A failed introduction to our hobby

[KILLERPARSNIP]

Yesterday a friend of mine who I hadn't seen for a while ( Originally a friend from 1980's CB radio) came around, He knew I was a radio ham and as I had radio gear on the table said he had been thinking of the CB radio days and was considering Ham radio. He asked me to turn it on and I did a few calls through the 11 or so repeaters I could get into ,this covering mid Wales to Birmingham down to Oxford and up to Stoke we had zero replies . On the plus side he said he still had a Mustang 1000 knocking about and I told him to have a listen on that ( There is still some CB activity about). If only one person had replied it may have sparked his interest ! I must admit I'm slowly talking my self into giving up the hobby as it causes more frustration than pleasure now days !

[Antoni]

With a three foot magnetic loop antenna anyone can get onto 14MHz and higher HF. A bit a bigger will get you onto 40m.

VHF and higher is more often used for chat between people who know each other, and that's what I use it for. Appreciated that there's little happening in your area, but 40m is often used as a chat frequency. I'd very much like to use top band but the size of my plot would make that difficult. I like 60m but that band is swamped with noise in this area.

Basically use what you can!

[Transwarp]

I must admit I'm slowly talking my self into giving up the hobby as it causes more frustration than pleasure now days !

Take this from a radio user of over 45 years who's never been without some radio gear, put your stuff away and do something else, later in time it's there when you want to revisit it - and usually most will and do.

[KILLERPARSNIP]

With a three foot magnetic loop antenna anyone can get onto 14MHz and higher HF. A bit a bigger will get you onto 40m.

Basically use what you can!

HF is just not my thing a long time ago I went from a a Class B Licence to an A after a long struggle to learn CW ,I brought a HF radio and spent about 2 months using it occasionally and then sold it on. I do take your point about using HF but just cannot justify the expense of a radio that I most likely will not like/enjoy.

[Octane Red]

If your repeater calls were on analogue, then the lack of replies doesn't surprise. Its happening all over the country - Analogue repeaters closing down through lack of use. Lack of use results in lack of interest which results in lack of funding. Lack of funding, and the bills can't be paid. Then the repeaters fall by the wayside

Since I looked into DMR in your area before, I have had a bit more delving into the "Salop Cluster" and there is some hope.

https://salop-repeater.weebly.com/

Shows that the Salop cluster has been connected to the wider world through the Brandmeister network. This is good, as the BM network is one of the more busy ones. But without user input, its going to seem quiet, due to the way the Salop cluster people have set it up. I'll try and explain.....

Timeslot 1

The Salop cluster is set to relay on timeslot 1, anything it hears on talkgroup 23575 coming from the BM network. If folk like me do not use 23575 at our end, then you will hear nothing. Unless someone from within the repeater area keys up on 23575. A simple way to test that is to have someone on the BM network key up on their repeater on 23575 at a pre-arranged time, and you listen in on the repeater frequencies there. The expected result is that if you are listening with an analogue radio, you will hear the digital sound. If listening with a DMR radio, correctly set, you will hear voice. It appears the way the cluster managers have set it up is that timeslot 1 is for local use (within the cluster or within a single repeater range) and inbound connections from the Brandmeister network.

Timeslot 2

Timeslot 2 on the Salop Cluster is set up to access Brandmesiter, and they give a map in the above URL that shows the agreed talkgroups for UK regions. However, these are set up to be dynamic only. This means there will be no connectivity to a talkgroup unless a user keys it up. So, for example, with your radio, you would dial up the talkgroup, say 23558 Scottish Highlands and Islands, which is very active, then briefly press the PTT. That will indicate to the repeater (and possibly the whole cluster) to connect to TG23558 and you will then hear any audio. If you further press the PTT, you will activate not only your local repeater, but likely all the ones in the Salop cluster and all repeaters that are subscribed to 23558 - Basically more than a dozen between the Western Isles and Aberdeen. 2 way communication will then be possible. If you key up and you do not follow up with more PTT presses, the dynamic talkgroup will go back to idle, generally after 15 minutes.

So the lack of DMR sounds you were reporting other threads from the Salop Cluster is likely down to....

1. Not many folk within the cluster area using it (here is your chance to reverse that.....)
2. Timeslot 1 connectivity to BM being dependant on people outside the cluster calling in on 23575 - Not a TG I was aware of till now....
3. Timeslot 2 connectivity to BM being wholly dynamic, i.e. its up to the users to dial them up and use them to activate them.

If the cluster managers were to set some BM talkgroups as statics, even for short term demonstration purposes, it would certainly liven things up. TG91 - Worldwide - whilst not my bag, always has traffic on it, and would be a good way to demonstrate that DMR does work.

I think you mentioned in another thread that you have a DMR radio on order, so things may get a bit livelier when you get that and can start activating dynamic talkgroups on timeslot 2.

[KILLERPARSNIP]

I think you mentioned in another thread that you have a DMR radio on order, so things may get a bit livelier when you get that and can start activating dynamic talkgroups on timeslot 2.

I now have the DMR radio but as yet haven't managed to get it working on DMR , I must admit it seems a lot better in many ways on Analogue ( better meter, display and incoming audio) and also fits directly with my existing homebrew handsfree system. For some reason it prohibits TX on DMR when I have a repeater offset programmed in I cannot work out why at the moment ( the menu system is preety naff as well which doesn't help) I'm sure I'll get there in the end and at least will be able to listen to airband and Marine VHF if I give up on the Ham Bands !

[Octane Red]

Are you using CPS (Customer Programming Software) to programme it, or just the fkeypad? Usually, with Chinese radios (and big name ones as well), there are some functions that can only be set by CPS. Doing the whole thing by keypad would be tedious....

[Octane Red]

I now have the DMR radio but as yet haven't managed to get it working on DMR , I must admit it seems a lot better in many ways on Analogue ( better meter, display and incoming audio)

How do you know the audio is better on analogue, when you haven't got it working on DMR yet?

[KILLERPARSNIP]

I now have the DMR radio but as yet haven't managed to get it working on DMR , I must admit it seems a lot better in many ways on Analogue ( better meter, display and incoming audio)

How do you know the audio is better on analogue, when you haven't got it working on DMR yet?

My wording was slightly off I meant compared to my previous radio !

[KILLERPARSNIP]

Conversation continued on this thread as we seem to have come off topic ! https://www.transmission1.net/viewtopic.php?t=62153