D-Rats, Packet, and UZ7HO
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I've been playing around this weekend with D-Rats over packet, and have a fairly stable test bed running with three PCs. ?The goal was to connect non-DSTAR users using D-RATS without a lot of expense (ie, TNCs). ??
Until this weekend all of my attempts at this have used the free AGWPE on Win 7 and XP and Signalinks. ? I understand that it can be done, but I have never been able to make it work consistently. ?? Yesterday I had the idea of trying UZ7HO's soundmodem app in place of AGWPE. ?Wow, what a difference! ?Setup was very fast. ?I think the only thing I had to do to soundmodem was set the baud rate and select the right sound card source. ? ? D-Rats is set up as if it is connecting to AGWPE. ?Works great! ?? Now, I wish even more than every that someone could take a look at the D-RATS repeater app to try to fix the problem that keeps it from working with TNCs and AGWPE. ?That, IMHO, would be nirvana - a way to connect PCs using analog radios, D-STAR radios, and the internet. ? Still doing some testing. ?I'm putting together a document with screenshots of the setup. ?Will post that if anyone is interested. Dan W4TO |
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Please keep up updated. I would like to try a soundcard based TNC also.
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Thanks, Patrick (N3TSZ) --- In d-rats_group@..., wrote:
> > I've been playing around this weekend with D-Rats over packet, and have a fairly stable test bed running with three PCs. The goal was to connect non-DSTAR users using D-RATS without a lot of expense (ie, TNCs). > > Until this weekend all of my attempts at this have used the free AGWPE on Win 7 and XP and Signalinks. I understand that it can be done, but I have never been able to make it work consistently. > > Yesterday I had the idea of trying UZ7HO's soundmodem app in place of AGWPE. Wow, what a difference! Setup was very fast. I think the only thing I had to do to soundmodem was set the baud rate and select the right sound card source. > > > > D-Rats is set up as if it is connecting to AGWPE. Works great! > > Now, I wish even more than every that someone could take a look at the D-RATS repeater app to try to fix the problem that keeps it from working with TNCs and AGWPE. That, IMHO, would be nirvana - a way to connect PCs using analog radios, D-STAR radios, and the internet. > > Still doing some testing. I'm putting together a document with screenshots of the setup. Will post that if anyone is interested. > > > Dan > W4TO > |
开云体育The DStar/Packet node idea is what I would really like to see, but I don't think it's possible.? I believe there is a bug in the repeater app that causes it to not work with TNCs or AGWPE.???? I played around with that for months and found errors in the repeater log.?? Reported them and asked Dan to help, but haven't gotten anywhere with it.?? ? It is possible to hook a TNC or AGWPE to the D-Rats client app (what I'm doing now), but the repeater app fails when you try to set either up there.??? And, without the repeater app the communications will always be one to one.? No way to send from RF/packet to DRats to RF/Dstar without the repeater app. ? If I was a software developer I would try to figure this out.??? I've looked at the code to try to find it, but I'm not smart enough.? ? From: d-rats_group@... [mailto:d-rats_group@...] On Behalf Of control@...
Sent: Sunday, December 08, 2013 3:06 PM To: d-rats_group@... Subject: [d-rats_group] RE: D-Rats, Packet, and UZ7HO ? ? YES PSE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please continue updating us and document your trials . |
开云体育I agree, Leon.?? I emailed Dan about it some time last year.?? His response: ? "Yeah, the AGWPE bit is not supported in the ratflector app at the moment. Not sure it ever will be as I don't think many people actually use it for anything." ? Wish I could change his mind.? I think D-RATS is by far the best designed UI of any of the ham radio apps I have used.??? It would be very easy to sit it down in front of someone who has no experience with the tools (someone involved in an emcomm situation) and quickly train them to communicate with it. ? Other tools are good, too, such as FLDIGI,? RMSExpress, Airmail.?? But, I believe they would require more training of the end user.? ? If AGWPE could be made to work on a ratflector it would provide a very well designed tool to a new group of users.? And, it would sucessfully bridge a gap between DSTAR and non-DSTAR. ? Dan W4DTO ? ? From: d-rats_group@... [mailto:d-rats_group@...] On Behalf Of control@...
