I get many requests from people how I’ve configured Dire Wolf soundmodem on my Raspberry Pi. Just to avoid mailing my direwolf.conf each time I’ve made this post.
The Dire Wolf part of my setup is a pretty straight forward config. Just configured it for using the plugged in USB audio adapter, PTT and DCD LED outputs, non-default AGW and KISS TCP ports and I’ve disabled full duplex.
Most other features I’m not using. For beaconing I’m using Linux AX.25 tools/apps thing called ‘beacon’ and for APRS I’m running APRX for example.
I’ve also edited the start script to force ‘runmode’ to CLI, tell Dire Wolf where my direwolf.conf file is and let it create a KISS pseudo terminal symlink to attach Linux’s AX.25 stack (kissattach) after starting Dire Wolf in my startup service using systemd.
Dire Wolf and it’s documentation can be found here:
https://github.com/wb2osz/direwolf
dw-start.sh modifications:
direwolf.conf:
#############################################################
# #
# Configuration file for Dire Wolf #
# #
# Linux version #
# #
#############################################################
#
# Consult the User Guide for more details on configuration options.
#
#
# These are the most likely settings you might change:
#
# (1) MYCALL - call sign and SSID for your station.
#
# Look for lines starting with MYCALL and
# change NOCALL to your own.
#
# (2) PBEACON - enable position beaconing.
#
# Look for lines starting with PBEACON and
# modify for your call, location, etc.
#
# (3) DIGIPEATER - configure digipeating rules.
#
# Look for lines starting with DIGIPEATER.
# Most people will probably use the given example.
# Just remove the "#" from the start of the line
# to enable it.
#
# (4) IGSERVER, IGLOGIN - IGate server and login
#
# Configure an IGate client to relay messages between
# radio and internet servers.
#
#
# The default location is "direwolf.conf" in the current working directory.
# On Linux, the user's home directory will also be searched.
# An alternate configuration file location can be specified with the "-c" command line option.
#
# As you probably guessed by now, # indicates a comment line.
#
# Remove the # at the beginning of a line if you want to use a sample
# configuration that is currently commented out.
#
# Commands are a keyword followed by parameters.
#
# Command key words are case insensitive. i.e. upper and lower case are equivalent.
#
# Command parameters are generally case sensitive. i.e. upper and lower case are different.
#
#############################################################
# #
# FIRST AUDIO DEVICE PROPERTIES #
# (Channel 0 + 1 if in stereo) #
# #
#############################################################
#
# Many people will simply use the default sound device.
# Some might want to use an alternative device by chosing it here.
#
# Linux ALSA is complicated. See User Guide for discussion.
# To use something other than the default, generally use plughw
# and a card number reported by "arecord -l" command. Example:
ADEVICE plughw:1,0
# Starting with version 1.0, you can also use "-" or "stdin" to
# pipe stdout from some other application such as a software defined
# radio. You can also specify "UDP:" and an optional port for input.
# Something different must be specified for output.
# ADEVICE - plughw:1,0
# ADEVICE UDP:7355 default
#
# Number of audio channels for this souncard: 1 or 2.
#
ACHANNELS 1
#ACHANNELS 2
#############################################################
# #
# SECOND AUDIO DEVICE PROPERTIES #
# (Channel 2 + 3 if in stereo) #
# #
#############################################################
#ADEVICE1 ...
#############################################################
# #
# THIRD AUDIO DEVICE PROPERTIES #
# (Channel 4 + 5 if in stereo) #
# #
#############################################################
#ADEVICE2 ...
