Thursday, October 27, 2016

Detailed To-Do

Updated ToDo list including all completed items.



ID Estimate Status Description
917 2016-08-10 FIXED Order NW Digital board
981 2016-09-11 WONTFIX KC8ARJ as repeater
983 2016-09-11 FIXED Order quality SD cards
986 2016-09-11 FIXED Validate LTE
982 2016-09-12 FIXED WiFi startup
994 2016-09-12 WONTFIX Investigate hang time control
978 2016-09-13 FIXED Select UDRC/Pi Case
984 2016-09-15 FIXED SD card receive
995 2016-09-15 WONTFIX Investigate hang time in source
979 2016-09-16 FIXED Receive UDRC/Pi Case
987 2016-09-19 FIXED Select LTE provider
980 2016-09-20 FIXED Modify/Install UDRC/Pi Case
988 2016-09-20 FIXED Order LTE Device
989 2016-10-04 FIXED Receive LTE device
991 2016-10-10 FIXED Log file strategy
1033 2016-10-15 FIXED Power control strategy long
1032 2016-10-19 FIXED Power control strategy short
1034 2016-10-22 FIXED Design power control
990 2016-10-23 ASSIGNED Configure/Test LTE Device
1035 2016-10-23 FIXED Breadboard power control
985 2016-10-28 ASSIGNED Schedule 2030 install
1036 2016-10-28 ASSIGNED Power control PCB
1037 2016-10-29 ASSIGNED Order power control parts
1038 2016-10-30 ASSIGNED Order power control PCB
1040 2016-11-02 ASSIGNED Receive power control parts
992 2016-11-03 ASSIGNED Make backup SD
1041 2016-11-05 ASSIGNED Construct power control circuit
1039 2016-11-10 ASSIGNED Receive power control PCB
1044 2016-11-12 ASSIGNED Package power control
1042 2016-11-15 ASSIGNED Develop short-term firmware
993 2016-11-18 ASSIGNED Move to 2030
996 2016-12-11 ASSIGNED Test 100 watt amp






ID Estimate Status Description
917 2016-08-10 FIXED Order NW Digital board

2016-08-08 14:19:41:  
Product page info below screen cap visible portion


Open Source Applications  Supported by Others:

    dstarrepeater (and optionally ircddbgateway)
    DIREWOLF 1200/9600 AX25

The UDRC is a Raspberry Pi HAT containing all of the necessary
hardware to directly interface to a radio or repeater.

The UDRC is compliant with the Raspberry Pi HAT Specification
and has the ID EEPROM which directly loads the device table for
the UDRC on boot up. The Ideal Diode circuit allows the Pi to be
powered by either the Micro USB jack or external 12VDC.

Direct Connection to the Yaesu DR1-X Repeater is available with
the HD-15 Cable and adds D-STAR Capability to your Fusion
Repeater. This cable must have all 15 pins wired straight
through.

Alternatively the Mini DIN-6 Cable can be used to connect to the
Data Port on a standard HF/VHF/UHF Radio. This cable must have
all 6 pins wired straight through.


2016-08-08 14:21:15:  
From: PayPal 
To: John McDonough 
Subject: Your receipt for payment to NW Digital Radio
Date: Mon, 08 Aug 2016 11:13:45 -0700 (08/08/2016 02:13:45 PM)

 
  
 
You paid $96.05 USD to
NW Digital Radio

  
  
 
Thanks for using PayPal, John McDonough


2016-08-10 18:45:15:  
Got an "Order Complete" email, whatever that means



ID Estimate Status Description
981 2016-09-11 WONTFIX KC8ARJ as repeater

2016-09-11 09:29:55:  
KC8ARJ shows as a hotspot on dashboards, rather than as a
repeater.  Why is that?


2016-09-11 11:04:22:  
Posted a message in the UDRC board


2016-09-11 11:40:08:  
Normal behavior.



ID Estimate Status Description
983 2016-09-11 FIXED Order quality SD cards

2016-09-11 09:33:37:  
Need a Class 10, 8G SD card, preferably SanDisk or Kingston


2016-09-11 11:13:08:  
One of these looks like a possibility:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA12K1RK3174&cm_re=sdhc_class_10-_-9SIA12K1RK3174-_-Product

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA12K4830573&cm_re=sdhc_class_10-_-0DF-0005-00JN6-_-Product

Both 18 day delivery, one ships from Taiwan, the other from the
U.S.  The U.S. one is a little more expensive and a little
slower, although we don't care about speed nearly as much as
life.


2016-09-11 11:14:00:  
Also

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA12K4830573&cm_re=sdhc_class_10-_-0DF-0005-00JN6-_-Product

Also 18 days from Hong Kong.



ID Estimate Status Description
986 2016-09-11 FIXED Validate LTE

2016-09-11 09:39:11:  
Tether repeater off phone to validate LTE utility


2016-09-11 20:06:02:  
No link tethering from phone. Able to ssh in through phone when
also tethered and connection looks good

root@KC8ARJ:~# ifconfig
eth0      Link encap:Ethernet  HWaddr b8:27:eb:49:40:f2  
          inet6 addr: fe80::523:94ec:2a31:756e/64 Scope:Link
          UP BROADCAST MULTICAST  MTU:1500  Metric:1
          RX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
          collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000 
          RX bytes:0 (0.0 B)  TX bytes:0 (0.0 B)

lo        Link encap:Local Loopback  
          inet addr:127.0.0.1  Mask:255.0.0.0
          inet6 addr: ::1/128 Scope:Host
          UP LOOPBACK RUNNING  MTU:65536  Metric:1
          RX packets:2529 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:2529 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
          collisions:0 txqueuelen:1 
          RX bytes:164814 (160.9 KiB)  TX bytes:164814 (160.9
KiB)

wlan0     Link encap:Ethernet  HWaddr b8:27:eb:1c:15:a7  
          inet addr:192.168.43.162  Bcast:192.168.43.255 
Mask:255.255.255.0
          inet6 addr: fe80::625a:8382:b7d2:1582/64 Scope:Link
          inet6 addr: 2600:1007:b02b:bbfb:e670:e28b:6efd:6417/64
Scope:Global
          UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST  MTU:1500  Metric:1
          RX packets:2152 errors:0 dropped:134 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:1931 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
          collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000 
          RX bytes:1538428 (1.4 MiB)  TX bytes:241161 (235.5 KiB)

