Configure a hotspot for VKDMR IPSC3

This guide is for Pi-Star and other MMDVM-style hotspots connecting directly to the VKDMR IPSC3 master. The cleanest setup is a single-mode DMR hotspot pointed directly at IPSC3, then confirm it appears on the live hotspot dashboard.

1. DMR only

Enable DMR and turn off other digital modes unless you have a specific reason to keep them running.

2. Install the host

Use the IPSC3 Pi-Star installer to add the VKDMR IPSC3 master to the DMR host list.

3. Select IPSC3

Select DMR+_IPSC3-VKDMR as the DMR master in Pi-Star.

4. Check the dashboard

After reboot, confirm the hotspot appears on the live Hotspots page.

Pi-Star quick installer

Run this from an SSH shell on the Pi-Star hotspot:

curl -fsSL https://ipsc3.vkdmr.com/downloads/pi-star-ipsc3-vkdmr | sudo sh

The installer switches Pi-Star to read-write mode, adds the IPSC3 host entry to /root/DMR_Hosts.txt, runs /usr/local/sbin/HostFilesUpdate.sh, switches back to read-only mode and reboots the hotspot. When it comes back, select DMR+_IPSC3-VKDMR from the Pi-Star DMR master list.

Recommended Pi-Star settings

Set your callsign and your own DMR ID correctly.
Set the modem and RF frequencies correctly for your board.
Enable DMR Mode and disable other modes such as YSF, P25, NXDN, D-Star and POCSAG unless you have a specific reason.
Select DMR+_IPSC3-VKDMR as the DMR master.
Use colour code 1 unless you have a local reason to do otherwise.
Configure the hotspot as simplex or duplex to match the hardware. IPSC3 detects and handles the difference.

Avoid DMRGateway unless needed

A direct MMDVMHost connection to IPSC3 is preferred. DMRGateway can be useful in experienced hands, but it adds another routing layer and can make the dashboard, source IDs, talkgroup selection and mode behaviour harder to understand.

If you do use DMRGateway, make sure you know exactly how it is rewriting or forwarding traffic. Unexpected things can happen when DMRGateway and IPSC3 are both trying to make routing decisions.

Custom MMDVM options recognised by IPSC3

IPSC3 recognises a small number of custom options in the MMDVM options string. Option names are case-insensitive. Multiple options can be separated with semicolons.

ScanExclude=505,3801,3802,8409

Prevents those talkgroups from being sent to that hotspot while the hotspot is in Scan Talkgroup 777 mode. This is per hotspot. It does not affect normal direct talkgroup use, camped talkgroups, private calls or other hotspots.

TalkerAlias=Y or TalkerAlias=N

Enables or disables outbound talker alias injection for that hotspot. It is off by default. When enabled, IPSC3 builds a UTF-8 alias from the radio ID database using callsign, first name and city where available, then truncates it to the DMR talker alias payload limit. Use this with caution because some radios handle talker alias poorly. If in doubt, leave it off.

ScanExclude=505,3801,3802;TalkerAlias=N

Unsupported options are ignored and shown as Options Ignored in the hotspot hover/details view so you can see exactly what IPSC3 accepted.

Troubleshooting checklist

Check the Hotspots dashboard for your callsign, suffix, status, traffic counters, BER and RSSI.
If the hotspot does not appear, confirm the DMR master is DMR+_IPSC3-VKDMR and that DMR mode is enabled.
If audio routing looks strange, remove DMRGateway and test with a direct MMDVMHost connection first.
Use Parrot on TG 9990 to confirm your RF path and audio before reporting a network fault.
When testing Scan Talkgroup 777, remember any ScanExclude option is per hotspot and only affects scan output.