DMR - Digital Mobile Radio Explained BTECH DMR-6x2 Pro Edition

Table of contents :
Introduction
What is DMR?
Getting Started: You will need this
The BTECH DMR -6x2 Pro Radio
What about Codeplugs?
Talkgroups and Contacts
Importing Talkgroups
Importing Contact Lists
Channels
Zones
Channel and Zone Roaming
Time Slots and Color Codes
CPS
BTECH DMR - 6x2 Pro CPS Installation
BTECH DMR - 6x2 Pro CPS
Analog Channels
Other CPS Stuff:
Bluetooth
GPS
APRS
Firmware Updates
Hotspots
Conclusion
About the Author
References

Citation preview

DMR – Digital Mobile Radio Explained BTECH DMR - 6x2 Pro Edition

By E.T. Bryant

Copyright © 2022 by E.T. Bryant. All rights reserved worldwide. No part of this publication may be reproduced, or redistributed, in any form without the prior written consent of the author. The exception allowed for Baofeng BTECH™, who granted permission to use their images.

Dedication To all the Elmers who are there to help whenever needed.

Introduction Many Hams are confused when it comes to DMR. I know I was. I had purchased and returned several DMR radios, frustrated when I could not get them to work with DMR. I even watched numerous YouTube videos on how to create a Codeplug. It just was not clear to me how DMR worked. I realized most of the information I found on the Internet explained some things but left other things unexplained. Then a fellow Ham sat down with me and spent a couple of hours explaining it to me. It was like a light was turned on, and suddenly I realized exactly what I had been doing wrong. It turned out to be just my lack of understanding of how to program the radio’s Codeplug. If you are new to amateur radio you may have bought your first VHF/UHF radio as soon as you got your license. You have been listening in and heard about all the cool things other Hams have been doing with digital communications. Digital Mobile Radio seems interesting, and you think your next radio either mobile or handheld will have DMR capabilities. In this book, you will find my recommendation is the Baofeng BTECH™ DMR - 6x2 Pro. Why would I recommend this radio? Well, one reason is it has a CPS (Computer Programming Software) which is easy to understand. If you wish to purchase another DMR radio from a different manufacturer, that has a similar CPS, learning how to program the BTECH™DMR - 6x2 Pro will make that radio easier to program. Even if you own a BTECH™DMR - 6x2 handheld you may want to read this book and keep it as a reference in case you purchase the DMR - 6x2 Pro. There are little tips in each of the sections and it is helpful to read and look at all the images in case you happen to purchase another radio. Also, understanding how the CPS program works will give you a better understanding of how the DMR radios work and how you can create and modify your Codeplug.

Assumptions: The person reading this book is familiar with installing software. Also, they know how to use the Internet to search for information. You must be able to download and install Windows computer programs. All the programs mentioned in this book are for the Windows operating system.

What is DMR? Digital Mobile Radio (DMR) was a standard defined by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) and primarily used in commercial products all over the world. All DMR radios, hotspots, and software must meet ETSI standards 102 361-1, 361-2, 361-3, and 361-4. Tier 1 – is the low-cost, license-exempt ‘digital PMR446’. Tier 2 – is for the offering peer-to-peer mode and repeater mode (licensed), use in commercial service and Amateur service. Tier 3 – is for trunked operation (licensed). Commercial only – there are currently no Amateur installs. MR use for amateurs was approved by the FCC in 2014. It has gained popularity in the Amateur Radio area. Many Hams have taken an interest in DMR and while some have lost interest due to its complexity of programming, it still has a large following among amateurs with Technician, General, and Extra FCC licenses. It is particularly a favorite radio among amateurs with Technician licenses as it falls within the range of frequencies they are allowed to use. It gives Technician Class amateurs the ability to talk with users from around the world. This is something mostly restricted to General Class and Extra Class amateurs who can use HF radios. The following diagram is a simple diagram of how DMR can communicate with different devices and radios:

DMR is an open standard, which means it is open to amateurs to develop new firmware and software but must meet ETSI standards. The wonderful thing about amateur radio is that amateurs (Hams) can develop computer programs and make devices to extend their ability to communicate. As you explore the world of digital communication you will see many examples of software and devices other Hams have created. Most DMR radios also support the use of VHF 2-meter and UHF 70-centimeter bands. The VHF/UHF bands can be used for local communications either by simplex or through repeaters. The DMR band uses local repeaters as well and DMR repeaters are connected to the Internet. Having two bands to work with plus DMR makes the radio very handy and good choice for a new Ham. Simplex communication is possible with DMR. A private call must be created, and the channel frequency must be agreed upon by both contacts. Group call use and Talkgroup use can also be performed as well.

The advantages of Digital Mobile Radio are as follows: • Open standard DMR allows handhelds and mobile radios from one manufacturer to work with handhelds and mobile radios from another. • Better sound quality. Because the transmissions are digital there is no static like you will find on VHF, UHF, or HF radios. • DMR radio batteries have a longer life span. • There is secure communication as DMR uses encryption. • In most cases, less power is required. Frequency of operation: • 446 MHz DMR Tier 1unlicensed in Europe only. License required in the United States as it is a Ham band. • 66 – 960 MHz DMR Tier 2 and Tier 3 Frequency Channel Bandwidth: 12.5 kHz Access Technique: • FDMA – Associated with the 12.5 kHz separation for TDMA • TDMA – (Time Division Multiple Access) 2 Time Slots per channel To continue with the discussion on what is DMR we need to talk some about the repeaters. That is where the digital part of DMR comes into play. Analog repeaters, which most Technicians will become familiar with, are like relays. They take received RF signals amplify them and retransmit (broadcast if you like) them out to anyone within range. Analog repeaters use Frequency Modulation whereas digital repeaters like those used for DMR use digital encoding. Analog repeaters can connect to the Internet to allow them to be used for Echolink and Allstar which can link diverse repeaters, so someone with an FM radio can talk with anyone all over the world.

Both analog and digital repeaters act as relays, but digital repeaters are routinely networked together to span a much greater distance with a greater number of repeaters. DMR uses TDMA which allows several users to share the same frequency channel by dividing the signal into different time slots. A DMR repeater may connect to the network and may host a limited number of Talkgroups. It is important to understand what Talkgroups you can use on a given repeater. The purpose of this book is not to give a detailed description of Digital Mobile Radio. There is plenty of information available on the Internet if you are interested in learning more about DMR, how it was started and how it works. This book will attempt to make DMR programming easier to understand.

Getting Started: You will need this It is assumed that you already have at least your Technician’s License, otherwise you will not be able to get a Radio ID. If you do not have a license you can listen (only) on the VHF/UHF bands. But you will need an FCC license to obtain a Radio ID for DMR. You can obtain your Radio ID from the website https://www.radioid.net. You will need to have a copy of your Official FCC License to verify you are licensed. Once you have your Radio ID you can go to BrandMeister’s website and register there. Their website is https://www.brandmeister.network. You will want to bookmark this website in your browser to return to it often. Finally, you will want to get a list of DMR repeaters in your area. The repeater book website is https://repeaterbook.com. However, a quick way to find repeaters in your state or in states where you might be traveling is to do a Google search of the state name along with the repeater book. For example, Pennsylvania Repeater Book will give: Pennsylvania Amateur Radio Repeaters – Quick Search https://www.repeaterbook.com/repeaters/index.php?state_id=42

You will notice you can find many types of repeaters listed. Click on DMR to show a listing of the DMR repeaters closest to you.

