What Is A Talkgroup?
A DMR talkgroup is simply a way of grouping many Radio IDs into a single digital contact. Or put another way, a talkgroup is a method of organizing radio traffic specific to the DMR users that all want to hear the same thing and not be bothered by other radio traffic on a DMR network that they are not interested in hearing.
Talkgroups can exist for many purposes. You can have talkgroups for countries, states, counties, regions, cities, special interest groups etc. Just about any group of DMR users could have a talkgroup assigned to them if they wished to organize traffic that they can all monitor and take part in, without having to talk to each other one by one.
Talkgroups are also specific to individual DMR networks, But they all generally follow the same numbering scheme. So you need to make sure that you know what the various talkgroups are for each of the DMR networks that you may use.
For example, Talkgroup 3129 on the MARC network might not be the same as Talkgroup 3129 on the Brandmeister network. Most DMR software will not let you add a same talkgroup number, it will throw you an error. So in this case, Use the name you will be using it for. and write the second name down somewhere. So you will know who is whom.
Be sure to manage your Talkgroups separately if you use more that one DMR network!
What is a Dynamic Talkgroup?
Dynamic talkgroups assignments are used for temporary activation on a timeslot on a particular repeater. This type of talkgroup functions for a set amount of time AFTER a local repeater user activates it by transmitting on a repeater using that talkgroup in their radio. When the timer expires and no local user has keyed up again for a set amount of time… the timeslot and the talkgroup and release and the repeater is again open only to the talkgroups that remain static.
For example, if you are traveling in Colorado and wish to talk to a friend back home in Missouri, you could key up the Missouri talkgroup on a Colorado repeater that allows dynamic talkgroups and make a call on repeaters at home that have the Missouri talkgroup set as static. When you are done with your conversation, the dynamic timer will expire and the Colorado repeater will go back to normal.
Keep in mind that talkgroups are created by network administrators and can be updated from time to time. Also, do not just create your own talkgroup without coordinating with individual network administrators.
A great place to start is https://w0chp.radio the Home of the Best alternate to pi-star, WPSD Dashboard, not just for hotpots, but repeaters as well. the link will take you to their main page, and from there, you can go to Digital Radio Lists https://w0chp.radio/digital-radio-lists/ they are updated every hour, and include lists for…
- ADN Systems Talkgroup List
- BrandMeister Talkgroup List
- DMR+ Reflector List
- DMR+ Talkgroup List
- FCS Reflector List
- FreeDMR Talkgroup List
- FreeSTAR IPSC2 Talkgroup List
- M17 Reflector List
- NXDN Reflector List
- P25 Reflector List
- QuadNet Talkgroup List
- System X Talkgroup List
- TGIF Talkgroup List
- XLX Reflector List
- YSF Reflector List