Direwolf – Packet-radio.net

Direwolf <> Symek Tnc3s

Posted on23 March 202024 March 2020AuthorPD9QLeave a comment

144.800Mhz @ 1200Baud (Two tests one on 03-23 and one on 03-24 (rx only))

The first test I did was of course not entirely fair, different antennas were used and different transmitters/receivers. Now I made a setup with the same antenna and the same receiver, so with the same audio input.
First the setup, as a computer(if I haven’t lost it.some where) I use a Raspberry PI 2B+, as a sound card I use an Fe-Pi Audio Z V2. As a receiver I use a Realistic pro 2006. It is an old receiver but still works 100%. The antenna is a x50 from Diamond. Of course the Tnc3s from Symek, and Direwolf from John WB2OSZ. I use Kissutil from WB2OSZ, this allows me to connect to Direwolf and the Tnc3s as well as save the received Frames. This makes comparing easy/easier.

Now I have made two start files, one for Direwolf and one for the Tnc3s. I start these in different terminals. I do this manually, so there is a slight delay in starting up.

/home/aprs/direwolf.sh

#!/bin/bash
# Start kissutil on Direwolf kiss port 8001
# Let it run for 30 minutes and kill the process
# Start options "timeout -s 9 1800 ./direwolf.sh"
#
# Kissutil for Direwolf save to /home/aprs/rec-direwolf
/usr/local/bin/kissutil-direwolf -o /home/aprs/rec-direwolf
#

/home/aprs/tnc3s.sh

#!/bin/bash
# Start kissutil on the /dev/ttyUSB0 for the Symek Tnc3s
# Let it run for 30 minutes and kill the process
# Start options "timeout -s 9 1800 ./tnc3s.sh"
#
# Kissutil for the Tnc3s save to /home/aprs/rc-tnc3s
/usr/local/bin/kissutil-tnc3s -p /dev/ttyUSB0 -s 38400 -o /home/aprs/rec-tnc3s
#

/home/aprs/direwolf.sh

#!/bin/bash

# Start kissutil on Direwolf kiss port 8001

# Let it run for 30 minutes and kill the process

# Start options "timeout -s 9 1800 ./direwolf.sh"

# Kissutil for Direwolf save to /home/aprs/rec-direwolf

/usr/local/bin/kissutil-direwolf -o /home/aprs/rec-direwolf

/home/aprs/tnc3s.sh

#!/bin/bash

# Start kissutil on the /dev/ttyUSB0 for the Symek Tnc3s

# Let it run for 30 minutes and kill the process

# Start options "timeout -s 9 1800 ./tnc3s.sh"

# Kissutil for the Tnc3s save to /home/aprs/rc-tnc3s

/usr/local/bin/kissutil-tnc3s -p /dev/ttyUSB0 -s 38400 -o /home/aprs/rec-tnc3s

I start the scripts with the option “timeout” now I can specify the time how long the script runs.
Example. “timeout -s 9 1800 ./tnc3s.sh”
In this comparison, both scripts run for 30 minutes. 1800 Second. Now it is time for the comparison.

With the command “ls -A | wc -l” the number of files in the directory are counted. (Frames received.)

03-23-2020

03-24-2020

Here you can see the difference between the received frames of the Tnc3s and Direwolf. There is a difference of 73 and 125 missed frames from the Tnc3s. I tried something with the reception levels of the Tnc3s. It is To soft – Ok – To hard, there is little difference between To soft and Ok and To hard.

I did some tests with the amount of calls received. Just for fun.

Direwolf <> Kpc9612

Posted on21 March 202021 March 2020AuthorPD9Q6 Comments

Today I made a comparison between Direwolf and a KPC9612. Now I have to say that it is difficult to compare. As the first set I use a KPC9612 and a Yaesu 7900 with an x30 as antenna and as software PinPoint Aprs Client for Windows. As the second set I use a Realistic pro 2006 scanner with an x50 as antenna and Direwolf. These antennas are at the same height.

Now I am very impressed with Direwolf, it seems that my KPC9612 is completely deaf. I clearly hear the packet signal but there is no decode. Unfortunately I don’t have two the same sets and two the same antennas to make the comparison better. But it is very clear here that Direwolf wins big.

Below you can see the difference between the setups. The Communication monitor is from PinPoint Aprs Client, the rest is from direwolf and some aprs parsing.

Okay, I know the comparison isn’t entirely fair. But for me Direwolf is the big winner.

Time to play

Posted on17 March 2020AuthorPD9QLeave a comment

Direwolf 1.6 D (Mar 1 2020) FX.25

Posted on1 March 20201 March 2020AuthorPD9QLeave a comment

I did some testing with a friend of mine PD2NLX. We have tested the (new) FX.25 protocol (32 and 16 Bytes) This is AX25 with forward error correction. Now the distance between us is quite short, about 5 kilometers. We have discovered that the 16 bytes check at a short distance works better.

First I have installed the “dev” release of Direwolf.

git clone https://github.com/wb2osz/direwolf.git
cd direwolf
git branch -r
git checkout dev
mkdir build && cd build
cmake ..
make -j4
sudo make install
make install-conf

git clone https://github.com/wb2osz/direwolf.git

cd direwolf

git branch -r

git checkout dev

mkdir build && cd build

cmake ..

make -j4

sudo make install

make install-conf

My direwolf.start file look like this

#Start direwolf with -X (16, 32, 64) option to enable FX.25 tx. Number (16, 32, 64) means bytes to check
direwolf -X 16 -d x -t 0 -c /home/pd9q/jnos/direwolf.conf -l /home/pd9q/jnos/logs/direwolf >/dev/tty3

1 2	#Start direwolf with -X (16, 32, 64) option to enable FX.25 tx. Number (16, 32, 64) means bytes to check direwolf -X 16 -d x -t 0 -c /home/pd9q/jnos/direwolf.conf -l /home/pd9q/jnos/logs/direwolf >/dev/tty3

I have add the start option “-d x” Let’s take a look at what that looks like.

