Three incompatible digital voice standards are in common amateur use. All three digitise your voice, send it over VHF/UHF, and typically link repeaters worldwide over the internet.
| DMR | D-STAR | System Fusion (C4FM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Origin | Commercial land mobile | ICOM/JARL | Yaesu |
| Radios | Cheapest, widest choice | ICOM, Kenwood | Yaesu |
| Networks | Brandmeister, TGIF | REF/XLX reflectors | Wires-X, YSF rooms |
| Learning curve | Steepest (code plugs) | Moderate | Easiest |
Concepts you will meet
- Talkgroups (DMR) — worldwide, regional or topic-based channels you subscribe to.
- Reflectors / rooms — the equivalent on D-STAR and Fusion.
- Code plug — the configuration file for a DMR radio; borrow a local one rather than starting
- DMR ID — a numeric ID you register for once, free, at radioid.net.
- Hotspot — a small device (Pi-Star, openSPOT) that puts a personal low-power gateway to the
from scratch.
networks in your house, with no repeater needed.
Is it "real" radio?
The RF link is real; the backhaul is the internet. It is superb for keeping in touch with distant communities and terrible as an infrastructure-independent emergency system — which is exactly why most emergency groups still train on analogue FM and HF.