Are All DMR Radios Capable of Analog?
If you’ve recently explored upgrading your two-way radio fleet to Digital Mobile Radio (DMR), one question likely surfaced early: Will my new DMR radios still work with our old analog units? The short answer is Not necessarily. whether a DMR radio is compatible with analog depends on whether it supports “dual mode” or “hybrid mode”.
Some DMR radios have the ability to automatically recognize analog or digital signals and can automatically switch between the two modes to achieve interoperability with analog radios.
How to determine if your DMR radio can communicate with an analog radio?
- It can manually or automatically switch to analog FM mode;
- Supports CTCSS/DCS analog sub-tones;
- In analog mode, digital functions (such as GPS and SMS) will not be available.
Example models of analog-compatible DMR radios
- Motorola: DP4801e, XPR7550e, DGP8550e, R2, R5, R7, etc.
- Kenwood: NX-3320, NX-3220: Supports dual analog/digital mode with automatic switching.
- NX-1200D/NX-1300D: Supports hybrid mode, adaptively receiving analog or digital signals.
- Hytera: HP780, PD780, HP680, HP600, etc.
- ETMY: ET-D50, ET-D68, ET-D69, AP35, etc.
How do radio manufacturers achieve compatibility?
- Dual-path RF chips: Mainstream solutions such as HR_C5000, AT1846S, BK4819, etc., integrate both a 4FSK demodulator and retain a traditional FM discriminator; the transmitter switches the modulation method through a fractional-division PLL.
- Automatic Identification: Some high-end units (such as Kenwood NX-1200/1300) will listen for 100 ms while waiting. If a DMR synchronization code is detected, it will automatically switch to digital; otherwise, it will switch to analog, achieving “mixed digital and analog use within a single channel.”
- Manual Channel Programming: Entry-level DMR digital dual-mode units often require “one channel, one mode.” When programming, the user must first decide whether the channel is “analog” or “digital.” On-site, users can only switch zones using the up and down keys; automatic identification is not available.
How can I communicate with an older analog device if my DMR radio doesn’t have analog capabilities?
If your purchased DMR radio doesn’t have analog capabilities, how can you communicate with an older analog device? You can set up an additional “digital-to-analog gateway” or “cross-mode repeater” to convert the audio frames from A/D to D/A before transmission. However, this will increase latency by 100-200 ms, and encryption and data services will be lost.