FX.25: Matched correlation tag 0x05 with 6 bit errors.  Expecting 223 data & 32 check bytes.
FX.25: Matched correlation tag 0x05 with 0 bit errors.  Expecting 223 data & 32 check bytes.
FX.25: Matched correlation tag 0x05 with 0 bit errors.  Expecting 223 data & 32 check bytes.
FX.25: FEC complete with no errors.
FX.25: FEC complete with no errors.
FX.25: FEC complete, fixed 13 errors in byte positions: 11 19 65 73 74 92 116 117
132 138 143 144 192

FX.25: Matched correlation tag 0x06 with 1 bit errors.  Expecting 128 data & 32 check bytes.
FX.25: Matched correlation tag 0x06 with 1 bit errors.  Expecting 128 data & 32 check bytes.
FX.25: Matched correlation tag 0x06 with 1 bit errors.  Expecting 128 data & 32 check bytes.
FX.25: Matched correlation tag 0x06 with 1 bit errors.  Expecting 128 data & 32 check bytes.
FX.25: FEC complete with no errors.
FX.25: FEC complete with no errors.
FX.25: FEC complete with no errors.
FX.25: FEC complete, fixed  1 errors in byte positions: 97

FX.25: Matched correlation tag 0x04 with 0 bit errors.  Expecting 32 data & 16 check bytes.
FX.25: Matched correlation tag 0x04 with 0 bit errors.  Expecting 32 data & 16 check bytes.
FX.25: Matched correlation tag 0x04 with 0 bit errors.  Expecting 32 data & 16 check bytes.
FX.25: Matched correlation tag 0x04 with 0 bit errors.  Expecting 32 data & 16 check bytes.
FX.25: FEC complete, fixed  1 errors in byte positions: 248
FX.25: FEC complete with no errors.
FX.25: FEC complete with no errors.
FX.25: FEC complete with no errors.

FX.25: Matched correlation tag 0x01 with 0 bit errors.  Expecting 239 data & 16 check bytes.
FX.25: Matched correlation tag 0x01 with 0 bit errors.  Expecting 239 data & 16 check bytes.
FX.25: Matched correlation tag 0x01 with 0 bit errors.  Expecting 239 data & 16 check bytes.
FX.25: Matched correlation tag 0x01 with 0 bit errors.  Expecting 239 data & 16 check bytes.
FX.25: FEC complete with no errors.
FX.25: FEC complete with no errors.
FX.25: FEC complete with no errors.
FX.25: FEC complete with no errors.

FX.25: Matched correlation tag 0x05 with 6 bit errors. Expecting 223 data & 32 check bytes.

FX.25: Matched correlation tag 0x05 with 0 bit errors. Expecting 223 data & 32 check bytes.

FX.25: FEC complete with no errors.

FX.25: FEC complete, fixed 13 errors in byte positions: 11 19 65 73 74 92 116 117

132 138 143 144 192

FX.25: Matched correlation tag 0x06 with 1 bit errors. Expecting 128 data & 32 check bytes.

FX.25: FEC complete with no errors.

FX.25: FEC complete, fixed 1 errors in byte positions: 97

FX.25: Matched correlation tag 0x04 with 0 bit errors. Expecting 32 data & 16 check bytes.

FX.25: FEC complete, fixed 1 errors in byte positions: 248

FX.25: FEC complete with no errors.

FX.25: Matched correlation tag 0x01 with 0 bit errors. Expecting 239 data & 16 check bytes.

FX.25: FEC complete with no errors.

It has, of course, been developed to work over large distances and thus achieve a reasonably reliable connection. But it works surprisingly well.

Direwolf AX.25 + FEC = FX.25

Posted on8 January 2020AuthorPD9Q1 Comment

Probably most of you will already know, Direwolf will support FX.25. This is AX25 with forward error correction. Nice.

The mail John, WB2OSZ posted on the mail list.

What can you do if your radio signal isn’t quite strong enough to get through reliably?  
Move to higher ground?  Get a better antenna?  More power?   
Send data very very slowly with narrow bandwidth?

Sometimes those are not options.  
Another way to improve communication reliability is to add redundant information 
so the message will still get through even if small parts are missing.

FX.25 has been used for more than a decade with some satellites.  
Receiving implementations were oriented toward that niche application.  
Now that FX.25 is easy to use, integrated into a general purpose TNC, 
many other AX.25 based applications can gain the benefits while retaining 
complete compatibility with older equipment.

What can you do if your radio signal isn’t quite strong enough to get through reliably?

Move to higher ground? Get a better antenna? More power?

Send data very very slowly with narrow bandwidth?

Sometimes those are not options.

Another way to improve communication reliability is to add redundant information

so the message will still get through even if small parts are missing.

FX.25 has been used for more than a decade with some satellites.

Receiving implementations were oriented toward that niche application.

Now that FX.25 is easy to use, integrated into a general purpose TNC,

many other AX.25 based applications can gain the benefits while retaining

complete compatibility with older equipment.