While there may be many repeaters available in your state your radio and antenna will have a limited range. You notice in The Radios section the highest wattage for a handheld is ten watts. The type of antenna is the key to receiving and transmitting a good signal. There is some information you are going to need in programming your radio.

To get all the information you need click on the frequency of the repeater you would like to use.

You will need the Downlink (receive frequency), Uplink (transmit frequency), the Offset direction plus or minus, and the actual Offset. You will also need the Color Code and if listed the Time Slot. If the Time Slot is not listed you may be able to find it by checking with the network page, or you may also be able to email the person in charge of the repeater. Here the person’s callsign is listed in the Call field. You can obtain their email address by visiting Qrz.com. You will need to create an account there to obtain the email address. To be sure the information is not outdated you should verify the Color Code, and Time Slot matches the Talkgroup. This is a good reason for contacting the person in charge of the repeater. This repeater has a coverage map, and a listing of a 15-mile radius. However, you will see in your studies there are many factors involved in communicating, so relying on a coverage map may not be that helpful.

The BTECH™ DMR - 6x2 Pro Radio There are many manufacturers of radios with DMR capabilities. In this edition of DMR – Digital Mobile Radio Explained I will introduce the Baofeng BTECH™ DMR - 6x2 Pro. When purchasing a radio, you can use the same principle that I use in purchasing a computer. Having set a budget for what I can afford I first look at the price. The DMR – 6x2 Pro is very affordable at $299.89. Next, I look to see if the radio is available and can be delivered when I need it. This radio is available for purchase without any delay. Third, and this is the most important, I check into the service. By that, I look to see what the warranty period is. Is the support easily accessible? The warranty period is for one year and BTECH™ support is readily available. Note: This includes being able to get updated Computer Programming Software (CPS) and firmware updates. I must know if there is good contact information. The best way to check this out would be to contact the seller or manufacturer with a series of questions. The BTECH™ sales and support will give you a good friendly response within 24 to 48 hours. It is always good when you have a manufacturer or seller who wants to work with you. Finally, check out the reviews. If most of the 5-star and 4-star reviews add up to above 75% you have a good radio. The reviews for this radio add up to 90%, which is excellent for any product. Sometimes when looking at reviews you may find a few negative reviews. But be careful to pass any judgment as those reviewers may be new to DMR and may not understand how to program the radio. I have often seen reviews that fall into that category, which is the main reason for me to author this book.

BTECH™ DMR - 6x2 Pro

Specifications: Power settings – Turbo 7 watts VHF / 6 watts UHF, Med-High 5 watts, Med-Low 2.5 watts, Low 1 watt VHF (136 – 174 MHz) UHF (400 – 480 MHz) DMR Tier 1 & 2 Bluetooth – Yes GPS –Yes APRS – Yes Channels – 4,000 Talkgroups – 10,000 250 – Customizable Zones

Contacts – 500,000 Battery – 3100 MAh Price – $299.89 (Amazon.com or btech.com) Warranty – 1-year DMR - 6X2 Pro is a new BTECH™ radio with the same features as the DMR - 6X2 but with Bluetooth and GPS capability

Included:

Also included is a Velcro strap for the Bluetooth PTT, belt clip, hand strap, earpiece, USB cable for the PTT, USB cable for programming, battery, and user manual. Make sure you read the user manual before using the radio. It is well-written and contains a lot of valuable information.

What about Codeplugs? One of the most confusing things for an Amateur interested in DMR is this thing called a Codeplug. It is nothing more than a file, a file that is created by your radio’s Computer Programing Software (CPS). The term Codeplug was originated by Motorola and was used to name the individual files for each radio. It gets even more confusing when you compare two different Codeplugs from two different people. Especially if they have a different radio than you. That should automatically tell you that no two Codeplugs are the same. So, when you get a Codeplug from John, his is going to be slightly different than Sam’s. This is because each person will make their Codeplug to their liking. When I first started exploring DMR the term Codeplug was confusing to me and looking at different Codeplugs people had posted on the Internet was even more confusing. I finally realized that I needed to create my own from scratch. My best suggestion I have would be not to use someone else’s Codeplug but to create your own from scratch. It is not as hard as you might think. You certainly can look at someone’s Codeplug to see how they did it, that is if you can understand their reasoning as to how they had it arranged. Hopefully, the following sections will make it clear what you should do. I must add that while all the CPS programs use the same .rdt extension on their files they are not interchangeable. You can convert Codeplugs from other DMR radios using the Contact Manager found on https://n0gsg.com/contact-manager/ website.

Talkgroups and Contacts In the CPS program, you will find Contacts and Talkgroups. While my original thinking was these two items were the same thing, they are not. Yes, they both require a field for the Radio ID, which does make you think a Talkgroup (TG) is the same as a Contact. However, Talkgroups must use the Group selection and Contacts use the private selection. This is because a Talkgroup can be for countries, states, regions, cities, counties, and special interest groups. The key here is a group because the conversations are open to anyone wishing to join in on the group. Think of it this way, I may know a lot of Hams who I have met (the Ham radio term is worked) doing DMR. If I want to set up a private call to one, by selecting private instead of group, I will place that person in the Contact List. If you download a current Contact List you may find the person is already there. For an up-to-date list of contacts use the link “Amateur Radio Digital DMR-6x2 Digital Contacts Wizard (FREE)” found on the BTECH™ DMR Firmware and Software Update website. You can also visit the site: https://baofengtech.com/whos-calling-setting-up-the-digital-contacts-list The contact lists are Excel .csv files and can be uploaded into your CPS program. By having a private contact, we can have a private conversation without any interference from other Hams. One of the things to think about though is to agree on a specific frequency. Like any analog simplex communication, you both must set your channel to be on the same frequency. Some recommended DMR Simplex frequencies are: 2 meters – 145.790 and 145.510 70 centimeters – 441.000, 446.500, 446.075, and 433.450 The above frequencies are recommended in order not to interfere with a local repeater. An important thing to note is that Talkgroups are specific to individual DMR networks.

While the Talkgroup number on one network may be the same as the Talkgroup on another network, the actual Talkgroup may not be the same. There are several networks including BrandMeister and the Interstate Repeater Network. Information about the BrandMeister network can be found at the following link: https://brandmeister.network/?page=talkgroups Information about the Interstate Repeater network can be found at the following link: http://www.wr3irs.com/ The above network covers the Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and New Jersey areas. There may be an Interstate Repeater type network to cover your area. Since Talkgroups are created by network administrators they could be updated from time to time. Creating your own Talkgroup, especially on a BrandMeister repeater will get that repeater banned from the network. All Talkgroup creation needs to be authorized by the system owner; individuals are not allowed to create their own Talkgroups. You must disconnect from one Talkgroup before switching to another or when you have finished your conversation. To do this you use the 4000 Disconnect Talkgroup and key up the Push-To-Talk (PTT) button on your microphone. On some radios that have voice-activated you will hear the word, “Unlinked,” you can then select the other Talkgroup and key up. There are two types of Talkgroups, Static and Dynamic. A Static Talkgroup is permanently activated on a Time Slot by the repeater sysop. The Static Talkgroup passes all traffic from the DMR network on the Time Slot it is assigned. If there is a statewide Talkgroup assigned to a local repeater on Time Slot 2, then whenever someone keys that Talkgroup on the network, their audio will be retransmitted locally.