Linking looking a little shaky:

M: 2016-09-11 23:50:21: Linking KC8ARJ B at startup to REF024 C
M: 2016-09-11 23:50:29: D-Plus ACK message received from REF024 C
M: 2016-09-11 23:50:29: D-Plus link to REF024 C established
M: 2016-09-11 23:51:21: D-Plus link to REF024 C has failed (poll
inactivity)
M: 2016-09-11 23:51:21: D-Plus link to REF024 C has failed,
relinking
M: 2016-09-12 00:00:45: Link command from KC8ARJ B to REF030 C
issued via UR Call by WB8RCR  
M: 2016-09-12 00:00:45: D-Plus ACK message received from REF030 C
M: 2016-09-12 00:00:45: D-Plus link to REF030 C established

It looks like it may just take some time for the LTE link to
settle down

M: 2016-09-12 00:04:39: Link command from KC8ARJ B to REF024 C
issued via UR Call by WB8RCR  
M: 2016-09-12 00:04:39: D-Plus ACK message received from REF024 C
M: 2016-09-12 00:04:39: D-Plus link to REF024 C established


2016-09-11 20:26:46:  
Not all is sweetness and light:

M: 2016-09-12 00:09:50: Link command from KC8ARJ B to REF001 C
issued via UR Call by WB8RCR  
M: 2016-09-12 00:10:20: D-Plus link to REF001 C has failed to
connect
M: 2016-09-12 00:10:51: D-Plus link to REF001 C has failed to
connect
M: 2016-09-12 00:11:21: D-Plus link to REF001 C has failed to
connect
M: 2016-09-12 00:11:52: D-Plus link to REF001 C has failed to
connect
M: 2016-09-12 00:12:22: D-Plus link to REF001 C has failed to
connect
M: 2016-09-12 00:12:53: D-Plus link to REF001 C has failed to
connect
M: 2016-09-12 00:13:23: D-Plus link to REF001 C has failed to
connect
M: 2016-09-12 00:13:54: D-Plus link to REF001 C has failed to
connect
M: 2016-09-12 00:14:24: D-Plus link to REF001 C has failed to
connect

But then, maybe it is just REF001

M: 2016-09-12 00:15:20: Link command from KC8ARJ B to REF030 C
issued via UR Call by WB8RCR  
M: 2016-09-12 00:15:20: D-Plus ACK message received from REF030 C
M: 2016-09-12 00:15:20: D-Plus link to REF030 C established


2016-09-11 20:39:49:  
Well, that worked pretty nice.  Shut off the WiFi hotspot and
immediately reconnected via the house WiFi (which was set as a
lower priority)

M: 2016-09-12 00:38:17: D-Plus link to REF030 C has failed (poll
inactivity)
M: 2016-09-12 00:38:17: D-Plus link to REF030 C has failed,
relinking
M: 2016-09-12 00:38:17: D-Plus ACK message received from REF030 C
M: 2016-09-12 00:38:17: D-Plus link to REF030 C established



ID Estimate Status Description
982 2016-09-12 FIXED WiFi startup

2016-09-11 09:31:24:  
Clean up WiFi startup at boot


2016-09-12 08:18:52:  
Starting automatically from interfaces allows selection of
network based on priority.  Good solution.



ID Estimate Status Description
994 2016-09-12 WONTFIX Investigate hang time control

2016-09-11 11:16:21:  
Not much found in config panel.


2016-09-12 08:17:08:  
No real opportunities in configuration panel.  Need to
investigate source.


2016-10-12 09:00:08:  
Additional update:

Walt wondered whether the bare Fusion without the remote would
have a squelch tail.  Tried:
- Shutdown the Pi
- Turn off remote on repeater
- Disconnect the Pi
- Cycle power on the repeater

After each step, tested and still no squelch tail.



ID Estimate Status Description
978 2016-09-13 FIXED Select UDRC/Pi Case

2016-09-11 09:24:23:  
Decide on a case


2016-09-12 14:28:59:  
John Jays likes this one

http://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B016954T3I/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1465094927&sr=8-1&pi=SX200_QL40&keywords=hifiberry+case

$14.97 - apparently takes a little work.


2016-09-12 14:33:07:  
Mike Morneau suggests

http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/83-16355
$4.97

with the possible addition of spacers

http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/83-16386
$2.29

He indicates holes for the VGA and DIN connectors would need to
be routed out.

I suspect the same with the case Hays suggests


2016-09-12 14:38:37:  
Looks like the MCM case might also want a shroud for the USB
connectors and possibly the SD port.  Probably nice for an
unattended installation.  Also looks as though there might be a
light pipe.


2016-09-12 21:56:01:  
From:     auto-confirm@amazon.com 
Reply-to: auto-confirm@amazon.com
To:       wb8rcr@arrl.net
Subject:  Your Amazon.com order of Raspberry Pi 3 Model B... and
1 more item.
Date:     Tue, 13 Sep 2016 00:00:19 +0000 (09/12/2016 08:00:19
PM)


Amazon.com Order Confirmation
www.amazon.com/ref=TE_simp_tex_h
_______________________________________________________________________________________

Hello JOHN MCDONOUGH,

Thank you for shopping with us. You ordered  "Raspberry Pi 3
Model B..."  and 1 other item. 
Well send a confirmation when your items ship.


