DMR STX net

STXARES
1

George,
According to the MinimalNetwatch there was no net last night.

Donald,
If you’d like to participate in the monthly SETECG (South East Texas Emergency Communications Group) net then you will need to use a DMR-MARC repeater. It is not a Brandmeister TG so cannot get to it via a Hotspot only repeaters in Southeast Texas. DMR-MARC repeaters have static Talk Groups assigned to them and a list of repeaters can be found at DMRTEXAS.NET.
DMR-MARC and BrandMeister are two different networks and generally a Hotspot does not work on a DMR-MARC repeater nor does a BrandMeister TG work on a DMR-MARC repeater.

Hopefully this helps.

Rick B
N5KJN

2

Rick,

Thanks for the input. I believe the local repeaters I was using were DMR-MARC repeaters however I will go back and check that. I used the DMRTEXAS.NET website to build the codeplug for my HT and labeled those channels as “SETECG”. Perhaps next month I will find the net.

If the source MinimalNetwatch indicated that there was no net then perhaps that is the real answer in this case.

–George Fletcher, AD5CQ

3

General observation and seeking some clarification.
“Montgomery Co. ARES leverages the South Coast Reflector (SCR) and its family of repeaters, which includes a mix of Analog and DMR over BM. TX Races has their DMR net on BM/STexas TG. Wondering why STXAres runs their DMR net on cBridge?. I understand the desire to diversify among the several DMR networks available for contingencies sake. However, I think some us new to DMR need a reference sheet, so that when in an routine net, exercise, or activated, access is just a channel-change away.

I think those ARES organizations that full under STXares, could publish a master list of repeaters, modes, networks and their interconnects. Then align scheduled net’s in a rotating fashion among those networks to validate reach/coverage and capabilities among members and served agencies.

The published list could take the form of an ICS-205, so were working off the same sheet of music within STX, or at least among bordering counties (aka mutual aid) and our served agencies.

Note, I do have a WPSD/pi-star hotspot configured for BM, useful when out of range of a BM DMR repeater or local repeater is down; However I’ve also connected through out of state BM DMR repeaters to reach back to the TX Races DMR network, as well as the SCR environment for MCounty AREA. I’m pretty sure DMR-MARC can be accessed in the same fashion, albeit with a pi-star config change, or second pi-star.

Thanks

4

The 8686 SETECG net, held on the cBridges in the HOU metro area, while dependent on connections to the other cBridge connected repeaters, rely on much more hardened/redundant internet connections than BrandMeister network (basically homebrew) repeaters, (which, BTW, there are none in our area that I am aware of), so it was decided by the SETECG group (thanks, Tracey and Company) to utilize cBridges as opposed to BrandMeister.

As far as a ‘master list’ of STX ARES frequencies, etc, one DOES exist as part of the STX ARES Comms plan, at least for D14.. (https://stxd14ares.org/frequencies/)

I ask that Jeff Walter, our SEC for STX, provide the link for the entire STX comms plan, as I am having a brain fart at the moment……

As far as Mutual-Aid plans for comms, in Harris County, we have been shying away from organization-specific affiliation. There has been a major change with regards to the leadership of the EOC Logistics branch which governs our participation in Harris County as Amateur Radio Operators. They have shifted to an AUXC based mentality, to take advantage of the many groups (i.e. SATERN, GMRS, ARC, etc..) that can provide support during an emergency.

What it comes down to in the greater Houston area is: They don’t give a hoot what group/club/radio license you have – when they ask the AUXC to deploy, they want us to develop a plan to get the info they need to the appropriate place, regardless of how we get it there. WinLink, DMR, VHV/UHF/P25, CB Radio, MARS, SHARES, etc.. makes no difference.

They want to task us and just have us get the job done without further communication. They have enough to deal with without having to babysit the Ham community….

At least that is how I read it!

WA5LEE

Lee Glassman, ARRL VE, COM-L, COM-T, AUXC,

**RADO, ITSL, NREMT #**E3525310

Tomball, Texas

https://wa5lee.com

Pronouns: Him/He

HCOHSEM AUXCOMM

5

The 8686 SETECG net, held on the cBridges in the HOU metro area, while dependent on connections to the other cBridge connected repeaters, rely on much more hardened/redundant internet connections than BrandMeister network (basically homebrew) repeaters, (which, BTW, there are none in our area that I am aware of), so it was decided by the SETECG group (thanks, Tracey and Company) to utilize cBridges as opposed to BrandMeister.