A Dynamic Talkgroup is used for temporary activations on a Time Slot for a particular repeater. The Talkgroup is available for a set amount of time after the local repeater user activates it when transmitting on the repeater. As the time expires and there has been no activity, the Time Slot and the Talkgroup are released, and other dynamic Talkgroups, the repeater is open to static Talkgroups. This is how someone traveling can key up on their state Talkgroup while using another state’s DMR repeater.

Importing Talkgroups: Talkgroup files are saved as Excel .csv files. Depending on the radio’s Computer Programming Software (CPS) you need to make sure the column titles in the Excel file are the same and they are in the same order. Edit the Talkgroup .csv file to make sure you have at least TG/DMR ID, Name, Call Type, and Call Alert columns listed as the column titles. Then make sure they are in the proper order depending on your radio’s CPS for Talkgroups. Some CPS programs may have these named differently. So once again, your Excel file column names will need to match the CPS program, or your file will not import or may only partially import.

The Excel Talkgroup file can be found on the BrandMeister’s website. When you first open the file you will notice the Call Type is empty. You will need to fill this in with Group Call. As of August 2022, there were 1625 rows. You certainly do not want to have to type in Group Call 1625 times. So, here is an Excel trick you can do to fill the cells. If you click on the bottom corner of the cell you will see a small black square. If you click on that and hold down your mouse button you can drag it down to the last Talkgroup and it will copy Group Call to all the other cells. You can do the same for the Call Alert. The only Talkgroup which can be both Group Call and Private Call is the Parrot-BrandMeister that allows it to be both ways. Note: The Talkgroup numbers are different.

Open the CPS program. You will find the Import option in the Tool Menu.

In all the CPS programs, I have tested, the Import option is found in the Tool Menu. When you select it a dialog box will open.

This box may appear differently in other CPS, but they are performing the same function. Select the Talkgroup button. The Windows File Manager window will appear, and you can navigate to the file. When you have selected it you will see its path appear next to the Talkgroups button. You can then click on the Import button and the file will import all the Talkgroups into your program.

If you are going to import more than one item you can select the Import From File List button. Each of your items will need to be in a separate Excel file. This option will create a list with all the items you want to import.

Importing Contact Lists: You can find Contact Lists from the BTECH™ website. The same thing applies to the Contact List as did to the Talkgroups Excel file. You must have the columns in the proper order. If the Contact List you are using does not have the Call Type data you might want to make the Call Type Private as these are private calls. You can use the Excel trick mentioned previously to fill in the cells with Private Call. I must warn you there are a lot of contacts.

You may notice something that seems a bit odd with the above image. There is no column heading for Callsign. This will be fixed in future updates. Click on the Digital Contact List button. As before the Windows File Manager will open and you can navigate to and select the file. Once the path is next to the Digital Contact List button you can click on the Import button.

This will take a while as there are at least 204,000 contacts with more all being added every day. Now, I ask you will you ever be able to work (make contact) with all of those? You could make that a personal goal and quite an accomplishment if you do.

Now you have learned how to import both Talkgroups and Contacts. You may find that you want to export some of the items in your Codeplug. You are asking why. Well, if you have a friend who has the same radio you can pass along some of your settings, Talkgroups, Contacts, and other things. Click on Tool, and then on Export on the menu bar. The Export dialog box will appear.

As you can see you can export about everything from the Codeplug. I on the one hand think it is a clever idea to do just that. Having taught computers for many years it is always good to have a backup. You can create a folder and save all your exported files into that folder. If you want to export everything at once you can click on the Export All (Default CSV File Name) button at the top. The Windows File Manager will appear.

Despite what it says you will have to give the file list a name. You can see here the files will be saved from the file list into my Exported Files folder once I select it. When you click Save the magic happens.

The program will dump every item in a separate .csv file into this folder. You can see now why it is important to create a folder for them. Should you mess something up on your Codeplug, which never happens, (just kidding, of course, it does) you can import just the item you need to restore.

Channels This is where I had the most difficulty. In all the videos I watched it was not clear what to do with the Channels. I realized that a Channel contained the information for the repeater and contact you wanted to make. But not that there needed to be a separate Channel for each Talkgroup or Contact. Then the channel must be placed in the Zone you create. To make DMR more difficult many of the manufacturers with their programming software do not use the same terms for things. Each of the CPS listed in this book uses the term Channels. What goes into their Channels is slightly different. However, essential information for D-Digital Channel Type is as follows: • Channel Name (you create) • Color Code • Time Slot • Transmit (Tx) Frequency to repeater • Receive (Rx) Frequency from repeater • Talkgroup • TX Allow • Radio ID • Channel Type • Power When you select an empty Channel you will need to have the above information ready to enter. You will notice when you select A-Analog the fields for the D-Digital will be grayed out. For A-Analog Channel Type you will need the following information: • Channel Name (you create) • Transmit (Tx) Frequency to repeater • Receive (Rx) Frequency from repeater • Channel Type • Power

• CTCSS/DCS Decode • CTCSS/DCS Encode You can find the information you need from the Repeater Books for your state online. Refer to the section Getting Started: You will need this for instructions. While you could import Channels from a friend’s exported CPS program file, you may not understand how they created and arranged it. My advice is to create your list of Channels as we will do in the CPS section.

Zones A friend referred to Zones as being like folders on computers. It makes it easier to group your channels into a particular Zone. Selecting the Zone, you can scroll to select the channel you want. Your friend’s Codeplug will have their Zones named differently than what you might like. It will make it confusing to you to find a specific Channel with a Talkgroup. What should you do? Set up your Zones, so they make sense to you. Now you might want to have an Analog Zone, which I have seen in some Codeplugs. In that Zone, you can put Contacts using simplex connections and Analog repeaters. But my radio is a 2 meter (VHF), and a 70 centimeter (UHF) how can I access those? When you have a DMR radio they are accessed by having a Channel with its receive and transmit frequencies. You then place that Channel into a Zone. So, Zones are important for you to be able to use the radio. Make your Zones fit your needs. I do like to have an Analog Repeater Zone with all the repeaters I can reach in my area. For DMR repeaters I like to have a specific Zone for each DMR repeater, you will see why later. Since I might have a lot of Talkgroup Channels for a particular DMR repeater it will be hard to scroll through all of them for a particular favorite. For instance, if you have a DMR repeater Zone called Towson Rep you could have all your favorite Talkgroups in that Zone. Do remember Zone name fields have a limited number of characters. In your Zone, you would select the Channel Talkgroups you use the most. What about a Friends Zone or a Club Zone for all your Club members? Remember it is your Codeplug, make it the way you want it. Also remember once you create a channel it must be added to a Zone, or you will not see it when you turn on your radio. Note: All Channels must be in a Zone, for use on the radio. If you do not place it in a Zone in your CPS program it will be stored in the radio as a Channel but will not be selectable in a Zone.