View or manage your orders in Your Orders:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/css/order-details?orderId=103-4845455-0913016&eoid=1%3A1%3AsZtOklBjvHvISHNY7uyHv0Mme2nX6cvsS8FpAUCYaalGx8nUzHHVkQujQqEfvPVBAM74KCYZwzU1IcPLDGWHeNgcjx4%2BUJ8XoJi8fEhashiLglhPhjoRXdI7MUy%2F5NbfKkAyfdkFvUprgqHqrT4886USfVWc%2FVzxTpx7Dj5L30%2FosWtruGQbGW0GWJ%2BOdjkdPv5mzIwLmy4dp853Xo6Cmo%2B2U2kH%2B27a1ON%2B6wt%2BV7QvUCt6%2F3DKJdhcYCHQVCYzKDex7W0DZIX7DiHGgL4N5XEUxGzivgUvoJZ%2BnaaTQKDgNAqlcLsVeHEhW8lH%2BtWWrUQiPZMb2aqKDTF1%2BK2mrw%3D%3D&ref_=TE_simp_od

Details
Order #103-4845455-0913016

    Arriving:
    Monday, September 19

    Ship to:
    John J. McDonough
    2211 LAUREL LN...
        
    
    Total Before Tax: $58.88                     
    Estimated Tax: $0.00

    Order Total: $58.88

=======================================================================================


We hope to see you again soon.

Amazon.com
www.amazon.com/ref=TE_simp_tex_ty
_______________________________________________________________________________________

The payment for your invoice is processed by Amazon Payments,
Inc. P.O. Box 81226 Seattle, Washington 98108-1226. If you need
more information, please contact (866) 216-1075.
 
Unless otherwise noted, items sold by Amazon.com LLC  are subject
to sales tax in select states in accordance with the applicable
laws of that state. If your order contains one or more items from
a seller other than Amazon.com LLC , it may be subject to state
and local sales tax, depending upon the seller's business
policies and the location of their operations. Learn more about
tax and seller information at:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=TE_simp_tex_tx?ie=UTF8&nodeId=201133270

This email was sent from a notification-only address that cannot
accept incoming email. Please do not reply to this message.


2016-09-12 21:56:58:  
From:    talk@mcmelectronics.com
To:      wb8rcr@arrl.net
Subject: MCM Electronics Confirmation - Order #W001578800
Date:    12 Sep 2016 21:02:53 -0400



Thank you for placing your order with MCM Electronics.
Your order has been submitted and will be processed shortly. 

Order Information
Order Number:  W001578800 on 9/12/2016 9:01:20 PM
Email Address: wb8rcr@arrl.net
Payment Type: Credit Card
Product Total: $12.65
Shipping: $7.99 - 00 Super Saver Shipping
Tax: $0.00
Order Total: $20.64


Order Line Items
1 
83-16355 - Blue Raspberry Pi Enclosure for B+ and Pi 2 Model B
$4.59
$4.59
2 
83-16386 - Blue Spacer for 83-16355 for B+ and Pi 2 Model B
$2.29
$4.58
1 
83-16391 - Blue USB Port Cover for 83-16355 for B+ and Pi 2 Model
B
$1.99
$1.99
1 
83-16396 - Blue SD Port Cover for 83-16355 for B+ and Pi 2 Model
B
$1.49
$1.49

Common Questions
How do I print an invoice or track my order status?
Visit mcmelectronics.com and login to your account at the top of
any page. Don't have an online account with MCM? Visit our
website and click "Track Your Order" at the top of any page.

When will my order ship?
In stock orders typically ship the next business day after being
entered.

How can I return an item?
Visit mcmelectronics.com/content/en-US/help/returns for more
information regarding returns.
Please note, this transactional email message was sent from a
notification-only address that cannot accept incoming email.
Please do not reply to this message.
Shipping charges are subject to change. Any ground order over 50
pounds or any air shipment over 25 pounds will be charged carrier
chart rate.
           
********************************Disclaimer***********************************
The preceding e-mail message (including any attachments) contains
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is intended to be conveyed only to the designated recipient(s).
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replying to this message and then delete it from your system.
Use,
dissemination, distribution, or reproduction of this message by
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*****************************************************************************


2016-09-13 08:01:46:  
2 cases ordered, one should work



ID Estimate Status Description
984 2016-09-15 FIXED SD card receive

2016-09-11 09:35:02:  
SD card received


2016-09-11 13:23:20:  
Readjust date to max expected shipping on 983


2016-09-12 17:45:31:  
One of the cards has apparently shipped. (Ordered two different
types). Looks like it shipped from Kalifornia.  At this point,
only shipping label created, carrier has apparently not picked up

Customer ID: wb8rcr@arrl.net Account Number: 10554662
Dear John J McDonough,
Thank you for shopping at Newegg Marketplace.

Your tracking number has been generated. Please see below for
your order information and tracking number. 

Shipping Summary:
Sales Order Number: 214262769
Seller: 3C Expert
Carrier: USPS

Item List:
Item Number: Item Description: Quantity:
9SIA12K4830573 SanDisk Ultra 8GB Micro SD SDHC SDXC Class 10
Memory Card 48MB/s 2

Tracking Number:
9400110200828143918593 
 
Shipped from 1F, No 239, SongRen Rd
Shipping Time:9/12/2016 10:28:02 AM 
 

Once You Know, You Newegg.

Your Newegg Marketplace Customer Service Team


2016-09-13 20:11:43:  
Newegg tracking shows estimate Thursday


2016-09-15 12:35:02:  
Rec'd 4 x 8G cards. both orders shipped as one



ID Estimate Status Description
995 2016-09-15 WONTFIX Investigate hang time in source

2016-09-11 11:17:29:  
See if the source has any ability to control PTT when in analog.


2016-09-12 17:16:04:  
git clone https://github.com/mcdermj/OpenDV.git


2016-09-12 17:25:03:  
It looks as though the hang time is set in the code, 1000 must
not be 1000 seconds, milliseconds would be reasonable, but I
don't see 1000ms happening, so....

