Terms the user guide uses. In the web version, hover over, focus or tap a dotted term in the text to see its meaning. The developer glossary (dev/glossary.md) has the protocol and hardware terms.
DMR
Term
Meaning
All call
DMR talkgroup 16777215, heard by every radio on the slot.
AMBE+2 (AMBE)
DVSI's voice codec used by DMR. Not part of RadioFoundry. Taken from each radio's stock firmware. More
Call alert
A DMR page that makes another radio ring.
Color code (CC)
A number from 0 to 15 a DMR channel uses. Radios only hear calls with their color code.
Confirmed data
DMR packet data the receiving radio acknowledges. What didn't arrive is sent again.
DMR
Digital Mobile Radio, the ETSI digital radio standard (TS 102 361).
Hang time
How long after a call a repeater or radio keeps the call's talkgroup ready for a reply.
PI header (PI headers, PI)
A DMR header that announces encryption with a changing key. RadioFoundry never plays such calls.
Private call
A DMR call to one radio.
Radio check
A DMR request another radio answers automatically, to show it is on and in range.
SMS
Short message service: text messages. On DMR, short data carries them.
Talker alias
A short text, usually a callsign and name, sent along with DMR voice.
Talkgroup (TG, TGs)
A DMR group number. Everyone listening to it hears calls to it.
Timeslot (TS, TS1, TS2)
One of the two time slots of a DMR channel, TS1 and TS2.
RF and hardware
Term
Meaning
AM
Amplitude modulation: speech varies the carrier's strength. Airband uses it.
ANI
Automatic number identification: the caller's ID sent as tones in an analog call.
Bandwidth
The width of an FM channel: 12.5 kHz (narrow) or 25 kHz (wide).
CTCSS
Continuous tone coded squelch system: a sub-audible tone on FM that opens the squelch only for the right signal.
DCS
Digital coded squelch: a sub-audible digital code on FM that opens the squelch only for the right signal.
DFU
Device Firmware Upgrade: the USB protocol of the radio's bootloader.
DTMF
Dual tone multi frequency: the touch tones a keypad sends, in the audio.
Dual watch
Listening on two channels, A and B, and talking on the selected one. With one receiver the radio alternates between them.
FM
Frequency modulation: the analog voice mode. Speech moves the carrier's frequency.
GPS
Global positioning system: the satellite receiver that gives the radio its position.
LCD
Liquid crystal display: the radio's screen.
LED
Light-emitting diode: the radio's status light.
NMEA
The text format GPS receivers use to report position and time.
RF
Radio frequency: the signal in the air, as opposed to audio or data inside the radio.
RSSI
Received signal strength indicator: how strong the received signal is, in dBm.
RX
Receive.
SFR
Single frequency repeater. It repeats a call from one timeslot on the other timeslot of the same frequency. In MMDVM SFR the hotspot repeats, turned on by its host. In standalone SFR a channel set up in the codeplug repeats on its own, or talks through one. More
Split duplex
Transmitting on one frequency and receiving on another at the same time. Repeaters do, and so does the duplex hotspot setup. More
Squelch
The level a received signal must exceed before the radio plays it.
TOT
Transmit timeout: the longest transmission the radio allows.
TX
Transmit.
UHF
Ultra high frequency: 300 MHz to 3 GHz. The amateur 70 cm band is UHF.
USB
Universal Serial Bus. The radio uses it for the debug link, the network mode and firmware updates.
VFO
Variable frequency oscillator: tuning any frequency by hand instead of a stored channel.
VHF
Very high frequency: 30 to 300 MHz. The amateur 2 m band is VHF.
VOX
Voice-operated transmit.
Vendor terms
Term
Meaning
ARS
Automatic Registration Service: a radio tells a presence server it is on the air.
A fixed voice scrambling from Motorola and Anytone radios. Not encryption.
Control station
A radio a dispatch program on a computer uses to reach the fleet over the air.
CPS
Customer programming software: the program that writes the codeplug. RadioFoundry uses qdmr. More
LRRP (LIP)
Location Request and Response Protocol: a dispatcher asks a radio for its position. Motorola's position format; the standard has LIP.
MOTOTRBO
Motorola's DMR product line. Its extensions (ARS, TMS, LRRP, Capacity Plus) are not in the ETSI standard.
TMS
Text message service: Motorola's text message format on DMR. The standard's own short data uses other formats.
TYT
A Chinese maker of DMR radios.
Amateur and network
Term
Meaning
APRS
Automatic Packet Reporting System: positions and short messages shared between amateur stations. More
BrandMeister
A worldwide amateur DMR network of linked servers and talkgroups.
CW ID
A station's callsign sent in Morse code. A standalone SFR repeater channel sends one in FM every few minutes after traffic (Settings > Talk & listen > SFR CW ID). More
DMR ID (RadioID, DMR IDs)
The number that identifies your radio on DMR. Amateur IDs come from RadioID.net.
Hotspot
A small DMR modem that connects radios nearby to a DMR network over the internet. More
iGate
A station that passes APRS packets between the air and the APRS-IS internet network.
KISS
A simple protocol between a computer's APRS program and a radio modem (TNC).
mDNS
Multicast DNS: finding a device on a local network by a .local name. More
MMDVM
Multi-Mode Digital Voice Modem: the modem protocol MMDVMHost speaks. More
rigctld
Hamlib's network rig control protocol, used by loggers and SDR programs.
SNMP
Simple Network Management Protocol: reading a device's state over the network. More
TFTP
Trivial File Transfer Protocol: a minimal way to copy files to and from a device. More
RadioFoundry and firmware
Term
Meaning
Codeplug
The radio's programming: channels, zones, contacts, talkgroup lists, DMR ID. More
Contact
A person in the codeplug: name and DMR ID.
CSV
Comma separated values: a table as plain text, as programming software exports it.
Digital monitor
Playing every talkgroup on the timeslot (promiscuous mode; "hear all" in older RadioFoundry builds).
ID
Identifier: a number or name that picks out one thing.
Listen list (RX group list)
The talkgroups a channel listens to. The codeplug calls it the RX group list.
Monitor
Opening the squelch (FM) or hearing all talkgroups (DMR) while a key is held.
OK
The key that selects or confirms.
One-shot
A talk target used for one call and its reply window.
PC
Personal computer.
PTT
Push to talk: the key that transmits.
qdmr
A free, open source codeplug editor for DMR radios. More
RadioFoundry
RadioFoundry, this firmware.
Recent
RadioFoundry's list of stations heard and calls made.
Reply window
The time after a call during which PTT answers it.
Stock firmware
The firmware a radio shipped with, before RadioFoundry. Each RadioFoundry radio takes its voice codec from it.
Talk target
Where PTT goes: a talkgroup, a person or all call.
Temporary change
A change that lasts until the channel changes or you press Back on Home. Hold OK to keep it.
UI
User interface: the screen, keys and menus.
YAML
A text file format. qdmr stores its codeplug as YAML.