Channel and Zone Roaming I have never used roaming because I do not travel that much. Certainly, not that far from the nearest DMR repeater. But if you were traveling to another state or even around your state where you might go out of range from one repeater and into the range of another then roaming is for you. With roaming on, your radio will automatically switch to the strongest signal frequency. Something to consider is there are some issues involved in roaming. One thing to remember is that some of the other radio manufacturer’s CPS programs do not support roaming. The BTECH™ DMR – 6x2 Pro does allow roaming. So, you will be able to use this feature. When traveling. the DMR – 6x2 Pro also supports GPS and APRS, which I will talk about in later sections. The DMR – 6x2 Pro includes Bluetooth built-in. You will find this handy if you want to use a Bluetooth headset or a PPT device. Selecting the TX Allow setting will be different for repeater use and Simplex use. For repeaters you need to set it to Different Color Code, this mimics the proper repeater TX allow which Motorola calls Color Code Free. What this does is it prevents you from TX if the channel is busy, like someone talking, which will prevent doubling. For Simplex use Always. This will allow the TX to operate even if the channel is not clear.

Time Slots and Color Codes What is it with these Time Slots and Color Codes? DMR Signals are sharing two conversations on a single channel using Time Slots using Time-Division Multiple Access (TDMA). These signals are 12.5 kHz in bandwidth. Since they are shared over the same bandwidth that means each channel has a 6.25 kHz bandwidth. A Time Slot can carry either voice and/or data. For DMR these Time Slots are TS1 and TS2. Remember DMR was created to be a commercial item, but it was divided into three tiers. • Tier I – is a single channel • Tier II – has two Time Slots on a single channel, which is the standard for Amateur Radio • Tier II – involves trunking protocol (for more information on this Google Trunking Protocols). Enough of the technical stuff, you just want to know what to do with them. What you need to know is whether the DMR repeater you are trying to connect to is using Time Slots 1, and 2 or have both available. Each DMR repeater can service two Time Slots at the same time, however, some repeaters will use TS1 for one thing and TS2 for something else. To access a certain Talkgroup the Time Slot must be correct. Usage of either Time Slot is determined by the system operator. You can contact them for the correct information. Now Color Codes, yes that is a repeater thing as well. Think of Color Codes like the CTCSS or DCS used on analog repeaters. They can separate repeaters that may be using the same frequencies. Just like having the proper PL-Tone to access an analog repeater you need the proper Color Code to access a DMR repeater. Sixteen different Color Codes are available from CC0 to CC15. You must supply the proper Color Code, or you will not be able to access the repeater. To find the proper Color Code you can use the DMR Repeater Book for your state. TX Allow on repeaters use different color code. This mimics the Motorola Color Code Free which is the preferred method on repeaters. Always is for Simplex use.

CPS An important thing to note is that each radio requires its Computer Programming Software (CPS). You can download and install the CPS program from the BTECH™ website, https://baofengtech.com/dmr/dmr-6x2-pro. You can look over the features of the program before creating a Codeplug with it. You will find as you explore the CPS program that it will be easy to use. It will make programming your new radio when it arrives easier. Hopefully, when you go through this book everything will be easy for you to understand.

BTECH™ DMR-6X2 or the BTECH™ DMR - 6X2 Pro (remember while the CPS looks the same you need the one for your radio). Because remember the Plus has Bluetooth. As I mentioned one of the problems many Hams have when they purchase a DMR radio is finding it difficult to program. If they do not fully understand how to create their Codeplug and get it to work they may return the radio. The BTECH™ CPS is clear and with the help of this book along with the BTECH™ support you should be able to enjoy making contacts right away.

In the first part of this section, I am going to cover the items you will need to get you up and running on DMR. Some items you can leave as their default settings until you get the hang of using your radio and then want to explore what each setting does. Let us understand how things work. You need to create channels but to do that you need to have Talkgroups and Contacts. We talked about importing those in a previous section.

Once those have been imported then you can create the Channels.

A Talkgroup or Contact will go into a Channel. Channels go into a Zone. Since Zones are like folders you need to think about how you will organize your folders (Zones). If you can reach a couple of DMR repeaters then you may want to create a Zone for each repeater to place your channels in.

Note: Remember you must have a channel for each Talkgroup you want to use. This seems redundant because you will have some of the same Talkgroups or Contacts in another repeater. However, that repeater will have different receive and transmit frequencies and may be using a different Time Slot and or Color Code. Note: You need to be careful if you cut, copy, and move a bunch of channels as they are indexed, and it may throw off your zones.

BTECH™ DMR - 6x2 Pro Installation Once again to download the CPS program and firmware you will need to visit: https://www.baofengtech.com/dmr/dmr-6x2-pro

Click on the download link to start the download. This will download a .zip file. You will need to extract the files using Winzip or 7-zip.

There are no files in the _MACOSX. The CPS will only work with Windows 10 or 11. You need to extract the folders and files before you can run the program to install. Once the folders have been extracted double-click on the DMR-6x2-PRO-101 folder.

Make sure you have scanned all the files to be sure there are no viruses. Now double-click on the DMR-6x2Pro_Setup_1.01j.exe to install the program. You will get a pop-up dialog box asking if you want to install the program. Click on the Yes button.

Select your language and click on the OK button.

Important: Browse to where you want the file installed. The default drive location is D: The Preferred folder is C:\Program Files (x86)\DMR_6X2Pro_1.01j. Once you have typed in your path click on the Next button.

You can keep the default folder, so click on Next.

You will want to have a shortcut on your desktop, so check the checkbox and then click Next. The next box will be a summary, so click the Install button.

The program will install, and you can click on the Finish button.

If you left the checkbox checked the program will open.

BTECH™ DMR - 6x2 Pro CPS

The BTECH™ 6X2 Pro CPS program is like the BTECH™ 6x2 radio CPS but you cannot use the same Codeplug. This is partly because the 6x2 Pro has GPS, APRS, and Bluetooth capabilities. There are also some other radios found on the market that have similar CPS programs but as I mentioned it does not make the Codeplugs interchangeable. You can of course Export and then import some things, particularly Contacts and Talkgroups. Open the DMR 6x2 Pro program on your Desktop. You will want to read the data from the radio first. Connect your radio with the USB cable and turn it on so the computer can assign a COM port. Select Program from the Menu bar, and then Read from Radio.

If you get a Com port error message select SET from the Menu bar and then select Set COM. A dialog box will open, and you can use the down arrow to find the COM Port your radio is using. If you are not sure which Com Port to pick try unplugging and re-plugging the USB cable until it appears. However, the preferred COM Port will always be the last one in the drop-down list.

You will be asked if you want to continue, click on the OK button. Next, you will get a message box asking if you want to read the Digital Contact List and the Other Data. Leave the check in the Other Data, and then click on the OK button.

The data will start to load into the program, and it will let you know when it is done. It is good practice when you are creating your first Codeplug with a new radio to read the data from the radio first and create your Codeplug from that file. Now we can save our file. Click on File from the menu and Save As.