DStarRepeaterTXRXThread.cpp:m_activeHangTimer(1000U),


2016-09-12 17:42:19:  
There is a configuration line

activeHangTime=4

and a fair bit of code around it.  The configuration panel has a
slider for that which indicates the value is in seconds. 
However, the code defaults it to 1000 (unsigned) so milliseconds
would make more sense.

Setting activeHangTime to 1000 causes the repeater to refuse to
transmit.


2016-09-15 12:38:29:  
It appears that the remote board never touches the analog
repeater.  No code seems to deal with it, so any changes would
have to be made in the repeater.

There is a setting, which is called hangTime in the source, but
changing that setting seems to do nothing.  Even more
interesting, it shows as seconds in the configuration panel, but
milliseconds in the code.

In any case, it appears the analog hang time isn't easily fixed.



ID Estimate Status Description
979 2016-09-16 FIXED Receive UDRC/Pi Case

2016-09-11 09:25:39:  
Wait for delivery


2016-09-12 21:57:49:  
Amazon claims Sep 19 delivery


2016-09-13 20:09:53:  
From: mcmelectronics-noreply@mcmelectronics.com
To: WB8RCR@ARRL.NET
Subject: MCM Ship Confirmation 044419
Date: Tue, 13 Sep 2016 14:01:43 -0400 (EDT)

Dear JOHN MCDONOUGH,

Thank you for your recent order with MCM Electronics. We
appreciate your business. 

This email is to confirm that your order 044419 has shipped
today, 09/13/16. Also, attached is a copy of your packing slip
for your convenience.
*******************************************
TRACKING YOUR SHIPMENT:
Your FEDERAL EXPRESS shipment tracking number is
74899995858623093146 and should become available to track
sometime during the next business day.

To tracking this shipment, please click on the following carrier
link:
http://www.fedex.com/Tracking/Detail?trackNum=74899995858623093146


NOTE: If your e-mail program does not let you directly click on
the above link, simply copy the URL into you web browser address
line and press enter.
*******************************************

Thank you again for the opportunity to earn your business. We
look forward to serving you again in the near future.

Please do not reply to this email address as it is used only to
send correspondence and is not monitored for incoming emails

Best Regards,
The MCM Electronics Team
Your Connection to Electronic Products and Components
http://www.mcmelectronics.com 

For questions concerning your order:
http://www.mcmelectronics.com/content/en-US/contact 
           
********************************Disclaimer***********************************
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sender by
replying to this message and then delete it from your system.
Use,
dissemination, distribution, or reproduction of this message by
unintended
recipients is not authorized and may be unlawful.
*****************************************************************************


2016-09-15 12:44:17:  
Amazon case has still not shipped.

FedEx tracking is currently down so cannot get status on MCM
case, however it shipped on 9/13, apparently from California, so
delivery Friday or Monday seems reasonable.


2016-09-16 13:29:48:  
MCM case arrived


2016-09-16 13:30:17:  
Will go ahead with MCM case



ID Estimate Status Description
987 2016-09-19 FIXED Select LTE provider

2016-09-12 10:29:17:  
There are a number of LTE providers that can provide quite low
cost for limited data quantity.  Estimate it would be hard to use
up 1Gb per month.


2016-09-16 12:22:11:  
Karma looks to be the winner.

They rely on Sprint's WiMax, not actual LTE but several sources
claim excellent coverage where we need it.  Their little hotspot
is $79 and they charge $14 per gig of data which doesn't expire. 
That means with our probable usage of under a quarter gig a
month, they are under four bucks a month.

Freedom Spot is another cheapie.  The hotspot is $100 but when
done you can send it back for a full refund providing you have
kept all the packaging.  Their monthly charge for a half-gig is
zero!  Also WiMax.  You can also pay $10 per month for a gig,
although totally free sounds appealing but suspicious.

Verizon's cheapest prepaid plan appears to be $35/2 months, not
clear what the hotspot actually costs. Looks like maybe a $50
hotspot, $18/month not so bad if we can cancel quickly. We know
Verizon coverage is good.


2016-09-17 16:19:06:  
The website comparing the hotspot offerings was apparently a
little out of date.  The Karma they are talking about, Karma
Classic, is no longer available and no longer works.  Apparently,
WiMax was shut off a year ago.

The new Karma is a little more expensive, $100 for the box
instead of $80, and $15 per gig instead of $14, but it still
looks like a winner.

https://yourkarma.com/


2016-09-20 14:34:35:  
Selected Karma Go



ID Estimate Status Description
980 2016-09-20 FIXED Modify/Install UDRC/Pi Case

2016-09-11 09:27:25:  
Indication is that case will need some modification


2016-09-16 14:29:46:  
Case with one spacer fits Pi + UDRC, *but*
- Supplied screws not long enough with spacer
- Light pipes in the wrong place (Pi 2?)


2016-09-16 16:13:25:  
Looks like it works without spacer.

Light pipe goes to Bluetooth antenna instead of LEDs.  Will want
to drill some holes so we can see the LEDs.


2016-09-20 14:46:02:  
Will stick with the MCM case.  Works just fine.



ID Estimate Status Description
988 2016-09-20 FIXED Order LTE Device

2016-09-12 10:29:37:  
Place order for LTE hotspot


2016-09-20 14:45:16:  
Ordered Karma Go and only 1G

From: Karma 
To: John McDonough 
Subject: Your Karma Order Confirmation
Date: Tue, 20 Sep 2016 18:33:32 +0000 (09/20/2016 02:33:32 PM)

Hey John McDonough,

Thanks for your purchase.

Billing Address:
John McDonough
2211 Laurel Lane 
Midland MI 48642


Your invoice: #20160093320

1GB data                            $15.00
Karma Go                           $149.00
$50 off Karma Go                   -$50.00
------------------------------------------
Tax                                  $0.00
------------------------------------------
Total                              $114.00


Shipping address:
John McDonough
2211 Laurel Lane 
Midland MI 48642


The estimated delivery date is Wednesday, September 28. Well
email your tracking number over once its shipped.