Direwolf Kissutil

Posted on8 January 20208 January 2020AuthorPD9QLeave a comment

I was reading on a website and there they talked about kissutil from Direwolf. This appears to be a tool you use interactively for troubleshooting a kiss tnc or you can use it as an application interface. Very nice tool.

kissutil  can be used interactively for troubleshooting a KISS TNC. 
It is usable with direwolf and other generic KISS TNCs connected to a serial port. 
It can also be used as an application interface where each side places files in a directory for the other to process. 

Options
-h host
Hostname or IP address for a TCP KISS TNC.  Default is localhost.

-p port
A number may be specified for a TCP port other than the default 8001. 
If not a number, it is considered to be a serial port name such as /dev/ttyS0 or COM3.

-s speed
Speed for serial port. e.g. 9600.

-o rec-directory
For each received frame, a new file is created here. 
It is expected that some other application will process files in this directory then delete them.

-T format
Each received frame will be preceded by a timestamp in the specified format. 
See strftime documentation for a description of the format string. Example:  %H:%M:%S  for current time in hours, minutes, seconds.

-f xmit-directory
Files in this directory are transmited and deleted. Another application places a file here when it wants something to be transmitted.

-v
Verbose - Display the KISS frames going to and from the TNC.

kissutil can be used interactively for troubleshooting a KISS TNC.

It is usable with direwolf and other generic KISS TNCs connected to a serial port.

It can also be used as an application interface where each side places files in a directory for the other to process.

Options

-h host

Hostname or IP address for a TCP KISS TNC. Default is localhost.

-p port

A number may be specified for a TCP port other than the default 8001.

If not a number, it is considered to be a serial port name such as /dev/ttyS0 or COM3.

-s speed

Speed for serial port. e.g. 9600.

-o rec-directory

For each received frame, a new file is created here.

It is expected that some other application will process files in this directory then delete them.

-T format

Each received frame will be preceded by a timestamp in the specified format.

See strftime documentation for a description of the format string. Example: %H:%M:%S for current time in hours, minutes, seconds.

-f xmit-directory

Files in this directory are transmited and deleted. Another application places a file here when it wants something to be transmitted.

-v

Verbose - Display the KISS frames going to and from the TNC.

In the User-guide-1.6-pre you can find somemore info on section 14.6

Bind ax25 interface to Direwolf

Posted on26 November 2018AuthorPD9Q1 Comment

It can be easy to link an ax25 interface to Direwolf. This makes it possible to use RMSGateway, Uronode etc with Direwolf.
In this script Direwolf is started with the -p option. With the -p option a virtual tnc is created. /tmp/kisstnc.

With mkiss a kiss connection is made on the /tmp/kisstnc. With kissattach the PTY is connected to the ax25 interface.

Fist edit the file axports in /etc/ax25

pd9q@pd9q:/etc/ax25 $ cat axports
# /etc/ax25/axports
# name callsign speed paclen window description
#
ax0     PI1LAP-9       19200    255     7     RMSGateway pi1lap-10

pd9q@pd9q:/etc/ax25 $ cat axports

# /etc/ax25/axports

# name callsign speed paclen window description

ax0 PI1LAP-9 19200 255 7 RMSGateway pi1lap-10

Config the direwolf.conf file to set the right audio device and ptt port. Save file to /etc/ax25/direwolf.conf

ADEVICE plughw:1,0
ACHANNELS 1
CHANNEL 0
MODEM 300 2130:2230 D
PTT GPIO 21
DWAIT 0
SLOTTIME 12
PERSIST 63
TXDELAY 40
TXTAIL 10
FIX_BITS 1 AX25
LOGDIR /var/log/direwolf

ADEVICE plughw:1,0

ACHANNELS 1

CHANNEL 0

MODEM 300 2130:2230 D

PTT GPIO 21

DWAIT 0

SLOTTIME 12

PERSIST 63

TXDELAY 40

TXTAIL 10

FIX_BITS 1 AX25

LOGDIR /var/log/direwolf

Run the script

#!/bin/bash
   PATH=/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/bin:/usr/bin:/etc/ax25:/usr/local/ax25
   echo "Starting direwolf"
     direwolf -t 0 -c /etc/ax25/direwolf.conf -p &
   #Check if Direwolf is running
   sleep 5
   if [ -z "`ps ax | grep -v grep | grep direwolf`" ]; then
      echo -e "\nERROR: Direwolf did not start properly and is not running, please review direwolf.conf"
         exit 1
   fi
   echo "Installing one KISS connection on PTY port /tmp/kisstnc"
     mkiss -s 19200 -x 1 /tmp/kisstnc > /tmp/unix98
   #This creates a PTS interface like "/dev/pts/3"
     export PTS0=`more /tmp/unix98 | grep -w /dev | cut -b -11`
     echo "PTS0 device: $PTS0"
     kissattach $PTS0 ax0  > /tmp/ax25-config.tmp
     awk '/device/ { print $7 }' /tmp/ax25-config.tmp > /tmp/ax25-config1-tmp
     read Device < /tmp/ax25-config1-tmp