The Windows File Manager will open, and you can navigate to where you want to save your file. Since this is the initial read from the radio you will want to save it. I called my file BTECH 6x2 Pro Initial Read. This way you will have a copy of what was on the radio initially. Click on File from the Menu bar and Save As again to save the Codeplug you will be working on. You may want to save it as something like: My BTECH 6X2 Pro Codeplug v1 If you do make changes save the latest version with a version number. For example, My BTECH 6x2 Pro Codeplug v2 It is also suggested that you can make screen grabs of your settings. I know this sounds like a lot of work for you to do. However, believe me, you will be glad you did if something goes wrong. Once you have saved your file click on the plus sign next to Digital on the Sidebar, and then click on the Radio ID List. When the list opens double-click on the first line’s cell under Radio ID. This will open the dialog box where you can put your Radio ID number and your call sign.

Type in your Radio ID and tab down to type in your call sign. Some Hams put in their callsign and their first name. Some Hams put their Radio model type and number but that is up to you In keeping with the practice of importing the Talkgroups and Contacts let us now click on Talkgroups and import your Talkgroup file into this list. Click on Tool on the menu bar and select import.

The import window will open, and you can click on the Talkgroups button. The Windows File Manager will appear, and you can navigate to the Talkgroup Excel .csv file. Once you have selected the file you can click on the Import button. If you receive a name conflict as I did, see below, you can click on the Yes button to import anyway, and it will give you a listing like the one below. Or, you can say no and then accept a listing item by item.

I did choose to pick a listing item by item and entered Excel to delete the conflicting items. Save your Excel file and then try importing again. It is better to have a good clear import than one that may be corrupted. After the import is complete you will get a message box letting you know it is done.

Next click on the plus sign beside Digital Contact List and then on the Digital Contact List. It is going to be as empty as the Talkgroups, so we will need to import our Contacts List Excel .csv file. Following the procedure above open the Import window, click on the button Digital Contact List and the Windows File Manager will appear.

Navigate to your Contact List and click on the Open button. When finished click on the Import button.

Something is interesting here. Notice there is no column for the call sign. There is one for Repeater Number and I have received information that a future update of the CPS will correct this. The CPS .csv file from BTECH’s website has the correct column label in the Digital Contact Listing, so it will not matter, your Contact List should import properly. Now we can start working on your channels. Click on Channels on the Sidebar. In the section called Getting Started: You will need this you learned how to find out the information you need to connect to a repeater. Find the DMR repeater in your area and one that is within range of you. In my case, the closest one is Wye Mills.

Double-click on any empty cell to open the Channel dialog box.

You will want to give your channel a name. The problem is this field will only allow 16 characters. So, you need to figure out how you can give your channel a meaningful name that fits within the 16 characters. Give your channel a name. This one is going to be the disconnect channel. When you key up to a Talkgroup, it is activated as user selected. If you do not key up to a different Talkgroup the user selected Talkgroup will not time out. And you will remain linked to it unless you manually disconnect. BrandMeister repeaters will timeout after 10 minutes if you do not disconnect. To cleanly disconnect from a Talkgroup that is auto static you should make a group call to Talkgroup 4000. However, you cannot disconnect from a static Talkgroup. For each repeater, you use you should set up a Disconnect channel. Put in the repeater receive and transmit frequencies. Remember the Downlink (receive frequency) and Uplink (transmit frequency) from the Repeater Book. In this case, the Downlink is 441.9250 (receive) and the Uplink is 446.9250 (transmit). You notice the offset in the Repeater Book is a plus 5 MHz difference in the frequencies. Some repeaters will have a negative Offset, so the transmit frequency will be less than the receive. Always check with the system operator. Make sure the Channel Type is D-Digital or A-Analog depending on your mode. This is going to be D-Digital because we are using DMR mode. Select your power level. FCC regulations require that Ham operators use the least amount of power so as not to cause unwanted interference. You can try using high power if you think the repeater is just at the edge of your range. I know that I need to use Turbo which is the highest power this radio will provide. You can always play around with this to find what works for you. The Bandwidth is going to be 12.5 kHz for DMR. You should use Always, however, make sure the channel is not in use when you transmit. It is good Ham practice. “Listen first before transmitting.” The three items for APRS are if you are using APRS. I am going to leave them off for now. They are covered in a later section.

DMR mode is important because we are using a repeater we will select that. If you are doing a simplex connection for a particular contact you will use simplex. We will leave the Scan List empty for now, but you can add to that later if you like. The lower section in this dialog box is for Analog, so we will go to the top right side. If you want this to be a roaming channel because you may be moving from one repeater to another you can set this on. You can have up to eight APRS reports. We will leave this at 1 for now. Some of the checkboxes under the APRS Report Channel are for Analog and we will leave them alone for now. In the Digital section make sure your Contact is, in this case, Disconnected. This is the Talkgroup you want to use but the standard convention is to call this selection Contact. If it is not showing on the Contact button click on the button, and then double-click when you find the Talkgroup you want to use.

Your Radio ID will show your call sign if that is what you put for your Radio ID name. Make sure the Color Code and the Time Slot are correct. While each repeater is different this repeater wants a Color Code of 1 and Time Slot of 2 for local TGs. I will not be covering the Receive Group List as it is not necessary. When you are finished click on the OK button. You can see from the image below that you should identify the channel by the repeater you are using. This is helpful when you go to set up the Zones as you will have more than one Disconnect, but one for each repeater as they will have different frequencies. What seems confusing to many Hams is the redundancy of having the same Talkgroups in different channels. But if you are creating channels for another repeater that repeater will have a different set of frequencies. Then it becomes clear. I like to leave some space between my channels because it helps me to separate one group of channels from another. Allowing a block of empty channels will give you room to add additional channels for a specific repeater. However, when you insert channels it will move the other channels down.

Speaking of copying and pasting (which is in this case copying and inserting). The following image shows what you can do when you right-click on a channel cell.

In other words, you can copy and insert a row into an empty row, but if you delete a row among other channels and try to insert one it may mess up the index. If you can reach several repeaters or will be traveling you can set channels for the repeater’s range you will be traveling into. This is where Channel and Zone Roaming comes into play.The Talkgroups you select for one repeater do not necessarily all have to be the same for another repeater. But there is no harm in having your favorite Talkgroups in one or more repeaters, it just means some extra work. Once you have set all your channels you can click on Zone on the Sidebar.

It is empty right now. Double-click on an empty item in row 1. The Zone dialog box will appear.

We will call this Zone Wye Mills. You can move the WM channels over to the right by selecting them and clicking on the right arrows button. Notice that A Channel and B Channel have the first two items you moved over. These items will appear on your radio for your A and B channels when you select this Zone. So, if you wanted something different pick those to be the first two items. Make sure you move over all the items you want for that repeater over to the right. Use the left facing button to remove unwanted channels. Highlight them in the right column first, and then click on the left arrow button. Click on the OK button when you are finished.

You now have everything you need to make your contacts with other Hams on DMR. But it is best to save your Codeplug and then write it to your radio.

You can Click on File on the Menu bar or use the Save icon on the Toolbar. A message box will appear when the save is completed.

Connect your USB cable to your radio, and then to your computer. Turn on your radio. I have found it best to turn the volume all the way up. Your computer should find the radio and assign it a COM Port. You can check to see that it did assign a COM Port by clicking on Set on the Menu bar, and then Set COM

You can also select the COM Port by using the COM Port icon on the Toolbar.

