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[KF0LGX]

Three week licensed HAM here, so be nice. 

I have a Yaesu FT5D.  I bought a Zum Mini Pi-Star hotspot last weekend and successfully got it set up for YSF Mode.  I've talked to folks in Japan, New Zealand, Alabama, etc. in this mode.

Questions:

1. If I want to add DMR or S-Star mode for doing the same thing, can that be done or do I have to get a separate hotspot for those modes?

2. Will my Yaesu radio be able to RX/TX with DMR and D-Star over the hotspot?

Thanks in advance.

[K0UA]

I don't know. But the link has a document that alludes to it can do YSF to DMR cross mode. Read it and see what you think. I know it can do all the current modes, but that wouldn't do you any good as you have a YSF radio. BUT it looks like it can cross mode YSF to DMR.

https://amateurradionotes.com/pi-star-cross-modes.htm#ysfcrossmodeconfig

[G4AON]

Welcome to digital voice. There are a lot of expensive commercial hotspots that use the free Pi-Star software, which regardless of the label are mostly the same (except Shark RF OpenSPOT). MMDVM boards that plug onto a Raspberry Pi are cheap, price around $30 from China on eBay. Even an old Raspberry Pi 2, or a Zero W (WiFi version) will work fine, many are gathering dust and can be sourced for next to nothing, I have two spare in my shack drawer.

Some cross mode operation is possible with Pi-Star, but cross mode to/from D-Star won't work without decoding and encoding chips which is not part of the Pi-Star system. Some other cross mode operation is possible but seems a bit complicated to me.

Some rooms/talkgroups/reflectors are bundled together in the mistaken belief that potentially several thousand users can all talk on one channel, in practice it just hacks users off as there can only ever be one person talking and thousands listening awaiting a turn...

When you look at lists of areas/channels you will see everybody and his/her dog seems to be catered for, yet in practice very few are used.

You will find a lot of answers and support at the Pi-Star Forum, https://forum.pistar.uk/

73 Dave

[KF0LGX]

Thanks for all the feedback.  It appears that I won't be able to listen/talk to Dstar, but that's okay anyway.  There are lots of people on YSF to converse with.

Appreciate the education.