As far as a ‘master list’ of STX ARES frequencies, etc, one DOES exist as part of the STX ARES Comms plan, at least for D14.. (https://stxd14ares.org/frequencies/)

I ask that Jeff Walter, our SEC for STX, provide the link for the entire STX comms plan, as I am having a brain fart at the moment……

As far as Mutual-Aid plans for comms, in Harris County, we have been shying away from organization-specific affiliation. There has been a major change with regards to the leadership of the EOC Logistics branch which governs our participation in Harris County as Amateur Radio Operators. They have shifted to an AUXC based mentality, to take advantage of the many groups (i.e. SATERN, GMRS, ARC, etc..) that can provide support during an emergency.

What it comes down to in the greater Houston area is: They don’t give a hoot what group/club/radio license you have – when they ask the AUXC to deploy, they want us to develop a plan to get the info they need to the appropriate place, regardless of how we get it there. WinLink, DMR, VHV/UHF/P25, CB Radio, MARS, SHARES, etc.. makes no difference.

They want to task us and just have us get the job done without further communication. They have enough to deal with without having to babysit the Ham community….

At least that is how I read it!

WA5LEE

Lee Glassman, ARRL VE, COM-L, COM-T, AUXC,

**RADO, ITSL, NREMT #**E3525310

Tomball, Texas

https://wa5lee.com

Pronouns: Him/He

HCOHSEM AUXCOMM

6

Dr. M… Just got back from a cruise….

I am always willing to talk about improving the ability of ARES groups with regard to EMCOMM….

Drop me a line this coming week and we can chat….

WA5LEE

Lee Glassman, ARRL VE, COM-L, COM-T, AUXC,

**RADO, ITSL, NREMT #**E3525310

Tomball, Texas

https://wa5lee.com

Pronouns: Him/He

HCOHSEM AUXCOMM

7

Here is the link to the STX ARES Communications Plan.

STX Emergency Comm Plan - ARRL South Texas (STX)

[

STX Emergency Comm Plan - ARRL South Texas (STX)

Jeff Walter

ARRL South Texas Section, Amateur Radio, Ham Radio, Radio Club, Hamfest, ARES, STX, STEM, STEAM, Pactor, Winmor,…
](https://arrlstx.org/index.php/ares-stx/stx-emergency-comm-plan.html)

DMR is not a part of the plan. Neither is D-Star although I own one of those radios.

Jeff Walter - KE5FGA
ARRL STX SEC

Dr. M… Just got back from a cruise….

I am always willing to talk about improving the ability of ARES groups with regard to EMCOMM….

Drop me a line this coming week and we can chat….

WA5LEE

Lee Glassman, ARRL VE, COM-L, COM-T, AUXC,

**RADO, ITSL, NREMT #**E3525310

Tomball, Texas

https://wa5lee.com

Pronouns: Him/He

HCOHSEM AUXCOMM

8

But that raises the question… Should DMR, D-Star, and Fusion/C4FM be added to the STX ARES Comm Plan?
Lots of DMR and Fusion repeaters have been put on the air…

IF (note the capital IF) I had sensitive info that I had to send by radio there is value in using a digital mode as it reduces the number of folks that could listen in…

Folks with a cheap Baofeng or Police Scanner would be dead in the water if we were to use a digital mode…

Folks with a top-dollar “DMR Police Scanner” or medium-priced DRM HT could listen to FM and DMR, but not D-Star or Fusion/C4FM… But they would have to be close enough if a Simplex freq was used…

IF done on D-Star or C4FM and on a simplex freq, somebody listening in would have to be close and have the right kind of radio and find the right frequency…

73 Dallas N4DDM

Here is the link to the STX ARES Communications Plan.

STX Emergency Comm Plan - ARRL South Texas (STX)

[

STX Emergency Comm Plan - ARRL South Texas (STX)

Jeff Walter

ARRL South Texas Section, Amateur Radio, Ham Radio, Radio Club, Hamfest, ARES, STX, STEM, STEAM, Pactor, Winmor,…
](https://arrlstx.org/index.php/ares-stx/stx-emergency-comm-plan.html)

DMR is not a part of the plan. Neither is D-Star although I own one of those radios.

