D-Star Compatible Do It Yourself and Homebre Compatible Do It Yourself and Homebrew ... DIY Topics...
Transcript of D-Star Compatible Do It Yourself and Homebre Compatible Do It Yourself and Homebrew ... DIY Topics...
D-Star Compatible
Do It Yourself and Homebrew
Jim Moen – K6JM Pacificon
October 11, 2014 D-STAR® is a registered trademark used for communication equipment (repeaters and transceivers) for amateur radio communications, and owned by Icom Incorporated.
DIY Topics
• D-STAR Compatible Do It Yourself – Why? Will it work with ICOM radios? – Hotspots, Modems, Software
• Using the Raspberry Pi & other SOC Computers
– A brief How-to on building a Hotspot on a Pi
– How are D-STAR people using these?
– How can I get started?
• What’s New and Exciting? – Hardware – Software
K6JM Pacificon – 11 Oct 2014
Homebrew? DIY?
• Experimentation is intrinsic to our hobby
• FCC Part 97: One purpose of Amateur Radio:
“Continuation and extension of the amateur's proven ability to contribute to the advancement of the radio art”
• Homebrewing includes everything where the Ham participates in making it happen
• Antennas, kits, computers…
• D-STAR has a lot of this going on K6JM Pacificon – 11 Oct 2014
Does Homebrew compete
with ICOM?
• Perhaps a little, but mostly it complements ICOM’s activities
• We always recommend first getting a D-STAR radio to newbies
• Then if there’s no nearby repeater, they can get a DVAP or build a Hotspot
• Bottom line: • Homebrewing often leads to D-Star radio
purchases • Homebrewing is a fun way to learn • It increases participation in the hobby • There’s a sense of accomplishment
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Note: Architecturally similar to the DVAP, but with your own analog radio of any power output
K6JM Pacificon – 11 Oct 2014
An Example Hotspots extend D-STAR Network to Your QTH
Why HotSpots?
• If your QTH has no RF access to a D-Star repeater
• Or (like my QTH) is in a multipath shadow
• Or you want to link to whatever reflector whenever you want
• Or you need extra power for extra range
• Analog Radio must provide access to discriminator and to direct FM modulator (9600 Data Port normally works)
• PC runs free software (DVAR, WinDV, G4KLX, etc)
• DV Modem interfaces the PC and the radio
K6JM Pacificon – 11 Oct 2014
D-STAR Radios Simplifed Block Diagram
Analog
to
Digital
Compress
(AMBE chip)
Generate tones
(GMSK modem)
FM
Modulator
Mic
FM
Discriminator
Speaker
Convert tones to
digital data Decompress
(AMBE chip)
Digital
to
Analog
Analog
FM
Radio
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Just what is a DV Modem?
• TX: converts digital stream to audio tones for analog FM transmitter
• RX: converts audio tones to digital for processing by PC
• Decodes the gmsk protocol (headers, routing info)
• Does NOT decode or generate Digital Voice stream
• You need a D-Star radio to talk through it to the D-Star network
• Relatively inexpensive
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DV Modem Sources
• Fred van Kempen PA4YBR
– www.dutch-star.eu Provides “mini hotspot” kits, software, firmware and tools.
• Matrix Circuits & MoenComm
– www.moencomm.com Provides built SMT boards based on PA4YBR’s
design, comes with DUTCH*Star firmware and tools.
• DVRPTR V1 North America
– www.dvrptr.net Popular DSP modem sold in Canada, designed by Jan Alte
DO1FJN.
