[arm-allstar] Distorted audio.

Thu Aug 2 21:13:21 EST 2018

Doug,
I have had this recurrent problem on several of my nodes...  Each and every time it has ended up being a corrupted memory card.  I never used to have this problem, but it has popped up in the last year or so, several times.  Take that for what you will...

My main hub node is doing it right now - and when it boots, it is all garbled when announcing the connections.  It's gotten worse over the past week or so.  Every once in a while, it will garble all the audio coming through it as well.  This is the HUB node with a couple of hubs and one 900 MHz repeater hung off of it.

It sounds like Donald Duck being being repeatedly pelted in rapid fire fashion by a Gatling gun full of Nerf bullets...  It's somewhat comical but it is also a pain in the assets...  If you want to hear it - gimme a call sometime and I will reboot the hub node for you and let you listen to it on my cell phone.  You will likely cringe...

The latest trick, (and the reason I know it is about to roll over and die) is the astdb file is getting corrupted once or twice a day and I have to copy a backup file over on top of it for the repeater data to display in Supermon.  WinSCP tells me the file doesn't exist, but it's there in the directory listing, possibly listed as 0 bytes.  Every time it starts doing this on one of my nodes, it's time to stuff in a newly configed memory card...

The card is only a little over 50% used, so it isn't a "disk space" issue...

I'm lazy and busy and have places to go over the next few days - so I haven't gotten around to yanking out the card, taking the entire Texas Repeater Network down and putting a freshly burnt card in there and spending an evening editing config files, installing autosky, fixing my supermon to where it actually works again, editing a rather lengthy crontab, etc. etc. etc...   It's not all that hard - but I have to take the entire network down to do it and I really don't have the time in the next few days....  It can be rather time consuming.

I figure by the time I get back home on Sunday - it will probably given up...  Rolled over and given up the ghost...

Funny thing though, when I take the corrupted cards out and format them on my PC, I can then go ahead and reflash them and reuse them on another RasPi, no sweat....  No corruption...  Well at least not for a good long while anyway.
This showing up on my nodes is a rather random affair...  There doesn't seem to be a "cause" I can put my finger on other than I know it's knackered when the astdb file starts flaking out and my Supermon display gets all hosed up with "someones private node" all over the screen!

I've had this problem several times and it has always been the memory card getting corrupted - the garbled audio is soon followed by astdb corruption...
I always use Sandisk class 10 8GB cards - I bought a BIG "BULK" pack off of Amazon and have a pile of them on the shelf for my Pi's...  (I got a lot of Pi's!)  When I need another one, I always have a few handy.

Just my two cents and my experience - and a little FYI...
Bill - N5MBMwww.texasrepeaternetwork.net

      From: Doug Crompton via arm-allstar <arm-allstar at hamvoip.org>
 To: ARM Allstar <arm-allstar at hamvoip.org> 
Cc: Doug Crompton <wa3dsp at gmail.com>
 Sent: Thursday, August 2, 2018 7:44 PM
 Subject: Re: [arm-allstar] Distorted audio.

Tom,

 Any time that problem occured it was always cleared with a restart or
reboot. In oyu case I don't know and would need more info to analyse. Does
it sound like clipped distorted audio or is it off pitch and/or going fast
or slow in speed?

Like I said before there is no general problem with this and it might just
be something corrupted on the SD card. If it worked for a year and then
stopped that would be my feeling. If you go into the client and use it does
it show any errors or warnings there? If you turn down the TX audio (item
3) does the level go down? Is the TX audio level having any effect
.

*73 Doug*

*WA3DSP*

*http://www.crompton.com/hamradio <http://www.crompton.com/hamradio>*

On Thu, Aug 2, 2018 at 8:09 PM, "Tom Eaton via arm-allstar" <
arm-allstar at hamvoip.org> wrote:

> Thanks for the comment Doug I did check the transmit audio and it is set
> where it always has been this node has been on the air for almost a year.
> If it is a codec problem is there a fix. I have tried multiple reboots. And
> checked all the settings in simple-usb.
>
> Tom, KC4CBQ
>
> On Thu, Aug 2, 2018, 6:37 PM "Doug Crompton via arm-allstar" <
> arm-allstar at hamvoip.org> wrote:
>
> > In reviewing this message again I missed the word distorted or at least
> > what it normally means. Very occasionally a codec can get confused but
> the
> > result is use broken or chipmunk like audio. In your case distorted
> > probably means overloaded. What you should do is go back to the old SD
> card
> > and go into simpleusb-tune-menu and check setting 3 for TX audio. I
> suspect
> > it is set too high.  Sometimes people forget that you need to save the
> > settings in there with the 'w' option. If you don't it will work fine
> until
> > your next restart or reboot and then go back to the old settings.
> >
> >
> > *73 Doug*
> >
> > *WA3DSP*
> >
> > *http://www.crompton.com/hamradio <http://www.crompton.com/hamradio>*
> >
> >
> > On Thu, Aug 2, 2018 at 11:16 AM, "Ian via arm-allstar" <
> > arm-allstar at hamvoip.org> wrote:
> >
> > >
> > > Message: 2
> > >> Date: Wed, 1 Aug 2018 19:41:06 -0400
> > >> From: Tom Eaton <kc4cbq at gmail.com>
> > >> To: ARM Allstar <arm-allstar at hamvoip.org>
> > >> Subject: [arm-allstar] Tx Audio broken distorted
> > >> Message-ID:
> > >>        <CAJXZ5SLnReTjJE1TgFTkPfk2r90aDTJcDQ6HvQPmWQUJKZU-3A at mail.gm
> > >> ail.com>
> > >> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
> > >>
> > >> Node started having distorted audio on TX side only rx ok and across
> > >> internet ok, tried  different transmitter, then new fob, and pi, no
> > >> change.
> > >> Changed SD card and audio now ok.
> > >> What could it be in HAMVOIP that could have caused this, and can it be
> > >> fixed or just start over with new SD card.
> > >>
> > >> It is running latest ver. as of last week when i did update.
> > >>
> > >> Tom, KC4CBQ
> > >>
> > >>
> > > Tom,
> > >
> > > My suggestion would be to check option three from simpleusb-tune-menu
> and
> > > adjusting the current setting downwards.
> > > ---------------------------------------------------------
> > > Please enter your selection now: 3
> > > Current setting on Tx Channel A is 350
> > > Enter new Tx A Level setting (0-999, or C/R for none):
> > > ----------------------------------------------------------
> > > I have found this necessary when changing or testing node radios.
> > >
> > > Regards,
> > > Ian..
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > _______________________________________________
> > >
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> > >
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> > >
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> >
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> >
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