PACKET!

Slowly the packet station revives...

Yesterday the D7 was hooked to the JNOS system and many packets are being received.   Even better - the frequency and baud rate are potentially under computer control.

I've been monitoring NET105 on 20 meters for the past month with the UZ7HO soundcard modem.  It's working well and is exciting to see the substatial traffic from around the country.

Much more to come...

JNOS with a Kenwood D7

Here's notes on work in progress to get a D7 (1200/9600 - VHF/UHF) remotely controlled radio working with the JNOS system.

Yes - I know the buffer is too small, there can be data overruns and the D7, like the D700, has the absurd feature of responding to Control Commands in the middle of a KISS data packet.   These are known issues to be dealt with.

Soon I hope to replace the D7 with an D700 - same functionality but more power and more receive range.

Current Status:

• Monitoring 9600 baud traffic on 440.800 MHz.
• Need to figure out why it's not transmitting - try the other D7?

Step 1 - get the MiniItx Linux box (500 MHz, Ubunty 6.06 on a 1 GB CF) talking to the D7 TNC.

I found the available serial ports by checking in /etc/setserial where I'd hardcoded them years ago.   The PC has one built in port, currently used on a powered off KAM, and a dual serial card in the sole external PCI slot.

Picocom is a good little application.   Smaller and less cranky than minicom.   With a little experimentation I discovered that "C-a" is short for Control-a which is the command attention character.   A C-a C-q is the exit sequence.

Since I don't want any modem initialization - I launch picocom as "picocom --noinit --noreset /dev/ttyS5"
The ttyS5 was just a lucky guess....   (C-a C-u for baud up and C-a C-d for baud rate down.   Not needed as I'm using 9k6 but it's handy to know.)

On to JNOS -

To attach the serial port:  (I'm using 'ax1' as the port name...)

  attach asy ax25 ax1 256 256 9600

Jnos has a great built in simple terminal command:   tip ax1  - to give access to the TNC.  

To Enter KISS mode

  kiss on
  restart

To totally reset the D7 TNC:

  reset

To exit kiss mode:

  * set Num Loc on
  alt 1 9 2  alt 2 5 5  alt 1 9 2

Once the TNC is in kiss mode and semi-mangled packets are showing in the display it's time to terminal the TIP session.   F10 to go back to JNOS command session.  Assuming this is the only session running;  kill 1, to kill the session.   Then 'se 1' to go to the session and simple CR to clear it out.

To monitor traffic on the ax1 port:

  trace ax1 311

F9 to the monitor screen to watch the traffic flow.

Step 3 - Testing remote control of the frequency and mode.


Using notes from my D7 at 9600 on UHF blog posting, I manually moved the TNC from 1200 baud on 144.390 to 9600 baud on 440.800 using keyboard commands.

Connected to the TNC 'tip ax1' and cycled power to reset the TNC out of KISS mode.  (The alt192-255-192- should do that and needs to be tested.)

Once in command mode I entered the following commands - less the comments:

;Control mode on.
TC 1!
;Select packet mode.
TNC 0
;sELECT band B for 9k6
BC 1
;Set the frequency to 440.800.
FQ 00440800000,0
;No shift.
SFT 0
;Select data band as 'B.
DTB 1
;Open the TNC in packet mode. 

TC 0
;Send some TNC commands.
ECHO OFF
HBAUD 9600
AWLEN 8

;;;  BV - I don't know which, if any of these commands are needed
BEACON EVERY 0
MON ON
MCOM ON
CONOK OFF
LTMON 10
LOC E 0

;;;; back to kiss

KISS ON

RESTART

I don't believe it's necessary to exit kiss mode to send these command - more experimentation is needed.

JNOS needs to have the modified Kenwood kiss to prevent accidental Kenwood control codes being picked up from the KISS packets.

Packet Plan 9

+ The Next Next Generation for Amateur Radio Packet

++ Why
* Old and slow - but incorrectly used
* Face Book of Digital Ham Radio
* Hard to use, not a clear picture
* Old applications - not using modern computers like Smart Phones and Pads

++ What
* Database (backend for Xastir 2)
* Web User Interface
* Template driven interface,  D700, APRSDOS, UI-View

++ How
* Common technology so will work on any platform

++ When
* alpha testers running this month

++ Where
* SEATCP and NWAPRS are getting initial announcements, then a dedicated list
* Any packet/APRS frequency - probably 223.6 @ 9k6 will be more exercise.


++ Changes
* No Paths
* Learning
* Database and Data driven
* UI will be web based and configurable by the user
* Flood data and file transfer

++ General Concepts
* Will use both Connected and Unconnected modes
* + Smart - learn the best path to a station and use that.  No flood paths to a single receiver.   Learning is key!
* Flood paths for information and data
* Core server will use database technology.  Record and learn what is heard on the air
* User interface will be a web view - optimized for mobiles, pads or workstations
* No station to station interaction by the web.  User interface yes.
* RF DX will be sought and tracked
* Technology for exchanging files, either 1 to 1 or 1 to many will be one of the technologies.
* Plugins and addons.  Modular for expansion or optimization.

++ Uses
* Data exchange - e.g. Callsign data, program updates, keps
* Group messaging (convers, IRC)
* One to one messaging
* Email
* NTP bulletins

Sharing Web URL's with APRS

++ Resources to be shared
* 73 - 7373 UIWebserver
* 01 - 14501 APRS-IS status page

++ Formats

+++ Full

..web-URL

Example:  73.7373.wa7nwp.no-ip.info Bill's home UIView Webserver

+++ Short Form

.


Example: 73.wa7nwp.noipI Bill's UIView Webserver


+++ Abbreviated


.


