SMS and APRS

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HI8NLO
Posts: 18
Joined: Tue Nov 19, 2019 11:55 pm

SMS and APRS

Post by HI8NLO » Fri Nov 26, 2021 7:04 am

VK3KYY wrote:
Sun Nov 21, 2021 2:13 am
This Beta hopefully now fully fixes the Settings Update bug.
It also gives slightly better battery life than the previous Beta.

Thanks to all the people who have been testing the many private betas over the last week, while Daniel and I were trying to find what was causing the "Settings Update" problem.



https://www.opengd77.com/downloads/Publ ... /firmware/

Also updates to language texts, and voice prompts are included in this release

https://www.opengd77.com/downloads/PublicBeta_20211121/
Quick question regarding the most recent release. (And TU for all you do)

Does this version support SMS under hotspot mode, or under HT mode?

Is this feature on the roadmap?

TU and 73, de Luis, HB9HJU (and KC7ILO/HI8ILO)

VK3KYY
Posts: 7478
Joined: Sat Nov 16, 2019 3:25 am
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Re: Public Beta (2021 11 21)

Post by VK3KYY » Fri Nov 26, 2021 7:39 am

HI8NLO wrote:
Fri Nov 26, 2021 7:04 am
Quick question regarding the most recent release. (And TU for all you do)

Does this version support SMS under hotspot mode, or under HT mode?

Is this feature on the roadmap?

TU and 73, de Luis, HB9HJU (and KC7ILO/HI8ILO)
No.

Hotspot mode only supports audio.

SMS could not be supported unless someone write SMS support into the firmware, or cracks how to use the C6000 DMR chip in some sort of RAW data mode.

Currently AFIK, Alex DL4LEX and another developer abandoned SMS working on SMS support over 6 months ago, due to standards compatibility and other problems.

Cracking how to use the C6000 DMR in some sort of raw data mode will probably never happen, because the company who make that IC don't publish datasheets for the C6000.

HI8NLO
Posts: 18
Joined: Tue Nov 19, 2019 11:55 pm

Re: Public Beta (2021 11 21)

Post by HI8NLO » Fri Nov 26, 2021 9:48 am

VK3KYY wrote:
Fri Nov 26, 2021 7:39 am
HI8NLO wrote:
Fri Nov 26, 2021 7:04 am
Quick question regarding the most recent release. (And TU for all you do)

Does this version support SMS under hotspot mode, or under HT mode?

Is this feature on the roadmap?

TU and 73, de Luis, HB9HJU (and KC7ILO/HI8ILO)
No.

Hotspot mode only supports audio.

SMS could not be supported unless someone write SMS support into the firmware, or cracks how to use the C6000 DMR chip in some sort of RAW data mode.

Currently AFIK, Alex DL4LEX and another developer abandoned SMS working on SMS support over 6 months ago, due to standards compatibility and other problems.

Cracking how to use the C6000 DMR in some sort of raw data mode will probably never happen, because the company who make that IC don't publish datasheets for the C6000.
TU Roger. The firmware is working great for everything. Such a shame the specs aren't public. At this point there aren't many things this firmware can't do way better than the comercial alternative. With this one, the possibility of reaching the APRS Network services like SMSGTE, getting the weather, posting your position and even reaching other services would've made these radios even more awesome.

TU for the fast response. Appreciate yours and the rest of the developers efforts.

VK3KYY
Posts: 7478
Joined: Sat Nov 16, 2019 3:25 am
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Re: Public Beta (2021 11 21)

Post by VK3KYY » Fri Nov 26, 2021 10:35 am

HI8NLO wrote:
Fri Nov 26, 2021 9:48 am
TU Roger. The firmware is working great for everything. Such a shame the specs aren't public. At this point there aren't many things this firmware can't do way better than the comercial alternative. With this one, the possibility of reaching the APRS Network services like SMSGTE, getting the weather, posting your position and even reaching other services would've made these radios even more awesome.
Re: APRS

Unfortunatly the hardware does not have a direct audio path to and from the CPU to the RF chip, so it does not seem to be possible to transmit or receive APRS as this requires specific FSK tone transmission and decode, which could only be done by the CPU.

The DMR / DSP chip does have an audio path from the RF chip, and the ability to modulate FM, but there is no documentation about how to send / receive digitised FM audio samples via the DMR / DSP chip to the CPU.

The RF chip can transmit tones, so it may in theory be possible to transmit APRS FSK, but this may not work in practice, becasue the RF chip is probably not designed to send short busrts of each tone, which would be required to transmit APRS FSK.

Tone detection in the RF chip is far too slow to be used to decode APRS, as its only intended to detect CTCSS and possibly DTMF.
It could not be used to decode APRS.


The radio does not have a GPS, so sending position would be limited to whatever location the operator entered into the radio.

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