LinuxSoundmodem - Revision history

We7u: /* Links */

2009-05-20T23:09:53Z

‎Links

We7u: /* Links */

2009-05-20T23:09:33Z

‎Links

UR3IRS at 14:07, 14 December 2008

2008-12-14T14:07:09Z

ChrisW0EP at 16:22, 25 September 2007

2007-09-25T16:22:07Z

We7u at 21:34, 15 August 2007

2007-08-15T21:34:29Z

KM5VY at 00:07, 14 August 2007

2007-08-14T00:07:29Z

KM5VY at 00:05, 14 August 2007

2007-08-14T00:05:20Z

KM5VY at 00:04, 14 August 2007

2007-08-14T00:04:37Z

KM5VY: Migrate content from old wiki

2007-08-14T00:04:10Z

Migrate content from old wiki

New page

Soundmodem is a software package for use with the open source Linux operating system.
It allows use of the computer's sound card for ax.25 TNC functions.

An early version of Soundmodem required kernel-level software (like a device driver). More recently it
has been rewritten to operate in user-space which makes it the same as other applications.

Soundmodem was written by Thomas Sailor and under Linux it requires the [[LinuxAX25 Linux ax.25 kernel support]]
and the mkiss.o kernel module.
See also [[http://www.baycom.org/~tom/ham/soundmodem/]]

Of course, using a soundcard gets us into all sorts of interesting territory.
There are two "standard" audio systems on various Linux distributions:
OSS and [http://www.alsa-project.org/ ALSA]. I think most folks are trending away from OSS and toward
ALSA. [http://www.alsa-project.org/ ALSA] has support for most soundcards in the PC-compatible world.
Check the [http://www.alsa-project.org/alsa-doc/ ALSA soundcard compatibility matrix].
So your first task will be to get a working soundcard. You will also need some kind of
a mixer with which to set your audio levels incoming and outbound. If you have ALSA,
a handy command-line mode mixer comes with it: amixer.

(Just a note.. you may want to investigate getting a ////better
soundcard. There is some reason to believe that higher quality
hardware, something more than generic on-the-motherboard sound support, might
do a better job decoding packets. FYI)

Soundmodem itself comes with another handy program: soundmodemconfig.
Using soundmodemconfig you can set up one or more interfaces to your
sound card. Each one will have an name of it's own and a related ax.25 name
corresponding to an ax.25 name in your /etc/axports file.
You also can set various encoding
and decoding parameters (baud rate, fsk frequencies, etc.) for each port.
Soundmodemconfig will
let you view a couple types of realtime spectrum displays which will help
a lot in setting your incoming audio level. Unfortunately it is not so helpful
on the outbound level. You probably need to listen to your signal on another
receiver, a scanner or something, to see how things sound.

Soundmodemconfig will help you select serial or parallel PTT keying.
And you can test the PTT from the spectrum display screens. Soundmodemconfig
builds a /etc/ax25/soundmodem.conf file which is used by the soundmodem software itself.

Once you get your audio levels working where you want them (probably using
an interactive graphical type of mixer), you can use the amixer program to
examine the settings and create a small script to reproduce them should
your system be rebooted. Or you might want to try the command:
**alsactl store**

When the audio levels are right, and if you have successfully run soundmodemconfig
and created a soundmodem.conf file, you are ready to run soundmodem itself.
I do it with a command-line like:

/usr/local/sbin/soundmodem -v5 > /tmp/soundmodem.log &

This fires up soundmodem with a relatively verbose level of logging, sending the
log information to the file /tmp/soundmodem.log. If you have a very active system
you may want to not use that -v5 flag, or at least keep track of your disk space
in /tmp to make sure you don't fill it up with a large log file.

Unfortunately, once you are running soundmodem you cannot run soundmodemconfig
at the same time. So your your soundmodem verbosity level will help you see
if you are actually decoding packets. If you've got packets, then you are in business.
Now you can look at getting an APRS client program or digipeater program or Igate,
or whatever else you want to use.