#############################################################
# #
# CHANNEL 0 PROPERTIES #
# #
#############################################################
CHANNEL 0
#
# The following MYCALL, MODEM, PTT, etc. configuration items
# apply to the most recent CHANNEL.
#
#
# Station identifier for this channel.
# Multiple channels can have the same or different names.
#
# It can be up to 6 letters and digits with an optional ssid.
# The APRS specification requires that it be upper case.
#
# Example (don't use this unless you are me): MYCALL WB2OSZ-5
#
MYCALL NL5VKL
#
# Pick a suitable modem speed based on your situation.
# 1200 Most common for VHF/UHF. Default if not specified.
# 300 Low speed for HF SSB.
# 9600 High speed - Can't use Microphone and Speaker connections.
#
# In the simplest form, just specify the speed.
#
MODEM 1200
#MODEM 300
#MODEM 9600
#
# These are the defaults should be fine for most cases. In special situations,
# you might want to specify different AFSK tones or the baseband mode which does
# not use AFSK.
#
#MODEM 1200 1200:2200
#MODEM 300 1600:1800
#MODEM 9600 0:0
#
#
# On HF SSB, you might want to use multiple demodulators on slightly different
# frequencies to compensate for stations off frequency. Here we have 7 different
# demodulators at 30 Hz intervals. This takes a lot of CPU power so you will
# probably need to reduce the audio sampling rate with the /n option.
#MODEM 300 1600:1800 7@30 /4
#
# Uncomment line below to enable the DTMF decoder for this channel.
#
#DTMF
#
# If not using a VOX circuit, the transmitter Push to Talk (PTT)
# control is usually wired to a serial port with a suitable interface circuit.
# DON'T connect it directly!
#
# For the PTT command, specify the device and either RTS or DTR.
# RTS or DTR may be preceded by "-" to invert the signal.
# Both can be used for interfaces that want them driven with opposite polarity.
#
# COM1 can be used instead of /dev/ttyS0, COM2 for /dev/ttyS1, and so on.
#
#PTT COM1 RTS
#PTT COM1 RTS -DTR
#PTT /dev/ttyUSB0 RTS
#
# On Linux, you can also use general purpose I/O pins if
# your system is configured for user access to them.
# This would apply mostly to microprocessor boards, not a regular PC.
# See separate Raspberry Pi document for more details.
# The number may be preceded by "-" to invert the signal.
#
PTT GPIO 17
# The Data Carrier Detect (DCD) signal can be sent to the same places
# as the PTT signal. This could be used to light up an LED like a normal TNC.
#DCD COM1 -DTR
DCD GPIO 18
# Disable full duplex operation
FULLDUP OFF
#############################################################
# #
# CHANNEL 1 PROPERTIES #
# #
#############################################################
#CHANNEL 1
#
# Specify MYCALL, MODEM, PTT, etc. configuration items for
# CHANNEL 1. Repeat for any other channels.
#############################################################
# #
# TEXT TO SPEECH COMMAND FILE #
# #
#############################################################
#SPEECH dwespeak.sh
#############################################################
# #
# VIRTUAL TNC SERVER PROPERTIES #
# #
#############################################################
#
# Dire Wolf acts as a virtual TNC and can communicate with
# client applications by different protocols:
#
# - the "AGW TCPIP Socket Interface" - default port 8000
# - KISS protocol over TCP socket - default port 8001
# - KISS TNC via pseudo terminal (-p command line option)
#
#AGWPORT 8000
#KISSPORT 8001
# I'm using other than default ports to avoid conflicts with my own AGW emulator and KISS proxy.
AGWPORT 8008
KISSPORT 8009
#
# It is sometimes possible to recover frames with a bad FCS.
# This applies to all channels.
#
# 0 [NONE] - Don't try to repair.
# 1 [SINGLE] - Attempt to fix single bit error. (default)
# 2 [DOUBLE] - Also attempt to fix two adjacent bits.
# ... see User Guide for more values and in-depth discussion.
#
#FIX_BITS 0
