Micro-Node International NANO-DV User manual

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NANO - DV
World’s Smallest Plug & Play Personal Hotspot
for D-Star, DMR, C4FM, P25 and dPMR
User's Manual
REVISION 1.03
Micro-Node International, Inc. - Henderson, Nevada

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Table of Contents
1.0 CAPABILITIES OF THE NANO-DV PERSONAL HOTSPOT 3
2.0 OPERATING MODES .................................................................................................... 3
3.0 DIGITAL MODES OF OPERATION ................................................................ 4
4.0 REFLECTORS ............................................................................................................................ 6
5.0 SYSTEM CONFIGURATION AND SETUP .............................................. 8
6.0 CONFIG MENU .............................................................................................................. 8
7.0 LIST UPDATE MENU ............................................................................................. 11
8.0 RSSI / LASTHEARD MENU ............................................................................ 12
9.0 DEBUG MENU ............................................................................................................ 13
10.0 DMR / BRANDMASTER MENU .............................................................. 14
DMR EXTENDED ROUTING .......................................................................................... 14
11.0 WIFI NETWORK SETUP ........................................................................................... 16
12.0 EXTERNAL CONNECTIONS ................................................................................. 17
13.0 MAIN PROCESSING SUBSYSTEM SPECIFICATION .............. 18
14.0 RF SUBSYSTEM TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS .......................... 18

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1.0 CAPABILITIES OF THE NANO-DV PERSONAL HOTSPOT
The Nano-DV is a small stand alone personal hotspot that allows linking with
D-STAR DCS, XRF, REF, DMR as well as Fusion C4FM, APCO-P25 and
dPMR reflectors.
Nano-DV is a complete Plug and Play embedded solution that only requires an
internet connection (Wired CAT5 or WiFi) and a 5VDC@500ma maximum
power source.
The Nano-DV incorporates a simple to use and comprehensive software
package developed by DG8FAC (Stefan Reimann), DG1HT (Torsten Schultze)
and DJ0ABR (Kurt Moraw). In addition, the above software was customized for
use with the internal 320x480 LCD touch screen by DL5KV of KW-Soft.
2.0 OPERATING MODES
Digital ham radio repeaters are connected via reflectors allowing for worldwide
connections from one repeater to another. With the Nano-DV hotspot you
create your own connection to a particular digital reflector network and gain
access to all connected ham radio repeaters. When connected all voice
communications on the connected reflector will be transmitted and received by
the hotspot's built-in 70cm transceiver.
The Nano-DV hotspot is the ideal solution for mobile operation or when you
don't have access to a local digital repeater. e.g. inside buildings or traveling in
remote locations. When using the hotspot you use your own call sign and
reduce your transmit power to just enough to cover your living area for reliable
communication.

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3.0 DIGITAL MODES OF OPERATION
The Nano-DV can be used with five different digital modes.
D-Star
D-Star was developed in Japan 1999/2000 especially for ham radio and
due to its clear and relative simple user interface the worldwide leading
system. Voice is being transformed by the AMBE Vocoder into a
compressed digital data stream of 3600 bits/s. In addition there is a data
channel with 1200 bits/s for a total data rate of 4800 bits/s. This data signal
modulates a carrier, so that a logical 0 is one frequency and a logical 1 a
second frequency. This is called 2FSK (two frequency shift keying) or
GMSK (which is the same, however the signal is utilized with a Gauss
curve). This signal can be used to modulate most FM transceivers (via the
packet radio socket). This is the reason why there are many homemade D-
Star solutions.
There are three D-Star reflector systems in use today.
DCS Reflectors (the system with widest use)
D-Plus REF reflectors (mostly in the English speaking countries)
X-Reflector system which plays a minor role.
Nano-DV enables communication with all three systems.
DMR
DMR is a system designed for commercial applications. This is evident in
the user interface where numbers are used in lieu of call signs. DMR
modulates with 4FSK, indicating that it uses 4 frequencies (compared to D-
Star with 2 frequencies). This allows to double the data rate to 9600 bit/s.
This higher rate allows the transmission of 2 channels at the same time (2
time slots). The DV4mini always operates in time slot 2 and in simplex
mode. The radios must be configured accordingly. Today there are two
DMR networks in use. One based on Hydra technology and the other on
Motorola. The Nano-DV checks in to the Hytera network. However if
Motorola repeaters have installed the appropriate software they can also be
reached. DMR reflectors have numbers in the range of 4000 to 5000, each
region has its own reflector which can be selected in the Nano-DV menu.