Jeff Walter - KE5FGA
ARRL STX SEC

Dr. M… Just got back from a cruise….

I am always willing to talk about improving the ability of ARES groups with regard to EMCOMM….

Drop me a line this coming week and we can chat….

WA5LEE

Lee Glassman, ARRL VE, COM-L, COM-T, AUXC,

**RADO, ITSL, NREMT #**E3525310

Tomball, Texas

https://wa5lee.com

Pronouns: Him/He

HCOHSEM AUXCOMM

9

I will only support the communications plan that is in place that serves all 97 counties is South Texas.
This plan was in place long before I came along. The radios and infrastructure theory used then, still works today, around the world.

Modern cell phones all work the same regardless of brand, location or extra capabilities installed in the device. The Achilles heel? Internet.
Basic Communications doesn’t need the internet.

Individual EC’s can do whatever is in the best interest of their jurisdiction.

There is training, mutual aid and equipment infrastructure to be considered before changing or adding anything to the local communications plan.
If “the big one” happens before before all is implemented and the “old” way of doing things is suddenly, even temporarily, the way to do it, why change?

Public service events are the backbone of our training. When these events go beyond the basic expected radio set up of: dual band radio, 25w output, a gain antenna and a power source, the training source is severely compromised. I realize there are events where a handheld device will work just fine and is actually required.

Notice that the basic radio did not include a brand, talk group, network or the internet. Those are all limiting factors.

Basic radio for When All Else Fails is what I personally support.

Not sure what “the big one is” and chances are, many have already happened. Just ask the folks involved with 911, Katrina, Sandy, Irma, Maria, Helene, more recently Beryl, if they were “big ones”.

Regards,

Jeff Walter - KE5FGA
ARRL STX SEC

But that raises the question… Should DMR, D-Star, and Fusion/C4FM be added to the STX ARES Comm Plan?
Lots of DMR and Fusion repeaters have been put on the air…

IF (note the capital IF) I had sensitive info that I had to send by radio there is value in using a digital mode as it reduces the number of folks that could listen in…

Folks with a cheap Baofeng or Police Scanner would be dead in the water if we were to use a digital mode…

Folks with a top-dollar “DMR Police Scanner” or medium-priced DRM HT could listen to FM and DMR, but not D-Star or Fusion/C4FM… But they would have to be close enough if a Simplex freq was used…

IF done on D-Star or C4FM and on a simplex freq, somebody listening in would have to be close and have the right kind of radio and find the right frequency…

73 Dallas N4DDM

Here is the link to the STX ARES Communications Plan.

STX Emergency Comm Plan - ARRL South Texas (STX)

[

STX Emergency Comm Plan - ARRL South Texas (STX)

Jeff Walter

ARRL South Texas Section, Amateur Radio, Ham Radio, Radio Club, Hamfest, ARES, STX, STEM, STEAM, Pactor, Winmor,…
](https://arrlstx.org/index.php/ares-stx/stx-emergency-comm-plan.html)

DMR is not a part of the plan. Neither is D-Star although I own one of those radios.

Jeff Walter - KE5FGA
ARRL STX SEC

Dr. M… Just got back from a cruise….

I am always willing to talk about improving the ability of ARES groups with regard to EMCOMM….

Drop me a line this coming week and we can chat….

WA5LEE

Lee Glassman, ARRL VE, COM-L, COM-T, AUXC,

**RADO, ITSL, NREMT #**E3525310

Tomball, Texas

https://wa5lee.com

Pronouns: Him/He

HCOHSEM AUXCOMM

10

Public service events are the backbone of our training.

I agree, Jeff, and after researching and publishing the 2025 Special Events Calendar I became
aware of how many events we have lost over the last 5+ years due to Covid. While the major
events remain, the number of opportunities to participate has been greatly reduced.

I would like the membership to keep their eyes and ears open to the possibility of new events
in their areas and to contact their ECs with contact info for follow-up. If that produces no results,
I think that SETs, possibly quarterly, might provide a solution.

73,
Paul
k5prs

11

While the idea of using digital modes like DMR, D-Star, or Fusion/C4FM for sensitive information transmission in ARES operations may seem appealing at first glance, it’s important to understand that this approach is fundamentally flawed and potentially dangerous.

