Troubleshooting RF connection to Pi-Star

MMDVM_HS Hat hardware
Post Reply
KB8QPT
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Jun 24, 2022 1:46 pm

Troubleshooting RF connection to Pi-Star

Post by KB8QPT »

Troubleshooting RF connection to Pi-Star

Good morning, everyone.

I am working on troubleshooting my Pi-Star RF connection, and I am not really sure where to go from here.

It was working for a few years, but I haven't messed with it for maybe a year. I went to use it again this week, and it does not work.

Here's what I have done so far:

- Reflashed the card. I downloaded the latest version of Pi-Star, reflashed the card, and fired it up.
- Updated Pi-Star. I updated pi-star via SSH to the latest version: Pi-Star:4.1.6 / Dashboard: 20220512
- Updated the modem firmware: HS_Hat:v1.5.2. I am using MMDVM_HS_Dual_Hat (DB9MAT, DF2ET, & DO7EN) for Pi (GPIO)
- I am running in Simplex mode. The radio I was using to connect to the pi-star is set up for simplex, so I am sure this is correct.
- Set up DMR on Brandmeister Master: BM 3103
- I verified my Brandmeister password, and everything looks good.

Here's what I am seeing so far:
- Under "Modes Enabled" DMR is green.
- Under Network Status, "DMR Net" is green.
- Under "Active BrandMeister Connections" I see "BM 3103 United States" with my repeater ID.
- Under "Radio Info" there is nothing in "Trx." it's blank.
- Keying the radio for the correct settings does not trip the modem

What I tried to do:
- I THINK that when I bought the modem, there was a slip of paper in there that outlined the TX/RX offsets. That was years ago, and that info is lost for good.
- I tried changing the values of the RXOffset and TXOffset to see if I could get the hat to respond to RF.

How I tested the offsets

I changed BOTH TXOffset and RXOffset together from -1000 to 1000 in increments of 100. I hit "apply changes" and tried transmitting RF, but it did not trip the modem.

Is there anything else I can try? did I test the TXOffset and RXOffset correctly?

Here is something interesting I am seeing in my logs:

```
Starting logging, please wait...
E: 2022-06-24 13:35:42.164 DMR, Master is closing down
M: 2022-06-24 13:35:42.164 Closing DMR Network
M: 2022-06-24 13:35:42.178 Opening DMR Network
E: 2022-06-24 13:35:52.428 DMR, Master is closing down
M: 2022-06-24 13:35:52.428 Closing DMR Network
M: 2022-06-24 13:35:52.442 Opening DMR Network
E: 2022-06-24 13:36:02.690 DMR, Master is closing down
M: 2022-06-24 13:36:02.690 Closing DMR Network
M: 2022-06-24 13:36:02.703 Opening DMR Network
E: 2022-06-24 13:36:12.959 DMR, Master is closing down
M: 2022-06-24 13:36:12.959 Closing DMR Network
M: 2022-06-24 13:36:12.972 Opening DMR Network
E: 2022-06-24 13:36:23.220 DMR, Master is closing down
M: 2022-06-24 13:36:23.220 Closing DMR Network
M: 2022-06-24 13:36:23.233 Opening DMR Network
E: 2022-06-24 13:36:33.486 DMR, Master is closing down
M: 2022-06-24 13:36:33.486 Closing DMR Network
M: 2022-06-24 13:36:33.500 Opening DMR Network
```

Any help would be totally appreciated.

Thanks!
AF6VN
Posts: 821
Joined: Fri Jul 20, 2018 1:15 am

Re: Troubleshooting RF connection to Pi-Star

Post by AF6VN »

KB8QPT wrote: Mon Jun 27, 2022 12:24 pm - Reflashed the card. I downloaded the latest version of Pi-Star, reflashed the card, and fired it up.
- Updated Pi-Star. I updated pi-star via SSH to the latest version: Pi-Star:4.1.6 / Dashboard: 20220512
- Updated the modem firmware: HS_Hat:v1.5.2. I am using MMDVM_HS_Dual_Hat (DB9MAT, DF2ET, & DO7EN) for Pi (GPIO)
I'd double check that you have the correct firmware for the specific RF board. Note: Dual Hat is a DUPLEX (repeater-style) board, not a simplex hotspot! It will have TWO antenna's on it. https://github.com/phl0/MMDVM_HS_Dual_Hat
- I am running in Simplex mode. The radio I was using to connect to the pi-star is set up for simplex, so I am sure this is correct.
May not apply to DMR -- depends on the radio. Most DMR configs seem to just use separate Rx/Tx frequency entries, which have to have the same frequency for hotspot usage. {based upon seeing screen shots of DMR editors and my TYT MD390 and MD2017 channel edits}. The AnyTone 878 has the separate Rx/Tx fields but ALSO has a DMR mode entry which I have set to "Repeater". Don't know if channels set to Simplex would work.

