[arm-allstar] RPi3 code 'Easter Egg' More info

Thu Mar 31 22:32:00 EST 2016

I realized that you might need more info on the additional commands so below is an excerpt from the upcoming 2.0 info.  Note that audio level changing is an individual thing and also depends on the levels already set in the played files. As a for instance there is a level change in the on the hour time routine - /usr/local/sbin/saytime.pl  If you are changing the wholesale levels with telemnomdb and telemduckdb you will want to eliminate the additional reduction in the file. 

# Following lines process the output file with sox to lower the volume
# negative numbers lower than -1 reduce the volume - see Sox man page
# Other processing could be done if necessary
#
#@proglist = ("nice -19 sox --temp /tmp " . $outdir . "/temp.gsm " . $outdir . "/current-time.gsm vol -0.35");
#system(@proglist);

To do that simply comment out the two lines as shown above.

I find that telemnomdb= -9  and telemduckdb= -12  works for me but of course it is a user preference.

Although I have left the annoying connect/disconnect  messages turned off, and you may have also, you may find that turning them back on is now acceptable when using the telem levels.  

The rx_timeout is a good feature in that it ensures a COS hangup won't tie up a network forever or at least until someone disconnects. The default is 5 minutes but you may want to lower that to something over the maximum time you would talk -  maybe 3.5 minutes or rx_timeout=210000

When switching to the beta version of 1.02 you will need to add these commands to your config files to utilize them. Without adding them the default levels apply. When you add or change these values in rpt.conf a simple 'rpt reload' in the Asterisk client will immediately change the setting.

 -
simpleusb audio
delay problem

The audio delay problem prevalent on the RPi2 and to some extent on
the BBB has been eliminated with this update. This was always more
apparent when the server was used as a repeater controller in full
duplex mode but should also give more consistent results in simplex
mode. 

   -
Telemetry level control

A long standing issue with the Acid release has been the inability to
control telemetry verses user voice levels in Allstar. Many users
modified audio files to accomplish this but this was always a crude
way to do it. Two new commands have been added to control telemetry
audio levels. One controls the overall level and the other the level
when a signal is present. Telemetry levels are the voice commands,
typically Alison, that you hear when you connect, disconnect, etc. CW
and courtesy tone levels are controlled separately within their
commands. The telemetry commands are installed in the node stanza of
rpt.conf and can be defined in each node of a multi-node system.

Also note that if you have altered the amplitude of any sound files
they should be returned to stock level and let these commands change
the levels. 

-   telemnomdb  - default
0dB, no change

This command controls the overall level of telemetry in allstar in
dB. Typically a user would want  to reduce the level somewhat. To
reduce the level specify a minus value. Start with

telemnomdb=-6 and increase from there to the desired level.

-   telemduckdb 
- default -9dB
reduction

This command controls how much the telemetry audio levels are reduced
when a voice signal is present. This is an absolute setting and not
relative to telemnomdb. So if telemnomdb is set to -6 and telemduckdb
is set to -9 and telemetry was playing and a signal was present the
telemetry would be reduced by -9 db and resume back to a -6 reduction
with no signal present. 

   -
COS (rx) timeout
control

 A nagging problem with Allstar is the ability for one node to
entirely lockup a multi-node connected system. This often happens
when a radio is turned off or disconnected. The COS signal will
usually assume a high level when a radio is turned off or
disconnected as there is a pullup in the cm108 chip. If you are using
carrierfrom=usb this can happen but it would be a good idea to set
this timeout in all cases to ensure that you node will release COS
after a timeout period. These commands are on a per node basis in the
node assignment section of rpt.conf.

-  rx_timeout  - default 300000 (5 minutes)

This command controls the length of time the hardware COS line can
remain active before software COS is released. The timeout is reset
when the hardware COS line goes inactive. When the timeout happens it
appears to all Allstar connected nodes that you stopped transmitting.
Obviously this timeout would also happen if a valid transmission went
beyond the timeout. Typically you would set this to some value longer
than you would expect to talk in a single transmission.
Recommendations are something more than 3 minutes.

- rx_cosflap  - default 20 (20 milliseconds)

This command works in conjunction with rx_timeout. Its purpose is to
help eliminate repetitive squelch openings from resetting rx_timeout.
This would typically happen if a squelch was on the edge of opening
and 'flapped' open and closed causing a channel disruption. Set
appropriately this would allow the timeout to happen in the
rx_timeout period.

   -  Transmitter timeout

The transmitter timeout command 'totimeout' in rpt.conf has been
changed to tx_timeout to make its name more meaningful and to be a companion to rx_timeout. The 'totimeout' command is deprecated but still
works. Users should change to the new command syntax. A warning
message upon loading the rpt module is given in the asterisk client
if you are using the old command. The 1.3 versions have the new
command installed so users loading the 1.3 version should not need to
make this change.