The COM Port for your radio will always be the last one listed in the drop-down box. If the COM Port is not already showing select the drop arrow and click on the last one. When you are finished click on the OK button. Click on Program on the Menu bar and then select Write to Radio.

Once again you could use the Write to Radio icon on the Toolbar.

A message box will appear asking you to Continue.

Click on the OK button to continue.

Since this is the first time you are writing to the radio click both checkboxes. You do not have to write to the radio the Digital Contact List each time unless you want to update your contacts. Click the OK button. If you get a COM port error you may need to go to Set on the Menu bar and select Set COM to select your COM port. If everything is successful you will see a Scale on your screen showing the progress.

The radio will read the data from the CPS program and write it to the radio. It will take a while for your first write as you are loading the contact data. A message box will appear when the write is completed. On your radio screen you should see the following message. P.C. Write Copying Data To The Radio Please Wait! Don’t Power Off Booting… Please Wait

When your radio has finished booting turn the radio off and remove the USB cable. You can then turn the radio back on to select your Zone and begin making contacts. Tip: If your radio reboots and you get a Program Error message it will mean you have a corrupted Codeplug. You will need to abandon this one and create another. Sorry, but that is the only way. This rarely happens. Chances are your Codeplug will load successfully, and you will not have to create another. Once it loads successfully you should be good for future writes.

Analog Channels We covered everything digital as far as DMR, so I know you have been asking how can I program my analog channels for 2 meters and 70 centimeters. In this section, I will tell you how to do that. Enter the CPS, and then click on Channels.

In my Codeplug, there are empty rows under the Jessup Digital Channels. Double-click on an empty row.

Remember you can find your local repeater information by using the Repeater Book. In this case, you are going to want to look up FM repeaters, which will have information on 2meter and 70-centimeter repeaters. Put in the name of your local repeater. Add the receive and transmit frequencies. Remember there is an offset for the transmit which can be positive or negative offset. Change the Channel Type to A-Analog. If you have a repeater that is just barely in the range you can use High or Turbo. For analog, we will use a bandwidth of 25K. Drop down to the analog section. Here is where you are going to need to know what the CTCSS tone is for the repeater you are going to use. In this case, it is 107.2. Select that from the drop-down list. Some repeaters will require a decode and encode CTCSS tone or just require an encode CTCSS. Check with the repeater’s system operator if you are having problems. Click on the OK button when you are finished. Now let us make a channel for NOAA weather. Click on another empty row.

You will need to find the NOAA frequency for your area. In my area, it is 162.400 and 162.500 MHz, which are the same broadcast. But I created a channel for each one in case, for some reason I cannot get to one. You can set the Transmit Frequency to 146.520 (National Simplex) Make the Channel Type A-Analog. You can set the power to Low because you will not be transmitting. By setting the Transmit Frequency to National Simplex and the power to Low you should not be violating any laws in case you accidently hit the PTT. The bandwidth is going to be 25K and then click on the OK button to finish.

That would be all you need to do to create an analog and weather channel. Oh no! Do not forget you need to put them into your zone. Click on Zone, and then click on an empty row cell. Type in the name of your zones. Open the zones to move over the channels, and then click on the OK button when you are done.

Now I have my two zones one for my Analog Repeater channels and one for my Weather channels. I can add more analog repeaters that are in my area. I may want to add some if I plan to travel and need to access repeaters in my state or other states. Do not forget to save your Codeplug and write it to the radio.

Other CPS Stuff: I know I skipped over quite a bit with the CPS, but my main purpose was to get you to communicate with DMR and make contacts quickly. Hopefully, you have connected with your local DMR and analog repeater and have been able to make some contacts. I will now cover some of the other things in the CPS. The top line is the Menu bar, it is like many of your other Windows programs.

The first item is the File menu. You have already seen this group of commands when you saved your file. Of course, you can open a file and exit the program from here. Next is the Model menu. This will give you information about the model of your radio. When you select it and then click on Model Information you will see this dialog box.

You can observe the information here but do not change anything. The next Menu item is the Set menu. You have seen this Menu with its commands if your COM port was not recognized when you went to read or write to the radio.

There is also Set initialization if you want to re-initialize your radio. We then have the Program menu where you can Read from the Radio or Write to the radio.

Next is the Tool menu. Lots of stuff here. But the most important is the Import and Export commands.

I am not going to cover everything here it will extend the book beyond its intended purpose, however, there are some things, which will be covered in the following sections. Then we have the View menu. Here you can view or hide the Toolbar or the Status Bar.

The Help menu gives you information about your CPS version.

Under the Menu Bar, you have the Tool Bar.

There are New, Open, Save, Read from Radio, Select COM Port, Write to Radio, and Help (which is about the program). These shortcuts will allow you to quickly execute a command without having to select it from the menu. Now we are coming back to the Sidebar.

Directly under the model of your radio will be the Basic Information.

Where Help tells you about the version of your CPS program this will tell you about the version of your radio. It gathers this information when you first connect your radio to the CPS. If it is not open click on the plus sign next to Public. Here we find the Channel and Zone that we have already covered. There is a Scan List you can set up and a Roaming Zone if you are going to be moving between repeaters. The nice thing about this radio is you can also listen to FM radio stations.

If you click on an empty cell it will bring up a dialog box where you can enter your favorite stations. Click on the OK button.

The Auto Repeater Offset Frequency will allow you to set the normal offset frequencies for repeaters.

An important dialog box is the Optional Setting. There are a lot of settings here. Click on the tab Work Mode.

It would take pages to cover all the settings you can make but I will cover the most important. The work mode is how you will operate the radio most of the time. If you are drawing off your memory and only infrequently using the VFO to input frequencies then you will want to select MEM. That might mean you would want the Display mode to be a channel. Click on the Vox/BT tab.

If you are not using VOX then you can leave these settings as they are. Click on the STE tab.

STE has to do with how the radio knows a transmission is coming from the repeater. The default is set, and you can leave it with these settings. The next tab is FM. We talked about setting up a listing of your favorite FM stations. You may want to leave this one at default.

Click on the Power Save tab. If you are not listening to a net you may want this to be 10 minutes, so the radio does turn off to save battery. However, it is very annoying for the radio to turn off while listening to a net with a lot of check-ins. So, I set mine to 60 minutes. If you find you need more time while the net is on you can enter the Menu on the radio and up it to 120 minutes.

The Key Function tab will let you define what the keys will do when they are shortpushed or long-pushed.

The Other tab could have been called Miscellaneous, but it does have some things of interest. TOT is the Time Out Timer, and a good setting is 120 seconds. If you want your radio to display a different language then you can change it here. Most of the other items can be left as they are. The Digital Func tab is next. This tab controls settings for the DMR.

The Power-on tab has settings for when you first turn the radio on. You can add a Poweron Display Text. You want to make sure the Power-on Password is set to Off, otherwise if you forget the password you will have to re-initialize your radio. The number sequence can stay as it is and will reappear next time you open the Optional Settings. The default channel can be set to On, and you can set your Zones and Channel to what you would like to have appear when the radio is turned on.

If you want to set some alerts you will find the Alert tab very handy.

The next tab is the Display tab. There are some things you may want to change here.