#!/bin/bash

PATH=/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/bin:/usr/bin:/etc/ax25:/usr/local/ax25

echo "Starting direwolf"

direwolf -t 0 -c /etc/ax25/direwolf.conf -p &

#Check if Direwolf is running

sleep 5

if [ -z "`ps ax | grep -v grep | grep direwolf`" ]; then

echo -e "\nERROR: Direwolf did not start properly and is not running, please review direwolf.conf"

exit 1

echo "Installing one KISS connection on PTY port /tmp/kisstnc"

mkiss -s 19200 -x 1 /tmp/kisstnc > /tmp/unix98

#This creates a PTS interface like "/dev/pts/3"

export PTS0=`more /tmp/unix98 | grep -w /dev | cut -b -11`

echo "PTS0 device: $PTS0"

kissattach $PTS0 ax0 > /tmp/ax25-config.tmp

awk '/device/ { print $7 }' /tmp/ax25-config.tmp > /tmp/ax25-config1-tmp

read Device < /tmp/ax25-config1-tmp

Let’s check if everything went well.

pd9q@pd9q:~ $ ps ax
1015 ?        Ss     0:00 mkiss -s 19200 -x 1 /tmp/kisstnc
1025 ?        Ss     0:00 kissattach /dev/pts/2 ax0

pd9q@pd9q:~ $ ps ax

1015 ? Ss 0:00 mkiss -s 19200 -x 1 /tmp/kisstnc

1025 ? Ss 0:00 kissattach /dev/pts/2 ax0

Try it out…

pd9q@pd9q:~ $ call ax0 pd9q-2
GW4PTS AX.25 Connect 2.0.0
Trying...
*** Connected to pd9q-2
*** Cleared

pd9q@pd9q:~ $ call ax0 pd9q-2

GW4PTS AX.25 Connect 2.0.0

Trying...

*** Connected to pd9q-2

*** Cleared

Now it’s possible to setup RMSGateway or Uronode of whatever you want.

Installing Direwolf and LinBPQ on Raspian Stretch

Posted on14 November 2018AuthorPD9QLeave a comment

Jeff KP3FT has written a nice document about the installation of Direwolf and Linbpq on a Raspberry with raspbian Stretch. Download the complet document here.

Dire Wolf

Installing Direwolf and linBPQ on a new Raspian Stretch installation. It’s a combination from various websites and documentation, condensed down into a straightforward walkthrough. This doesn’t include configuration of most BPQ settings, only enough to get it to use Direwolf as a modem.

Older Raspian versions like Jessie may require Pulse Audio removed first, prior to installing Direwolf. Raspian Stretch by default does not have Pulse Audio installed. My Raspian config settings have SSH and VNC enabled.

First:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade
sudo reboot now

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get upgrade

sudo reboot now

After it restarts, install libasound:

sudo apt-get install libasound2-dev

1	sudo apt-get install libasound2-dev

Optionally install the following if you want to enable Direwolf to use the GPIO pin on certain USB sound devices for PTT:

sudo apt-get install libudev-dev

1	sudo apt-get install libudev-dev

Then install Direwolf (as of this writing, version 1.5 is the latest):

cd ~
git clone https://www.github.com/wb2osz/direwolf
cd ~/direwolf
git tag
git checkout 1.5
make -j 
sudo make install 
make install-rpi
make install-conf

cd ~

git clone https://www.github.com/wb2osz/direwolf

cd ~/direwolf

git tag

git checkout 1.5

make -j

sudo make install

make install-rpi

make install-conf

Plug your USB sound device(s) into the RPi, open a terminal, and run the following to verify the system sees the USB sound device(s).

aplay -l (the smallcase letter "l", not the number "1")

1	aplay -l (the smallcase letter "l", not the number "1")

If the Raspberry pi’s onboard audio is enabled, it will show up as Card 0, Device 0. The USB sound device should show up as Card 1, Device 0. A second USB sound device will show up as Card 2, Device 0, and so on.

Open the direwolf.conf file in a text-editor, scroll down, and enable the correct USB sound device by removing the # at the beginning of the appropriate line. For example, on mine it is:

ADEVICE  plughw:1,0

1	ADEVICE plughw:1,0

Scroll down and change “N0CALL” to your callsign in the line:

MYCALL N0CALL

1	MYCALL N0CALL

Enable the modem speed you want. In my case, I enable 300-baud:

MODEM 300

MODEM 300

Scroll down and enable the appropriate PTT option for your setup.
Further down, enable and change the AGWPORT and KISSPORT settings for your setup.
Optionally disable all the APRS-related lines if you don’t want to use those functions.

Save the file and run Direwolf by double-clicking the desktop icon, or test-run it from Terminal with:

cd ~
direwolf

1 2	cd ~ direwolf

You should see packet activity if the radio is tuned on the right frequency and audio level is good.

Close Direwolf for now (CTRL-C) and install pilinBPQ (skip down to the Direwolf port section if pilinBPQ is already installed):

sudo mkdir linbpq
cd linbpq
sudo wget http://www.cantab.net/users/john.wiseman/Downloads/Beta/pilinbpq
sudo mv pilinbpq linbpq
sudo chmod +x linbpq

sudo mkdir linbpq

cd linbpq

sudo wget http://www.cantab.net/users/john.wiseman/Downloads/Beta/pilinbpq

sudo mv pilinbpq linbpq

sudo chmod +x linbpq

sudo su
setcap "CAP_NET_ADMIN=ep CAP_NET_RAW=ep CAP_NET_BIND_SERVICE=ep" linbpq
su pi

sudo su

setcap "CAP_NET_ADMIN=ep CAP_NET_RAW=ep CAP_NET_BIND_SERVICE=ep" linbpq

su pi

sudo mkdir HTML
cd HTML
sudo wget http://www.cantab.net/users/john.wiseman/Downloads/Beta/HTMLPages.zip
sudo unzip HTMLPages.zip

