Is this the best PMR446 radio? (dPMR446 digital) 

Thanks Lewis!

Thanks Michael!

Thanks :)

Do you know what frequencies they use? Are they PMR446 or something else?

@@radiosification I believe they were the Malaysian equivalent to PMR446. 12 channels pre loaded. I have no serial numbers on them anymore or I would have looked it up. Thanks for reply! Keep up the good work 🤝

@@starrcadeius Thanks!

Yeah I really like the 6.25 kHz digital modes like NXDN and dPMR. They seem to have better range than DMR and sometimes I feel like the audio is better even though they use the same vocoder. Thanks for sharing your experiences

@@radiosification Yeah. 6.25 kHz is excellent, and from video comparisons I think NXDN sounds better. Another reason I use NXDN is because police and fire, along with my dad's workplace use NXDN so it's really catching on in my area, most departments will be using that by the end of 2023 I think.

Thanks Rich. Yeah I think it's just because of the high cost of the radios!

I transmit QPSK500 on PMR and im heard in Czechia. If ur in Bosnia you would hear my QPSK500 on PMR.

Yes 200 quid, but also my guess is your average business just wants a radio easy to use, and while dpmr is not heard on my sds uniden with dpmr key there's lots using the new extended freqs mostly using dcs 026 which suggests a model which has automatically got the new channels 9 to 16 but not using the dpmr ones

Have a look at my comparison page linked to in the video description.

They're probably not dPMR radios but if you're using analogue then these would work with them in analogue mode. But if you're just gonna do that there's no point spending the extra money and you should buy a cheaper analogue model instead

I'll be looking out to see any of your videos on it! I'm sure you'll like it!

I just saw a document from the dPMR association saying that the Motorola XT600d series isn't compatible with other dPMR radios! Do you know anything about this? I know you have that radio so I'm curious if you've ever tried decoding it like with DSD or the dPMR decoder plugin in SDR#? I was really surprised that the XT660d is not a dPMR radio apparently

@@radiosification I have couple of those radios (XT6xxx version with LPD and just PMR) but never had any opportunity to try them out with something else, It's not answer to Your question but I tested Hytera that are DMR Tier 1 with normal DMR Motorola (in lab dummy environment of course) and they talk without any problem. With dPMR I have problem not having anything to try it out. Are You referring to that vague Facebook post or there was published some real data? I'm asking because there was reply "it's not complaint' - and in reality it is very broad term that sometimes don't mean anything for end user like Motorola having keyboard and allow sending sms - in case it's not part of standard - that make it incompatible - or that could be something serious like using different vocoder. I'm tight on budget but I will try put my hand on something else that is dPMR complainant. Sorry, I don't own SDR.

@@ElectronicNoobBlog It was mentioned in their document here: dpmrassociation.org/downloads/2019-docs/Certified-Interoperability-Guidance-Paper-2019.pdf As well as the facebook post you probably saw. I went and looked it up after that but couldn't find anyone else confirming or denying it. I'm surprised you don't own an SDR. If you're interested in radios it's a great thing to play with and you can get them extremely cheap like 10 to 15 euros. Search for rtl2832u on ebay and you should find the cheap blue ones from china if you want to get one without spending a lot. I also noticed that in the brochure they don't talk about the dPMR mode. You might be right that it's a minor incompatibility and the dPMR association are just making it look worse because they want companies to do the interoperability testing. Anyway thanks for replying. If you ever do get the opportunity to try it I'd be very interested to hear about it.

yes you can switch between three zones, so you can access 8 x 3 channels in total from the radio without any programming. I think it's possible to change common ID from the radio, yes. Please check the manual to confirm

There is the dpmr association. They promote dpmr including for pmr446 use

it can do if you enable it in the programming software I think

It does seem to on these ones

I don't have the icom to test that, but if the Kenwood lasts a full 18 hours then that's more than enough for 99% of use cases

@@radiosification thanks, also i was told the ICOM's don't make the beep noise when PTT is pressed compared to Kenwood. i am deciding between the TK3701D and IC FS29DR3. any choice ? thanks. 3710d was in 2019, DR3 was in mid 2023 if dates mean anything also. thanks a lot.

@@darrylyoung1121 you can turn off the beeps in programming software on the Kenwood. They're very good radios. The icoms seem good spec wise but I haven't tested so can't say for sure. From what I can tell, either is a good choice. The year probably doesn't make a difference

@@radiosification thanks, could this work if the other radio was another brand such as baofeng - on analogue thanks. or best both the same brand model?

@@darrylyoung1121 the single biggest benefit of buying either of the two radios we've been discussing in this comment thread is the digital mode which has better range and is clearer at long range. If you're going to use them with analogue radios (you can do this) then I wouldn't waste the money on expensive digital radios because you won't get the benefits. You'll be using them in analogue mode and then you might as well just buy a cheaper analogue model. I'd strongly recommend you buy a few of the same model or at least buy all digital ones

Less bandwidth = better range. The vocoder is the same for both and has the same bitrate too (since with DMR that 9600 bps is split into two for the two timeslots). So essentially DMR is dPMR but with a wider channel so there's more noise and you get more bit errors.

@@radiosification I see, however digital sound so badly, it's non usable in my book. I even stopped my work after the switched to digital due I can not understand the radio com anymore. So a bit more bandwidth is maybe a solution..?

@@VicGreenBitcoin tbh it's not a problem for 99% of people. Do you have hearing loss? Some radio brands have settings to compensate for hearing loss.

@@radiosification no hearing loss, I just have a problem whit the Unclear pinched metal like way the radios sound. Sometimes you miss entire syllables. it is as if the product or protocol is not completely finished. More colleagues are having trouble with it. we have tried different systems.

@@VicGreenBitcoin fair enough. If you're able to try out different radio systems maybe just switch back to analogue? Or even move to ptt over cellular instead like zello

What are you talking about?

Baofeng will work fine most of the time but just don't rely on them if it's something really important. dPMR and DMR both use the same vocoder so should sound about as good as each other. Any variations are down to how each manufacturer has implemented their radio.

I can't understand what you're trying to say here. Maybe use some sentences.

@@radiosification sorry I the fact u get 45 minutes out of these radio means no use to a busy business

Business users if 446 don't generally want 200 quid radios when u can use and rw use sane freqs using tones, my local tien has mukitole users on 446 and 449 business all using differant tones often using same freq, I too have used sand freq as other yseers at airshows, can't find a fully clear channel sometimes, ctcss and dcs help

So more users business wise on the new channels analogue mostly using dcs 026, these people get a radio and mostly leave as programmed at factory, as yet not found any dpmr on my equipped uniden sds100, but lots on analogue old chs and the new ones

Pmr446 as it was, us very useful and does the job most of the time for business users not wanting the expense of a proper licensed set up

You don’t know what are you talking about. A few months ago a world record of 1600km was broken in Portugal

Height is might

​@@marcocunha7742Portugal to where?

Fair enough, but all PMR446 radios have to have a non-removable antenna by law, so if you don't want this you have to use a licenced frequency or break the law and use a licenced radio on PMR446 frequencies.