SharkRF openSPOT4 (Digital-Voice Hotspot)
$$$ยทยท
| Frequency | 421 - 458 MHz (UHF simplex link to your handheld) |
| Power | A digital-voice internet gateway, not a station transmitter: the UHF modem puts out only about 20 mW (max 13 dBm) to reach a nearby handheld. Powered by 5 V over USB-C with a built-in 1300 mAh battery. |
| Modes | DMR, D-STAR, C4FM/Fusion, NXDN, P25, POCSAG (digital voice/data via the internet) |
| Weight | 76 g (2.7 oz) - Pocket-size standalone unit, 100 x 58 x 18.5 mm and 76 g, with a built-in 1300 mAh Li-ion battery. |
| rf | Internal UHF antenna (~20 mW, 421-458 MHz) to your digital handheld; oscillator stability 1 ppm. |
| network | 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n) to your home/phone network - no Ethernet/PC needed. |
| power | USB-C, 5 V (recommended 1.5 A supply); built-in rechargeable battery. |
| power req | 5 V DC via USB-C (max ~1 A); built-in 1300 mAh battery for portable use. |
Uniquely a fully standalone hotspot: there is no Raspberry Pi, SD card or computer to set up - it runs its own hardware and is configured in a browser, which makes it the easiest digital hotspot to get going. It is genuinely portable (battery-powered, 76 g), covers every common digital mode, and its cross-mode feature lets a single-mode radio reach other networks.
It is a premium-priced hotspot versus a DIY MMDVM/Pi-Star board, the basic openSPOT4 does cross-mode transcoding in software (the pricier openSPOT4 Pro adds hardware transcoding for the best cross-mode voice), and like all hotspots it is a low-power (~20 mW) personal device that needs internet - it is not a repeater or a way onto RF networks without a backbone.
The SharkRF openSPOT4 is the most user-friendly digital-voice hotspot - fully standalone, battery-powered and multi-mode, configured entirely in a browser. The top pick if you want a hotspot that 'just works' without building a Pi; step up to the Pro for hardware cross-mode transcoding.
The SharkRF openSPOT4 is a digital-voice hotspot - a small internet gateway that lets a digital handheld (DMR, D-STAR, C4FM/Fusion, NXDN or P25) reach worldwide digital networks like BrandMeister over your Wi-Fi, even when you have no local repeater. What sets it apart from most hotspots is that it is completely standalone: there is no Raspberry Pi, no SD card, no Pi-Star image and no computer to configure - it runs on its own hardware and you set everything up in a web browser. That makes it by far the easiest hotspot to get on the air.
It is also genuinely portable. At 100 x 58 x 18.5 mm and just 76 grams, with a built-in 1300 mAh battery and USB-C charging, it slips in a pocket and runs off a power bank. Its UHF modem covers 421-458 MHz at about 20 mW (max 13 dBm) with a 1 ppm reference, plenty to talk to a handheld a few feet away, and it supports cross-mode operation so a single-mode radio can reach networks of other modes.
The trade-offs are price and scope: it costs more than a DIY MMDVM/Pi-Star board, the cross-mode transcoding in the base model is done in software (the openSPOT4 Pro adds dedicated transcoding hardware for the best voice quality), and like every hotspot it is a low-power personal device that depends on internet access - not a repeater. For ease of use and portability, though, it is the benchmark. Compare it with the Pi-based ZUMspot and pair digital operating with a sound-card interface like the DigiRig.