Information
Prerequisite each student should bring: · Windows 10 laptop (win 7 will work) · Anytone D868/878 radio · Anytone programming cable (already included with radio purchase) · DMR radio ID number (if they don’t yet have one, they need to go to radioid.net website, register and apply for one, at least two days in advance of the workshop) · Journal & pen/pencil for notes This class is for (1) DMR beginners, (2) all Anytone owners (we will not be able to address non-Anytone programming questions, but non-Anytone can learn some basics about DMR and the PNW DMR-linked repeater system), and (3) some may be new to ham radio thus unfamiliar with basics of RF physics or radio operational protocol. We plan on presenting: Overview of DMR technology and how it differs from analog FM Overview of the PNW linked DMR repeater and hotspot system Overview of the Anytone 868/878 HT radio functions Connecting the Anytone radio to the owner’s Windows laptop Installing the Anytone Customer Programming Software (CPS), latest version 1.16 Updating the Anytone radio to latest firmware, icons, and baseband code (we assume some users will need that done during the workshop) Anytone codeplugs: modifying PNW Digital stock codeplug, or creating a custom codeplug Updating the codeplug Contact List from radioid.net database Testing Anytone DMR operation, including setting programmed audio levels Manually configuring simplex DMR and FM settings from front panel and testing We will NOT be covering “hotspot” (and their MMDVM connection) device configuration or operation during this workshop. - Rowland K7RWB
You first need to subscribe to the groups io then you need to request membership into the pnwdigital.net group.
Below Are Links You're Going To Want To Bookmark

		This is a great starting point. Scroll down to "Membership" Click on it and learn all about it.

		Then go to radioid.net. You have to visit this site to get your Radio ID. They will email you your ID.

		Talk Groups

		DMR Repeaters

		Import the Contact list "json" to "csv" and convert file. Designed specifically for AnyTone. It's part of the set up. GO TO A CLASS!

		GroupsIO > Hosts PNWDigital.net DMR

Click ~ For an easy way to see who's been checking in on the radio (Control Center) ~ Click

Click to order a name/callsign plate for your AnyTone!		Other links that are helpful.
		https://dmr.groups.io/g/PNW/calendar	This will give the dates and times of the nets
		https://www.w7ncx.com/levels.php	This will show your signal strength.
		PNW DIGITAL.NET Links