AllStar Version 3 Announcement

 AllStarLink is proud to announce ASL3, the next generation of AllStar repeater and hotspot software. ASL3 is built to run on Asterisk 20, the latest operating systems, and modern hardware. Asterisk 20 brings over 15 years of bug fixes, security improvements, and enhancements. Naturally, ASL3 benefits significantly from running on Asterisk 20. But we didn’t stop there.

ASL3 is easier to install and use thanks to a new fully functional Raspberry Pi image. To get started, check out the Raspberry Pi installation video at https://youtu.be/aeuj-yI8qrU 1. Debian 12 amd64, ASL3 installation is via apt updates. See the new manual at https://allstarlink.github.io.

Final but important notes: ASL3 configuration is significantly different, particularly for those who edit the configs. Both veteran and new AllStar users alike are advised to proceed with caution, read the manual, and follow the installation video.

73 and enjoy ASL3, the best AllStar yet.

AllStarWx 1.3 Released

 AllStarWx 1.3 has been released.  This version has these new features:

• Supports VoiceRSS Text to Speech engine.  This service offers 350 requests per day free.  It is easier to setup than Google Text to Speech.
• Added the script select_tts.sh to allow the user to easily select the text to speech engine. 

As with any update, I recommend that you backup your configuration in \usr\local\AllStarWx.

You will find the revised manual and installers at https://www.weathermessage.com/allstarwx.aspx.

USB Duplex Repeater HotSpotRadio for AllStarLink

I am testing a new full duplex hot spot for AllStarLink.  More information at https://hotspotradios.com/usb-duplex-repeater

AllStarWx Version 1.1 Released

AllStarWx 1.1 is now officially released.  This version has these new features:

• Supports Festival and Pico TTS engines.  (They are not as good as Google TTS, but easier to setup.)
• Ability to read the NWS headline for new products.  (You will have to modify your [NewMessage] Text entry.)
• Ability to ready the NWS announcement headline instead of the standard headline.  This headline includes additional information.  (This requires you to modify the [NewMessage] Text entry.)
• Ability to turn off watch and advisory products in the tail message.
• Forecasts and Observations can now be requested through the background service.  This makes the responses more responsive.  It still takes some time to request the data and process it through the TTS engine.
• Added the ability to call a script when new products are issued at the county level.  The script is passed the county identifier and the event type.  This script can be used to do specific things based on the associated county.
• Upgrade the application to .NET 8.

This version has been tested on 4 different nodes.  All of the features appear to work properly.  As with any update, I recommend that you backup your configuration in \usr\local\AllStarWx.

You will find the revised manual and installers at https://www.weathermessage.com/allstarwx.aspx.

Connecting the Yaesu DR-2X to AllStarLink using RA-DR1X

The following connections are needed to connect a Yaesu DR-2X to a Masters Communications RA-DR1X.  The image was created by David AL5X and modified by KB4MDD for the DR-2X.

Connecting the Yaesu DR-1X to AllStarLink using RA-DR1X

The following connections are needed to connect a Yaesu DR-1X to a Masters Communications RA-DR1X.  The image was created by David AL5X.

HotSpotRadio-USB for AllStarLink

 I am testing a new AllStarLink hotspot.  https://hotspotradios.com/hotspotradio-usb.