Sunday, July 17, 2016

Allstar Node 43584

I have built my second Allstar node and it is running.  The first one, 42119,  works fine at a fixed base location with an antenna up on the tower and a power supply in the cabinet along with the Raspberry Pi 2 connected to the internet and a TYT-9000D running on low power.

The intent of the second one is to make it portable and connect to the internet via my smartphone. This one will use a Raspberry Pi 3 because it now has wifi capability to connect to the smartphone hot spot.  This works but not too well for listening but not as well as talking.  A better solution is to connect to a wifi that has consistent latency.  My home wifi system is quite good and I have absolutely no problem with the node at all.

The way it works is that a handheld radio is modified so that several signals are brought to the outside world and connected via a translator to a Raspberry Pi 3.  The Pi would normally be connected to the internet via a hardwire switch and this is how the signals get to another node.  In this case it is connected to the internet via a wifi signal to the smartphone and out to the internet.

When I want to talk with someone I connect to their node, which looks like the one above duplicated,  by typing the node number in to the key pad of the handheld radio with the orange screen. This radio talks to the modified radio and the above paragraph procedure is followed.  I know this seems a bit much to comprehend but to an Amateur radio guy, while not simple, it is easier to understand.  The software is loaded on to a micro Sd card and the machine is configured the first time you turn it on.

If you are interested in this concept, you must be a licensed amateur radio operator to use it.  So study for the test and become one of us.  Contact me for more information csjmooreatgmail.com

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