Echolink & Pistar

General support for the Pi-Star System
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VA3JPX
Posts: 6
Joined: Thu Jan 21, 2021 1:14 pm

Echolink & Pistar

Post by VA3JPX »

Hello Folks,

Is it possible to use Pistar as a hotspot for echolink (FM mode)? I have searched this forum on this topic and I did not find any posts.

For example, could I use my Raspberry Pi Zero running Pistar 4.15 in FM mode, using the USB cable from the Pi Zero to the PC so it can be controlled by echolink in sysop mode?

Any ideas and advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanks

James
VA3JPX
AF6VN
Posts: 821
Joined: Fri Jul 20, 2018 1:15 am

Re: Echolink & Pistar

Post by AF6VN »

Have you read viewtopic.php?f=24&t=2709

FM mode is basically local repeater -- the hotspot boards don't digitize analog signals to pass over the network (they expect to receive digital packets that they can just wrap with network headers and send out). Using a repeater hotspot board probably just passes FM traffic from input to output radio, never touching the network.

--
AF6VN
Dennis L Bieber
VA3JPX
Posts: 6
Joined: Thu Jan 21, 2021 1:14 pm

Re: Echolink & Pistar

Post by VA3JPX »

Hi Dennis,

Thank you for your reply. I am not looking to digitize any signal. What I am looking to achieve is to use the Pistar in FM mode as a client/host for Echolink. The same can be achieved using a signalink and a host transceiver. Using Pistar and a Pi Zero would be less resource intensive and not require a hosting transceiver (as the Pi Zero running Pistar would take care of that).

James
G4FDL
Posts: 44
Joined: Wed Apr 11, 2018 12:10 pm

Re: Echolink & Pistar

Post by G4FDL »

Hi James,

Short and simple answer in no, that's not what MMDVM and Pi-Star are designed to do. As Dennis explained there is limited FM support but not for what you want to do.

Max
M1DNS
Pi-Star Team
Posts: 1388
Joined: Thu Apr 05, 2018 5:30 am

Re: Echolink & Pistar

Post by M1DNS »

There is a gateway interface that talks to the fm side of the fm mode from the net put there obvs needs to be something that talks between it and echolink, wjich hasnt been done as of yet.

If your just wanting the small form factor have a look at a Shari. Its a small form factor transceiver that connects to the pi running allstar link and has an interface that sees it as an echolink node.

Sent via smoke signals from my SM-G935F M1DNS (Admin)


Andrew M1DNS.
Pi-star Admin Team.
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