AllStarLink - Announce IP Address

The following script can be used to announce your AllStarLink's node IP address.  I needed this because my portable node connects via WIFI and the IP address changes.

Create /usr/sbin/sayip.sh and insert the following code:

#!/bin/sh

Node=54362

DONE=0

while [ $DONE -eq 0 ]

do

IPADDR=$(ip addr | grep 'state UP' -A2 | tail -n1 | awk '{print $2}' | cut -f1 -d'/')    

if [ ".$IPADDR" = "." ]

     then

echo "no ip address"

DONE=1

else

         CMD="cat "

         for x in `echo "$IPADDR" | fold -w1`; do

           if [ "$x" = "." ]

           then

           CMD=$CMD"/var/lib/asterisk/sounds/letters/dot.ulaw "

     else

           CMD=$CMD"/var/lib/asterisk/sounds/digits/$x.ulaw "

           fi

         done

`$CMD >/tmp/ip.ulaw`

        /usr/sbin/asterisk -rx "rpt playback $Node /tmp/ip" 

DONE=1

     fi

done

Change Node=54362 to your node number.

Make the file executable with the command: chmod ugo+x /usr/sbin/sayip.sh

Edit /etc/rpt.conf and add a command like the following in the [functions] stanza.

980=cmd,/usr/sbin/sayip.sh

In your node stanza, change the startupmacro so that it reads startupmacro=*980

Now when your node boots, you it will automatically announce the assigned ip address.

Note:  This code is based on the sayip.sh script included with ASL-Asterisk.

Portable UHF Repeater for AllStarLink

 This is a portable UHF repeater for AllStarLink.

AllStarWx

 I have been working on a new application to announce live weather alerts over AllStarLink. 

Here is an overview of the application.  You can find more detail at https://www.weathermessage.com/allstarwx.aspx

AllStarWx is a comprehensive weather alerting and reporting system for AllStar and derived systems.   It uses the National Weather Service’s alerts web service to retrieve data.  This feed is based on the CAP v1.2 specifications. 

AllStarWx supports the following features: 

• On-demand forecasts.
• On-demand current weather conditions.
• Real-time weather alerts.
• Supports one or more counties.
• Announces new weather alerts when they arrive.
• Polite announcements.  It will wait for the receiver to be inactive.
• Uses Asterisk® Manager Interface (AMI) to send commands to AllStar.
• Creates a tail message that summarizes the active weather events.
• Tail messages can be incorporated into AllStar or played periodically.
• Uses static sound effect wave files to draw attention to the alert.
• Execute a script when entering weather alert mode.
• Execute a script when new events arrive.
• Execute a script when all events have expired.
• Runs as a background daemon.
• Changes to the configuration are automatically loaded.
• Features a test mode to check your configuration.
• Logging to review the operation of the application.

Allstar Link - Play net announcement

 This is a quick script to play a net announcement on Allstar Link.  If the repeater is busy, it will wait for 5 minutes for a break.  If there is no break - it will exit without playing.  You will need to create your custom announcement audio file using these procedures.

#!/bin/bash

stat=""

endTime=$(( $(date +%s) + 300))

while [[ $(date +%s) -lt $endTime ]]
do
        stat=$(asterisk -rx "rpt showvars 53431")

        if [[ $stat = *RPT_RXKEYED=0* ]]
        then
                break
        fi

        sleep 5
done

if [[ $stat = *RPT_RXKEYED=1* ]]
then
        exit
fi

/usr/sbin/asterisk -rx "rpt playback 53431 /root/fieldday2022"

This script checks to see if the repeater receiver is active before playing the announcement.  Replace 53812 with your node number.  The file netannounce is the recording that will be played.  It must be stored with the extension .ulaw in the directory of your choice.

Changing MTR2000 VHF 150-174mhz PA to 132-154

See this article on the Repeater Builder site for more information on making the 150-174mhz MTR2000 PA work in the ham bands. 

Here is a picture of the area where the two SMD resistors have to be changed to 15K.

These are the two SMD 1.5K resistors that should be removed.

Here is a picture with the parts removed.

This picture shows the new 15K resistors installed.  The new parts are slightly larger than the old parts.

MMDVMAudio

I am working on a new application to decode DMR audio on a hotspot and pipe it out the 3.5mm jack on the raspberry pi.

Here is a video of my progress.  

AllstarLink Dynamic DNS (DDNS)

AllstarLink internally support Dynamic DDNS.  If you have a node that does not have a static IP address, you can use their internal DDNS system to remotely access your node.

Each node registers with AllstarLink's internal registration system.  It periodically reregisters so that the AllstarLink system knows your node's IP address.  Your node number and IP address is automatically downloaded by other nodes throughout the day.  This is how other nodes know how to connect to your node.

Because of this built-in capability, Allstar link can and does provide a DDNS service.  You can access your node using xxxxx.nodes.allstarlink.org or xxxxx.remotebase.nodes.allstarlink.org.  

This URL will allow you to easily access your node using SSH or view Allmon2, provided that you have open the ports for SSH or HTTP.  There is no need to setup your own domain name through a third-party DDNS provider.

Note:  My node was setup as a remote base, so I had to use xxxxx.remotebase.nodes.allstarlink.org

You will find the documentation on their DNS system at https://wiki.allstarlink.org/wiki/DNS_Servers.