WN3R

DMR radio prices range from $17 to $315 (commercial models can be more). Two ways to buy 1)List the wanted/needed features, or 2) Set your budget and get the best radio you can for the money. It pays to consider radios $50 above and below your budget. If you are only using your radio with a hotspot, you can get away with saving a good deal of money because most hotspots have displays. There aren't too many repeaters in the area. A hotspot is like having access to a private repeater 100% of the time. In other words, you don't have to worry about hogging it.

11-13-22 Crazy low prices for COTRE DMR UHF Radios on AMAZON. They work very well with Hotspots. Just search COTRE DMR. Read description carefully. Look for the words DMR or DIGITAL or DIGITAL/ANALOG. If you don't see those words the radio is analog only. Prices start an $17.00 shipped. I have tried all 3 models. I recommend the really small radio with the disappearing display. This model has 32 channels. Great sounding radio.

Come to my house for coffee and we can discuss DMR. You'll laugh when you see how many radios I have. I buy one or two each time they go on sale. We can discuss which hotspot to buy from Amazon. While you're here we can get you the credentials you need to get registered into the DMR world. Or we can do a Zoom Call and I can demo each type of radio. The learning curve for DMR is huge. My mission is to get newbies all setup; THEN they can hit the you tubes and other sites for the details. If you want to do it the hard way, OK by me. I just added a display to one of my hotspots and installed it the car. I now can see who's on without listening to a radio. Now my XYL thinks she has my full attention. HI 73, Dick PS The Hotspot I recommend is: https://a.co/d/aSVgkx3. The current price is about $50 more than what I paid a few years back. RPi board prices really skyrocketed.

Jim, I have radios here that I give away to DMR newbies. I will lend you a hotspot for a month and if you like DMR, you can order your own hotspot. Call me and I'll tell you what you need to do to register for a DMR Radio ID, etc. 73, Dick

Regardless of your license class, you can enjoy world wide QSO’s anytime. For less than $200, you can talk around the world from your home, vehicle, portable, and even while hiking. While DMR has a huge learning curve, I’ll get you on the air in minutes. You can learn about it after your QSO with Japan, Australia, and the UK all at the same time.

Simply adjust elements to proper length making sure the element length is the same on both sides of the boom. Never cut any tubing if the length can be achieved simply by pushing the smaller tubes into a larger one. Follow the directions. Good luck.

Based on the QST article, I resized the element lengths with a few loading coils and kite-winders to create a very quick to deploy antenna. I use a 10 meter Fiberglas telescoping mast to support the longer element. Electrically, it’s a dipole fed at the 800 ohm feed point. Physically, it seems like an end-fed long wire. When I first built it, my first contact was Senegal using 2 watts with a K-1. A Near End-Fed Antenna for Low Power 20 Meter Operation.pdf