Sent: Sunday, December 08, 2013 7:31 PM To: d-rats_group@... Subject: RE: [d-rats_group] RE: D-Rats, Packet, and UZ7HO ? ? It would be nice if Dan can find some time to look at this issue .. I did encounter the same problem with the repeater function ... |
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Just an update on this... ?We have a working configuration of a D-RATS ratflector with packet, DSTAR and internet connection capability. ? I have posted a PDF showing the configuration in the files section. The file name is?D-Rats2_Packet_DSTAR_Internet.pdf. ?
While we have been able to connect packet users into this configuration they are limited in that they can only talk to the D-RATS client app to which they are connected. ? Packet traffic doesn't go out over the ratflector and traffic from the ratflector doesn't get sent to packet. ? This limitation exists because the ratflector app gives an error when we try to create a packet connection directly to it. Following are notes from the PDF. Notes: 1. The D-Rats Client App (PLD-ARES) can?talk to users connected by packet,DSTAR, or internet. 2. Users connected by DSTAR and?internet can talk to each other. 3. Users connected by packet cannot?hear or talk to DSTAR or internet?connected users. 4. Users connected by packet can?communicate with other packet users?who are within RF range. 5. The original configuration used?AGWPE instead of UZ7HO?Soundmodem, but UZ7HO works just as well and seems to be more stable. Dan W4DTO |
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Dan,
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Thanks for your efforts in this area. I have downloaded and installed the SoundModem application and am experimenting with it here. I am curious to know if D-RATS will connect to a Winlink RMS using SoundModem as the TNC. I do not have one near me to try it out. Thanks again, Patrick (N3TSZ) --- In d-rats_group@..., wrote:
> > Just an update on this... We have a working configuration of a D-RATS ratflector with packet, DSTAR and internet connection capability. I have posted a PDF showing the configuration in the files section. The file name is D-Rats2_Packet_DSTAR_Internet.pdf. > > While we have been able to connect packet users into this configuration they are limited in that they can only talk to the D-RATS client app to which they are connected. Packet traffic doesn't go out over the ratflector and traffic from the ratflector doesn't get sent to packet. This limitation exists because the ratflector app gives an error when we try to create a packet connection directly to it. > > Following are notes from the PDF. > > Notes: > 1. The D-Rats Client App (PLD-ARES) can talk to users connected by packet,DSTAR, or internet. > 2. Users connected by DSTAR and internet can talk to each other. > 3. Users connected by packet cannot hear or talk to DSTAR or internet connected users. > 4. Users connected by packet can communicate with other packet users who are within RF range. > 5. The original configuration used AGWPE instead of UZ7HO Soundmodem, but UZ7HO works just as > well and seems to be more stable. > > Dan > W4DTO > |
开云体育That might work, Patrick, as long as you are connecting it to the D-RATS client and not the ratflector.?? I've not gotten either a TNC or AGWPE interface working on the repeater app.??? I'm interested in the concept I saw the other day on this list about using Paclink as a gateway between D-RATS and Winlink.??
? By the way, the setup for Soundmodem for D-RATS is the same as the way you set up for AGWPE.? Tell D-RATS you are setting up AGWPE.? Let me know if you have trouble with it, and I will be glad to help. ? Another thing on my list is to try RMS Express with Soundmodem.? I've played with it a little, but didn't make it work.?? ?There is supposed to be a new release of the AGWExpress app out (great tool that takes care of configuring the pieces required to hook RMSExpress to AGWPE) this month, and it is supposed to work with Soundmodem.? I'm looking forward to giving it a try.? But, I digress... ? Good luck with Soundmodem on D-RATS. Let me know if I can help. ? Dan W4DTO ? From: d-rats_group@... [mailto:d-rats_group@...] On Behalf Of n3tsz
Sent: Sunday, December 15, 2013 3:19 PM To: d-rats_group@... Subject: [d-rats_group] Re: D-Rats, Packet, and UZ7HO ? ? Dan, Thanks for your efforts in this area. I have downloaded and installed the SoundModem application and am experimenting with it here. I am curious to know if D-RATS will connect to a Winlink RMS using SoundModem as the TNC. I do not have one near me to try it out. Thanks again, Patrick (N3TSZ)