FYI: For D-STAR, a hotspot definition is configured as a repeater (duplex) with a 0.0Hz offset between Rx and Tx (D-STAR packet headers are different between simplex and repeater -- simplex has no "routing" information).

I don't know if a "dual hat" can run as a simplex node. You may need to set it to Repeater/duplex, and configure properly spaced Rx/Tx frequencies in Pi-Star AND the radio channels.
- Set up DMR on Brandmeister Master: BM 3103
- I verified my Brandmeister password, and everything looks good.

Here's what I am seeing so far:
- Under "Modes Enabled" DMR is green.
- Under Network Status, "DMR Net" is green.
- Under "Active BrandMeister Connections" I see "BM 3103 United States" with my repeater ID.
- Under "Radio Info" there is nothing in "Trx." it's blank.
- Keying the radio for the correct settings does not trip the modem
What Color Code? Time Slot (it seems to be a practice to set hotspots to TS 2 -- though I've been advised that hotspots ignore time slot). Verify the same color code and time slot is configured for each channel in the radio that is to use the hotspot.

What Admit Criteria? (Anytone "Tx Permit")

Are you set for the lowest power? Given most hotspots are within 20-odd feet of the radio, high powers could overload the hotspot front end circuits.

What I tried to do:
- I THINK that when I bought the modem, there was a slip of paper in there that outlined the TX/RX offsets. That was years ago, and that info is lost for good.
- I tried changing the values of the RXOffset and TXOffset to see if I could get the hat to respond to RF.

How I tested the offsets

I changed BOTH TXOffset and RXOffset together from -1000 to 1000 in increments of 100. I hit "apply changes" and tried transmitting RF, but it did not trip the modem.

Is there anything else I can try? did I test the TXOffset and RXOffset correctly?
Ad-hoc changes is likely NOT a good thing to do unless one at least gets a signal through the system -- not just radio to hotspot, but (see bottom) hotspot to radio..

http://www.k9npx.com/2019/02/hotspot-of ... ation.html

(Note: not all boards support the calibration program... my DV-Mega being one of the unsupported boards)
Here is something interesting I am seeing in my logs:

```
Starting logging, please wait...
E: 2022-06-24 13:35:42.164 DMR, Master is closing down
M: 2022-06-24 13:35:42.164 Closing DMR Network
M: 2022-06-24 13:35:42.178 Opening DMR Network
E: 2022-06-24 13:35:52.428 DMR, Master is closing down
M: 2022-06-24 13:35:52.428 Closing DMR Network
M: 2022-06-24 13:35:52.442 Opening DMR Network
E: 2022-06-24 13:36:02.690 DMR, Master is closing down
M: 2022-06-24 13:36:02.690 Closing DMR Network
M: 2022-06-24 13:36:02.703 Opening DMR Network
E: 2022-06-24 13:36:12.959 DMR, Master is closing down
M: 2022-06-24 13:36:12.959 Closing DMR Network
M: 2022-06-24 13:36:12.972 Opening DMR Network
E: 2022-06-24 13:36:23.220 DMR, Master is closing down
M: 2022-06-24 13:36:23.220 Closing DMR Network
M: 2022-06-24 13:36:23.233 Opening DMR Network
E: 2022-06-24 13:36:33.486 DMR, Master is closing down
M: 2022-06-24 13:36:33.486 Closing DMR Network
M: 2022-06-24 13:36:33.500 Opening DMR Network
```
Have you tried a different BM master? That sequence feels like the BM master is rejecting your connection attempts. Does the hotspot show up in BM?

My search, of both hotspots and repeaters shows nothing for KB8QPT. Is the hotspot configured under a different callsign and DMR ID? If it is, has the "Node Type" been set to "public", otherwise it will ignore you.

If you have the BM API active, use it to specify some regularly busy talk group (nationwide 3100, perhaps), and just try "listening" for some time. If you don't get inbound traffic, you may have network problems. If you see inbound traffic on the Pi-Star dashboard/admin page, see if any of the hat status LEDs seems appropriate (if there is a Tx LED, is it going on with each incoming bit of traffic). If it is sending, it is time to fiddle the radio channel configuration.

--
AF6VN
Dennis L Bieber
KB8QPT
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Jun 24, 2022 1:46 pm

Re: Troubleshooting RF connection to Pi-Star

Post by KB8QPT »

Thanks for all the pointers! I'll start going through them tonight after work.
M1DNS
Pi-Star Team
Posts: 1388
Joined: Thu Apr 05, 2018 5:30 am

Re: Troubleshooting RF connection to Pi-Star

Post by M1DNS »

Check ur not connecting via dmrgateway. Ensure you have the actual server selected in the server field of the dmr config.
Next check, double, then triple check you have the correct security hotspot password entered as you have it setup in ur BM selfcare acc.

Whilst your in there, check you have not inadvertently enabled air security.

If all that works out login to ur radioid acc. and ensure everything matches up there and the account is listed as active.

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


Andrew M1DNS.
Pi-star Admin Team.
Post Reply