Originally Posted by
schüler
Yes, DMR is a protocol that can be simplex, duplex, repeated, trunked, etc. Radio range is same as analog but with clear/"full quieting" throughout the entire reception range.
DMR is also "quiet" in that there is no squelch broken unless it receives the designed DMR protocol. It is like infinite tone squelch. Also, DMR radios often have a programmable feature that prevents simultaneous talking if more than one person attemots to transmit at the same time (it eliminates "doubling").
Conversely, with digital squelch there is no way to listen to the noise floor for weak signals like you can with analog.
That said, someone at the extreme end of DMR reception range may hear digital noise when there's enough signal strength but not enough signal integrity to provide intact data stream.
A radio with both analog/digital capability may give up some weak signal performance on analog/digital ranges. Yet if you can really use or appreciate the quieting... man, a radio with both modes it's the best of both worlds.
Even our police car and side P25 radios had an 800MHz analog simplex channel in case the Wizard Of Oz public safety radio system was down. Until I saw it in our new programming channels list no one even knew we had it. It came in handy for team comm in underground tunnels or rural coversge holes. Yelling is pretty limited range.
Now, for the individual user application: Digital simplex is only a win when two or more people *regularly* use the radio in a short range geographical location. Farm, crowd management, small jobsite/plant or any other regular team comm need.
Given the multiple modes of digital (Dstar, P25, Trbo, C4FM, etc) and the unlikelihood of meeting a random stranger with the same protocol, and in absence of any repeater, it's a question of your own affordability OR or team future-proofing if 1) if your group is likely to grow at some point in the future and they plan to budget for it or 2) you are willing to invest in multiple radios yourself so everyone can communicate well in the future. Because sometimes you are preparing for others...
As an aside, I am a huge fan of Comet, Diamond or Nagoya brand 15" or so aftermarket antennas for HTs. Obvious signal improvement. Pay close attention to the antenna connector gender - brands and even models sometimes use the opposite gender antenna connectors, e.g. SMA male vs SMA female.
Reply With Quote
