Hi Mark,

flrig is rig-control software and if that works for you, then clearly you have a working hardware configuration (wiring) between digirig device and radio.

Since flrig is very versatile, by itself it doesn't answer the question how your digirig is connected to your Yaesu FT-897D radio. This is because flrig can be configured to use CAT commands over the serial port just as easily as it can be configured to perform PTT by raising or lowering modem control signals (including RTS).

The good news is that all you have to do is check the flrig configuration to find out what it is using for your radio and configure Direwolf to use the same method. Direwolf and fldigi/flrig do not have to use the same method but my recommendation is that you keep it the same (it helps with troubleshooting if it ever becomes necessary down the road if all your applications communicate in the same way with your hardware). Go to the flrig setup/configuration and select Configure -> PTT-Generic to view the current settings (most likely the settings inside the "PTT on CAT Serial Port" are the ones of interest, I expect "PTT on Separate Serial Port" to be "None".
If flrig is configured to use RTS for PTT then do the same in Direwolf. If flrig is configured to use CAT for PTT then you should make sure that hamlib is enabled in Direwolf (and the required DLL installed) and use rig-control there as well.

The less good news is that flrig and hamlib (used by Direwolf) are two different rig-control software packages. However it is possible to configure flrig and hamlib to play nice with each other (it is my understanding that either package can utilize the other as a virtual radio). Unfortunately I'm not lucky enough to own radios with rig-control capability and therefore this is were my level of expertise ends.

73,
Thomas
KK6FPP

开云体育

Thank you for the very detailed explanation.? The digirig is also used for FT8 and WSJT-x and there are no issues with CAT (rig control) or Audio (Decoding) with this radio.? I didn't think of the polarity being the possible culprit.? So, when I get home, I will configure to??PTT COM5 -RTS.? I also use the radio with FLDIGI and connect with FLRIG.? The radio is also set in? DIG mode so maybe I will try PKT mode instead.? I am getting there.

If WSJT-X and Flrig/Fldigi are working, then there is no reason why Direwolf can't be made to work (of course, only one application at a time).? How do you have WSJTX / Flrig configured?


?? - PTT
????? - serial port?? If so, which serial port?? What speed?? Any unique parameters enabled?

????? - GPIO pin? which GPIO pin?? What speed?? Any unique parameters enabled?

????? - CAT control?? If so, the direwolf? v1.7 binary for Windows does NOT support CAT control and requires to be re-compiled.? CAT control on Direwolf really doesn't offer anything else other than PTT support but if you want to try this approach, see which provides a link to a compiled binary with Hamlib v4.5.5 support from an enduser


Also, which Digirig hardware device version do you have?? They are up to version v1.9 as they had multiple issues with various PTT options be it from the serial port control lines, the CM108 GPIO pin, etc.? also.. how have you soldered the PTT control pads?

?
?? --
?? Starting from revision 1.5 Digirig features an open-collector switch controlled by RTS signal of the serial port to do exactly that. Many popular digital mode software applications recognize RTS signal as one of the PTT options. More information on PTT switch this can be found in this post: VHF/UHF Digital Modes with budget HTs.

In Digirig 1.5 there are two line drivers available as options: one for PTT, another for CW key if required.

Stating from Digirig 1.6 there is one PTT driver line permanently available on audio TRRS socket as second ring. It is independent from serial CAT and accessible in all configurations. This allows sharing of the same Digirig unit between CAT capable radios and HTs reliant on hardware PTT signal.
?? --


--David

Hi Mark,

Unless you modified the digirig from its standard configuration (it does have internal solder jumpers), the PTT signal from the digirig is RTS. If the radio starts to transmit (and keeps transmitting) when starting Direwolf the polarity may be wrong in with case you would need to use "PTT COM5 -RTS" with the "-" before RTS inverting the polarity. However you should also make sure that there aren't any other applications using the COM5 port (assuming that COM5 is indeed the serial port inside the digirig).

There is absolutely NO relationship whatsoever with the MODEM baudrate in Direwolf and the CAT (rig-control) serial port speed on the Yaesu radio!
The MODEM configuration line in direwolf.conf specifies that data rate for the over-the-air communication (typically 1200 baud for AFSK Packet such as APRS on VHF/UHF or 300 baud for HF Packet; less common is 9600 baud for FSK Packet; other speeds are possible but unusual). The MODEM speed needs to match with everybody else that you are trying to communicate with.
The CAT serial port speed only matters if you are using rig-control in which case there is a way in direwolf.conf to override the default speed for the radio in the PTT configuration line (PTT RIG #### COM5 4800). The model number for Yaesu FT-897D depends on the version of hamlib (rig control software) you are using but is likely 1043 (the FT-897 is 1023, so apparently there is a difference between those two models).

This brings me back to the point I was trying to make in my first response: It matters how the hardware is connected before you can configure the software!

There are at least 3 ways you could connect the Yaesu FT-897D to the Digirig device. There are even more ways to connect the radio to your computer if you include the optional SCU-17 USB interface but in that case it wouldn't make sense to use a digirig at all (the SCU-17 just like the digirig includes a USB hub with USB audio device and USB serial adapter).