sudo mkdir HTML

cd HTML

sudo wget http://www.cantab.net/users/john.wiseman/Downloads/Beta/HTMLPages.zip

sudo unzip HTMLPages.zip

cd ~/linbpq
sudo mkdir BPQAPRS
cd BPQAPRS
sudo wget http://www.cantab.net/users/john.wiseman/Documents/Samples/APRSHTML.zip
sudo unzip APRSHTML.zip

cd ~/linbpq

sudo mkdir BPQAPRS

cd BPQAPRS

sudo wget http://www.cantab.net/users/john.wiseman/Documents/Samples/APRSHTML.zip

sudo unzip APRSHTML.zip

cd ~
sudo chown -R pi:pi linbpq

1 2	cd ~ sudo chown -R pi:pi linbpq

Copy an existing Linux bpq32.cfg from another source to /pi/linbpq. I have an old bpq32.cfg file here which would need some substantial editing for your own setup:

https://www.qsl.net/swlkp3/Packet/bpq32(Linux).cfg .

Be sure to rename it to bpq32.cfg .If you don’t use the above bpq32.cfg file, and add one or both of these Direwolf ports in the ports section of whatever copy of bpq32.cfg you have, depending on how many Direwolf modems you want to run. Change the port numbers to whatever works with your particular setup. The timing settings can also be changed; these are what worked with my setup for 300-baud HF packet and 1200-baud VHF packet.

;******PORT 1 Direwolf 300-baud*****
PORT
   PORTNUM=1                 ; Port number
   ID=HF Packet 300-baud     ; PORTS command text
   TYPE=ASYNC                ; RS232 connection
   IPADDR=127.0.0.1          ; DIREWOLF
   TCPPORT=8001              ; DIREWOLF
   SPEED=19200
   CHANNEL=A                 ; TNC channel
   MAXFRAME=1                ; Max outstanding frames
   FRACK=5000                ; Level 2 timeout (ms)
   RESPTIME=40               ; Level 2 delayed ACK (ms)
   RETRIES=10                ; Level 2 max retries
   PACLEN=40                 ; Max packet length (bytes)
   TXDELAY=100               ; Transmit keyup delay (ms)
   SLOTTIME=100            ; CMSA interval timer (ms)
   TXTAIL=30
   PERSIST=63     ; Persistence (256/(# transmissions-1)
   DIGIFLAG=1       ; Allow Digipeat on this port
ENDPORT

;******PORT 1 Direwolf 300-baud*****

PORT

PORTNUM=1 ; Port number

ID=HF Packet 300-baud ; PORTS command text

TYPE=ASYNC ; RS232 connection

IPADDR=127.0.0.1 ; DIREWOLF

TCPPORT=8001 ; DIREWOLF

SPEED=19200

CHANNEL=A ; TNC channel

MAXFRAME=1 ; Max outstanding frames

FRACK=5000 ; Level 2 timeout (ms)

RESPTIME=40 ; Level 2 delayed ACK (ms)

RETRIES=10 ; Level 2 max retries

PACLEN=40 ; Max packet length (bytes)

TXDELAY=100 ; Transmit keyup delay (ms)

SLOTTIME=100 ; CMSA interval timer (ms)

TXTAIL=30

PERSIST=63 ; Persistence (256/(# transmissions-1)

DIGIFLAG=1 ; Allow Digipeat on this port

ENDPORT

;****** PORT 2 Direwolf 1200-baud *****
PORT
   PORTNUM=2                 ; Port number
   ID=VHF Packet 1200-baud   ; PORTS command text
   TYPE=ASYNC                ; RS232 connection
   IPADDR=127.0.0.1          ; DIREWOLF
   TCPPORT=8003              ; DIREWOLF
   SPEED=19200
   CHANNEL=A                 ; TNC channel
   MAXFRAME=1                ; Max outstanding frames
   FRACK=5000                ; Level 2 timeout (ms)
   RESPTIME=40               ; Level 2 delayed ACK (ms)
   RETRIES=10                ; Level 2 max retries
   PACLEN=236                 ; Max packet length (bytes)
   TXDELAY=100               ; Transmit keyup delay (ms)
   SLOTTIME=100            ; CMSA interval timer (ms)
   TXTAIL=30
   PERSIST=63     ; Persistence (256/(# transmissions-1)
   DIGIFLAG=1       ; Allow Digipeat on this port
ENDPORT

;****** PORT 2 Direwolf 1200-baud *****

PORT

PORTNUM=2 ; Port number

ID=VHF Packet 1200-baud ; PORTS command text

TYPE=ASYNC ; RS232 connection

IPADDR=127.0.0.1 ; DIREWOLF

TCPPORT=8003 ; DIREWOLF

SPEED=19200

CHANNEL=A ; TNC channel

MAXFRAME=1 ; Max outstanding frames

FRACK=5000 ; Level 2 timeout (ms)

RESPTIME=40 ; Level 2 delayed ACK (ms)

RETRIES=10 ; Level 2 max retries

PACLEN=236 ; Max packet length (bytes)

TXDELAY=100 ; Transmit keyup delay (ms)

SLOTTIME=100 ; CMSA interval timer (ms)

TXTAIL=30

PERSIST=63 ; Persistence (256/(# transmissions-1)

DIGIFLAG=1 ; Allow Digipeat on this port

ENDPORT

Save the file.

Start Direwolf.

