DMR stands for Digital Mobile Radio and uses the Motorola TRBO protocol for communications. Like other digital modes such as D-Star, C4FM and APCO P25, the TRBO protocol converts your voice into a digital form and sends it out via RF (with other bits of information included) and allows you to communicate to other DMR radios and also DMR repeaters which are networked together around the world via the internet.
What makes DMR stand out from some of the other digital modes is that it utilizes TDMA (Time-Division Multiple Access) to divide a single frequency into 2 distinct “channels” or time slots. By doing this, you can have two conversations going on at the SAME TIME, using one frequency.
Imagine using just one frequency while radio A is talking to radio B on time slot 1, and radio C is talking to radio D on time slot 2 … SIMULTANEOUSLY. Pretty neat, huh?
To make matters a little more fun and complicated, each radio must have a unique Radio ID for digital identification between radios and you can also use Talkgroups to separate traffic and target specific groups of DMR users.
Looking for a GREAT basic explanation of DMR, what it is, how it works and why it is so beneficial? Check out the Miklor DMR Basic Tutorial.
What Is A Radio ID?
A Radio ID is a unique number assigned to you (and your callsign) by the RadioID.net Team. Like a telephone number or IP address, your Radio ID identifies you as a unique radio user on the various DMR networks and repeaters around the world.
We have a TON of information on Radio IDs and how you obtain one here. It’s very much worth reading!
DMR Talkgroups
A DMR talkgroup is simply a way of grouping many Radio IDs into a single digital contact. Or put another way, a talkgroup is a method of organizing radio traffic specific to the DMR users that all want to hear the same thing and not be bothered by other radio traffic on a DMR network that they are not interested in hearing.
We have a TON of information on Talkgroups and how they are used here. It’s very much worth reading!
What Is A Talkgroup?
Talkgroups can exist for many purposes. You can have talkgroups for countries, states, counties, regions, cities, special interest groups etc. Just about any group of DMR users could have a talkgroup assigned to them if they wished to organize traffic that they can all monitor and take part in, without having to talk to each other one by one.
Talkgroups are also specific to individual DMR networks but they all generally follow the same numbering scheme. So you need to make sure that you know what the various talkgroups are for each of the DMR networks that you may use.
For example, Talkgroup 3129 on the MARC network might not be the same as Talkgroup 3129 on the Brandmeister network.
Be sure to manage your Talkgroups separately if you use more that one DMR network!
DMR-MARC Talkgroups
You can find an updated list of DMR-MARC talkgroups by clicking here. DMR-MARC TALKGROUPS There is a link on the right side of the MARC page with an updated Excel spreadsheet.
Keep in mind that talkgroups are created by network administrators and can be updated from time to time.
Also, do not just create your own talkgroup without coordinating with individual network administrators.
Brandmeister Talkgroups
You can find an updated list of Brandmeister talkgroups by clicking here. BRANDMEISTER TALKGROUPS You can search on this page and also export the talkgroups in various formats specific to your needs.
Keep in mind that talkgroups are created by network administrators and can be updated from time to time.
Also, do not just create your own talkgroup without coordinating with individual network administrators.