#
#############################################################
# #
# BEACONING PROPERTIES #
# #
#############################################################
#
# Beaconing is configured with these two commands:
#
# PBEACON - for a position report (usually yourself)
# OBEACON - for an object report (usually some other entity)
#
# Each has a series of keywords and values for options.
# See User Guide for details.
#
# Example:
#
# This results in a broadcast once every 10 minutes.
# Every half hour, it can travel via two digipeater hops.
# The others are kept local.
#
#PBEACON delay=1 every=30 overlay=S symbol="digi" lat=42^37.14N long=071^20.83W power=50 height=20 gain=4 comment="Chelmsford MA" via=WIDE1-1,WIDE2-1
#PBEACON delay=11 every=30 overlay=S symbol="digi" lat=42^37.14N long=071^20.83W power=50 height=20 gain=4 comment="Chelmsford MA"
#PBEACON delay=21 every=30 overlay=S symbol="digi" lat=42^37.14N long=071^20.83W power=50 height=20 gain=4 comment="Chelmsford MA"
#PBEACON delay=1 every=5 overlay=S symbol="digi" lat=51.666 long=5.641 power=4 height=43 gain=4 comment="AX.25/NetRom Node NL5VKL - Uden, The Netherlands (JO21TP) - nl5vkl.mijndingen.nl - 27.235 MHz FM" via=WIDE1-1,WIDE2-1
# With UTM coordinates instead of latitude and longitude.
#PBEACON delay=1 every=10 overlay=S symbol="digi" zone=19T easting=307477 northing=4720178
#
# When the destination field is set to "SPEECH" the information part is
# converted to speech rather than transmitted as a data frame.
#
#CBEACON dest="SPEECH" info="Club meeting tonight at 7 pm."
# Similar for Morse code. If SSID is specified, it is multiplied
# by 2 to get speed in words per minute (WPM).
#CBEACON dest="MORSE-6" info="de MYCALL"
#
# Modify for your particular situation before removing
# the # comment character from the beginning of appropriate lines above.
#
#############################################################
# #
# DIGIPEATER PROPERTIES #
# #
#############################################################
#
# For most common situations, use something like this by removing
# the "#" from the beginning of the line below.
#
#DIGIPEAT 0 0 ^WIDE[3-7]-[1-7]$|^TEST$ ^WIDE[12]-[12]$ TRACE
# See User Guide for more explanation of what this means and how
# it can be customized for your particular needs.
# Filtering can be used to limit was is digipeated.
# For example, only weather weather reports, received on channel 0,
# will be retransmitted on channel 1.
#
#FILTER 0 1 t/wn
#############################################################
# #
# INTERNET GATEWAY #
# #
#############################################################
# First you need to specify the name of a Tier 2 server.
# The current preferred way is to use one of these regional rotate addresses:
# noam.aprs2.net - for North America
# soam.aprs2.net - for South America
# euro.aprs2.net - for Europe and Africa
# asia.aprs2.net - for Asia
# aunz.aprs2.net - for Oceania
#IGSERVER noam.aprs2.net
# You also need to specify your login name and passcode.
# Contact the author if you can't figure out how to generate the passcode.
#IGLOGIN WB2OSZ-5 123456
# That's all you need for a receive only IGate which relays
# messages from the local radio channel to the global servers.
# Some might want to send an IGate client position directly to a server
# without sending it over the air and relying on someone else to
# forward it to an IGate server. This is done by using sendto=IG rather
# than a radio channel number. Overlay R for receive only, T for two way.
#PBEACON sendto=IG delay=0:30 every=60:00 symbol="igate" overlay=R lat=42^37.14N long=071^20.83W
#PBEACON sendto=IG delay=0:30 every=60:00 symbol="igate" overlay=T lat=42^37.14N long=071^20.83W