Thanks,
The Karma Team



ID Estimate Status Description
989 2016-10-04 FIXED Receive LTE device

2016-09-12 10:29:54:  
Wait for delivery of LTE hotspot/service.


2016-09-20 14:35:08:  
Date adjusted to promised delivery


2016-09-30 17:52:09:  
FedEx tracking projects delivery Tue 10/04/2016 by end of day



ID Estimate Status Description
991 2016-10-10 FIXED Log file strategy

2016-09-11 09:46:43:  
Develop a strategy to be sure that log files don't get excessive


2016-09-20 15:26:20:  
Looks like we can simply delete all the gzipped log files after
the backup has run.  Probably should decide about backing up the
system logs as well as the openDV logs,


2016-09-25 11:40:11:  
Backup logs to cimbaoth

#!/bin/sh -x
FILENAME=`date +'%Y%m%d-opendv.tar.gz'`
FILENAME2=`date +'%Y%m%d-log.tar.gz'`
NODE="71.10.153.139"
#
*****************************************************************
# REMOVE THIS LINE WHEN ON ANOTHER NETWORK
#
*****************************************************************
NODE="cimbaoth"
TARGET="/backup03/backup/kc8arj/"
tar -czf ${FILENAME} /etc/opendv/*
tar -czf ${FILENAME2} /var/log/opendv/*
scp ${FILENAME} backup@${NODE}:${TARGET}
scp ${FILENAME2} backup@${NODE}:${TARGET}
rm -f ${FILENAME} ${FILENAME2}

Clear out old logs on Mondays

#!/bin/sh

rm /var/log/opendv/*log.?.gz

And finally the crontab:

MAILTO=root@localhost.localdomain
# Edit this file to introduce tasks to be run by cron.
# 
# Each task to run has to be defined through a single line
# indicating with different fields when the task will be run
# and what command to run for the task
# 
# To define the time you can provide concrete values for
# minute (m), hour (h), day of month (dom), month (mon),
# and day of week (dow) or use '*' in these fields (for 'any').# 
# Notice that tasks will be started based on the cron's system
# daemon's notion of time and timezones.
# 
# Output of the crontab jobs (including errors) is sent through
# email to the user the crontab file belongs to (unless
redirected).
# 
# For example, you can run a backup of all your user accounts
# at 5 a.m every week with:
# 0 5 * * 1 tar -zcf /var/backups/home.tgz /home/
# 
# For more information see the manual pages of crontab(5) and
cron(8)
# 
# m h  dom mon dow   command
#
# Backup logs each night 3 minutes before midnight zulu
#
57 23 * * *               /root/backitup
#
# Clear out gzipped logs each Monday right after backup
#
59 23 * * 1   /root/cleanLogs


2016-10-02 09:43:06:  
Doesn't look like cleanLogs is running, or at least not doing
what is expected.  Unfortunately, with no MTA, any messages are
lost.  cleanLogs and backitup modified to save messages from the
last run as follows:

======================== backitup
================================
#!/bin/sh -x
FILENAME=`date +'%Y%m%d-opendv.tar.gz'`
FILENAME2=`date +'%Y%m%d-log.tar.gz'`
NODE="71.10.153.139"
#
*****************************************************************
# REMOVE THIS LINE WHEN ON ANOTHER NETWORK
#
*****************************************************************
NODE="cimbaoth"
TARGET="/backup03/backup/kc8arj/"
date >backitup.log
tar -czf ${FILENAME} /etc/opendv/* >>backitup.log 2>>backitup.log
tar -czf ${FILENAME2} /var/log/opendv/* >>backitup.log
2>>backitup.log
scp ${FILENAME} backup@${NODE}:${TARGET} >>backitup.log
2>>backitup.log
scp ${FILENAME2} backup@${NODE}:${TARGET} >>backitup.log
2>>backitup.log
rm -f ${FILENAME} ${FILENAME2} >>backitup.log 2>>backitup.log

===================cleanLogs=======================================
#!/bin/sh

date >/root/cleanLogs.log
rm /var/log/opendv/*log.?.gz >>/root/cleanLogs.log
2>>/root/cleanLogs.log


2016-10-04 13:38:07:  
Job didn't run first Monday because script wasn't marked
executable.  Next schedule is October 10.


2016-10-09 11:23:10:  
Updated script to kill logs with more than a single digit version


#!/bin/sh

date >/root/cleanLogs.log
rm /var/log/opendv/*log.*.gz >>/root/cleanLogs.log
2>>/root/cleanLogs.log



ID Estimate Status Description
1033 2016-10-15 FIXED Power control strategy long

2016-10-27 09:41:48:  
Long term strategy for repeater power control



ID Estimate Status Description
1032 2016-10-19 FIXED Power control strategy short

2016-10-27 09:41:48:  
Short term strategy for repeater power control



ID Estimate Status Description
1034 2016-10-22 FIXED Design power control

2016-10-27 09:41:49:  
Design repeater power control circuitry



ID Estimate Status Description
990 2016-10-23 Configure/Test LTE Device

2016-09-12 10:30:32:  
Configure the Pi to use the hotspot network, adjust the backup
scheme for the external address, test repeater using LTE hotspot.


2016-09-30 17:52:38:  
Date adjusted based on FedEx delivery projection


2016-10-05 09:09:30:  
Initial investigation very discouraging.  Device requires a
browser.  On the website it indicated browser-less devices were
usable.  However, a month later the website is very different,
and it appears that a browser-less device costs $15 a month in
addition to the $15 a gig.

Will investigate spoofing the browser login.


2016-10-06 13:50:12:  
Initial testing with cell phone indicates that it might well
remember MACs which had been logged on.  Turning off hotspot AND
phone for about 5 minutes, next connection doesn't need login. 
Need further testing but encouraging.


2016-10-07 09:34:51:  
Powered Karma off overnight. Thought I also had phone turned off
but didn't.  After cycling power on phone, came up connected to
Karma no sign-in screen.