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C4FM-Fusion
C4FM-Fusion is a system developed by YAESU It is similar to DMR as it
uses 4FSK, and transmits using 4 frequencies with a total data rate of 9600
bits/s. It also uses the same AMBE+ Codec as DMR, but needs only 3600
bits/s. The extra bits are used in C4FM-Fusion in a different way. They can
be utilized for data transfer (e.g. GPS) but also for additional error
correction to make the speech more robust during interference. There is
also a mode for high speech quality which uses all bits for speech only.
C4FM -Fusion reflectors are named FCS001 etc. All Nano-DV's connected
to a reflector can hear each other.
It is very easy to connect a C4FM-Fusion repeater to the FCS reflector
system. Just put a Nano-DV next to the repeater and enter the reverse
RX/TX frequencies.
dPMR
dPMR is a system adopted by the ETSI (the European Telecommunications
Standards Institute) and developed into a European Standard. dPMR
became an open, non-proprietary EU standard and was published under the
reference TS 102 490 (License-free) and TS 102 658 (Licensed).
dPMR uses FDMA to divide the 12.5kHz channel in to two 6.25kHz sub-
channels. dPMR uses 4FSK modulation at a rate of 2400 symbols/second
where the dibits mapped to +1050 Hz, +350 Hz, -350 Hz and -1050 Hz
deviations of the carrier in relation to the center frequency.
dPMR supports different levels of functionality, Mode 1: Peer-to-peer direct
mode (communication without infrastructure), Mode 2: Centralized repeater
network and Mode 3: Managed centralized repeater network (trunking).
The Nano-DV operates using Mode2 conventional (repeaters and
infrastructure).
APCO-P25
In the USA Motorola repeaters are in use that utilize this mode. Because of
the similarity with C4FM we included this mode in the Nano-DV. There is
also a reflector for it in “reflector.net”

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4.0 REFLECTORS
A reflector is a server connected to the Internet and is linked to a number of
digital Ham Radio repeaters. If one of these repeaters is active it will send
the voice data stream to the reflector. The reflector sends a copy of the
voice data to all of the connected repeaters. This means that a QSO can be
heard on all connected repeaters simultaneously.
Thus the chance to find a QSO partner is considerably increased - which is
one of the reasons reflectors are so popular.
The following system reflectors are in operation.
DCS (Digital Call Server)
DCS is the most modern D-STAR reflector system and in worldwide use.
Many countries use their own reflectors which differ from each other by
their 3 digit number. (DCS001, DCS002 etc). Each DCS reflector has 26
rooms which are allocated to various regions of a country or continent.
These rooms (A to Z) have been given names to make their identification
easier and are shown on the user surface of the DV4mini.
FCS
FCS reflectors are similar to DCS reflectors but planned for the Yaesu
C4FM system. FCS001 and rooms 0-99.
PCS
PCS reflectors are also similar to DCS reflectors but used by the P25 system.
PCS001 and rooms 0-99.
Xreflectors
Xreflectors are the second generation of D-STAR reflectors and no longer
widely in use. However in some countries like Italy they are still used as the
hams have not yet agreed to a uniform concept. Also Xreflectors have less
ports over which simultaneous QSOs be run. Xreflectors are named XRF001,
XRF002 etc.
D-Plus reflectors
They were the first generation D-STAR reflector system. Although it is getting
old it is still used intensively in a number of countries (mostly English speaking
ones like USA, UK and Canada). D-Plus reflectors are named REF001,
REF002 etc. They also use a number of ports allowing for simultaneous QSOs.