The port is the default and the description will be created from the Source Callsign and type of resource


Example:  73.wa7nwp.noipI

Wetnet Geek Brunch 2/25/2012

Good brunch today with medium turnout....  The WiFi lasted 'hours' which is a big improvement...

I showed the imic I picked up a couple nights ago at the Redmond Mac Store..    It's currently trying to receive WSPR on HF.   The install and hookup was painless - even on my 'vista' machine.  I say 'trying' because apparently there's a RTTY event this weekend and both 20 and 15 meters are very busy...

  http://wa8lmf.net/ham/imic.htm

Four out of five installed the D-Rats Beta successfully and exchanged our Hello's and Good Morning's via the WA7FW ratflector...   The application continues to improve.   I'll have it running full on on the home workstation now and will be getting the repeater (ratflector) running on both the home server and the (little white netbook) portable server.    If anybody wants the secret handshake to get the Beta - send me Email.   (Hey Ren - the unit's are configurable under Preferences...)

  http://d-rats.com/

I'm looking forward to trying the KISS packet mode of D-Rats with the Virtual Kiss port on BPQ32 - that should twist up the packets nicely.

Onward!

73
Bill - WA7NWP

A Portable HF Digital Station

More notes - to be polished soon.

The 'project' is done.  I wanted to get a handle on the equipment I had and how to use it.  Also to get an idea of where to go next.

I used the good laptop.  The goal was to learn the tools not do battle with a minimal system.  That comes later.   For now I'm assuming that if I have to go - I'll be taking the good laptop and the yellow toolbox of portable radio equipment.

The learns would seem to be obvious:

• Most important is to spend time with the system.  Using the hardware and software is the only way to really learn it.
• The low power, 2.5W, is useable but marginal.   It can work the world but only during optimum band conditions.
• A tuner is a good thing.  The new automatic tuners really take up the slack for a non-resonant marginal antenna.
• External Radio Interface that has a built in sound card with a single USB cable is the way to go.
• Computer control of the radio is much better than not...
• ... more soon.

A new project will be started today to fill in the missing pieces of this go-box setup.   Missing pieces include hardware such as a self supporting antenna, an amplifier and more experience with the software tools.

For the next generation:

• JT65-HF for simple QSO's and minimal information exchange
• WSPR for system propagation testing
• Self supporting antenna with a handy way to station it outside.
• Need a connection to a messaging system.   WL2K, APRS, PSKEmail?
• CW - just for fun?   Need a CW key interface?
• Self hosting battery that charges from 12v auto, local AC mains or even Solar.

Initial write up notes...

The Rig
* FT-817ND
* Tigertronics USB
* HP Laptop.  Vista.  Lots of CPU, RAN, Disk.
* ZL11 autotuner -> Elecraft T1
* 40/30 fan dipole

The Software
* VOAProp - notes:  Learned:  r-click to set location.  click to draw line on chart then hit button to "Show Chart" to get time of day effective reports to that area.  For example I just clicked on La Par.  Best of the chart shows S3 at 22Z on 21 MHz.
* FLDIGI
* JT65-HF
* APRS-Messenger

Learned.
* Need better antenna
* Web results good.  (save some pictures)
* WSPR for unattended.

UI-View TNC Config File for 96UHF

The UI-View program works well with the Kenwood D7 HT.   So well, it even sets the frequency at startup time.   The beauty of this is that it allows setting up different configuration files for different channels and, it turns out, for different baud rates.

Editing the stock file to create a new configuration file for 145.01 was trivial and only a matter of changing the frequency setting.

Moving to 96UHF, where not only the frequency but also the band and baud rate changes, was a bit trickier.

Fortunately, before I had to spend too much time discovering the silly little things that thrive on eatting our minutes, I found the SV1BSX  web page were he already had it figured out.

  http://www.qsl.net/sv1bsx/APRS/d7-9k6.html


This is working for me now.  I'm sure there will be future tweaks..

Here is the text for a 96UHF.cmd file to be saved in the ui-view\cmd folder:

;This is a TNC initialisation file for use with
;the Kenwood TH-D7 on the NWAPRS 96UHF 9600 baud APRS on 440.800 MHz.

;
;TH-D7.ORG will allow you to revert to the default
;version of this file, if you edit it and mess it up!

[SETUP]
;DON'T alter anything in this section unless you are
;sure you know what you are doing!
COMMAND_PROMPT=cmd:
COMMAND_CHARACTER_CODE=3
ESCAPE_CHARACTER_CODE=
CONV_COMMAND=CONV
MYCALL_COMMAND="MYCALL "
UNPROTO_COMMAND="UNPROTO "
NO_BEACON_COMMAND=BEACON EVERY 0

[INIT_COMMANDS]
^C
AI 1!
;Control mode on.
TC 1!
;Select packet mode.
TNC 0!TNC 0
;Select band 'A'.
;sELECT band B for 9k6
BC 1!BC 1
;Set the frequency to 440.800.
FQ 00440800000,0!FQ 00440800000,0
;No shift.
SFT 0!SFT 0
;Select data band as 'A'.
DTB 1!DTB 1
;Open the TNC in packet mode. Wait for up to 4 seconds
;for PORTOUT to be seen in the response from the TNC.
TC 0!PORTOUT!4
;Send some TNC commands.
ECHO OFF
HBAUD 9600
AWLEN 8
BEACON EVERY 0
MON ON
MCOM ON
CONOK OFF
LTMON 10
LOC E 0
GPSTEXT $GPRMC

[EXIT_COMMANDS]
MON OFF
;Close the TNC.
TC 1