2016-10-11 14:20:41:  
Now connected to Karma. Appears to link to many (but not all)
reflectors.  Have Karma getting power from Pi.

Will run this way for a bit and see how it plays.


2016-10-12 08:47:06:  
Still reserving judgment until we have had a few days, but so
far, the Karma looks promising.  Some limitations tho:

- First it needs a browser.  It looks like once you have signed
on with the
  browser, you don't need to sign on again.  But there is a risk
that after
  a certain amount of time it will time out and need to be
re-authorized

- Because we cannot do port forwarding, we cannot connect to all
reflectors,
  but the key ones of interest seem to work just fine.  Some
folks online have
  reported a symptom with improper port forwarding where they can
link and
  hear but not be heard.  So far I haven't observed that
behavior.

- Again because of no port forwarding, we won't be able to ssh
through into
  the Pi and thus can't control the Pi remotely.  However, we
should be able
  to control by RF (most actions yet to be tested - need to add
some more
  bugs to make sure we do that).  And we can probably provide
"pull" commands
  on a web server somewhere to perform the key operations of
interest.

All of this is resolved once we have "real" Internet.


2016-10-14 15:37:29:  
Give it more time to get confidence with Karma


2016-10-18 09:50:29:  
Checked out over the air commands.  It appears that the
predetermined commands work, but not those where we have an
opportunity to add the command.

Control over RF:

RPT1: CTLARJ1
RPT2: CTLARJ2
URCALL:
  SLEEP  - stops dstarrepeater
  WAKE   - starts dstarrepeater
  REBOOT - supposed to reboot but doesn't
  STAT1  - supposed to transmit status but doesn't

Created a script that tests for a file on the web.  If a file
called 'cycle' exists the raspberry pi cycles repeater power
(hardware to be constructed).  If a file called 'reboot' exists,
the raspberry pi reboots.

This is the theory. In fact, shutdown -r now does not work either
from the control script or from a command in dstarrepeater.  It
does, however, work when typed from the command line.  Must be
some weird Debian thing.  Need to investigate.



ID Estimate Status Description
1035 2016-10-23 FIXED Breadboard power control

2016-10-27 09:41:49:  
Build repeater power control circuitry on solderless breadboard



ID Estimate Status Description
985 2016-10-28 Schedule 2030 install

2016-09-12 10:30:56:  
Schedule a time to move the repeater to 2030



ID Estimate Status Description
1036 2016-10-28 Power control PCB

2016-10-27 09:41:49:  
Design printed circuit board for repeater power control



ID Estimate Status Description
1037 2016-10-29 Order power control parts

2016-10-27 09:41:49:  
Order parts to construct power control circuit



ID Estimate Status Description
1038 2016-10-30 Order power control PCB

2016-10-27 09:41:49:  
Order printed circuit board for repeater power control



ID Estimate Status Description
1040 2016-11-02 Receive power control parts

2016-10-27 09:41:49:  
Receive relays, connectors, etc.



ID Estimate Status Description
992 2016-11-03 Make backup SD

2016-09-11 09:49:16:  
Need to create a backup SD card immediately before taking
repeater to site


2016-09-12 10:32:15:  
Create a backup of the SD card.  Moved date to the day before
install since this wants to be the LAST thing we do.



ID Estimate Status Description
1041 2016-11-05 Construct power control circuit

2016-10-27 09:41:49:  
Assemble the production circuit for the repeater power control



ID Estimate Status Description
1039 2016-11-10 Receive power control PCB

2016-10-27 09:41:49:  
Repeater power control printed circuit boards arrive



ID Estimate Status Description
1044 2016-11-12 Package power control

2016-10-27 09:41:50:  
Develop physical packaging for repeater power control circuit



ID Estimate Status Description
1042 2016-11-15 Develop short-term firmware

2016-10-27 09:41:49:  
Design and test firmware for the short term repeater power
control, both PIC and Pi



ID Estimate Status Description
993 2016-11-18 Move to 2030

2016-09-12 10:54:35:  
Install the repeater at the permanent site at 2030 building.



ID Estimate Status Description
996 2016-12-11 Test 100 watt amp

2016-09-12 10:49:37:  
Repeater will initially be set for 20 watts. It is unknown at
this time whether the addition of an external amplifier will
result in excess desense. After the repeater is at the site, an
amp will be tested for coverage.



ID Estimate Status Description
1045 2016-12-15 Get proper Internet

2016-10-27 09:45:47:  
Get more flexible Internet at repeater site than Karma



ID Estimate Status Description
1043 2016-12-20 Develop long term firmware

2016-10-27 09:41:49:  
Develop firmware for repeater power control after competent
Internet available



ID Estimate Status Description
1046 2016-12-31 Test long term power control

2016-10-27 17:03:21:  
Test power control with "proper" Internet.

Power Control

With the better understanding of the Karma WiFi came the realization that some of the control we would like won't be available since we can't connect into the repeater over Internet, only out.

So, we would need some "pull" mechanism for control.  Thinking through that made us also recognize that, because the Raspberry Pi is powered by the repeater, removing power from the repeater also removes power from the Pi, meaning that we have no control at all.  This is messy especially because it takes time to arrange a physical visit to the site.

It isn't all dark.  We have various commands we can perform on the input.  And although we can't shut the repeater down, we can make it stop repeating which is almost as good.

However, we have seen the occasional case where we would like to cycle the power on the repeater.  That will take some external logic since when the power is off there is nothing available to turn in back on. Even after we get "real" Internet, we still have the issue of loosing control when we cycle power.

We have concluded that a small controller would do the job.  When the Pi sends a signal to the controller, it would wait long enough for the Pi to shutdown cleanly, then remove power for a while, perhaps 15 seconds or so, then re-apply power.

Block Diagram

Another approach would be to have a second Pi or similar box that could handle the sequencing but have separate power from the repeater.  The first approach looked simpler.