@@ Line 37: / Line 37: @@
 == Links ==
 Bob N0QBJ has a [http://www.qbjnet.com/packet.html web page] that covers AX.25 linux.
 The Xastir project has a [http://www.xastir.org/wiki/index.php/HowTo:SoundModem Soundmodem Wiki Page].
 [[Category:Software]]

@@ Line 37: / Line 37: @@
 == Links ==
 Bob N0QBJ has a [http://www.qbjnet.com/packet.html web page] that covers AX.25 linux.
+The Xastir project has a [http://www.xastir.org/wiki/index.php/HowTo:SoundModem Soundmodem Wiki Page].
 [[Category:Software]]

@@ Line 35: / Line 35: @@
 if you are actually decoding packets.  If you've got packets, then you are in business. Now you can look at getting an APRS client program or digipeater program or Igate, or whatever else you want to use.
-Links:
+[[Category:Software]]
-−
-Bob N0QBJ has a [http://www.qbjnet.com/packet.html web page] that covers AX.25 linux.

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:22, 25 September 2007
Line 34:		Line 34:
	Unfortunately, once you are running soundmodem you cannot run soundmodemconfig at the same time. So your your soundmodem verbosity level will help you see		Unfortunately, once you are running soundmodem you cannot run soundmodemconfig at the same time. So your your soundmodem verbosity level will help you see
	if you are actually decoding packets. If you've got packets, then you are in business. Now you can look at getting an APRS client program or digipeater program or Igate, or whatever else you want to use.		if you are actually decoding packets. If you've got packets, then you are in business. Now you can look at getting an APRS client program or digipeater program or Igate, or whatever else you want to use.
		+
		+
		+	Links:
		+
		+	Bob N0QBJ has a [http://www.qbjnet.com/packet.html web page] that covers AX.25 linux.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-Soundmodem is a software package for use with the open source Linux operating system.  It allows use of the computer's sound card for ax.25 TNC functions.
+Soundmodem is a software package for use with the open source Linux operating system.  It allows use of the computer's sound card for AX.25 TNC functions.
 An early version of Soundmodem required kernel-level software (like a device driver).  More recently it has been rewritten to operate in user-space which makes it the same as other applications.
@@ Line 14: / Line 14: @@
 Soundmodem itself comes with another handy program: soundmodemconfig. Using soundmodemconfig you can set up one or more interfaces to your
-sound card.  Each one will have an name of it's own and a related ax.25 name corresponding to an ax.25 name in your /etc/axports file.
+sound card.  Each one will have an name of it's own and a related AX.25 name corresponding to an AX.25 name in your /etc/axports file.
 You also can set various encoding and decoding parameters (baud rate, fsk frequencies, etc.) for each port.
 Soundmodemconfig will let you view a couple types of realtime spectrum displays which will help a lot in setting your incoming audio level.  Unfortunately it is not so helpful on the outbound level.  You probably need to listen to your signal on another receiver, a scanner or something, to see how things sound.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-Soundmodem is a software package for use with the open source Linux operating system.
+Soundmodem is a software package for use with the open source Linux operating system.  It allows use of the computer's sound card for ax.25 TNC functions.
 It allows use of the computer's sound card for ax.25 TNC functions.
-An early version of Soundmodem required kernel-level software (like a device driver).  More recently it
+An early version of Soundmodem required kernel-level software (like a device driver).  More recently it has been rewritten to operate in user-space which makes it the same as other applications.
 has been rewritten to operate in user-space which makes it the same as other applications.
-Soundmodem was written by Thomas Sailor and under Linux it requires the [[LinuxAX25|Linux ax.25 kernel support]]
+Soundmodem was written by Thomas Sailor and under Linux it requires the [[LinuxAX25|Linux ax.25 kernel support]] and the mkiss.o kernel module.
 and the mkiss.o kernel module.
 See also [http://www.baycom.org/~tom/ham/soundmodem/ http://www.baycom.org/~tom/ham/soundmodem/]
-Of course, using a soundcard gets us into all sorts of interesting territory.
+Of course, using a soundcard gets us into all sorts of interesting territory.  There are two "standard" audio systems on various Linux distributions:
-There are two "standard" audio systems on various Linux distributions:
+OSS and [http://www.alsa-project.org/  ALSA].  I think most folks are trending away from OSS and toward ALSA.  [http://www.alsa-project.org/ ALSA] has support for most soundcards in the PC-compatible world.  Check the  [http://www.alsa-project.org/alsa-doc/ ALSA soundcard compatibility matrix].
