{"id":1455,"date":"2024-04-03T18:06:23","date_gmt":"2024-04-03T22:06:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tlarc.org\/?p=1455"},"modified":"2024-04-03T20:34:35","modified_gmt":"2024-04-04T00:34:35","slug":"digital-modes-part-1-mmdvm-hotspots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tlarc.org\/?p=1455","title":{"rendered":"Digital Modes &#8211; Part 1: MMDVM Hotspots"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em>(Excerpted, in part, from an article by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.onallbands.com\/author\/mark-haverstock\/\">Mark Haverstock, K8MSH<\/a><\/em>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Amateur Radio always seems to have a strange affinity for acronyms. Here\u2019s a new one to add to the alphabet soup: MMDVM. It\u2019s what helps you connect to other hams using one or all of the digital modes listed above.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>MMDVM stands for&nbsp;Multi Mode Digital Voice Modem. Simply put, it\u2019s your Internet gateway to a particular digital network of hams.&nbsp;You can use an MMDVM hotspot if you don\u2019t have a digital repeater nearby or simply want some other options. Basically, hotspots are your own personal digital voice repeater and gateway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A personal, low-power hotspot is a combination of hardware, firmware, and software that lets an amateur radio operator with an Internet connection link directly to digital voice (DV) systems around the world. With a transmitter power of around 10mW, a hotspot acts as a personal repeater so you can connect to a variety of digital radios and digital networks using an HT or mobile radio, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>D-STAR: Digital Smart Technologies for Amateur Radio<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>DMR:&nbsp;<em>Digital Mobile Radio<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>YSF: Yaesu System Fusion<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>P25:&nbsp;<em>Project 25<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>NXDN: Next Generation Digital Narrowband<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Also, some cross-mode capabilities exist, from DMR to YSF (DMR2YSF) for example.&nbsp;There\u2019s no need to buy multiple digital radios.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For someone who doesn\u2019t live within range of a digital voice repeater, a hotspot goes beyond being just cool technology to being a critical key to accessing digital voice systems. This can be a device that opens doors to worldwide contacts for those with Tech licenses or hams who live in HOA neighborhoods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How it Works<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s a very simplified diagram of what it looks like when you connect via your hotspot:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.onallbands.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Picture1.png\" alt=\"Hot Spot connection diagram\" class=\"wp-image-5578\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>This is like the WiFi access point that you may have in your house for Internet access or a repeater that works via an Internet server. It\u2019s your own personal access point with your call sign attached, under your control, configured the way you like. Configuration is done through a free program called Pistar. Once installed and set up, Pistar can be accessed through any Internet browser on any computer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The basic Jumbospot (which is actually tiny) has two main components, a Raspberry Pi Zero and an attached MMDVM board known in Pi-speak as a HAT\u2014Hardware Attached on Top. This RF board sends signals from the Internet to your digital HT, as well as sending your transmitted signal back to the Internet. A miniature display shows you which mode is active if there is a station transmitting, and what their callsign is. You can also see the IP address of the hotspot. The Zumspot has a similar configuration but instead uses a more advanced Raspberry Pi 3 or 4 board and generally has a larger display. It includes an Ethernet port, which simplifies setup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size\">Now for some Hardware, for example, at the QTH of Bob ND4P &#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"513\" src=\"https:\/\/tlarc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Hat2-1-1024x513.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1474\" style=\"width:840px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tlarc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Hat2-1-1024x513.png 1024w, https:\/\/tlarc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Hat2-1-300x150.png 300w, https:\/\/tlarc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Hat2-1-768x385.png 768w, https:\/\/tlarc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Hat2-1.png 1178w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"845\" src=\"https:\/\/tlarc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Case-1-1024x845.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1463\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tlarc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Case-1-1024x845.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/tlarc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Case-1-300x248.jpg 300w, https:\/\/tlarc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Case-1-768x634.jpg 768w, https:\/\/tlarc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Case-1.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"958\" height=\"293\" src=\"https:\/\/tlarc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/TYT-radio.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1457\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tlarc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/TYT-radio.png 958w, https:\/\/tlarc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/TYT-radio-300x92.png 300w, https:\/\/tlarc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/TYT-radio-768x235.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 958px) 100vw, 958px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"364\" src=\"https:\/\/tlarc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Raspi3b-1024x364.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1465\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tlarc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Raspi3b-1024x364.png 1024w, https:\/\/tlarc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Raspi3b-300x107.png 300w, https:\/\/tlarc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Raspi3b-768x273.png 768w, https:\/\/tlarc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Raspi3b.png 1170w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/tlarc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Screen2-1-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1469\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tlarc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Screen2-1-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/tlarc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Screen2-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/tlarc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Screen2-1-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/tlarc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Screen2-1-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/tlarc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Screen2-1.jpg 2016w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/tlarc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Screen1-1-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1468\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tlarc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Screen1-1-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/tlarc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Screen1-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/tlarc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Screen1-1-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/tlarc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Screen1-1-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/tlarc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Screen1-1.jpg 2016w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>(Excerpted, in part, from an article by Mark Haverstock, K8MSH) Amateur Radio always seems to have a strange affinity for acronyms. Here\u2019s a new one to add to the alphabet soup: MMDVM. It\u2019s what helps you connect to other hams using one or all of the digital modes listed above. MMDVM stands for&nbsp;Multi Mode Digital [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4638,"featured_media":1470,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1455","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tlarc.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1455","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tlarc.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tlarc.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tlarc.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4638"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tlarc.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1455"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/tlarc.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1455\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1484,"href":"https:\/\/tlarc.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1455\/revisions\/1484"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tlarc.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1470"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tlarc.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1455"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tlarc.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1455"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tlarc.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1455"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}