Hotspots
Hotspots: 24 guides.
01
A hotspot behind NAT and on the road: do you need port forwarding and LTE
A hotspot opens an outbound UDP connection to the master server itself (homebrew/MMDVM, port 62031), so port forwarding on your router is usually NOT needed — it…
Hotspots
02
Bridging DMR networks: link your network to XLX, HBlink and BrandMeister
How bridges between DMR networks work: peer client, talkgroup and peer ID rewriting, linking an XLX module (TG9), HBlink with ACL, connecting to BrandMeister. A server-side bridge versus DMRGateway on the hotspot.
Hotspots
03
Build your own DMR hotspot: the complete 2026 guide
Build your own DMR hotspot in 2026: what it is, choosing a Raspberry Pi and MMDVM modem (HS_Hat simplex), flashing the RadioStar image, setup with no NAT port forwarding, calibration.
Hotspots
04
DMRGateway: multiple DMR networks on one hotspot
DMRGateway lets you keep several DMR networks on a single hotspot: how rewrite rules and talkgroup prefixes work, the upsides, the pitfalls and the alternatives.
Hotspots
05
DMR Repeaters in Russia: How to Find One on the Map (BrandMeister)
How to find a working DMR repeater in Russia: the BrandMeister map and dashboard (ID prefix 250), amateur repeater directories, VHF/UHF bands and channel setup. No repeater nearby? Set up a hotspot.
Hotspots
06
DroidStar: DMR from your phone and PC without a radio
DroidStar is an open-source DMR/YSF/M17/P25 client for Android, Windows and Linux. AMBE or software vocoder, connecting to a private network via the homebrew protocol.
Hotspots
07
Duplex hotspot: who actually needs one
How a duplex MMDVM hotspot differs from a simplex one, two ADF7021 radio modules, both timeslots at once — and when you really need it.
Hotspots
08
From Pi-Star to RadioStar: moving your hotspot to the DMRhub network
Why the RadioStar image beats hand-tuned Pi-Star: modem auto-detection, config from the portal, OTA updates. How to migrate painlessly: back up the old SD, flash…
Hotspots
09
Hotspot won't join the DMR network: systematic troubleshooting
Hotspot won't join the DMR network? Step-by-step systematic troubleshooting: power, modem not detected, frequency and Color Code, TX/RX mismatch, NAT and port forwarding.
Hotspots
10
How to Connect a Hotspot to Your DMR Network in 10 Minutes
Connecting a DMR hotspot to a network: what to enter in the [DMR Network] section of MMDVMHost/Pi-Star (master address, port 62031, DMR ID, password) and how RadioStar auto-provisioning does it without editing config files.
Hotspots
11
MMDVM_HS_Hat or Dual_Hat: which modem to choose
How MMDVM_HS_Hat differs from Dual_Hat: one or two ADF7021, simplex vs duplex, TCXO, AliExpress clones and frequency offset calibration.
Hotspots
12
Multiple Hotspots on One DMR ID: ESSID
ESSID is a two-digit suffix to your DMR ID that lets you register several hotspots without session conflicts. How it works in Pi-Star, WPSD and DMRhub.
Hotspots
13
Nextion display for a hotspot: wiring and firmware
Connecting a Nextion TFT to an MMDVM hotspot: pinout, 5V/3.3V level matching, flashing the .tft over microSD, configuring Pi-Star and WPSD — step by step.
Hotspots
14
OLED for an MMDVM hotspot: I2C wiring and on-screen readouts
A tiny 0.96″ OLED (SSD1306, I2C) on an MMDVM hotspot: which 4 wires go where (SDA/SCL/3.3V/GND), address 0x3C, how to enable it in the config, what the screen shows…
Hotspots
15
openSPOT vs DIY MMDVM hotspot: which to choose
SharkRF openSPOT versus a DIY MMDVM on Raspberry Pi with Pi-Star/RadioStar: price, ease of getting started, flexibility, cross-mode, support. Selection criteria.
Hotspots
16
Pi-Star from scratch: setting up a hotspot for the DMRhub server
Complete Pi-Star setup: flashing the image to SD, first login via Pistar-Setup, frequency and Color Code, adding your own DMR master in DMR Configuration for…
Hotspots
17
Pi-Star: login, default password and dashboard access
How to log in to Pi-Star: the pi-star.local dashboard address, the default pi-star login and raspberry password, SSH on port 2222, changing the password, resetting via the SD card and fixing access issues.
Hotspots
18
RadioStar image on microSD: a hotspot in 10 minutes
Step by step: what to use to write the RadioStar image (.img.gz) to a microSD card — Raspberry Pi Imager or balenaEtcher, which card to buy, first boot, Wi-Fi setup and…
Hotspots
19
What is MMDVM: the modem, firmware and boards in plain words
MMDVM in plain words: what this modem is, what a hotspot is made of (ADF7021, STM32, MMDVMHost on Raspberry Pi), which boards exist and what a beginner should pick for DMR.
Hotspots
20
Which DMR hotspot to choose in 2026: simplex or duplex, MMDVM, Jumbospot
Which DMR hotspot to choose in 2026: simplex or duplex, MMDVM_HS_Hat vs Jumbospot vs Dual Hat. Pi Zero 2W, TCXO, Pi-Star, WPSD. A buyer's checklist.
Hotspots
21
Why digital DMR audio breaks up and how to fix it
DMR digital audio breaks into robot noise and dropouts: we break down the causes across the RF, network and phone layers, learn to tell BER apart from packet loss, and give a fix checklist.
Hotspots
22
Wi-Fi or Ethernet for a hotspot: why audio breaks up
Why DMR audio on a Wi-Fi hotspot stutters even with clean BER: power-save drops the frame stream. Diagnosing packet loss and the fixes — Ethernet, power.
Hotspots
23
WPSD: a modern Pi-Star replacement for an MMDVM hotspot
WPSD (W0CHP-PiStar-Dash) is a living Pi-Star fork for an MMDVM hotspot: a new dashboard, an image for the Raspberry Pi 4/5/Zero 2 W, and an auto access point.
Hotspots
24
Your own MMDVM hotspot: hardware, simplex vs duplex, no Pi-Star
Which Raspberry Pi and which MMDVM modem to choose for a DMR hotspot: the difference between MMDVM_HS_Hat and Dual Hat, simplex and duplex, ADF7021, GPIO and USB modems…
Hotspots