Open another Terminal and start linBPQ:

cd ~/linbpq
sudo -u pi ./linbpq

1 2	cd ~/linbpq sudo -u pi ./linbpq

It should connect to Direwolf(s) on port 127.0.0.1:8001 or whatever port(s) you set up.

Notes:
——
Multiple instances of Direwolf can run at the same time. Each instance has its own “.conf” file. Each conf file needs to be edited to enable whatever port and USB sound device will be used. To do that, just edit the original “direwolf.conf” file and save it under a new name, such as “direwolf_HF.conf”, etc. Start each instance in Terminal using the “-c” switch to point Direwolf to the correct “.conf” file. In my setup, I start the first Direwolf instance in Terminal with “direwolf -c direwolf.conf”. The second instance is started in another Terminal with “direwolf -c direwolf_HF.conf”.

Direwolf has several options that can be used in the command line. Three that I find particularly useful are the “-q”, -T”, and “-x” options. By default, Direwolf shows audio in/out levels in its Terminal screen. This can be turned off with “-q h”. For example, when I run my HF 300-baud instance of Direwolf to disable audio reports, I run “direwolf -c direwolf_HF.conf -q h”

To show timestamps of sent and received packet frames, use the “-T” option with “%H:%M:%S”. Example: “direwolf -c direwolf_HF.conf -q h -T %H:%M:%S” to disable audio reporting and show timestamds in hours-minutes-seconds format.

The “-x” option immediately starts Direwolf transmitting calibration tones, which I use mostly to key the transciever for tuning the antenna when I switch bands. Example: “direwolf -c direwolf_HF.conf -q h -T %H:%M:%S -x”. Enter CNTRL-C to stop the transmit.

The complete list of command-line options are in the Direwolf user guide, pages 126 through 128: https://github.com/wb2osz/direwolf/tree/master/doc

DireWolf/Linpq with Systemd.

Posted on12 September 201828 October 2018AuthorPD9QLeave a comment

I have a bad time behind me, I have had a lot of arguments with Systemd to start DireWolf and Linpq when booting 🙂
If you like Systemd, you can read some about it here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Systemd

I want Linbpq to run under /dev/tty2 and DireWolf under /dev/tty3. This is because if I login remotely I can view the monitor from DireWolf with “conspy”. “conspy 3” Hit esc a few times to leave conspy.

Systemd does not want to accept the start line with >/dev/tty3 &

ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/direwolf -c /home/pd9q/direwolf.conf -l /home/pd9q/direwolf.log >/dev/tty3

1	ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/direwolf -c /home/pd9q/direwolf.conf -l /home/pd9q/direwolf.log >/dev/tty3

This upper start line does not work.

So I had to come up with something else for that. So i wrote a start file. “direwolf.start”

cd /usr/local/bin
./direwolf -c /home/pd9q/direwolf.conf -l /home/pd9q/direwolf.log >/dev/tty3

1 2	cd /usr/local/bin ./direwolf -c /home/pd9q/direwolf.conf -l /home/pd9q/direwolf.log >/dev/tty3

Now i wrote a unit file to start DireWolf on boot.
/etc/systemd/system/direwolf.service

[Unit]
Description=DireWolf Deamon
After=network.target
After=sound.target
After=syslog.target

[Service]
Type=simple
ExecStart=/bin/bash /home/pd9q/linbpq/direwolf.start

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
Alias=direwolf.service

[Unit]

Description=DireWolf Deamon

After=network.target

After=sound.target

After=syslog.target

[Service]

Type=simple

ExecStart=/bin/bash /home/pd9q/linbpq/direwolf.start

[Install]

WantedBy=multi-user.target

Alias=direwolf.service

Now DireWolf is starting very nice on /dev/tty3

pd9q@packet:~ $ systemctl status direwolf.service
● direwolf.service - DireWolf Deamon
   Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/direwolf.service; enabled; vendor preset: enabled)
   Active: active (running) since Wed 2018-09-12 10:58:51 UTC; 1h 18min ago
 Main PID: 463 (bash)
   CGroup: /system.slice/direwolf.service
           ├─463 /bin/bash /home/pd9q/linbpq/direwolf.start
           └─474 ./direwolf -c /home/pd9q/direwolf.conf -l /home/pd9q/direwolf.log

Sep 12 10:58:51 packet systemd[1]: Started DireWolf Deamon.
pd9q@packet:~ $

pd9q@packet:~ $ systemctl status direwolf.service

● direwolf.service - DireWolf Deamon

Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/direwolf.service; enabled; vendor preset: enabled)

Active: active (running) since Wed 2018-09-12 10:58:51 UTC; 1h 18min ago

Main PID: 463 (bash)

CGroup: /system.slice/direwolf.service

├─463 /bin/bash /home/pd9q/linbpq/direwolf.start

└─474 ./direwolf -c /home/pd9q/direwolf.conf -l /home/pd9q/direwolf.log

Sep 12 10:58:51 packet systemd[1]: Started DireWolf Deamon.

pd9q@packet:~ $

I had the same problem with Linbpq, which I solved in the same way.

