JohnProctor
As a newbie to DMR it is somewhat difficult to get a total picture of the process. Is there a description of what the Brandmeister Manager does in the OpenSpot2? For example what is the effect of putting a number of talk groups in the static talkgroup section. Why mght you want to do this? The same goes for the dynamic talkgroup section. Why do these sections exist? I have searched the documentation and there doesn't seem to be an explanation of these group sections in the Brandmeister Manager. Too much information about DMR assumes too high a level of familiarity with the infrastructure behind it and so skips the basics. I have 40 years in IT and an EE degree and I find getting basic information problematical. What hope would a non-techie have?
HA2NON
You can find the description of the BMM in the user manual:
http://manuals.sharkrf.com/openspot2/en/side-panels-tools-page.html#brandmeister-manager
With BMM, you can link/unlink static and dynamic talkgroups and reflectors, and you can interrupt the currently ongoing call.
DMR networks usually have static or dynamic linking available for a talkgroup. Statically linked TGs remain linked all the time, dynamically linked TGs stay linked for you only for a limited amount of time after the last call (usually 15 minutes on BM, depending on server configuration). You don't need the BMM for linking/unlinking dynamic TGs. You can link a TG dynamically by simply starting a call to the talkgroup. To unlink all dynamically linked talkgroups, call TG4000.
There's also a BM feature for hotspots called auto static talkgroups: the first TG you call after calling TG4000 will be linked auto static which means it won't be unlinked after a timeout. You can unlink this auto static TG by calling TG4000.
JohnProctor
That is a good description about AA/UA TGs but it doesn't tell me what the effect of listing a talkgroup has in the static section of the Brandmeister Network. For example out of the box that section has 1 listed and nothing else. What is the effect of listing 1, 91, 3100, 50502, 530 etc v.s. leaving it at the default of 1? I found nothing in the manual regarding the static section. other than the static section is there.
DJ6KR
The static TGs are the ones you always want to hear, without having to deal with it again. So e.g. I have my local repeater and regional groups and clusters on there. Whenever anyone says anything in any of my static talkgroups, my openspot2 will transmit that to me, so I can hear it on my radio. Now if I am calling a friend on a Talkgroup that I am not interested in in general but know he listens on, I link it as dynamic. Therefore after I called him, and after the was no more traffic for about 15min, the group will be automatically disconnected and I won't be "bothered" with stuff that goes on there in the future.
Hope this helps. If more input is wanted, please feel free to ask.
JohnProctor
I don't want to seem dense but I know what a static vs dynamic talkgroup is. What I am asking is you have two settings in the Brandmeister Manager. One setting allows you to list talkgroups in a section called static and the other you can list talkgroups in the dynamic section. By listing talkgroups in the static section what does this achieve? It is my understanding that talkgroup characteristics are set by the Brandmeiser Network not the hotspot. So a Brandmeister static talkgroup is a static talkgroup whether you list it in the static section of the OpenSPOT2 Brandmeister Manager or not. If this is the case what is the static section of the Bramdmeister Manager for? What does listing a talkgroup in the static section achieve? Given that dynamic hotspots are connected automatically when you select the talkgroup via the radio and press the PTT switch. What does listing a talkgroup in the dynamic section achieve? Surely the hotspot cannot change a dynamic group to a static group and visa versa or am I missing something?
DJ6KR
AFAIK the difference is only on the user side.
I can link 31075 as dynamic, so it goes away after some time, and you can link it static, so it stays. To the network it is just this talkgroup, which is always there ready to be connected. Any repeater or hotspot owner can link any of them and make them static or dynamic on his side.
Hope I got your point now.
JohnProctor
That was exactly what I wanted to know. Getting information is somewhat problematical given the informality of a lot of the documentation out there. So to summarise what you are telling me:
The user can nominate whether a talkgroup is static or dynamic. The user's radio will then treat the talkgroup status as that which the user defined in the Brandmeister Manage. If not defined there the talkgroup status is determined by the network.
IF this is true why didn't it say so in the Brandmeister Manager documentation (rhetorical question!). Thank you for the explanation.
HA2NON
The talkgroup status is always determined by the network as there is no talkgroup status information available in the DMR protocol.