For the Last Caller, you can select Show Both to display the Radio ID number and the Callsign. For the Call Display mode, you can select Name Based or Call Sign Based. You can also change the color schemes. Next click on the GPS/Roaming tab.

I put everything for GPS in another section. We will come back to this. Just make sure GPS is on if you want to use GPS. While you are in the Optional Setting Key Function you may want to assign a short or long press button on the radio for turning GPS On or Off.

The next tab is the VFO Scan tab. It is only valid in VFO frequency mode. Pressing the VFO Scan key will turn the scan on or off. The radio will scan a frequency range between the start and end frequencies at the frequency step. There are three Scan Types TO, CO, and SE. TO – While scanning, when a signal is received, the radio will pause scanning for a while, and then resume scan. CO – While scanning, when a signal is received, the radio will pause scanning and resume when the signal disappears for 2 seconds. SE – While scanning and a signal is received, the radio will stop scanning. You will manually need to start the scan again.

The Auto repeater tab is next. I have left everything in their default settings here.

The Record tab has to do with recording conversations. You might want to be careful in using this as some states have laws regarding recording conversations.

The last tab here is for the Volume/Audio settings. The most important setting is the Mic Gain. The range is from 1 – 5. I have found the best option is to set it at 3 and you can adjust it up or down if necessary. Leave the Mic Feature at Normal.

Once you feel comfortable with your radio you can go back into the Optional Setting and play around with some of the settings. A word of caution though, before doing so, you may want to save your Codeplug file with the next version number. This is in case you feel the settings are not to your liking and you want to go back to the previous version.

Continuing with the Sidebar: We will pick up where we left off with the Sidebar. The next item after the Optional Setting is the Alarm Setting. This is another place where you can set up some alarms.

The Local Information item on the Sidebar will get information from your radio if the GPS is turned on. The Hot Key option has a few options some of which are for analog use. I will cover APRS and GPS Roaming in other sections. In the Digital area, you set up, your Radio ID List and imported Contacts/Talkgroups, so these have been covered previously. The next two items have to do with Encryption. I am going to skip over them, mainly because the FCC does not allow Hams to send encrypted messages and because they are something you want to leave alone. The next item is the Receive Group Call List. You would create a Receive Group if you are at an event and have multiple radios that need to be in contact with each other. Otherwise, it is all right to leave this item alone. The Prefabricated SMS option will allow you to create message text to be used with SMS. Now we have reached the Digital Contact List which you have already imported. The Friends List is a great way to keep a list of all your local Hams or others with whom you would regularly communicate. The last item in the Digital area is the Talker Alias Settings dialog box.

This screen allows you to set Talker Alias on or off. You can select the Alias Priority and the Data Format. Talker Alias is a receive value. This was created so users did not need to download contact lists. It is not available on all systems. Turning it on will not hurt. Finally, in the Analog area, the Analog Address Book can be used in Amateur service for sending DTMF strings over the radio (preprogrammed command sets for exchlong, Allstar, repeater control, etc. 5Tone and 2Tone are mostly commercial functions.

Bluetooth While this radio will do Bluetooth you may have noticed there are no settings for Bluetooth in the CPS program. To set up Bluetooth you can do it on the radio. Turn your radio on, and then hit the Menu button. Scroll up until you see the Bluetooth selection.

Hit the Menu button again to select Bluetooth.

Again, hit the Menu button to be able to turn the Bluetooth on or off.

Scroll down to select Bluetooth On and hit the Menu button. Hit the Back button to go back to the previous menu option. You can pair your radio to Bluetooth in your vehicle or to Bluetooth headphones. If you use Bluetooth with your car radio it will allow you to hear conversations through the car speakers.

To pair with a Bluetooth device make sure your device is turned on and in discovery mode. Hit the Menu button to enter BT Pairing, and then hit the Menu button to Seek BT. You will get a message when the device is found. Hit the Back button to explore more of the other options such as Available BT, Paired List, and Disconnect BT. Your BTECH™ DMR- 6x2 Pro comes with a Bluetooth PTT device that you can put on your steering wheel while driving or wear on your finger. Make sure your PTT device is fully charged with the supplied USB cable. Scroll down until you see BT PTT Pair.

Hit the Menu button to enter the BT PTT Pair. Make sure your PTT is active by pressing the PTT button on the device and then hitting the Menu button to Connect PTT. You will see a message on the radio when the two devices are paired together.

Hit the Back button and you can explore some of the other options you can do with Bluetooth.

You can adjust the Bluetooth Mic Gain, Speaker Gain, and Pin Code.

Along with those items you can adjust the BT Hold Time, BT RX Delay, BT + int mic, and BT + int spk.

The is also a BT Soft Ver for giving information about your software version.

GPS There are two ways to set up the GPS on your BTECH™ DMR - 6x2 Pro radio. One is with the CPS program. Select the Optional Setting from the Sidebar, and then select the GPS/Ranging tab.

Here you can turn GPS on or off. You can select Get GPS Positioning on or off. Also, you can put in your Time Zone difference unless you are on GMT (Greenwich Mean Time). The Ranging interval and Ranging Display can also be changed. Of course, you can select GPS (Global Positioning System), but you can also select GPS+BDS (Beidou Navigation Satellite System) for even greater accuracy. I set my GPS Roaming On. GPS Template Information can be on or off. Finally, if you know your GPS coordinates you can enter them. The other way of changing things is through your radio. Hit the Menu button and scroll until you see the GPS option.

Hit the Menu button again to enter the GPS option.

Here you can set GPS on or off. You can select the GPS Mode as GPS, BDS, or GPS+BDS. You can set GPS Roaming on or off and get GPS information.

You may already know how valuable this information would be on hiking trips or in an emergency.

APRS APRS (Automatic Packet Reporting System) is a Ham radio-based system that provides real-time digital communication of information. APRS can be used to identify your current position to someone using https://www.aprs.fi.

Since it is real-time APRS can be used for tracking. You can see if a particular Ham is on the move and when they have reached their destination. This, of course, is useful to use in emergencies. Injured people were rescued, or lost people were found because they had their radios with them. If you are hungry you can find information about the nearest restaurant.

Also, you can receive weather reports from weather stations supplied by other Hams, and it is a wonderful way to find other amateur radio operators in your area.

Like GPS you can set the options for APRS in the CPS program. You can set those options from the Sidebar. This brings up a large dialog box with a lot of options.

If you set up APRS from the Sidebar you can use the settings above replacing your Fixed Position Data with your coordinates and your callsign. The digipeater Path will receive information from aprs.fi. You must have the checkbox on Position check. If the APBT number does not work use the default one found when you entered. APRS settings. If you are using GPS and not at a fixed location you will want to turn the Fixed Location Beacon off. Click the OK button when finished. You will also need to set up a Channel. Select Channel from the Sidebar. Double-click on an empty channel.

You will want to set your receive and transmit to the same frequency since this is a simplex. The channel type is A-Analog. I changed the transmit power to Turbo from what you see in the image. The Band Width is 25k, APRS Report Type to Analog. The Analog APRS PTT Mode set it to Start of Transmission. You can leave APRS Report Channel at 1. Make sure to check the APRS Rx and Ana APRS Mute. When finished click on the OK button. Finally, you will want to create a Zone for your Channel or add to an existing zone.