73 Doug
WA3DSP
http://www.crompton.com/hamradio

To: arm-allstar at hamvoip.org
Date: Tue, 29 Mar 2016 02:07:31 -0400
Subject: [arm-allstar] RPi3 code 'Easter Egg'
From: arm-allstar at hamvoip.org
CC: doug at crompton.com

I didn't mention it earlier but for those downloading the RPi2-3 beta code there is an Easter Egg in the form of a test of a portion of our code updates which will be in version 2.0. The code changes and available commands are listed below. 

The default boot mode is the V1.01 code updated for the RPi3. So other than the fact it runs on the RPi2 and 3 it is identical except for the updated simpleusb channel driver to the V1.0 RPi2 release of last year.

To enable the alpha-test version, see the "safe_asterisk" command in the file /usr/local/etc/rc.allstar ...Comment out: "/usr/bin/safe_asterisk" and uncomment the line: "/usr/local/hamvoip-alpha-test/sbin/safe_asterisk" Then reboot the system.

The new code -should- be stable, but remember this is beta code at this point!

If you need to switch back to the original stable Asterisk release code, it's as
simple as reversing the above change and rebooting.

Remember this is just a portion of the code changes which will be in our 2.0 release. If you decide to try this please report back any issues you may fine and if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
New app_rpt.c changes:

- Removed obsolete uchameleon code (about 2500 lines).

This is obsolete hardware.

app_rpt.conf

 These added commands are on a per node basis and can be added in each node assignment.

Note that in this test mode these commands will have to be added to the appropriate config file.

- Added COS timeout, with COS flap suppression (new rx_timeout, rx_cosflap rpt.conf parameters)

This is an attempt at eliminating single node hangups of connected networks. Often a single node, due to radio or interface failure, can cause a COS hangup tying up an entire network. If the timeout is set COS is monitored and the indication of asserted COS to the network is dropped if the time is exceeded. The COS timeout is set in the same way as a TX timeout. The COS unasserted indication to the network will remain until the hardware COS is cleared. 

COSFLAP can also be set and will attempt to catch conditions where a squelch is "flapping" by not resetting the timer during this condition and allowing the timeout period to proceed.

Default rx_timeout is 5 minutes. This should be set to just longer than the maximum expected transmit time into your node. This is typically less than 3 minutes as this is a common repeater timeout value.

- Added telemetry gain levels (new telemnomdb rpt.conf parameter) 

This will allow a level adjustment of telemetry (connect, disconnect, etc.) messages. The level
change is in dB like the Echolink level adjustments. This will eliminate the need to change the
level of audio files.

- Added telemetry ducking (AKA: Allison ducking) (new telemduckdb rpt.conf parameter)

This optionally reduces telemetry levels when a voice signal is present.

Note these are independent levels not additive. Default telemnomdb is 0 and telemdduckdb is -6

- Changed tx timeout variable name from totime to tx_timeout (the old variable is deprecated,
but still works after printing a console warning)

This was done to avoid the confusion between TX and RX timeouts. TX timeout is applied only
to the local transmitter. It is often in addition to a TX timeout that is set at a longer time in the
radio itself ensuring double protection for a hung transmitter. 

New core Asterisk changes:

- Removed need to recompile to enable/disable RADIO_RELAX

This command when on reduces the DTMF decode requirements but can also cause DTMF "Falsing"

RADIO _RELAX is OFF by default and has been in ALL BBB and RPi2 compiles. This command
previously required a menuselect change and recompile to enable. It is now added as a runtime
option dtmf_relax=[0|1] in the simpleusb.conf and usbradio.conf files, for a given interface stanza.

DO NOT set this to on unless you absolutely need it. Setting  your levels and deemphasis correctly almost always solves the problem of not decoding DTMF. Setting this to on can also cause audio holes due to voice falsing. The default is off if you don't define it. 

New chan_simpleusb.c changes:

- Added code to resolve annoying variable transmitted audio delay
This has plagued simpleusb on all platforms since it was added to the ACID code. It is more prevalent on the small boards and especially the RPi2. The symptoms generally only appear when Allstar is used on a repeater. A user would hear their own voice for a few syllables or a word after unkeying. This update totally fixes the problem and the delay through the system is now constant and short in length.

Other updates

- Cleaned up all compiler warnings. in app_rpt.c and chan_simpleusb both now compile cleanly,
no warnings at all. Added flags to allow compiles using new gcc for new and old versions of the
code

73 Doug
WA3DSP
http://www.crompton.com/hamradio

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