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开云体育That’s correct, Jeff.? I believe there is a bug in the repeater app that causes it to not work at all if you set up a TNC or AGWPE connection in it.? I have only made packet work to the D-RATS app.?? Unfortunately, that means the packet user can’t participate on a wide area net.? They are limited to traffic to and from the D-RATS client they are connected to.?? Sure wish the repeater app could be checked for a bug.? ? From:
d-rats_group@... [mailto:d-rats_group@...] On Behalf Of ae5me@... ? ? Dan, ? Have been trying to connect either a COM port TNC or a sound card modem to the ratflector and had no success with either. ?From what I'm gathering in your message, you've only got a D-Star radio and the internet reflector to work with the ratflector software? ? Best Regards, Jeff Scoville AE5ME
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开云体育If you watch the logs for the repeater app you will see it throw errors when it starts up if there is a TNC or AGWPE modem defined. Sent from my Samsung Captivate Glide on AT&T Dan Ozment <dan@...> wrote:
That’s correct, Jeff.? I believe there is a bug in the repeater app that causes it to not work at all if you set up a TNC or AGWPE connection in it.? I have only made packet work to the D-RATS app.?? Unfortunately, that means the packet user can’t participate on a wide area net.? They are limited to traffic to and from the D-RATS client they are connected to.?? Sure wish the repeater app could be checked for a bug.? ? From:
d-rats_group@... [mailto:d-rats_group@...] On Behalf Of ae5me@... ? ? Dan, ? Have been trying to connect either a COM port TNC or a sound card modem to the ratflector and had no success with either. ?From what I'm gathering in your message, you've only got a D-Star radio and the internet reflector to work with the ratflector software? ? Best Regards, Jeff Scoville AE5ME
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开云体育Will be a while before I can test this, but it sounds like excellent news!?? So, step one is for the remote D-RATS client that will be connecting via packet, and step two is for the ratflector side, right? ? ? From:
d-rats_group@... [mailto:d-rats_group@...] On Behalf
Of ae5me@... ? ? I think I finally came up with a work-around for the bug in ratflector that keeps TNC and soundcard modems from working with it: ? 1) For the TNC and soundcard modem clients, set them up in D-RATS "like usual", with the following changes.? Set port forwarding on their client software to forward local port 9000 to radio port 9000 to the callsign of the designated person that is running the ratflector software.? Then add a network port (under the radios setting) that goes to 127.0.0.1 port 9000.? That setting makes their network client try to connect to their local port 9000.? Since we've forwarded that port to RF, they will go to the person running ratflector software. ? 2) On the ratflector computer, run both the D-RATS client and the ratflector software.? Set up a gateway that takes port 9000 from the radio to local IP address 127.0.0.1.? Set up ports on the D-RATS client to TNC (or sound card modem), and the local ratflector (on 127.0.0.1 port 9000).? Set up ports on the ratflector to D-star radio and (if you like) another ratflector of your choice (optional). ? The proxied port on 9000 from the packet side will make the D-RATS client talk over port 9000 via RF to the ratflector computer.? The client software on the ratflector computer will forward the RF port 9000 to local 127.0.0.1 port 9000, which is the ratflector.? End result is the packet client is now operating using the "network" port feature, using RF as the intermediary between the ratflector computer and them.? The ratflector software sees them as a D-RATS client working on network and doesn't have to try to set up a TNC connection (since the client software on the ratflector computer is handling that and does not have the same bug). ? Scott KD5NJR and I tested this out and it worked.? Not knowing the particulars of the D-RATS proxy, I don't know how it would handle MULTIPLE client requests.? Perhaps someone of this group has tried that.? I would assume it handles them correctly, but our test was only one client to one ratflector. ? Best Regards, Jeff Scoville AE5ME
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开云体育Jeff, I'm struggling to understand this.? Wondered if you could help me a little more.??? I currently have UZ7HO running on the remote PC (with the DRATS client and let's say callsign W4DTO) and the local PC (with the DRATS client and repeater app and call sign W4DTO-1).?? I have both DRATS clients set up with AGWPE:127.0.0.1:8000.?? ???They can talk to each other, but not to the ratflector.???? ? ? Do I keep this setup with your configuration and add a new modem on TCP:127.0.0.1:9000 with a forwarding rule to forward TCP/9000 to W4DTO-1??? Can it really figure out how to get to the AGWPE modem that way????? Do I also keep the AGWPE modem on the ratflector side? |
Dan Ozment
Patrick Connor