The power controller would be fairly simple; a couple of relays for the power, a transistor to drive the relay, and a PIC to receive the signal from the Pi and operate the relay.  The PIC I selected is overkill for the task, but it is still inexpensive and was a 3 volt PIC I had several of in the parts drawer. (The Pi is a 3 volt device, and although 5 volts is needed for the relay, it is simpler to drive a transistor with a 3 volt PIC than it is to level shift the input.)

Schematic


The circuitry has been breadboarded and tested. It remains now to lay out the printed circuit board, order the parts and PCB, and assemble the production version.

I have added the appropriate tasks to the bug list.  I find it helpful when doing things like this to be very granular, so there are a lot of extra bubbles on the map, but most are short or involve no effort (e.g. wait for PCBs).

The detailed list, including the completed items, will come in a later post.

Not shown here, nor in the to-do list, is the possibility of constructing a parallel controller for the W8QN repeater, run off the same Pi. There are available output pins.



Wednesday, October 12, 2016

Status 12 Oct

Repeater has been running solely on Karma for a day with no ill effects.  The log cleanup seems to be working.



ID Estimate Status Description
917 2016-08-10 FIXED Order NW Digital board
981 2016-09-11 WONTFIX KC8ARJ as repeater
983 2016-09-11 FIXED Order quality SD cards
986 2016-09-11 FIXED Validate LTE
982 2016-09-12 FIXED WiFi startup
994 2016-09-12 WONTFIX Investigate hang time control
978 2016-09-13 FIXED Select UDRC/Pi Case
984 2016-09-15 FIXED SD card receive
995 2016-09-15 WONTFIX Investigate hang time in source
979 2016-09-16 FIXED Receive UDRC/Pi Case
987 2016-09-19 FIXED Select LTE provider
980 2016-09-20 FIXED Modify/Install UDRC/Pi Case
988 2016-09-20 FIXED Order LTE Device
989 2016-10-04 FIXED Receive LTE device
991 2016-10-10 FIXED Log file strategy
990 2016-10-12 ASSIGNED Configure/Test LTE Device
985 2016-10-17 ASSIGNED Schedule 2030 install
992 2016-10-23 ASSIGNED Make backup SD
993 2016-11-07 ASSIGNED Move to 2030
996 2016-11-30 ASSIGNED Test 100 watt amp



Bug status 2016-10-12



ID Estimate Status Description
990 2016-10-12 Configure/Test LTE Device

2016-09-12 10:30:32:  
Configure the Pi to use the hotspot network, adjust the backup
scheme for the external address, test repeater using LTE hotspot.


2016-09-30 17:52:38:  
Date adjusted based on FedEx delivery projection


2016-10-05 09:09:30:  
Initial investigation very discouraging.  Device requires a
browser.  On the website it indicated browser-less devices were
usable.  However, a month later the website is very different,
and it appears that a browser-less device costs $15 a month in
addition to the $15 a gig.

Will investigate spoofing the browser login.


2016-10-06 13:50:12:  
Initial testing with cell phone indicates that it might well
remember MACs which had been logged on.  Turning off hotspot AND
phone for about 5 minutes, next connection doesn't need login. 
Need further testing but encouraging.


2016-10-07 09:34:51:  
Powered Karma off overnight. Thought I also had phone turned off
but didn't.  After cycling power on phone, came up connected to
Karma no sign-in screen.


2016-10-11 14:20:41:  
Now connected to Karma. Appears to link to many (but not all)
reflectors.  Have Karma getting power from Pi.

Will run this way for a bit and see how it plays.


2016-10-12 08:47:06:  
Still reserving judgment until we have had a few days, but so
far, the Karma looks promising.  Some limitations tho:

- First it needs a browser.  It looks like once you have signed
on with the
  browser, you don't need to sign on again.  But there is a risk
that after
  a certain amount of time it will time out and need to be
re-authorized

- Because we cannot do port forwarding, we cannot connect to all
reflectors,
  but the key ones of interest seem to work just fine.  Some
folks online have
  reported a symptom with improper port forwarding where they can
link and
  hear but not be heard.  So far I haven't observed that
behavior.

- Again because of no port forwarding, we won't be able to ssh
through into
  the Pi and thus can't control the Pi remotely.  However, we
should be able
  to control by RF (most actions yet to be tested - need to add
some more
  bugs to make sure we do that).  And we can probably provide
"pull" commands
  on a web server somewhere to perform the key operations of
interest.

All of this is resolved once we have "real" Internet.



ID Estimate Status Description
985 2016-10-17 Schedule 2030 install

2016-09-12 10:30:56:  
Schedule a time to move the repeater to 2030



ID Estimate Status Description
992 2016-10-23 Make backup SD

2016-09-11 09:49:16:  
Need to create a backup SD card immediately before taking
repeater to site


2016-09-12 10:32:15:  
Create a backup of the SD card.  Moved date to the day before
install since this wants to be the LAST thing we do.



ID Estimate Status Description
993 2016-11-07 Move to 2030

2016-09-12 10:54:35:  
Install the repeater at the permanent site at 2030 building.



ID Estimate Status Description
996 2016-11-30 Test 100 watt amp

2016-09-12 10:49:37:  
Repeater will initially be set for 20 watts. It is unknown at
this time whether the addition of an external amplifier will
result in excess desense. After the repeater is at the site, an
amp will be tested for coverage.




Wednesday, October 5, 2016

Status 5 Oct

WiFi device has arrived.  It works, but not without issues.