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DMR reflectors
DMR reflectors consist of several regional servers that are connected with each
other via a super ordinate network. Two nets exist, One based on Hytera and
the other based on Motorola technology. The Hytera network is open and
friendly to Ham Radio operators using the Nano-DV hotspot. The DMR-MARC
network by design will ONLY allow Motorola repeaters to connect because of
the proprietary IPSEC that Motorola has that lets the repeaters communicate
through the C-bridges.
Net organization (CCS7)
The many reflectors, repeaters and also Dongle users (the Nano-DV is
considered a Dongle too) require a structured organization, so that the network
technology works properly.
D-Star works with call signs to identify a station. DMR however uses numbers.
That is why it is necessary that an amateur radio station gets a number
assigned in addition to its call sign and that this call sign - number combination
is known to the network.
Go to the web site http://dmr-marc.net/cgi-bin/trbo-database/register.cgi and
request a 7 digit number to be assigned. This number is then entered into the
DMR/CCS7 field of the Nano-DV configuration menu. This facilitates reporting
into the network and conduct worldwide contacts in D-Star or DMR and the use
of D-Star/DMR bridges.

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5.0 SYSTEM CONFIGURATION AND SETUP
In the following menu tabs you will be configuring your personal data, frequency
and power level of the internal radio and mode of operation. Your call sign and
location data will be resolved from your DMR-ID. It could be changed manually
if needed.
If there are pending software updates available for the Nano-DV there will be a
message in RED lettering just above the Write and Read buttons on the
configuration screen below. By clicking on this message a software update
dialog box will appear allowing you to perform the update.
6.0 "CONFIG" MENU
Enter your 7 digit DMR/CCS7 ID number . If you don’t have one yet or have
forgotten yours go to the http://dmr-marc.net website and query under the
"Database" tab or apply for new one.

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If you entered your DMR/CCS7 ID your call sign will be automatically loaded
from the DMR database along with the letter D designator. If you have several
Nano-DV hotspots then a different letter must be used for each node.
If you entered your DMR/CCS7 ID your QTH will be automatically loaded from
the DMR database.
Clicking on Update Userlist will refresh the list of DMR/CCS7-ID's and their call
signs.
Slide the bar to the preferred transmitter power level.
Available power levels are 0.03, 0.4, 1.2, 2.4, 3.9, 5.5, 7.1, 8.8, 10.5 and 12 mW
This display is used for frequency adjustment. This feature is used to verify the
block error rate (BER) during decoding and encoding of incoming radio voice
data.
Click the down arrow and select the frequency offset that optimizes the DMR
Error Rate (BER) to its lowest possible percentage keeping it mainly in the
green zone.

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When initially setting up your node you can temporally test the entered
parameters by clicking the Activate button.
When you are satisfied your node configuration is correct save the configuration
permanently by clicking the Write button. The stored configuration will be
loaded every time the node is booted or by clicking on Read button.
The Status bar provide information about the operational state of the hotspot.
Within the status bar there three fields of information: If a CCS7 or reflector-
linking exists, Call sign that is actually transmitting or was transmitting last,
Radio state (GREEN receiving , RED transmitting, BLUE standby). You can
also exit the program by touching the END button.

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7.0 "LIST UPDATE" MENU
There are ten buttons for updating the various Reflector and master lists.
Pressing a button updates the list or reflector. Press and hold the button
enables a dialog to change the Download-URL for each individual list.

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8.0 "RSSI / LASTHEARD" MENU
This tab display a signal strength bar indicating the RX-level of the received
signal. Below that is a list of the stations last heard on the actual mode and
reflector. In DMR-mode the Call Sign, Name and the DMR-ID in brackets is
shown. Also changes in mode or configuration are shown with three stars.
Reflector-entries are colored in red, entries concerning persons are shown in
blue.

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9.0 "DEBUG" MENU
The Debug menu tab displays logged information about the operation of the
node. The font-size is configurable via the slider at the top of the text-window
box. Changes will only take effect on the following entries into the log. Previous
messages existing in the text-window will not be resized.