Linbpq start file “runbpq”

cd /home/pd9q/linbpq
sudo ./linbpq  >/dev/tty2

1 2	cd /home/pd9q/linbpq sudo ./linbpq >/dev/tty2

The unit file “linbpq.service”

[Unit]
Description=Linbpq Daemon
After=network.target
After=direwolf.target
StartLimitInterval=0

[Service]
Type=simple
Restart=always
RestartSec=5
ExecStart=/bin/bash /home/pd9q/linbpq/runbpq
WorkingDirectory=/home/pd9q/linbpq

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
Alias=linbpq.service

[Unit]

Description=Linbpq Daemon

After=network.target

After=direwolf.target

StartLimitInterval=0

[Service]

Type=simple

Restart=always

RestartSec=5

ExecStart=/bin/bash /home/pd9q/linbpq/runbpq

WorkingDirectory=/home/pd9q/linbpq

[Install]

WantedBy=multi-user.target

Alias=linbpq.service

Ok, let’s see if it is running

pd9q@packet:~ $ systemctl status linbpq.service
● linbpq.service - Linbpq Daemon
   Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/linbpq.service; enabled; vendor preset: enabled)
   Active: active (running) since Wed 2018-09-12 10:58:51 UTC; 1h 23min ago
 Main PID: 464 (bash)
   CGroup: /system.slice/linbpq.service
           ├─464 /bin/bash /home/pd9q/linbpq/runbpq
           ├─473 sudo ./linbpq
           └─501 ./linbpq

Sep 12 12:13:36 packet LINBPQ[501]: BPQ32 Heartbeat Buffers 102
Sep 12 12:14:31 packet LINBPQ[501]: BPQ32 Heartbeat Buffers 99
Sep 12 12:15:27 packet LINBPQ[501]: BPQ32 Heartbeat Buffers 102
Sep 12 12:16:22 packet LINBPQ[501]: BPQ32 Heartbeat Buffers 102
Sep 12 12:17:17 packet LINBPQ[501]: BPQ32 Heartbeat Buffers 102
Sep 12 12:18:12 packet LINBPQ[501]: BPQ32 Heartbeat Buffers 100
Sep 12 12:19:07 packet LINBPQ[501]: BPQ32 Heartbeat Buffers 102
Sep 12 12:20:03 packet LINBPQ[501]: BPQ32 Heartbeat Buffers 102
Sep 12 12:20:58 packet LINBPQ[501]: BPQ32 Heartbeat Buffers 102
Sep 12 12:21:53 packet LINBPQ[501]: BPQ32 Heartbeat Buffers 102
pd9q@packet:~ $

pd9q@packet:~ $ systemctl status linbpq.service

● linbpq.service - Linbpq Daemon

Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/linbpq.service; enabled; vendor preset: enabled)

Active: active (running) since Wed 2018-09-12 10:58:51 UTC; 1h 23min ago

Main PID: 464 (bash)

CGroup: /system.slice/linbpq.service

├─464 /bin/bash /home/pd9q/linbpq/runbpq

├─473 sudo ./linbpq

└─501 ./linbpq

Sep 12 12:13:36 packet LINBPQ[501]: BPQ32 Heartbeat Buffers 102

Sep 12 12:14:31 packet LINBPQ[501]: BPQ32 Heartbeat Buffers 99

Sep 12 12:15:27 packet LINBPQ[501]: BPQ32 Heartbeat Buffers 102

Sep 12 12:16:22 packet LINBPQ[501]: BPQ32 Heartbeat Buffers 102

Sep 12 12:17:17 packet LINBPQ[501]: BPQ32 Heartbeat Buffers 102

Sep 12 12:18:12 packet LINBPQ[501]: BPQ32 Heartbeat Buffers 100

Sep 12 12:19:07 packet LINBPQ[501]: BPQ32 Heartbeat Buffers 102

Sep 12 12:20:03 packet LINBPQ[501]: BPQ32 Heartbeat Buffers 102

Sep 12 12:20:58 packet LINBPQ[501]: BPQ32 Heartbeat Buffers 102

Sep 12 12:21:53 packet LINBPQ[501]: BPQ32 Heartbeat Buffers 102

pd9q@packet:~ $

Now have a look at /dev/tty2 “conspy 2”

G8BPQ AX25 Packet Switch System Version 6.0.16.30 July 2018
Copyright ▒ 2001-2018 John Wiseman G8BPQ
Current Directory is /home/pd9q/linbpq

Configuration file Preprocessor.
Using Configuration file /home/pd9q/linbpq/bpq32.cfg
Conversion (probably) successful

PORTS 1d9784 LINKS 1dce14 DESTS 1dfc58 ROUTES 1f9c58 L4 1fd058 BUFFERS 22f170

Initialising Port 01     TCPKISS IP 127.0.0.1 Port 8001 Chan A
Initialising Port 02     AXIP
Initialising Port 03     Telnet Server
Initialising Port 04     Loopback

G8BPQ AX25 Packet Switch System Version 6.0.16.30 July 2018

Current Directory is /home/pd9q/linbpq

Configuration file Preprocessor.

Using Configuration file /home/pd9q/linbpq/bpq32.cfg

Conversion (probably) successful

PORTS 1d9784 LINKS 1dce14 DESTS 1dfc58 ROUTES 1f9c58 L4 1fd058 BUFFERS 22f170

Initialising Port 01 TCPKISS IP 127.0.0.1 Port 8001 Chan A

Initialising Port 02 AXIP

Initialising Port 03 Telnet Server

Initialising Port 04 Loopback

Direwolf to LinBPQ config

Posted on24 March 201826 October 2018AuthorPD9QLeave a comment

John WQ6N has found a solution for direwolf and Linbpq that works very well for HF.