Here’s why:

Amateur radio is not secure: Regardless of the mode used, amateur radio transmissions are not encrypted and can be intercepted by anyone with the right equipment. Using digital modes does not make the transmission secure.

Violates FCC rules: Transmitting sensitive or confidential information over amateur radio frequencies is against FCC regulations.

False sense of security: Relying on the perceived difficulty of interception could lead to complacency and potential breaches of sensitive information.

Deviates from established protocols: ARES operations have well-established protocols for handling sensitive information, which typically involve using more secure communication methods provided by served agencies.

Compromises ARES mission: The primary role of ARES is to provide reliable communication support, not to handle sensitive information directly.

In conclusion, adding DMR, D-Star, or Fusion/C4FM to the STX ARES Comm Plan for handling sensitive information would be inappropriate and potentially harmful to the ARES mission. ARES operators should continue to follow established protocols and use agency-approved secure methods for any sensitive communications.

Ron Estes
KJ5EFO
Brazos County AEC

12

As an AEC for Polk County,Tx I know of no method that the EOC uses to provide secure communications. So does that mean we should NOT be used during an emergency?
Deviates from established protocols: ARES operations have well-established protocols for handling sensitive information, which typically involve using more secure communication methods provided by served agencies.

NB5C Donald

13

No, it simply means that sensitive information cannot be sent via amateur radio frequencies. Each county ARES group should work with local emergency managers and served agencies on how best to assist during emergency situations. This could include using served agency systems and sensitive information, but you would not be operating as an ammeter radio operator in that instance. Again, this would be a county specific plan, not something addresses by ARRL or ARES as a whole.

For clarity, in the context of the FCC and ham operators, sensitive information refers to:

Encrypted messages or communications in codes or ciphers intended to obscure meaning, except for specific exemptions like space telecommand and RTTY data codes.
Personal identifiable information (PII) such as full names, addresses, phone numbers, or Social Security numbers.
Specific medical conditions or diagnoses of individuals.
Communications that could be used for personal or business gain, including those related to an employer.
Information transmitted for compensation or pecuniary benefit.
Obscene or indecent words or language.
False or deceptive messages, signals, or identification.
Communications related to criminal activities.
Broadcasts or communications related to program production or news gathering for broadcasting purposes.
Intercepted radio communications used for personal benefit, such as competitive advantages in business.

Obviously not all of those directly relate to emergency response, but I wanted to include the list for informational purposes. ARES plays a critical role in emergency response when serving within our operating procedures and guidelines. Some examples where we can support are:

Situational awareness reporting
Resource coordination
Public information dissemination
Shelter communications
Damage assessment support
Backup communications
and more…

Ron
KJ5EFO

14

Ron,

“Violates FCC rules: Transmitting sensitive or confidential information over amateur radio frequencies is against FCC regulation”. I can’t find anything to support this. Please provide part 97 citation for our awareness.

Here is how one group handles this: HIPAA and Amateur Radio

How we handle sensitive information depends on our served agency.

-Mark

15

I am going to partially (for now) chime in to agree with Mark Wilson..

There are no rules prohibiting sensitive or confidential information over ham radio frequencies when assisting a served agency. We are also exempt from HIPAA liability if we are following the instructions of a served agency.

WA5LEE

Lee Glassman, ARRL VE, COM-L, COM-T, AUXC,

**RADO, ITSL, NREMT #**E3525310

Tomball, Texas

https://wa5lee.com

Pronouns: Him/He

HCOHSEM AUXCOMM

16

I am going to partially (for now) chime in to agree with Mark Wilson..

There are no rules prohibiting sensitive or confidential information over ham radio frequencies when assisting a served agency. We are also exempt from HIPAA liability if we are following the instructions of a served agency.

17

I was taught (getting my license) that these transmissions were against FCC rules and regulations. You are right to challenge that, as it now seems that my instruction was probably more of a broad statement to get me to pass the exam and general best practices and not specifically addressing the details about the issue. Sure was phrased that way, but that is on me for not challenging that myself.

After digging into Part 97 myself, I can’t find any specific regulation that outright bans transmitting sensitive or confidential information. The closest we get are rules about encryption, pecuniary interests, and message forwarding, but nothing directly addressing sensitive info.

Thanks for pointing this out, I always like getting challenged and learning in the process. I have not had to deal with HIPPA and radio operations, so that is interesting to learn as well.

Ron Estes
KJ5EFO