I am exploring the myth surrounding frequency agile remote bases. I call this a myth. I have never found anyone who has done it or knows that it is real. It is talked about in the how-to’s it is mentioned on various forums. When I ask about it all I get is, well ASL Supports it.
If its not real please update the doc saying it cannot be done, quit leading people down the rabbit hole
I did it with a Motorola and a Xcat. It worked great. I made a page on the project.
Well, you can see it in the app_rpt.c source code, maybe 8 different rigs supported. I’ve used it on a FT-857D and FT-900 (using FT-100 rig selection just ignore vhf/uhf stuff). Works good. The commands are a bit tough to learn. My remote base node is 2428, though off for a while waiting on me to get syllabic squelch added on as COS. And don’t have an antenna I can dedicate to it till it warms up a bit. But…yeah, agile remote is definitely in the code. But, just remembered this…if you’re using HamVoip it is not in the code. They rely on hamlib to do the trick and while hamlib does control the radio their script to skim commands from user input didn’t work for me. I was able to setup specific commands to go to specific freq/modes it was not freq agile. With ASL it will allow you to program freq, mode, jog up jog down, choose pl tone (for vhf/uhf fm) And when I get the syllabic squelch added it can stay monitoring a freq without the user node/repeater staying keyed.
Early on there was a serial timing issue with the FT897/857 and Jim the Duuuude fixed it for me.
I just looked in the source, the only HF rigs supported are FT-100, FT-950, FT-897/857 and IC-706. I have found that Yaesu used almost the same commands for CAT and that’s why I can control the FT-900 using FT-100 setup. Not sure of the Icom. The rest of the supported rigs are VHF/UHF and/or channel select using BCD word output to select one of 16 for example or the Xcat that Tim mentioned.
GeorgeC W2DB
The skiiny is that, yes, it supports it.
But… (always a but)
Know that all radios don’t talk the same way and that the code in our sofware is a bit outdated.
It can be compatible for most needed features with Kenwood and Yaesu
ie freq and mode, but pot luck trying to nail it down completely.
Icom 706mk2 maybe the most fully commanded unit in the software,
but will not work at all with a 706 ‘non’ mkii
I did write a external unit for general control of Icom, and have yet to expand that to yaesu etc
It would be good to note that many Chinese units we see floating on ebay of various makes that have CAT control often use Kenwood ascii protocol for control and would function for freq mode basic stuff if set as a Kenwood in the software.
If you have specific questions, you should ask them as there are a few of us that dabble with it and watch this board. But know that RF remotes seem to be a dyeing class over the last 10 years.
I am sure that will change again sometime. But encourage anyone to at least have the capability built for their rf nodes.
Admitably, the information for this stuff needs organized in a coherent way, but…
https://wiki.allstarlink.org/wiki/Rpt.conf#Remote_Base_Stanza
https://wiki.allstarlink.org/wiki/Remote_Base:_Doug_Hall_RBI-1
https://wiki.allstarlink.org/wiki/Rpt.conf#Remote_Base_Commands
Mike, were the FT-100 and FT-950 removed from newer versions?
GeorgeC W2DB
George,
I really would not know. If you remember, I had put out a call for known compatibility (working) some time ago so I could update the whole mess in the wiki.(the wiki could be expanded if info is verified)
But, That did not go far. Leads me to believe hardly anyone is using it except veteran users who do not frequent this board.
And I can see why with how messy it is for someone to figure it all out the first time. But I always encourage and try to help it along. I actually think the capability is important in the world of ecom.
People should know how to build it out.
I am trying to build some explanation and howto. But not a priority right now.
Kinda dragging my feet a bit to a potential new version and changes.
I had also made a request for future version change in release that we allow for external script control sending generic calls so we could adapt a common interface to whatever the radio is externally and allow future expansion without changing the core program code. Externally, this whole process is quite easy and flexible.
In that area, I could expand this quite quickly if it were there, and ‘potentially later’ eliminate a bunch of internal core code. But thus far my external asterisk RB calls for Icom to do the same are limited to basic function and requires building a whole additional command set into asterisk to operate. Makes it difficult to remember without a cheat sheet, even for the guy who wrote it.
I would rather use the command set that is built-into the code,
just optionally externally generically executed.
Where the program determines what translation is needed/sent.
What I have done to this point should work with any Icom as it is for basic functions externally. So I have a starter framework. I have looked at the source c code for RB and it is quite messy and I am not really a good c guy and it is quite confusing when parts of it are regurgitated in the code, making changing any of it complex to not mess something else up.
But that is where all of this stands with me right now. Sorry for the long answer.
Are there any writeups on setting the audio level going from ASL to the remote base? I am using a DRA-50.
thank you.
The audio set-up would be no different than any node/repeater
being adjusted for the radio and/or the URI for specific range of levels.
https://wiki.allstarlink.org/wiki/Adjusting_USB_Radio_Audio_Levels