📡 Digital Ham Radio Voice Modes — Activity Comparison
Generated: 12 November 2026 · Sources: RepeaterBook (live), BrandMeister, USKA (Swiss Amateur Radio Union), community forums
1. Global Repeater Counts (RepeaterBook, live 2026-11-12)
| Mode | Repeater Count | % of Digital Total | Activity Level |
|---|
| DMR | 4,737 | 39% | Highest |
| Fusion (YSF) | 3,610 | 30% | Strong |
| D-STAR | 2,557 | 21% | Moderate / Declining |
| P25 | 870 | 7% | Moderate (US/CA) |
| NXDN | 256 | 2% | Niche |
| TETRA | 97 | <1% | Gov/Mil |
| M17 | 50 | <1% | New (2023) |
| Total | 12,177 | 100% | — |
2. Global Network Activity
| Mode | Users / Nodes | Network | Key Metrics |
|---|
| DMR | 293,000+ users
5,500+ repeaters
16,000+ hotspots | BrandMeister | 300+ countries
85 countries w/ 50+ users
Top TG: World-wide 5,703 QSO/24h |
| Fusion | ~200,000 callsigns
~3,000 Wires-X nodes | Wires-X, YSF, IMRS, AmeriLink | 200+ countries
Active Wires-X nets
Bridged to DMR |
| D-STAR | ~50,000+ callsigns
500+ reflectors | D-STAR REF network | 150+ countries
Activity on REF001C, REF030C
Declining |
| P25 | ~35-40K users
~800 repeaters | EchoLink/IRLP bridges | US/Canada focused
Public safety overlap |
| NXDN | ~12-15K users
~250 repeaters | None (point-to-point) | US East Coast (CT, MA, FL)
Commercial focus |
| M17 | <1,000 users
50 repeaters | DMR-MARC-like | Brand new (2023)
Open source |
DMR — Top Talk Groups by 24h QSO Activity
| Rank | TG | Name | QSOs/24h |
|---|
| 1 | 91 | World-wide | 5,703 |
| 2 | 907 | JOTA | 1,964 |
| 3 | 214 | Spain | 1,092 |
| 4 | 724 | Brazil Nacional | 958 |
| 5 | 222 | Italia | 957 |
| 6 | 93 | North America | 818 |
| 7 | 510 | Indonesia | 783 |
| 8 | 208 | France | 744 |
| 9 | 262 | Deutschland | 722 |
| 10 | 92 | Europe | 630 |
Community Sentiment
"DMR is the clear market leader in amateur radio and offers a number of practical and technical superiorities over the other modes."
— W5HK, Introduction to Digital Modes (2025)
"D-STAR is the original digital mode… These are the oldest digital standards in amateur radio for voice and data, and are barely in use today."
— W5HK, Introduction to Digital Modes (2025)
"there is very little DSTAR activity outside of reflectors REF030C and REF001C."
— VE3RWJ, Mastodon (Mar 2025)
"DMR seems to be the most popular, with D-star, fusion and some other scattered technologies here and there."
— RadioReference.com forum
3. 🇨🇭 Switzerland — Repeater Counts (RepeaterBook, live)
| Mode | Swiss Repeaters | Network | Status |
|---|
| DMR | 68 | BrandMeister | Active |
| D-STAR | 32 | REF reflectors | Moderate |
| Fusion (YSF) | 29 | Wires-X #28878, YSF | Moderate |
| NXDN | 2 | — | Negligible |
| P25 | 0 | — | None |
Swiss DMR Network (per USKA — Union Schweizerischer Kurzwellen Amateure)
- TG228 — National call talkgroup (permanently active on all Swiss repeaters)
- TG2280 — German-speaking Switzerland
- TG2281 — French-speaking Switzerland
- TG2282 — Valais
- TG2283 — Bern/Solothurn
- TG2284 — Basel
- TG22820 — Swiss-Connect (bridged DMR/Fusion/D-STAR)
- All Swiss repeaters on BrandMeister (IPSC2 discontinued in 2024)
- Swiss DMR IDs start with 228 (Mobile Country Code)
- Equipment: AnyTone (e.g. AT-D878UV) dominates Swiss amateur DMR
Swiss Fusion Network
- SWISS-CONNECT (HB-CONNECT Association) — the main supra-regional Swiss network
- Accessible via: Wires-X ROOM #28878, YSF network, AND DMR TG22820
- Many repeaters are multi-mode (DMR + D-STAR + Fusion on same frequency)
- IMRS and YSF reflectors also used
- Bridges to DMR network (BrandMeister) in several locations
Swiss D-STAR
- 32 repeaters (many multi-mode, shared with DMR/Fusion)
- Activity concentrated on REF001C and REF030C reflectors
- Kenwood not investing in new D-STAR features
- Legacy mode — still works but shrinking user base
Swiss NXDN
- Only 2 repeaters: Pays-d'Enhaut VD and Verbier
- Essentially nonexistent for amateur radio activity
- Not a practical choice
🏆 Verdict: Which Mode Has the Most Activity?
🥇 DMR — Dominant by a wide margin
- Most repeaters globally (4,737) and in Switzerland (68)
- Largest active user base (293,000+)
- Best network infrastructure (BrandMeister, 300+ countries)
- Most active talk groups in every region
- Widest equipment support (AnyTone, Baofeng, Yaesu, Icom, Kenwood, Hytera)
- Switzerland: national + 5 regional talkgroups, well-organized via USKA
- Still growing — IPSC2 users migrated to BrandMeister in 2024
🥈 Fusion (YSF) — Solid second, strong in Switzerland
- 3,610 repeaters globally, 29 in Switzerland
- ~200,000 registered callsigns
- Good community, active Wires-X nets
- Yaesu ecosystem (bridged to DMR via SWISS-CONNECT)
- Better audio quality (C4FM) but less interoperability
🥉 D-STAR — Third and declining
- 2,557 repeaters globally, 32 in Switzerland
- ~50,000 registered callsigns
- Activity concentrated on 2-3 reflectors
- Kenwood not investing in new features
- Legacy mode, still works but shrinking
4. P25 — US/Canada focused, mostly public safety
5. NXDN — 2 repeaters in Switzerland, irrelevant for ham activity
6. M17 — Brand new (2023), open source, DMR-inspired, very small
✅ Recommendation for Maximum Activity in Switzerland
Go DMR. It's the clear winner on every metric:
- Most repeaters in Switzerland (68 vs 32 D-STAR, 29 Fusion)
- National + regional talkgroups (TG228, TG2280-2284)
- Active daily use on BrandMeister
- Widest radio choice (AnyTone AT-D878UV is the Swiss favorite)
- Best future-proofing (IPSC2 → BrandMeister migration complete, still growing)
If you want maximum flexibility, get a multi-mode radio:
| Radio | Modes | Notes |
|---|
| Yaesu FT3D / FT5D | DMR + Fusion + D-STAR | 3 modes, one radio — best coverage |
| AnyTone AT-D878UV | DMR + P25 | DMR-first, popular in Switzerland, good value |
| Baofeng UV-17 Pro | DMR + D-STAR + P25 | Budget option, decent DMR |
If already invested in Yaesu, Fusion is a great second mode to add (SWISS-CONNECT bridges to DMR TG22820 anyway).
Avoid NXDN for ham radio — 2 repeaters in all of Switzerland, no network, no community.