As for the 3 ways you may be connecting between the radio and the digirig device:

1.) Just a single Y-cable with TRRS connector attached to the Audio port on the digirig connecting to the microphone input on the radio (for TX-audio and PTT) and the speaker jack (for RX-audio). This type of configuration works with any radio but it would not be the recommended setup for a mobile radio with "Data" port (like the Yaesu FT-897D).
Use PTT COM# RTS or PTT COM# -RTS in this case.

2.) For the Yaesu FT-897D (or any other mobile radio with "Data" port) I would recommend a single cable with TRRS connector attached to the Audio port on the digirig and a Mini-DIN6 connector that plugs into the "Data" port on the radio.
VERY IMPORTANT: the Mini-DIN6 connector has one pin for Tx-Audio to the radio but two pins for Rx-Audio from the radio. Some radios will produce an audio signal on both pins all the time but many will require a menu setting that changes which of those pins will get the audio signal and obviously that setting must match your actual cable. To add to possible confusion those settings are almost always labeled "1200 baud" and "9600 baud" despite the fact that they can be used at other baud rates as well (the true difference is AFSK or FSK mode). AFSK (including FM pre- and de-emphasis) can be reliably used at speed of 2400 baud and below. FSK (without FM pre- and de-emphasis and ideally perfectly linear) can be used at any speed.
That "Data" connector also includes the PTT signal to cause the radio to transmit. While this connector is called "Data" connector it does not have any data (serial or otherwise) signals, it really is an audio connector.
Use PTT COM# RTS or PTT COM# -RTS in this case.

3.) For radios with Rig-control capability (like your Yaesu FT-897D) it is also possible to have two cable connections between digirig and radio. The first cable is the same as in options 1 or 2 and provides the audio signals. The additional cable plugs into the Serial port on the digirig and the CAT port on the radio. Using rig-control, the radio can be put into transmit mode using a serial command. While it is possible to use PTT from the Audio connector and using rig-control for transmit at the same time, I would recommend to use one or the other (especially in the case of the digirig where the SAME serial interface is used for rig-control and for PTT!).
Unless you have reason to use rig-control for other purposes, I would stick with PTT from the Audio interface on the digirig (meaning: do not connect anything to the Serial connector on the digirig or the CAT connector on the radio). The main issue you may run into when connecting CAT and PTT is unintended transmissions (when RTS is asserted on the serial interface for rig control). It is possible to use PTT and rig-control only if the rig-control software is configured to never use hardware handshake and not to assert any modem control signals (specifically not RTS).
Use PTT RIG #### COM# when using rig-control (requires hamlib).

Another important note:
1.) you will get into trouble if you allow two (or more) applications to the use the audio interface in the digirig.
2.) you will get into trouble if you allow two (or more) applications to the use the serial interface in the digirig. Even if you are not using rig-control, the COM port for the serial interface of the digirig is still used to control the PTT signal on the Audio port.

73,
Thomas
KK6FPP

Hi Mark,

You are leaving out the most important aspect, which is what kind of radio you are using and how it is connected to the digirig device!

There is no amount of software configuration that will substitute for a missing physical connection between digirig and radio in order to put the radio into transmit mode.

Assuming that you have an HT or mobile radio without Rig-control capability, then you do need to have the PTT output of the digirig connected to the radio and in direwolf.conf you need to specify "PTT COM# RTS" (since the RTS signal of the serial port inside the digirig is then used for PTT). In this case only one connector on the digirig is needed (the PTT signal is on the same connector as audio in/out).

If you have a radio with Rig-control you need to make sure that Direwolf was build with hamlib (that is the software component that handles the rig-control). In direwolf.conf you then need to specify not only the com port but also the type/model number for the radio so that it can be controlled properly: "PTT RIG #### COM#". Obviously, in that case you have two connections between digirig and radio: one connector on the digirig to audio in/out on the radio and another connector to the serial interface of the radio for rig-control.

73,.
Thomas
KK6FPP

开云体育

It seems you're on a Mac which I don't have a lot of experience on.? Are you sure the /Users/glloncon/direwolf.conf file is present and the file permissions are set for it to be readable?

--David
KI6ZHD

开云体育

you'll find up to 6 to 10 beads (in series)? on a wire effective, most likely.? Don't stop at two and think that's all that can be done.

or , up to say low VHF wind the wires through each core? twice for four times the inductance. At higher frequencies, stray capacitance between the wires kills this advantage.

glen

开云体育

Hello Chris,

So you're saying by manually direwolf from the CLI looks totally normal but never seems to receives any packets from your radio?? If so, I would recommend to start with the basics and make sure the sound devices you expect are showing up:

?? #To view all output capable sound devices:
?? aplay -l


?? #Can you verify the output of the sound device works as expected?? Example:
?? aplay -Dplughw:CARD=Audio,DEV=0 /usr/share/sounds/alsa/Front_Center.wav


?? #Check the audio output and input levels with alsamixer run from the terminal
?? alsamixer


Does the listed audio devices line up with what you have configured in the direwolf.conf file?

What username is running the direwolf process?

--David
KI6ZHD

开云体育

Hello Chris,

When you manually start up direwolf, what errors are you seeing?

--David
KI6ZHD