• DV Mega GMSK DV Node Adapter
– http://www.dvmega.auria.nl Board attaches to Arduino Uno microcontroller,
designed by Guus van Dooren PE1PLM
• DVRPTR V2, V3 Germany
– http://shop.dvrptr.de Follow-on DSP modem to V1
• Satoshi Yasuda 7M3TJZ/AD6GZ
– http://d-star.dyndns.org/ Designed the first Node Adapter. Also produces
firmware and tools. K6JM Pacificon – 11 Oct 2014
HotSpot/Repeater Software
• DVAR Hot Spot – Mark McGregor KB9KHM • Easy to configure
• Supports DPlus linking
• WinDV – DUTCH*Star – Fred van Kempen PA4YBR • DPlus, Dextra, DCS linking
• ircDDB Gateway and Callsign Routing, APRS
• Works with GMSK Modem, DVAP, DV Dongle
• DTMF commands over RF and more…
• ConDV – also from DUTCH*Star
• Command line version of WinDV
• Runs on Windows, Linux, Android
• GUI version is being developed
• G4KLX DStarRepeater+ircDDBGateway – Popular software by Jonathan Naylor
• Windows and Linux
• DPlus, DExtra, DCS, ircDDB, CCS callsign routing
• DVRPTR Control Center • Works only with German DSP board
• DPlus, DExtra, DCS
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Using the Raspberry Pi & other
SOC Computers
• System on a Chip, tiny, inexpensive
• Raspberry Pi, BeagleBone Black, & more
• Pi costs $35 plus extras, total about $55
• Full Linux PC
• Easy to set up: – SD card images – burn, configure, go
– Use right away, then begin to learn more Linux
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Pi Image Files
• Many hams are publishing images
• Fully configured Linux
• Hotspot apps preloaded, like G4KLX‘s
• Examples: – Brian GW6WTK www.westerndstar.co.uk
– Adrian VK4TUX [email protected]
– Maryland D-Star www.maryland-dstar.org
– FreeStar Ramesh VA3UV www.va3uv.com/iso.htm K6JM Pacificon – 11 Oct 2014
How-To:
Setup Hotspot using Raspberry Pi
• Buy the Pi, power supply, cables
– Get a good 8GB SD card, 30-40 MB/s
– (I like Sony, several others also good)
• Download SD software Win32DiskImager
• Download the image
– www.westerndstar.co.uk/html/downloads.html
– Several available. For DV Modem, get D-
StarRepeater+ircDDB+VNC
• Write image to SD card - Win32DiskImager
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Log onto the Pi
• Download & install TightVNC
• Plug SD into Pi, apply power
• I prefer to not hook up monitor, mouse, kb
• Instead use internal network
• Log onto router and get IP address of Pi
• Log onto Pi using TightVNC
e.g. 192.168.9.20:0
• Password is raspberry (user is pi)
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Setup the G4KLX Programs
• In LXTerminal window:
– Run klxupdate repeater
– Run klxupdate gateway
• Configure using screenshots at
www.k6jm.com/configG4KLX-DSR.pdf
– Run dstarrepeaterconfig
– Run ircddbgatewayconfig
• Reboot (sudo shutdown –r now)
– Hotspot should transmit voice “Not Linked“
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Finishing Steps
• Backup your SD card with
Win32DiskImager
• Install RemoteControl.exe and WinSCP
• Check out CCS (Call Connection Service)
Get 4-digit code for your callsign
– www.xreflector.net/neu3
– Click CCS Users Register
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Examples of What´s New
• New DV Modems – many new arriving
– DUTCH*Star Pi GMSK
– DV Mega GMSK Shield
– PAPA System DV for Arduino and RasPi7021
Project
• New AMBE devices
– NW Digital Radio DV3000 and new device being
announced today
– Matrix Circuits Star*DV
– Internet Labs DV Pi
• RF Boards
– DUTCH*Star Pi Transceiver
• Digital Radio System
– NW Digital Radio UDRX-440
K6JM Pacificon – 11 Oct 2014
NW Digital Radio
DV3000 (AMBE Pi board) • $99, AMBE 3000 chip on board • Fits on Pi and UDRX • On Pi, need audio device for speaker/mike • Works with G4KLX Dummy Repeater software • With ircDDBGateway, allows speaker/mike QSOs with
D-Star Reflectors
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Pacificon – 11 Oct 2014
Matrix Circuits Star*DV • Makers of Star*Board • AMBE 3000 chip with
built-in audio • Speaker/mike QSOs • Software also works
with DV Modem
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K6JM Pacificon – 11 Oct 2014
Star*DV Android App
Android app to: • Configure • Link Reflectors • Speaker/mike
Can still use StarDV (based on G4KLX) from Windows or Linux
DV Mega GMSK Shield
• The combination Arduino controller and GMSK shield is a complete GMSK modem that can be used on a PC or Raspberry PI.
• Fits on Arduino UNO and MEGA 1280/2560
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More Information
• General Info - Nonpartisan – Menu of my D-Star pages as www.k6jm.com/dstar
• Building a D-Star Compatible Hotspot
• Configuring the Raspberry Pi using a GMSK Modem and G4KLX software
– Check out PAPA System www.papasys.com
– Yahoo Groups: • gmsk_dv_node
• pcrepeatercontroller
• ircDDBGateway
• DVRPTR
• Personal Plug for MoenComm LLC – Distributor of Star*Board GMSK Modem and
upcoming products
– www.moencomm.com
– Show prices by going to www.moencomm.com/pacificon14
K6JM Pacificon – 11 Oct 2014