While monitoring Brandmeister DMR Talk Group WorldWide 91, many of my fellow HAMS are logging QSOs in QRZ, LOTW, etc. (which is fantastic!)
During this, I am hearing a LOT of misunderstanding of Call Signs, forgetting call signs, and asking for a repeat, etc.
I thought I would just share some easy tips to make QSOs easier and more efficient, so even MORE QSOs can be made with each other.
#1. Almost all DMR radios have a screen which displays all the information you need, provided you have updated your radio with the latest Contact List. If it's been awhile since you programmed your radio, head over to RadioID.net and download an updated contact list for your specific radio.
#2. If your radio doesn't have a screen, or you don't have the ability to program your radio at the moment, there are several other tools available to help.
* If you are connecting via a local repeater, you can visit hose.BrandMeister.Network, this shows all the active Brandmeister TalkGroups, including call signs speaking at the moment. Talkgroup WorldWide 91 is almost always active and displayed on the top left of the screen, you can view the call sign currently speaking there. You can leave this running while making QSOs and always have the current speaker displayed.
*If you are connecting via a HotSpot, for example a Pi-Star, don't forget to view your HotSpot's web console pi-star.local
This shows a list of all call signs that have come through your hotspot recently, so if you missed a call sign, didn't hear it clearly, or the contact isn't in your radio, it will still display in the list, you can click on it and bring up the contact information in RadioID.net.
I hope this helps making your QSOs rapid fire and more enjoyable.
73
J Darius Redmond
WW1ZRD
