Re: Random person (me) gets pacsat working
I'm glad this worked. Your description looks correct to me. Now you can try to load the directory and broadcast it.
73 Chris
On Fri, May 26, 2023, 15:31 Burns Fisher (AMSAT) via pacsat-dev < pacsat-dev@amsat.org> wrote:
I just wanted to let you know of a configuration that works successfully and what I did (with Chris' help) to get there.
First, I have PacSat ground AND Direwolf installed on a PC with Win11. Plugged into the PC is a Digirig mobile. The DRM has a Baofeng/Kenwood HT cable connecting it to a Kenwood D72. It appears not to require setting to full duplex, so probably a different less fancy HT would work, although it does require two VFOs.
Set the transmit VFO to 145935 MHz. Set the receive VFO to 435760MHz. On the D72, I have to turn the volume up maybe 1/2 way. Probably turning the squelch off would help too, although I did not have to.
Be sure you have at least a dummy load on the Pacsat board tx (the same side as the LED and the console serial connector). It was more reliable when I put a rubber ducky on, but you can make it with just the dummy load.
Now start up first direwolf using the command direwolf -q d -B 1200 (after setting up the direwolf.conf file to be pointing to the correct input and output audio devices as Chris mentioned earlier). Then start up PacSat Ground. It should say a few things like "KISS is assumed ON" TNC IN FULL DUPLEX. etc.
On the "satellite console" enter "set rate 1200" and monitor on.
On the satellite if you type "send pb status" this should cause the satellite to transmit, the HT to receive and pass the data to direwolf, and direwolf will decode it and send to pacsat ground. You should see "PB Empty" appear on the PacSat ground station. On Direwolf, you might see "Audio input level is too high". I reduced the audio level until I did not get anything, and then went up slightly. I could not avoid that message.
Now go to PacSat ground and hit the "DIR" key near the top. This will send a message via direwolf and your HT to the "satellite", which will in turn respond. PacSat Ground says something like TX: DIR REQ: HOLES etc. From WB1FJ to VE2TCP-11. And finally OK WB1FJ (or whatever you put in for your call). If you are not receiving a response from the satellite, PacSat ground keeps resending every few seconds for a minute or so.
This is not very thorough because I can't say that I understand exactly what is going on, but I did want to record that I got all of these various components to work and approximately how. Chris, feel free to fill in, and thanks for the help!
73,
Burns Fisher, WB1FJ *AMSAT(R) Engineering -- Flight Software*
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Chris Thompson