Save your Codeplug and write it to the radio. When it is finished writing turn off the radio and unplug the USB cable. Turn on your radio and select the APRS Zone, or channel if in an existing zone. Then hit the PTT this will activate APRS. You will see the message showing it is sending data. If you have turned on the APRS Tx Tone you will hear a tone each time it transmits. This is very annoying, and you may want to leave it turned off.

In a few seconds, you will receive data.

If you go to aprs.fi and set up an account, and then log in you can search for your callsign, and it will show your location on the map. Every few seconds while you have the zone and channel selected APRS will update your location and send the information to aprs.fi. It will also pick up other stations that are transmitting their APRS signals. From the APRS Menu options, you can select Ana APRS Info, and then Ana APRS Info again to see who has sent their APRS signals. You can transmit both analog and digital APRS. Setting the DMR APRS is sent to TG 310999 Private Call. Verify this with the system operator whether they allow APRS via their repeater and which time slot they would like you to use. That is if they allow it. APRS is an interesting feature as you can send both analog and digital SMS messages. You can find additional information on APRS from the DMR – 6x2 Pro User Guides, Tutorials folder along with your unzipped files. There are several .pdf files here you may find helpful. I hope you enjoy using APRS.

Firmware Updates Having worked with computers for more than 40 years, especially working with databases I strive to avoid redundancy where I can. To this end, I will say that BTECH™ has an excellent document on how to update your firmware called Updating your BTECH™ DMR-6x2 PRO. When you unzip your files you will find a .pdf file called STOP and README FIRST. This is the document for updating your firmware. Make sure you know where this document is in case a new firmware version comes available. Follow the first step to back up the existing Codeplug. Why am I repeating the instruction? Because it is always a good practice to have a backup of your software, just as I mentioned when you make profound changes you should save a file as the next version of Codeplug in case you have to go back to a previous version. Back up your existing data from your radio by doing a read from the radio and then you can save it as My BTECH 6x2 Pro backup.rdt. You may be glad you did if something goes wrong.

Hotspots If you do not have access to a DMR repeater in your area you can use a Hotspot. You transmit to your Hotspot as if you were transmitting to a repeater. Hotspots are connected to the Internet. This can be a disadvantage if you do not have Internet access. However, you can tether a Hotspot to your cellphone. Another disadvantage is your Hotspot has a limited range, so you must be within range for your radio to connect to the Hotspot. A big advantage of using a Hotspot is you can Cross-Mode to other types of modes. If you have a DMR radio and want to talk with someone using C4FM or a D-Star radio you can use a Hotspot to do just that. Some of the types of Hotspots you will find are as follows: •

Zum Spot

•

Jumbo Spot

•

SharkRF Open Spot

•

MMDVM Hotspots

•

Nano Spot

•

Raspberry Pi Hotspots

The above Hotspots have different operating systems. But most are based on the Raspberry Pi Linux operating system. You can also purchase a Hotspot kit that will work with Raspberry Pi or a Raspberry Pi Zero board for an exceptionally low cost. These use the Pi-Star operating system for the Raspberry Pi, which you can download and install for free. I currently have a Raspberry Pi Dual Channel Hat Hotspot. To use one of these you will need a Raspberry Pi computer model 3, 3B, or 4. The Pis are currently selling for about $150 US. You can purchase the hat for $65 or less. This is about what you would pay for an assembled Hotspot. So, unless you are an experimenter like most Hams are, you may want to buy an assembled unit ready to go.

If your Dual Hat does not come with an SD card pre-loaded with the Pi-Star Operating System you will need to purchase an SD card. You can download the Pi-Star software and flash it to an 8 or 16-gigabyte SD card. You can use the Pi-Star website to set up your Hotspot. https://www.pistar.uk

There are videos available on YouTube for setting up all the hotspots mentioned above. If you continue to have problems you may want to reach out to a more experienced Ham (they are called Elmers) for assistance. As you become more familiar with Ham radio and want to do more with the digital aspect of Ham radio you may want to get yourself a Hotspot.

Conclusion Amateur radio is all about communication and contacting people all over the world. Digital Mobile Radio is just another way to do this. Older Hams who have been into the hobby for many years may say if it “is not HF Single Side Band or Continuous Wave then it is not Ham radio.” But anyway you can communicate and make contacts is Ham radio. A fellow Ham friend of mine told me that he does not like talking to a computer. While Digital communications does use the Internet you may still be talking to someone with a handheld or mobile radio. DMR is a great way for new Hams as Technicians and even older more experienced Hams to have the thrill of making contacts in various parts of the world. The BTECH™ DMR 6x2 Pro is a great radio to get you started in using DMR. It has everything you need to keep you up to date with the technology for years to come. Its low cost is very affordable even for the budget-conscious Ham. I highly recommend the BTECH™ DMR - 6x2 Pro as a great addition to your collection of radio gear. Also, if you want to use it as a base station or mobile you can purchase a BTECH™ power amplifier to provide even more power.

The BTECH™ Power amplifier connects to your antenna and your radio. Be sure to use low power on your radio to insure best performance.

About the Author I have worked in the electronic and computer fields for forty-two years. I enjoyed teaching new employees and students computer technology. In 2006 I started teaching noncredit courses at a local community college. I began teaching credit courses in Computer Science in 2007 and taught Computer Science for a total of 14 years. During the pandemic in August of 2020, when there was the lockdown, I studied for my FCC Technician License and by the end of the year had also passed the General and the Extra Class License. I have always liked the idea of being involved in Amateur Radio but never seemed to have the time to study and take the exams. I started writing non-fiction in 2006 for use when teaching computer classes I taught at the college. In 2009 I had written my first book on the Apple Macintosh computer. By 2010 I was writing Science Fiction stories compiled into eBooks and paperbacks. I switched back to writing non-fiction to create a series of books on robotics using microcontrollers and Raspberry Pi. These books were eBooks and paperbacks published on Amazon.com. Since I have been involved in Amateur Radio I have found lots of Hams doing things with Raspberry Pi computers. I got involved in Amateur Radio as a hobby but have discovered there are so many things to discover about my new hobby. New Hams sometimes get confused as to what they should do since there are so many different directions they could take. A fellow Ham has said that having a license in Ham radio is like having a license to spend. I know there are many of my fellow Hams who have spent thousands of dollars on radios and accessories. I started that way and found myself having more radios than I needed. My approach, as I mentioned before was to find out what I was comfortable with and limit myself to maintaining only the radios and accessories I need for those interests. However, there are collectors of radios, and many have made good money off buying and reselling radios and equipment. Some amateurs make extra money by designing and building antennas for sale. No matter what direction you take with Amateur Radio you will enjoy doing it as I have. Have fun and 73 (best regards).

References BaofengTech – https://baofengtech.com BaofengTech CPS – https://www.baofengtech.com/dmr/dmr-6x2-pro BrandMiester – https://www.brandmeister.network BlueDV – https://www.pa7lim.nl/bluedv-windows DMR Contacts – https://www.dmrcontacts.com DMR for Dummies – https://www.dmrfordummies.com Interstate Repeater Network – http://www.wr3irs.com/ Radio ID – https://www.radioid.net Repeater Book – https://repeaterbook.com Pi-Star Website – https://www.pistar.uk APRS website – https://www.aprs.fi