 OSS and [http://www.alsa-project.org/  ALSA].  I think most folks are trending away from OSS and toward
 ALSA.  [http://www.alsa-project.org/ ALSA] has support for most soundcards in the PC-compatible world.
-Check the  [http://www.alsa-project.org/alsa-doc/ ALSA soundcard compatibility matrix].
-So your first task will be to get a working soundcard.  You will also need some kind of
-a mixer with which to set your audio levels incoming and outbound.  If you have ALSA,
-a handy command-line mode mixer comes with it: amixer.
-(Just a note.. you may want to investigate getting a ////better
+So your first task will be to get a working soundcard.  You will also need some kind of a mixer with which to set your audio levels incoming and outbound.  If you have ALSA, a handy command-line mode mixer comes with it: amixer.
-soundcard.  There is some reason to believe that higher quality
-hardware, something more than generic on-the-motherboard sound support, might
-do a better job decoding packets.  FYI)
-Soundmodem itself comes with another handy program: soundmodemconfig.
+(Just a note.. you may want to investigate getting a better soundcard.  There is some reason to believe that higher quality hardware, something more than generic on-the-motherboard sound support, might do a better job decoding packets.  FYI)
- Using soundmodemconfig you can set up one or more interfaces to your
-sound card.  Each one will have an name of it's own and a related ax.25 name
-corresponding to an ax.25 name in your /etc/axports file.
-You also can set various encoding
-and decoding parameters (baud rate, fsk frequencies, etc.) for each port.
-Soundmodemconfig will
-let you view a couple types of realtime spectrum displays which will help
-a lot in setting your incoming audio level.  Unfortunately it is not so helpful
-on the outbound level.  You probably need to listen to your signal on another
-receiver, a scanner or something, to see how things sound.
-Soundmodemconfig will help you select serial or parallel PTT keying.
+Soundmodem itself comes with another handy program: soundmodemconfig. Using soundmodemconfig you can set up one or more interfaces to your
-And you can test the PTT from the spectrum display screens.  Soundmodemconfig
+sound card.  Each one will have an name of it's own and a related ax.25 name corresponding to an ax.25 name in your /etc/axports file.
 builds a /etc/ax25/soundmodem.conf file which is used by the soundmodem software itself.
-Once you get your audio levels working where you want them (probably using
+Once you get your audio levels working where you want them (probably using an interactive graphical type of mixer), you can use the amixer program to
-an interactive graphical type of mixer), you can use the amixer program to
+examine the settings and create a small script to reproduce them should your system be rebooted.  Or you might want to try the command:
 examine the settings and create a small script to reproduce them should
 your system be rebooted.  Or you might want to try the command:
   alsactl store
-When the audio levels are right, and if you have successfully run soundmodemconfig
+When the audio levels are right, and if you have successfully run soundmodemconfig and created a soundmodem.conf file, you are ready to run soundmodem itself.
 and created a soundmodem.conf file, you are ready to run soundmodem itself.
 I do it with a command-line like:
   /usr/local/sbin/soundmodem -v5 > /tmp/soundmodem.log &
-This fires up soundmodem with a relatively verbose level of logging, sending the
+This fires up soundmodem with a relatively verbose level of logging, sending the log information to the file /tmp/soundmodem.log.  If you have a very active system you may want to not use that -v5 flag, or at least keep track of your disk space in /tmp to make sure you don't fill it up with a large log file.
 log information to the file /tmp/soundmodem.log.  If you have a very active system
 you may want to not use that -v5 flag, or at least keep track of your disk space
 in /tmp to make sure you don't fill it up with a large log file.
-Unfortunately, once you are running soundmodem you cannot run soundmodemconfig
+Unfortunately, once you are running soundmodem you cannot run soundmodemconfig at the same time.  So your your soundmodem verbosity level will help you see
-at the same time.  So your your soundmodem verbosity level will help you see
+if you are actually decoding packets.  If you've got packets, then you are in business. Now you can look at getting an APRS client program or digipeater program or Igate, or whatever else you want to use.
 if you are actually decoding packets.  If you've got packets, then you are in business.
 Now you can look at getting an APRS client program or digipeater program or Igate,
 or whatever else you want to use.