JohnProctor
Ok, we are now back to my original question. Your documentation on the Brandmeister Manager covers what I would call the SYNTAX of that application. That is all well and good. As another example the TYT manual for the MD-UV380/390 does that as well. However the effect of changes in the SYNTAX are not documented. That is what I call SEMANTICS. It is missing in the TYT radio documentation which renders it almost completely useless on how to use the radio. That is what is missing in the documentation of the Brandmeister Manager. The lack of the SEMANTICS of those options renders the documentation somewhat useless. So without knowing what the effect (SEMANTICS) of the static and dynamic options are in the OpenSPOT2 Brandmeister Manager are I will go back to their default options and leave them that way until someone can adequately explain what they are there for and what effect they have on a TG that one might list there. If anyone really knows what is going on there and can explain it I would appreciate being enlightened. I'm sorry if this appears rather pedantic but with over 40 years in the IT industry I have developed a real unacceptance for substandard documentation.
HA2NON
Please see the description I wrote in my previous post:
With BMM, you can link/unlink static and dynamic talkgroups and reflectors, and you can interrupt the currently ongoing call.
DMR networks usually have static or dynamic linking available for a talkgroup. Statically linked TGs remain linked all the time, dynamically linked TGs stay linked for you only for a limited amount of time after the last call (usually 15 minutes on BM, depending on server configuration). You don't need the BMM for linking/unlinking dynamic TGs. You can link a TG dynamically by simply starting a call to the talkgroup. To unlink all dynamically linked talkgroups, call TG4000.
There's also a BM feature for hotspots called auto static talkgroups: the first TG you call after calling TG4000 will be linked auto static which means it won't be unlinked after a timeout. You can unlink this auto static TG by calling TG4000.
Please keep in mind that talkgroups and reflectors are network features and their behavior may be different on each network. BrandMeister works the way I described. Reflector usage is deprecated (and nowadays mostly disabled) on BM servers.
What you need to know about DMR is that there are two basic types of voice calls: private and group. The network may forward your calls to other connected stations (hotspots/repeaters/gateways). A linked talkgroup usually mean that stations which have it linked will receive all (usually group) calls sent to that talkgroup.
What I suggest for you is to avoid static TGs and only use one talkgroup at a time. As the first TG you call after calling TG4000 will be auto static on the BrandMeister Network, the network will keep it linked until you call TG4000 again.
JohnProctor
I get all that but it doesn't tell me how this behaviour is modified by the listing or not listing a talkgroup in your Brandmeister Manager. If I list say TG 969 (Carribean) which is a BM talkgroup in the static section of your Brandmeister Manager how is the behaviour modified? If I list it in the dynamic section how is its behaviour modified? This is a simple question which no one seems to be able to answer.
HA2NON
If you have TG969 linked either dynamically or statically then the server will forward group calls (coming from other stations (repeaters, hotspots, gateways)) going to DMR ID 969 to your openSPOT2. Your openSPOT2 will transmit it on RF and your radio will receive it. Your radio will open the squelch if:
- The TX contact of the currently active channel is set to TG969, or
- You have an RX group list with TG969 in it and this RX group list is assigned to the currently active channel
JohnProctor
Thank you for that. That does explain what I was after. I finally have the answer but boy was that hard to get. Thanks for the response.
HA2NON
I'll add this information to the OS2 user manual.
JohnProctor
Good idea. How to make a good product better!
kd2pm
Something else to add in....I tried the TG4000 then TG31360 and it always shows up on OS2 as dynamic. Its not autostatic as the OS2 states it should be. Even if I try quick call and I have TG4000 checkbox on to have it send the TG4000 1st before sending the TG31360, its still dynamic and I have to key up or else I lose it. Someone had noted to me that in the BM network, you can log in and go to your hotspot profile and actually set up static TG's if you so want. I did that and now the OS2 shows TG31360 as static when it connects to the server so OS2 learns that from the BM server.
I typically use BM 3108 as my server of choice. Am I doing something wrong whereby the TG4000 followed by the TG31360 is not being set up as autostatic in OS2???
HA2NON
Auto static TGs are handled as dynamic by the BrandMeister Network so they are displayed as dynamic TGs (which never time out).
Please note that talkgroup and reflector linking is not handled by the openSPOT2, it is handled by the server and network. The openSPOT2 just forwards calls to and from the network to and from your radio.