ID Estimate Status Description
917 2016-08-10 FIXED Order NW Digital board
981 2016-09-11 WONTFIX KC8ARJ as repeater
983 2016-09-11 FIXED Order quality SD cards
986 2016-09-11 FIXED Validate LTE
982 2016-09-12 FIXED WiFi startup
994 2016-09-12 WONTFIX Investigate hang time control
978 2016-09-13 FIXED Select UDRC/Pi Case
984 2016-09-15 FIXED SD card receive
995 2016-09-15 WONTFIX Investigate hang time in source
979 2016-09-16 FIXED Receive UDRC/Pi Case
987 2016-09-19 FIXED Select LTE provider
980 2016-09-20 FIXED Modify/Install UDRC/Pi Case
988 2016-09-20 FIXED Order LTE Device
989 2016-10-04 FIXED Receive LTE device
990 2016-10-08 ASSIGNED Configure/Test LTE Device
991 2016-10-11 ASSIGNED Log file strategy
985 2016-10-17 ASSIGNED Schedule 2030 install
992 2016-10-23 ASSIGNED Make backup SD
993 2016-11-07 ASSIGNED Move to 2030
996 2016-11-30 ASSIGNED Test 100 watt amp







ID Estimate Status Description
990 2016-10-08 Configure/Test LTE Device

2016-09-12 10:30:32:  
Configure the Pi to use the hotspot network, adjust the backup
scheme for the external address, test repeater using LTE hotspot.


2016-09-30 17:52:38:  
Date adjusted based on FedEx delivery projection


2016-10-05 09:09:30:  
Initial investigation very discouraging.  Device requires a
browser.  On the website it indicated browser-less devices were
usable.  However, a month later the website is very different,
and it appears that a browser-less device costs $15 a month in
addition to the $15 a gig.

Will investigate spoofing the browser login.



ID Estimate Status Description
991 2016-10-11 Log file strategy

2016-09-11 09:46:43:  
Develop a strategy to be sure that log files don't get excessive


2016-09-20 15:26:20:  
Looks like we can simply delete all the gzipped log files after
the backup has run.  Probably should decide about backing up the
system logs as well as the openDV logs,


2016-09-25 11:40:11:  
Backup logs to cimbaoth

#!/bin/sh -x
FILENAME=`date +'%Y%m%d-opendv.tar.gz'`
FILENAME2=`date +'%Y%m%d-log.tar.gz'`
NODE="71.10.153.139"
#
*****************************************************************
# REMOVE THIS LINE WHEN ON ANOTHER NETWORK
#
*****************************************************************
NODE="cimbaoth"
TARGET="/backup03/backup/kc8arj/"
tar -czf ${FILENAME} /etc/opendv/*
tar -czf ${FILENAME2} /var/log/opendv/*
scp ${FILENAME} backup@${NODE}:${TARGET}
scp ${FILENAME2} backup@${NODE}:${TARGET}
rm -f ${FILENAME} ${FILENAME2}

Clear out old logs on Mondays

#!/bin/sh

rm /var/log/opendv/*log.?.gz

And finally the crontab:

MAILTO=root@localhost.localdomain
# Edit this file to introduce tasks to be run by cron.
# 
# Each task to run has to be defined through a single line
# indicating with different fields when the task will be run
# and what command to run for the task
# 
# To define the time you can provide concrete values for
# minute (m), hour (h), day of month (dom), month (mon),
# and day of week (dow) or use '*' in these fields (for 'any').# 
# Notice that tasks will be started based on the cron's system
# daemon's notion of time and timezones.
# 
# Output of the crontab jobs (including errors) is sent through
# email to the user the crontab file belongs to (unless
redirected).
# 
# For example, you can run a backup of all your user accounts
# at 5 a.m every week with:
# 0 5 * * 1 tar -zcf /var/backups/home.tgz /home/
# 
# For more information see the manual pages of crontab(5) and
cron(8)
# 
# m h  dom mon dow   command
#
# Backup logs each night 3 minutes before midnight zulu
#
57 23 * * *               /root/backitup
#
# Clear out gzipped logs each Monday right after backup
#
59 23 * * 1   /root/cleanLogs


2016-10-02 09:43:06:  
Doesn't look like cleanLogs is running, or at least not doing
what is expected.  Unfortunately, with no MTA, any messages are
lost.  cleanLogs and backitup modified to save messages from the
last run as follows:

======================== backitup
================================
#!/bin/sh -x
FILENAME=`date +'%Y%m%d-opendv.tar.gz'`
FILENAME2=`date +'%Y%m%d-log.tar.gz'`
NODE="71.10.153.139"
#
*****************************************************************
# REMOVE THIS LINE WHEN ON ANOTHER NETWORK
#
*****************************************************************
NODE="cimbaoth"
TARGET="/backup03/backup/kc8arj/"
date >backitup.log
tar -czf ${FILENAME} /etc/opendv/* >>backitup.log 2>>backitup.log
tar -czf ${FILENAME2} /var/log/opendv/* >>backitup.log
2>>backitup.log
scp ${FILENAME} backup@${NODE}:${TARGET} >>backitup.log
2>>backitup.log
scp ${FILENAME2} backup@${NODE}:${TARGET} >>backitup.log
2>>backitup.log
rm -f ${FILENAME} ${FILENAME2} >>backitup.log 2>>backitup.log

===================cleanLogs=======================================
#!/bin/sh

date >/root/cleanLogs.log
rm /var/log/opendv/*log.?.gz >>/root/cleanLogs.log
2>>/root/cleanLogs.log


2016-10-04 13:38:07:  
Job didn't run first Monday because script wasn't marked
executable.  Next schedule is October 10.



ID Estimate Status Description
985 2016-10-17 Schedule 2030 install

2016-09-12 10:30:56:  
Schedule a time to move the repeater to 2030



ID Estimate Status Description
992 2016-10-23 Make backup SD

2016-09-11 09:49:16:  
Need to create a backup SD card immediately before taking
repeater to site


2016-09-12 10:32:15:  
Create a backup of the SD card.  Moved date to the day before
install since this wants to be the LAST thing we do.



ID Estimate Status Description
993 2016-11-07 Move to 2030

2016-09-12 10:54:35:  
Install the repeater at the permanent site at 2030 building.



ID Estimate Status Description
996 2016-11-30 Test 100 watt amp

2016-09-12 10:49:37:  
Repeater will initially be set for 20 watts. It is unknown at
this time whether the addition of an external amplifier will
result in excess desense. After the repeater is at the site, an
amp will be tested for coverage.