Direwolf.conf

/etc/direwolf/direwolf.conf
ADEVICE plughw:1,0
ACHANNELS 1
CHANNEL 0
MODEM 300 2130:2230 D
SERIALKISS /dev/ptyp0 19200
KISSPORT 0
DWAIT 0
SLOTTIME 12
PERSIST 63
TXDELAY 40
TXTAIL 10
FIX_BITS 1 AX25
LOGDIR /var/log/direwolf

/etc/direwolf/direwolf.conf

ADEVICE plughw:1,0

ACHANNELS 1

CHANNEL 0

MODEM 300 2130:2230 D

SERIALKISS /dev/ptyp0 19200

KISSPORT 0

DWAIT 0

SLOTTIME 12

PERSIST 63

TXDELAY 40

TXTAIL 10

FIX_BITS 1 AX25

LOGDIR /var/log/direwolf

bpq32.cfg

/linbpq/bpq32.cfg (HFGW Port)
PORT
PORTNUM=XX                       ; Optional but sets port number if stated
ID=BPQ HFGW                     ; Displayed by PORTS command
TYPE=ASYNC                       ; Port is RS232 Com
PROTOCOL=KISS           ; TNC is used in KISS, JKISS or BPQKISS mode
FULLDUP=0                        ; Only meaningful for KISS, JKISS or BPQKISS devices
COMPORT=/dev/ttyp0
SPEED=19200                      ; RS232 COM PORT SPEED
CHANNEL=A                        ; A for single channel TNC, A or B for multichannel
NOKEEPALIVES=1
PERSIST=63                       ; PERSIST=256/(# of transmitters-1)
SLOTTIME=120            ; CMSA interval timer in milliseconds
TXDELAY=300             ; Transmit keyup delay in milliseconds
TXTAIL=100                       ; TX key down, in milliseconds, at packet end
QUALITY=0               ; Quality factor applied to node broadcasts heard on
MINQUAL=0               ; Entries in the nodes table with qualities greater or
MAXFRAME=1                       ; Max outstanding frames (1 thru 7)
FRACK=5000                       ; Level 2 timout in milliseconds
RESPTIME=1000           ; Level 2 delayed ack timer in milliseconds
RETRIES=15                       ; Level 2 maximum retry value
PACLEN=60                        ; Default max packet length for this port
UNPROTO=<URNODE>             ; BTEXT broadcast addrs format: DEST[,digi1[,digi2]]
BCALL=<URCALL-SSID>            ; BTEXT call. unstated defaults to APPL1CALL
L3ONLY=0                         ; 1=No user downlink connects on this port
DIGIFLAG=0                       ; Digipeat: 0=OFF, 1=ALL, 255=UI Only
DIGIPORT=0                       ; Port on which to send digi'd frames (0 = same port)
USERS=0                 ; Maximum number of L2 sessions, 0 = no limit
ENDPORT

/linbpq/bpq32.cfg (HFGW Port)

PORT

PORTNUM=XX ; Optional but sets port number if stated

ID=BPQ HFGW ; Displayed by PORTS command

TYPE=ASYNC ; Port is RS232 Com

PROTOCOL=KISS ; TNC is used in KISS, JKISS or BPQKISS mode

FULLDUP=0 ; Only meaningful for KISS, JKISS or BPQKISS devices

COMPORT=/dev/ttyp0

SPEED=19200 ; RS232 COM PORT SPEED

CHANNEL=A ; A for single channel TNC, A or B for multichannel

NOKEEPALIVES=1

PERSIST=63 ; PERSIST=256/(# of transmitters-1)

SLOTTIME=120 ; CMSA interval timer in milliseconds

TXDELAY=300 ; Transmit keyup delay in milliseconds

TXTAIL=100 ; TX key down, in milliseconds, at packet end

QUALITY=0 ; Quality factor applied to node broadcasts heard on

MINQUAL=0 ; Entries in the nodes table with qualities greater or

MAXFRAME=1 ; Max outstanding frames (1 thru 7)

FRACK=5000 ; Level 2 timout in milliseconds

RESPTIME=1000 ; Level 2 delayed ack timer in milliseconds

RETRIES=15 ; Level 2 maximum retry value

PACLEN=60 ; Default max packet length for this port

UNPROTO=<URNODE> ; BTEXT broadcast addrs format: DEST[,digi1[,digi2]]

BCALL=<URCALL-SSID> ; BTEXT call. unstated defaults to APPL1CALL

L3ONLY=0 ; 1=No user downlink connects on this port

DIGIFLAG=0 ; Digipeat: 0=OFF, 1=ALL, 255=UI Only

DIGIPORT=0 ; Port on which to send digi'd frames (0 = same port)

USERS=0 ; Maximum number of L2 sessions, 0 = no limit

ENDPORT

journalctl -o cat -af -u direwolf
Opened /dev/ptyp0 for serial port KISS.
KISS protocol set TXDELAY = 30 (*10mS units = 300 mS), port 0
KISS protocol set Persistence = 63, port 0
KISS protocol set SlotTime = 12 (*10mS units = 120 mS), port 0
KISS protocol set TXtail = 10 (*10mS units = 100 mS), port 0
KISS protocol set FullDuplex = 0, port 0

journalctl -o cat -af -u direwolf

Opened /dev/ptyp0 for serial port KISS.

KISS protocol set TXDELAY = 30 (*10mS units = 300 mS), port 0

KISS protocol set Persistence = 63, port 0

KISS protocol set SlotTime = 12 (*10mS units = 120 mS), port 0

KISS protocol set TXtail = 10 (*10mS units = 100 mS), port 0

KISS protocol set FullDuplex = 0, port 0