Dual Hat / FT-5DR / FTM-400XDR issue

MMDVM_HS Hat hardware
KD9TGR
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Joined: Tue Nov 30, 2021 5:01 am

Dual Hat / FT-5DR / FTM-400XDR issue

Post by KD9TGR »

Hello everyone,

I got there dual hat boards from Amazon “MMDVM Duplex Hotspot Module Dual Hat with and without OLED” and the third one is
“ All-New Duplex MMDVM Hotspot Board Radio Station WiFi Digital Voice Modem P25 DMR YSF Two Colors OLED SD Card Without Raspberry Pi Zero”

The first size boards were setup with rpi2 and the third one with rPI w2. All three tuning latest pi-star and I also upgraded them all to latest firmware over ssh.
Now, I tested each board alone. I did set them to duplex, 434.200/439.300 with YSF.
I did program both radios to same frequency’s, no tone and in DN mode. Verified that each radio when PTT each was switching to proper frequency. Both radios running in lowest power. The 400XDR is connected to roof antenna, but both radios were within 2 feet from pi-star’s (tested one at a time). The roof antenna is about 15-20 feet above.
Both radios are on during tests and pi-star was set to PARROT. Both radios set to latest firmware available from Yaesu website as of today.

When I pressed PTT on 400XDR, I can activate pi-star and BER is 0%. While PTT is pressed I hear voice on 5DR with about <1 sec delay. When I release PTT, I hear again PARROT echoing back on both radios.

Now, when I PTT on 5DR, I can not activate pi-star.

When I set pi-star to simplex and update to simplex frequency both pi-star and 5DR, I can activate pi-star.
So it seems to work. I am not sure why I can not activate pi-star from 5DR when in duplex.

Btw, love logs does not show anything in duplex mode when I PTT on 5DR, but 400XDR prints expected logs

Any ideas what else to test? Try?
M1DNS
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Re: Dual Hat / FT-5DR / FTM-400XDR issue

Post by M1DNS »

If you activate reverse repeater function on the ft400 or simply change freq. so ur now monitoring the input freq. you have set for the hotspot. Do you hear your audio when you keyup from the ft5 on the 400?

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KD9TGR
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Joined: Tue Nov 30, 2021 5:01 am

Re: Dual Hat / FT-5DR / FTM-400XDR issue

Post by KD9TGR »

When I reverse frequencies (function / Rev) and key up on FT-5DR I can hear just fine when both in DN mode.
KD9TGR
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Joined: Tue Nov 30, 2021 5:01 am

Re: Dual Hat / FT-5DR / FTM-400XDR issue

Post by KD9TGR »

KE7FNS wrote: Wed Jan 26, 2022 3:10 am What was the exact command you typed?

And when you use "sudo pistar-findmodem" what does it report?
~$ sudo pistar-findmodem
Detected MMDVM_HS Port: /dev/ttyAMA0 (GPIO) Baud: 115200 Protocol: V1
Modem Data: MMDVM_HS_Dual_Hat-v1.5.2 20201108 14.7456MHz dual ADF7021 FW by CA6JAU GitID #89daa2000150021470000074E51305

I kind of got a little further. I increased power on my FT-5DR from Low1 to Low3 and BER got better. Is it safe to transmit at 5W? What others are using when in the same room?

But I am also experiencing rare lockup when pi-star stops responding and I have to power down/up by unplugging the power. But as soon as board boots back it responds. During the reboot, the radio was not changed so it is clear as an explanation:) This only happened to me if that makes difference when I was setting twerking TX/RX offsets (within -100, 100 range). Maybe I should open a separate bug about the lockup?
KD9TGR
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Joined: Tue Nov 30, 2021 5:01 am

Re: Dual Hat / FT-5DR / FTM-400XDR issue

Post by KD9TGR »

Btw, this is how I flushed the board from ssh
sudo pistar-mmdvmhshatflash hs_dual_hat
KD9TGR
Posts: 12
Joined: Tue Nov 30, 2021 5:01 am

Re: Dual Hat / FT-5DR / FTM-400XDR issue

Post by KD9TGR »

Thank you for your answers.
As far as your answer related to lowest power mode? That is what I initially started with. But no matter what I do and change (freq, offsets etc) I could not get it to get lower then BER 2.5-3%. I could never understand my own transmissions (parrot). I am sitting 2 feet from pi-star. But then I increased poser, things started to look much better. I guess I will have to check my radio power settings and power meter. Maybe there’s something going on with radio itself.

As far as you other question about my post about “not responding”. What I mean is the death board stop responding to transmissions . When I PTT nothing changes until I reboot pi-star.
KD9TGR
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Joined: Tue Nov 30, 2021 5:01 am

Re: Dual Hat / FT-5DR / FTM-400XDR issue

Post by KD9TGR »

Here is the other two boards I got from Amazon “ MMDVM Duplex Hotspot Module Dual Hat with 0.96 OLED Display V1.47 Support P25 DMR YSF NXDN DMR Slot 1 + Slot 2 for Raspberry pi” with and Without OLED.
I can only activate pistar with ftm-400XDR. 5DR can hear but can not activate when PTT pressed.
I do not thing is is a board since I have three different boards, where one weeks to work but has different issues. But the other listed above will not work.
Should I open a bug somewhere? Any other suggestions ideas/
KD9TGR
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Re: Dual Hat / FT-5DR / FTM-400XDR issue

Post by KD9TGR »

Tx for the suggestions. I will look into it and give some time for more detailed observation.
I will post my finding here.

As far as contacting the HAT vendor. Well, I did with one of them. I was told the FT-5RD is not supported (after a few weeks of trying).
I will do further tests you suggested. If it does not work. Any suggestions about well-working HAT's out there?

Than you
KD9TGR
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Joined: Tue Nov 30, 2021 5:01 am

Re: Dual Hat / FT-5DR / FTM-400XDR issue

Post by KD9TGR »

KE7FNS wrote: Wed Jan 26, 2022 6:19 pm Yaesu does not support their products working with 3rd party devices like hotspots, so there probably isn't any hats that will work. There have been a number of people that have posted that certain Yaesu radios (mostly the newer ones released over the last year or so) don't work properly.

Yaesu probably modified things so that it fails to universally work on purpose. It wouldn't be the first time a company has done that sort of thing.
So I will throw this as well. One of the HAT’s the mini one that is dual seems to work well in simplex.
FT-5DR seems to work well with it in simplex mode on the lowest power level (Low1). But when I switch to duplex mode and perform same test distance wise I need to bump power to Low3, witch is two levels up and one from high. Else I get really bad BER. Even with LOw3 is not great. So I could what you saying, but why would be be such a difference between duplex and simplex? And to other one is, if Yaesu did change something then it would not work “at all” so perhaps it is still PCB/firmware in som cases.
I am developer and I could assist getting some more detail information from my setup.
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G8SEZ
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Re: Dual Hat / FT-5DR / FTM-400XDR issue

Post by G8SEZ »

If the HAT has a transmitter running at the same time as the other RF chip is operating as a receiver then you may well have a desense problem, it could be due to blocking the Rx due to the carrier power and/or reciprocal mixing of LO phase noise or it could be due to Tx noise sidebands or wideband noise getting into the receiver and mixing into the IF/demod reducing the SNR the demod has to work with.

You can try separating the antennas by some amount, like a couple of metres, but you will need a well-shielded RF cable to make much difference, the two TRxs share a ground plane so the residual coupling may be difficult to cure.
--

Brian G8SEZ
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