0% found this document useful (0 votes)
29 views6 pages

DVMEGA Raspberry Pi Radio Setup Guide

The document provides installation instructions for mounting a DVMEGA Raspberry PI radio modem onto a Raspberry Pi and configuring software to enable D-Star repeater and ircDDBGateway functions. Key steps include mounting the radio, enabling the serial port, downloading software images, and configuring the callsign, modem, and other settings in the D-Star and ircDDBGateway software.

Uploaded by

Richie
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
0% found this document useful (0 votes)
29 views6 pages

DVMEGA Raspberry Pi Radio Setup Guide

The document provides installation instructions for mounting a DVMEGA Raspberry PI radio modem onto a Raspberry Pi and configuring software to enable D-Star repeater and ircDDBGateway functions. Key steps include mounting the radio, enabling the serial port, downloading software images, and configuring the callsign, modem, and other settings in the D-Star and ircDDBGateway software.

Uploaded by

Richie
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

DVMEGA Raspberry PI Radio

Installation manual

The DVMEGA RPI radio is a modem that fits direct onto the Raspberry PI GPIO connector.

A. Mounting the DVMEGA RPI radio onto the Raspberry PI.

Step 1.

Place spacer on bottom of PCB. Place the 2 washers between spacer and PCB.

Step 2.

Place DVMEGA board on Raspberry PI.

Singleband Radio Dualband Radio


Step 3.

Raspberry B+ and later models do not have the hole to fix the DVMEGA on the Raspberry
PCB, the spacer has to be fixed with some glue on the Raspberry PCB.

B. Enable serial port.

Next SD Card images have enabled the serialport by default. For these images you can skip
Chapter B.

3Star (Dutch) : [Link]


Western D-Star : [Link]
VK4TUX : [Link]/vk4tux/od_vk4tux_images/RPI2/tux_RPI2_KDE_FC21_ultix.[Link]
Maryland : [Link]

If your image is not in the above list you have to enable the serial port for your own use first.
There are two files that need to be modified.

- First, disable the boot up and diagnostic output to the serial port.

sudo nano /boot/[Link]


- and remove the two options referring to the serial port.

So, this:
dwc_otg.lpm_enable=0 console=ttyAMA0,115200 kgdboc=ttyAMA0,115200 console=tty1
root=/dev/mmcblk0p2 rootfstype=ext4 elevator=deadline rootwait
becomes this:
dwc_otg.lpm_enable=0 console=tty1 root=/dev/mmcblk0p2 rootfstype=ext4
elevator=deadline rootwait

- Press CTRL "X"


- Press "Y"
- Press enter
- Second, disable the login prompt.

sudo nano /etc/inittab


- find the line near the end.

T0:23:respawn:/sbin/getty -L ttyAMA0 115200 vt100


- and delete it or comment it out by putting a # at the start of the line.
#T0:23:respawn:/sbin/getty -L ttyAMA0 115200 vt100

- Press CTRL "X"


- Press "Y"
- Press enter

- Reboot Raspberry and the serial port will now be free for your exclusive use.

C. Setting Ircddbgateway and D-Star repeater package

Download Ircddbgateway and D-Star repeater image

Software packages are available as an SD card image for Raspberry PI. These are available
from next locations :

3Star (Dutch) : [Link]


Western D-Star : [Link]
VK4TUX : [Link]/vk4tux/od_vk4tux_images/RPI2/tux_RPI2_KDE_FC21_ultix.[Link]
Maryland : [Link]

Use always the latest version and check documentation of particular image for how to
update to latest version.

Configuration D-Star repeater software..

For proper operation, at least the Callsign and Modem Tab has to be set. The other settings
can be done as desired.

- Callsign and module (B) must be identical


in D-Star repeater and ircDDBGateway.
Module character depends on the
frequency band in use.

- RPT1 Validation must be On.


- Select DVMEGA as modem.

- Click the Configure button.

- Select comport AMA0. This is the comport


available on the GPIO connector.

- Set Variant to Radio - 2m + 70cm.

- Set desired frequency, in the 2m or 70cm


band. In case of a Singleband Radio 2m
frequencies will be accepted but will not
work since it is a UHF Radio only.

