In 2018 more and more services are become digital. Back in the days television was analog, (Band: 40 – 60 MHz, Band 3 177 – 230 MHz and UHF band 470 – 860 MHz). Radio was (and still is) available from 88 – 106MHz (analog). But that’s also going to chang. Today, at least at my QTH, there is no analog television anymore. Also the radio (88-106MHz) is being transformed to DAB+ and so on.

Also our hobby is getting digital modes. Mode/Techniques like D-Star, Fushion and DMR, are winning terrain over analog radio. Is that a bad thing?? Well, I don’t think so. Your “signal” is not travelling through the air but is travelling through the internet. So reaching an other continent is no longer a challenge. But the audio quality is good where ever the other amateur is coming from. That is different from listening to HF, where you have to search for the small signal between a bucket of static. Especially for someone like me, who has a hearing problem.

I have taken my first (actually my second) step in this digital world. My first step was d-star, build in, in my Icom 7100. I bought a DMR portable radio (Retevis RT82).

Why this one?
Well, I said to meself, a time a ago. “If I buy a digital radio, it must do analog aswell!”

Most digital radio will work also as an analog radio. But this is always single band, 70cm (400MHz) or 2m (140MHz).
This was the first which has both. At least, I could find.

The reviews of the radio were good, so I bought it. Last Wednesday (10th January 2018), I received it.

My first impression was: wow, it heavier then excpected! But soon after that I began to read the manual. Reading?? The supplied manual wasn’t really helpfull. Because it starts immediately with terms such as talk groups, timeslots, etc. What’s that???

It’s not only that I need to learn how to use this radio, but also what is DMR and how to use it.

That is why I made this page. To help others who are likely to run into the same questions