[arm-allstar] Baofeng 888 setup

[John Baxter]

Hello Yet Again from a Humble Student of AllStar,

Well, another little chat with John WA3EZT and I realized that I was doing a number of things a bit incorrectly.  One major one was to test the whole BaoFeng 888 AllStar setup using a Rubber Ducky.  That is a No-No because RF will Most Definitely get back into the digital circuits and wreak havoc…  (and probably make Weird Noises and Distortion just like I was getting).

In their Infinite Wisdom, Baofeng puts a really non-standard connector on their antenna jack (I bet it is cheaper… ya think????).  So you have to get all kinds of Screwball Adapters to get it to fit nice, traditional Ham Radio Antenna Connectors.  I need to do this before ever trying to set up the BaoFeng again!!!

Meanwhile as soon as Amazon Smile finally delivers my PL-259 connector, will hopefully fix my trusty old Yaesu FT-7900R and then Fuss with Audio Settings a while to get it working for AllStar again.  I am considering using my SDRplay to monitor the signal and compare the audio level and perhaps even the Deviation to known good local nodes.

So things look really promising that I may be at deeper AllStar peace in the near future…

Thanks and 73!
-john N3FPZ

John William Baxter	jwilliambaxter at me.com <mailto:jwilliambaxter at me.com>
BAXTERTECH creating ways to connect
215-460-9128		iPhone/text/FaceTime
215-572-0471		landline
N3FPZ				amateur radio / Allstar node: 45506


  Psalms 19:1 “the heavens declare the glory of God”
 

> On Nov 6, 2019, at 9:24 AM, John Baxter <jwilliambaxter at me.com> wrote:
> 
> Hello again from N3FPZ,
> 
> Heard from John WA3EZT and he kindly helped me to realize:
> 
> My AllStar node in Glenside does not need to be maintained like a Repeater.  I am very likely its only user!
> Just shut down AllStar when I wish to utilize the base station Yaesu FT7900 with nice USH/VHF roof-mounted antenna for other purposes.
> At the moment I am fixing an issue with my feed line, in an effort to avoid taking out the finals in the FT7900 base station radio.
> Sure — continue to experiment and learn with the Baofeng and the Yaesu FT-60 HT and solve the distortion issue.
> If this is truly beyond me, assuming I get the Gig I am really, really hoping for - just buy a Yellow Box and/or a Radioless Node from TechNo.
> Or all of the above!!!!
> 
> So as soon as I get a new connector for the feed to/from my UHF/VHF Antenna, my Soul shall be at Peace…
> 
> best 73,
> -John N3FPZ
> 
>> On Nov 5, 2019, at 9:24 PM, John Baxter <jwilliambaxter at me.com <mailto:jwilliambaxter at me.com>> wrote:
>> 
>> Hello,
>> 
>> I have a feeling that this will fall under the category of RTFM (Read The Fine Manual) but after quite a bit of study on Doug’s excellent site I need some ideas.
>> 
>> Of Irish heritage, I am blessed with the Gift of Gab, and rag-chewing comes naturally.  The only problem is sometimes I realize I am treating AllStar like a local repeater or even simplex, and need a place to QSY to.  So I decided to take down my node in Glenside and re-think things.  My main node radio for a few years has been my trusty Yaesu FT7900 which will now be dedicated to normal amateur use…
>> 
>> I’m configuring a Baofeng 888 that I know is properly modified, because it came from what is now TechNo LLC, and these guys invented AllStar on the Pi.
>> 
>> So the radio is A-OK, the Fob is A-OK and I am running the latest AllStar code on a Pi 3.
>> 
>> Here’s what happens:  I can play around with audio settings (have done this a LOT) and use Test Tones to check out the transmitted audio from the Baofeng  (of COURSE I do this while NOT connected to Doug’s node!!!!!)  I can get it to sound pretty good and the deviation to sound good on my Yaesu FT7900 (which is currently awaiting an antenna connector, and cannot be used as a transmitter).  But it sounds AWFUL and DISTORTED on my Yaesu FT-60 HT.  This HT has worked reliably for years on AllStar, and now works well on local repeaters.  Reception is OK.  Transmitter is OK (tested to the Yaesu FT7900).  I did get a good-quality speaker mike to get better audio.
>> 
>> What I think I need is a systematic, step-by-step procedure to correctly set up the audio levels in AllStar on the Pi 3, and also to determine if there is some weird setting I am overlooking…  One example is “FM” vs “NFM” in the 888 programming in Chirp?  At first I thought the Baofeng was clipping because the deviation was way too wide, but then I read that the FM/NFM setting in Chirp really does not affect the Baofeng at all.
>> 
>> Bottom line?
>> Audio (also test tones) transmitted from the Baofeng 888 sounds clean and high-fidelity on the Yaesu FT7900 rig
>> Audio (also test tones) transmitted from the Baofeng 888 sounds downright awful on the Yaesu FT-60 HT (sounds off-frequency or like it is clipping)
>> Driving me quite nuts, but a great opportunity for some learning.
>> 
>> best 73,
>> -john N3FPZ