- Set TX delay to approx. 150 ms.

- Make sure that you save the changes before you close the configurationwindow.
FILE -> SAVE -> click OK.

- Detailed information related to the other settings can be found at :


[Link]
Configuration ircDDBGateway software.

For proper operation, at least next tabs has to be set. The other settings can be done as
desired.

- At least Type and Callsign have to be set.

- Band must be set to the same modules as


set in the D-Star repeater software.
- Enable D-PRS when you like to pass GPS
data to [Link]

- Enable D-Plus when you make use of


REFXXX reflectors.

- Portforewarding of some ports i needed


for propper functionality. You can find
detailed info on :
[Link]

- Make sure that you save the changes before you close the configurationwindow.
FILE -> SAVE -> click OK.

- Detailed information related to the other settings can be found at :


[Link]

- Reboot the Raspberry.

- The hotspot is now ready to use.

Common questions

Powered by AI

Saving configuration changes is crucial to ensure that any adjustments made for compatibility and operational purposes are retained when the device is rebooted. If changes are not saved, the setup will revert to previous settings, causing potential mismatches between software and hardware configurations, resulting in suboptimal operation or failure to function entirely .

For proper operation, the Callsign and module (B) must be identical in both the D-Star repeater and ircDDBGateway. The band settings should match, and D-PRS and D-Plus features may be enabled as desired. Additionally, ensure that necessary port forwarding is configured and save all settings before exiting the configuration windows .

Port forwarding is critical to allow external access to certain services running on the ircDDBGateway software. It ensures proper functionality by enabling communication between the DVMEGA setup and the broader network, facilitating the passage of data like D-PRS and D-Plus. Without proper port forwarding, network restrictions could impede data flow, hindering operation .

The TX delay is necessary to ensure stable transmission by providing the radio time to switch from receiving to transmitting mode. It is set to approximately 150 ms as a balance to avoid data loss and maintain synchronization between signal transmission and reception. Insufficient delay could cause incomplete packet transmission, while excessive delay may introduce unnecessary latency .

To enable the serial port on a Raspberry PI for exclusive use, first disable the boot-up and diagnostic output by editing /boot/cmdline.txt and removing references to the serial port. Change the line to remove 'console=ttyAMA0,115200' and 'kgdboc=ttyAMA0,115200'. Second, disable the login prompt by editing /etc/inittab and commenting out 'T0:23:respawn:/sbin/getty -L ttyAMA0 115200 vt100'. After these changes, reboot the Raspberry PI to free the serial port .

To mount a DVMEGA RPI radio onto a Raspberry PI, you need to place a spacer on the bottom of the PCB with two washers between the spacer and the PCB. Then, place the DVMEGA board on the Raspberry PI. For Raspberry B+ and later models, which do not have a hole to fix the DVMEGA board on the Raspberry PCB, use glue to fix the spacer on the Raspberry PCB .

Frequency band settings critically impact the functionality since they determine the communication channels available for the device. For a Singleband Radio, setting a frequency from the 2m band is ineffective because the radio is UHF only and exclusively operates on frequencies from the 70cm band. Misconfiguring these settings could render the device inoperative within the intended band .

In the D-Star repeater software, the Callsign must be set, and the module should be selected based on the frequency band in use. The RPT1 Validation must be turned on. The modul character and DVMEGA must be selected as the modem, with the comport set to AMA0 on the GPIO connector. Variant should be set to Radio - 2m + 70cm, and the frequency must align with the 2m or 70cm band, taking care that a Singleband Radio will not operate on 2m frequencies if it's a UHF radio only .

Enabling D-PRS in the ircDDBGateway software allows GPS data to be passed to aprs.fi. This functionality is significant as it enhances the use of the DVMEGA RPI setup by enabling location tracking and transmission over networked digital radio systems, thereby expanding communication capabilities beyond basic voice or text data .

Using the latest version of software packages is significant because it ensures compatibility with the latest hardware and software features, optimizes performance, and includes security patches. This reduces the likelihood of software conflicts or malfunctions, thereby ensuring reliable operation of the DVMEGA RPI radio setup .

You might also like