[Reported] GD-77 in HotSpot Mode Dropping Out again

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kd2lh
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Joined: Mon Dec 02, 2019 2:44 pm

[Reported] GD-77 in HotSpot Mode Dropping Out again

Post by kd2lh » Thu May 07, 2020 12:25 pm

This problem is very similar to the one caused when you try and operate in HotSpot mode on a GD-77 with an antenna that is too close, and causes USB port error interference. The radio drops out of hotspot mode (back to channel mode) and PiStar is stuck on an outgoing transmission.

I keep up with maintenance on both my PiZero W and GD-77 so the PiStar node is now running the full R4.1.0 release and the GD-77 is running the May 4 Firmware update. This appears to have started with the May 4 update.

Note that this hotspot operates at 1 watt and the antenna is external, mounted about 10 feet away from the radio and PiZeroW (which is both metal encased and the USB cable has ferrite filter toroids in multiple places.

I've started Live Logging to try and catch this next time it happens.

Any possible causes related to firmware changes at the last release?

VK3KYY
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Location: Melbourne, Australia

Re: [Reported] GD-77 in HotSpot Mode Dropping Out again

Post by VK3KYY » Thu May 07, 2020 10:17 pm

Nothing has changed in the hotspot code.

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kd2lh
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Re: [Reported] GD-77 in HotSpot Mode Dropping Out again

Post by kd2lh » Fri May 08, 2020 12:06 am

I'll check to see what might have changed in the environment.

Is it possible that a radio set to 1 Watt may have increased power with later Firmware releases?

Meanwhile, logs are running.

VK3KYY
Posts: 7473
Joined: Sat Nov 16, 2019 3:25 am
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Re: [Reported] GD-77 in HotSpot Mode Dropping Out again

Post by VK3KYY » Fri May 08, 2020 12:29 am

Daniel changed something with the power levels a while ago, but I thought that was just for the GD-77S and didnt apply to the GD-77.

You'd need to look at history of the hotspot source file

https://github.com/rogerclarkmelbourne/ ... iHotspot.c

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