Digital Radios

[Jackalope]

    I recently acquired a Yaesu FT-70DR, a Fusion series digital radio.  I have a good amount experience with digital radios, including DMR and P25 radios, which I install and maintain at work.  And personally I've got Icom and Kenwood DSTAR radios.  From my experience, the Yaesu Fusion system is by far the easiest to configure and to use.  With the FT-70DR, the user programs their callsign into the radio the first time they use it, that's it for configuration.  The radio automatically sense when the Fusion system is active, and it changes to their proprietary digital mode.

     I had the opportunity to participate in an ARES VHF net while at my QTH in Tennessee.  They first conducted the net using normal FM, then they switched to Yaesu Fusion digital mode.  The radio sensed the change, and I was able to join the net digitally.  The audio sounded very natural, and it was clear.

     I was thinking that Yaesu's digital solution is ideal for those that are not technically inclined.  It was interesting that the majority of net participants were definitely seniors, so the Yaesu system is good for those that want to operate their radios rather than learning how to program.
     

[pkveazey]

Digital Radios: I can see the benefits to them when all is right with the world because they can be interconnected in about a dozen ways(especially the internet and repeater linking). With that said, I have a 2meter/440 DMR radio and I hate that SOB. It takes an MIT graduate with degrees in Electronics and Computer science to program it and to actually understand what all the terms mean. I keep it turned on and listen to the robotic sounding voices all the time but when the SHTF and the internet and repeaters are down that thing will become a paper weight. Am I going to get rid of it? Nope. Its like Beans and Rice. I might not like it but I may need it. Anyone planning to go DMR should get a really good understanding of terms like. Radio ID number, Talk Group, Time Slot, Zone, Contacts, Channels, Color Code, blah blah blah and so on forever. Whatever happened to turn it on, pick a frequency, and talk?

[Jackalope]

      Yeah, I agree with you PK regarding DMR radios, they weren't designed for ease of use, and they certainly were not designed for amateur radio use.  That's why I really like the Fusion system, it's essentially plug and play.  Of all the digital systems that I have used, it's the simplest.  For those that want a little more privacy while on VHF it's easy to switch over to digital from FM.  Oh yeah, it's really easy to wide band it too, just remove a solder blob.