I’ve used a number of digital radios/modes, but have settled into using a local Hotspot and a HT (either DSTAR, Fusion, or DMR, of course). The Hotspot worked very well, but it seemed like the radio was never in the same place as I was or the batteries were dead. Not the best way to occasionally get on a digital mode.
I had considered buying a traditional RF radio, some mobile device, but that begged the question: which one to choose? I didn’t want to have three different radios and antennas. I had messed around with BlueDV, a software application that runs on a computer, but I wouldn’t take the time to set it up, and it often sprung to life at inappropriate times (like when I was running a class over Zoom).
I stumbled onto a device by the DVMEGA group in the Netherlands. It’s a “DVMEGA Cast”. It isn’t a radio in the sense of using RF, but it is an IP radio. You plug it into your wired network (or use WiFi). It runs Pi-Star, which I’m familiar with from my Hotspot, and has a nice touchscreen user interface. I just pick the mode (DMR, DSTAR, FUSION) and the group, reflector, room, and I’m all set.