# To relay messages from the Internet to radio, you need to add
# one more option with the transmit channel number and a VIA path.
#IGTXVIA 0 WIDE1-1
# You might want to apply a filter for what packets will be obtained from the server.
# Read about filters here: http://www.aprs-is.net/javaprsfilter.aspx
# Example, positions and objects within 50 km of my location:
#IGFILTER m/50
# That is known as a server-side filter. It is processed by the IGate server.
# You can also apply local filtering to limit what will be transmitted on the
# RF side. For example, transmit only "messages" on channel 0 and weather
# reports on channel 1.
#FILTER IG 0 t/m
#FILTER IG 1 t/wn
# Finally, we don't want to flood the radio channel.
# The IGate function will limit the number of packets transmitted
# during 1 minute and 5 minute intervals. If a limit would
# be exceeded, the packet is dropped and message is displayed in red.
IGTXLIMIT 6 10
#############################################################
# #
# APRStt GATEWAY #
# #
#############################################################
#
# Dire Wolf can receive DTMF (commonly known as Touch Tone)
# messages and convert them to packet objects.
#
# See separate "APRStt-Implementation-Notes" document for details.
#
#
# Sample gateway configuration based on:
#
# http://www.aprs.org/aprstt/aprstt-coding24.txt
# http://www.aprs.org/aprs-jamboree-2013.html
#
# Define specific points.
TTPOINT B01 37^55.37N 81^7.86W
TTPOINT B7495088 42.605237 -71.34456
TTPOINT B934 42.605237 -71.34456
TTPOINT B901 42.661279 -71.364452
TTPOINT B902 42.660411 -71.364419
TTPOINT B903 42.659046 -71.364452
TTPOINT B904 42.657578 -71.364602
# For location at given bearing and distance from starting point.
TTVECTOR B5bbbddd 37^55.37N 81^7.86W 0.01 mi
# For location specified by x, y coordinates.
TTGRID Byyyxxx 37^50.00N 81^00.00W 37^59.99N 81^09.99W
# UTM location for Lowell-Dracut-Tyngsborough State Forest.
TTUTM B6xxxyyy 19T 10 300000 4720000
# Location for the corral.
TTCORRAL 37^55.50N 81^7.00W 0^0.02N
# Compact messages - Fixed locations xx and object yyy where
# Object numbers 100 - 199 = bicycle
# Object numbers 200 - 299 = fire truck
# Others = dog
TTMACRO xx1yy B9xx*AB166*AA2B4C5B3B0A1yy
TTMACRO xx2yy B9xx*AB170*AA3C4C7C3B0A2yy
TTMACRO xxyyy B9xx*AB180*AA3A6C4A0Ayyy
TTMACRO z Cz
# Receive on channel 0, Transmit object reports on channel 1 with optional via path.
# You probably want to put in a transmit delay on the APRStt channel so it
# it doesn't start sending a response before the user releases PTT.
# This is in 10 ms units so 100 means 1000 ms = 1 second.
#TTOBJ 0 1 WIDE1-1
#CHANNEL 0
#DWAIT 100
# Advertise gateway position with beacon.
# OBEACON DELAY=0:15 EVERY=10:00 VIA=WIDE1-1 OBJNAME=WB2OSZ-tt SYMBOL=APRStt LAT=42^37.14N LONG=71^20.83W COMMENT="APRStt Gateway"
# Sample speech responses.
# Default is Morse code "R" for received OK and "?" for all errors.
#TTERR OK SPEECH Message Received.
#TTERR D_MSG SPEECH D not implemented.
#TTERR INTERNAL SPEECH Internal error.
#TTERR MACRO_NOMATCH SPEECH No definition for digit sequence.
#TTERR BAD_CHECKSUM SPEECH Bad checksum on call.
#TTERR INVALID_CALL SPEECH Invalid callsign.
#TTERR INVALID_OBJNAME SPEECH Invalid object name.
#TTERR INVALID_SYMBOL SPEECH Invalid symbol.
#TTERR INVALID_LOC SPEECH Invalid location.
#TTERR NO_CALL SPEECH No call or object name.
#TTERR SATSQ SPEECH Satellite square must be 4 digits.
#TTERR SUFFIX_NO_CALL SPEECH Send full call before using suffix.