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10.0 "DMR / BRANDMASTER" MENU
Due to the fact that the tabs for the different modes are very similar only the
configuration of the DMR / Brandmaster mode will be described in detail.
Here you can configure the DMR-Master and the reflector you want to connect
to. Changes to DMR-Master take effect immediately, selection of a reflector is
activated by clicking the Connect Button.
In the middle you will find 5 favorite buttons. Once a reflector is selected
pressing and holding the button for 2-3 seconds will open a dialog box allowing
you to change, delete or assign the selected reflector to this button. In the
caption of the button, Brandmaster favorites will be labeled with “BM” preceding
the reflector number.
On the right you can configure the operating-frequency for the specific mode
that is enabled. Frequency changes are activated 3 seconds after last number
is entered..
DMR Extended Routing
Another way to change talk groups is using the Extended Routing feature of the
BrandMaster mode. On the Brandmaster menu connect to talk group 4999

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which will enable the “Extended Routing” dialog box.
Using the drop down arrow select the extended talk group you want to connect,
If the talk group you want is not listed in the drop down menu you can enter the
talk group directly in the entry box and click the "Connect" button. When the
connection is complete a green check will appear in the extended routing box.

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11.0 WIFI NETWORK SETUP
WiFi connections can be made via the network icon at the right-hand end of the
menu bar. If the optional WiFi dongle is plugged in, touching this icon will bring
up a list of available WiFi networks, as shown below. If no wireless networks
are found, it will show the message "No APs Found - Scanning..." just wait a
few seconds without closing the menu, and it should find your network.
The icons on the right show whether a network is secure or not, and its signal
strength. Touch the network that you want to connect to, If it is a secured
network, a dialogue box will appear prompting you to enter the network key.
Enter the key and touch OK, then wait a couple of seconds. The network icon
will flash briefly to show that a connection is being established, once it is ready,
the icon stops flashing and shows the signal strength.

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12.0 EXTERNAL CONNECTIONS
The Nano-DV is a low power device
and operates from any +5VDC power
source capable of providing 1 amp of
current (typically less than 500ma).
Most USB cell phone chargers,
cigarette lighter adapters or charging
batteries will power the hotspot..
420-450 MHz Internal Radio Antenna
Dual USB Connectors for optional devices
- 802.11bg Wireless Network Adapter.
- Wireless Keyboard and Mouse
- GPS Receiver
10/100 Mbit/s Ethernet Port

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13.0 MAIN PROCESSING SUBSYSTEM SPECIFICATION
The main operating system is based on Debian Linux 3.18.5-v7+
running on a ARM Cortex A7, V7 Quad Core 32 bit Processor
architecture with 1gb Ram and 8gb Flash.
14.0 RF SUBSYSTEM TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
The Nano-DV Hotspot internally utilizes DV4Mini technology consisting of a
powerful 64 bit microcontroller based GMSK, 4FSK modulator/demodulator
70cm transceiver.
Frequency Range: 420-450 MHz
Resolution: ca 250 Hz
RX/TX D-Star: Duplex +/0/- any shift RX/TX
DMR: Simplex (TX=RX QRG)
Modulation
D-Star: GMSK (Gaussian 2FSK) Modulation
DMRPLUS: 4FSK Raised Cosine
Antenna Connector: SMA female 50 Ohm
S-Meter Sensitivity 1 dBm Resolution (Accuracy +/- 1 dBm)
Nano-DV TX Power Steps: 0 = 0.03 mW
1 = 0.4 mW
2 = 1.2 mW
3 = 2.4 mW
4 = 3.9 mW
5 = 5.5 mW
6 = 7.1 mW
7 = 8.8 mW
8 = 10.5 mW
9 = 12 mW

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NANO - DV Personal Hotspot
MICRO-NODE INTERNATIONAL
E-mail: [email protected]om Phone Support: 702-528-4700
Website: www.micro-node.com
© 2016 by Micro-Node International