On Thursday, 8 June 2023 the following article was published on this Blog:
NEW!! - DMR Bridge now Active on the Garden Route Hub Network.
Several more articles followed:
(1) The GRHub Network, Mossel Bay now provides Inter-Linking Radio Services
(2) Another way to use Digital Radio Modes if you do not have an RF Radio = DroidStar
(3) ZS1I DMR Bridge now permanently linked to the GRHub Network, Mossel Bay
(4) DMR Bridge now active in the Garden Route Area and "test driven" by Majorke ZS5V from KZN.
From publishing the first article, it is now more than a year ago that I setup the ZS1I DMR Bridge. Lot's of things can change in a year with regard to DVSwitch and AllStarLink. The bridge that I installed and operated in the Southern Cape was working great but with one flaw. The audio quality had a robotic sound to it which many do no like but as we all know we are talking about DMR here. I enjoy keeping up to date and was constantly looking to improve the audio quality of the then ZS1I DMR Bridge. Three days ago I found the latest information on how to setup a DVSwitch Server for AllStarLink Ver. 3. I chose to use this "setup" for the new ZS1I ASL3 DMR Bridge in Mossel Bay. Well this is what I had been looking for. The audio quality is absolutely far better than the old bridge audio quality. It also has several new features but more on this in Part 2.
Below: Here is a short audio sample which I recorded while Richard ZS5RMN was talking on DMR to AllStar using DroidStar.
Below: Here is a short audio clip listening with my DMR radio on the UK HubNet. AllStar to DMR using TYT MD380 Radio.
I am sure you will agree that the audio quality is now up to standard and far better now than what it has been in the past.
ZS1I ASL3 DMR Bridge activity on the ZS Link Hub Network :
The AllStar-Echolink-DMR Bridge is now active on the ZS Link Hub Network, Mossel Bay and is also available to all the ZS-Link Network users. (To many to mention them all here.) Now what is this all about?
It is quite simple. When the Bridge is active it connects the following applications/nodes together which is forming a "Bridge". Simply put it allows one person to talk on Echolink and the conversation will be propagated to AllStar and DMR and vice versa.
This bridge has been a useful addition to the ZS Link Network. It is now permanently linked to the network. The ZS1I DMR Bridge is now the gateway to some who cannot afford to buy a digital radio, hotspot etc or might "want to get their feet wet first." There are ways and means to use DMR and other digital radio modes without a radio or hotspot. I indicated before that you can use your analog VHF/UHF radio to work digital radio modes via the ZS1I ASL3 DMR Bridge (TG65511). I am so grateful to those who made this possible by writing software and creating applications for this purpose.
Anybody that are connected to ZS1I-R Echolink or 49355 AllStar will be automatically connected to the ZS1I ASL3 DMR Bridge (TG 65511) and can make a contact on DMR either by using a DMR Radio, DroidStar, 2m Analog RF Radio, Computer or Cellphone. The Bridge
allows radio amateurs that do not have a digital radio to make contact
with DMR stations via the equipment mentioned above, whichever they have available.
I trust that the ZS1I ASL3 DMR Bridge will be of use to radio amateurs who would like to learn more about DMR and the use of this facility. It definitely open up new doors and adventures in the world of digital voice radio using analog radios.
Enough for now.
Finally: I would once again like to invite clubs and radio amateurs to use and keep on using the ZS-LINK and GRHub Network if they so wish. The ASL3 DMR Bridge network is not a private, club only or special allocated network venture. It is open for general use by any radio amateur. Start or join a QSO on DMR and make new friends.
In Part 2 we will be looking at how to install and setup this ASL3 DMR Bridge on a Raspberry Pi and connect it to BrandMeister, AllStar, Echolink, DMR TalkGroups and other digital voice radio "mode'.
