[Xastir] Configure Xastir for use with Kenwood TH-D72A and Garmin Rino 530HCx, Windows XP , Oracle Virtual Box / Debian Squeeze?

[Lee Bengston]

On Fri, Feb 3, 2012 at 10:36 AM, Anthony Mascola <amascola at stanford.edu> wrote:
> Dear Xastir users, I apologize if this is a duplicate post.  I don't think
> my previous posts are making it through to the message board as they
> contained screen shots and links.  I have removed them and reposted.

> Installation and hardware:
>
> I have installed Xastir with Lee and Art's help successfully on a Windows XP
> machine with an Oracle Virtual Box / Debian Squeeze XFCE desktop virtual
> machine that Lee created and posted on the Xastir wiki here: (link removed)
>
> I am now able to run Xastir and send and receive APRS data from the internet
> connection which displays on the map display of Xastir.  This seems to be
> running and I can use the basic functions in the way I am used to
> interacting with an internet browser based application like APRS.fi.  I am
> having trouble though configuring Xastir to send and receive data from my
> Kenwood TH-D72A and Garmin Rino 530HCx as I won't have an internet
> connection reliably in the field which is why I am looking for an
> application that can run independently of the internet or cell grid.  I am
> finding this configuration process to be somewhat challenging.  It's
> definitely not "plug and play" and is more like a "dixastir" ;) at this
> point.

> I. Kenwood TH-D72A Configuration in Xastir so far:
>
> In the Oracle virtual box manager under settings:
>
> I have enabled a USB controller which shows the Silicon Labs USB to UART
> bridge controller.  I have also enabled a serial port on COM4 as below.
> Both the Rino 530HCx and the Kenwood TH-D72A have USB cable connectors.  I
> don't know whether to configure this for use via a USB port or as a serial
> port for either device.

A little background for the benefit of the readers on the list - as
stated in Anthony's message, I shared a virtual machine for VirtualBox
built with Debian Squeeze and a binary (deb package) for Xastir that
was built from CVS in Oct 2011.  I installed the binary simply to save
space - did not have to install all the dev packages required to
compile Xastir from source.

I have the virtual machine running now.  I connected my USB to serial
adapter to a different USB port this time, and it was assigned COM4 -
same as Anthony's.  (in previous messages sent directly to Anthony,
mine was on COM3.)  As a result, I changed my serial port settings as
follows:
  Port number: COM4
  Port Mode: Host Device
  Port File/Path COM4

I have found when I do the above, the serial ports in the Linux VM map
effectively 1 for 1 with the COM ports, i.e. given the above uses the
4th COM port, VBox maps it to the 4th serial port in Linux, which is
/dev/ttyS3.  Note that even though I am using a USB to serial adapter,
the fact that it has a COMn assignment in Windows results in a mapping
to a non-USB assignment in Linux - at least that is what it does for
me.

A quick check shows that the USB controller is enabled in this virtual
machine, but I have made no attempt to use /dev/ttyUSB0 in Linux
simply because I don't need to - /dev/ttyS3 is working.

Unfortunately I do not have a D72A to try out.  I do have a D7A,
however, and when I create a serial TNC interface at 9600 N, 8, 1 and
enter in the start and stop scripts for the D7A, then start the
interface, it comes up.  I started out with the D7A in packet mode, by
the way, then started the Xastir interface, and the radio beeped a
couple of times.  I looked at View Incoming Data, and I could see the
TNC responses to the commands from the startup script.  I'm in a
basement, so it took a while to receive some packets, but a few came
in, and Xastir plotted them on the OSM map.  So, Xastir in the virtual
machine is working nicely with the D7A.

> To configure Xastir in the Virtual Machine:
>
> I am following the procedure in the manual on the wiki site as below:
>
> "go to Interface -> Interface Control -> Add. A list of interface types will
> be displayed. Select "Serial TNC w/GPS on AUX port" and click "Add". This
> will bring up a configure screen that allows you to enter in all the
> pertinent information about how to connect [my D72A]." DONE
>
> A. COM Port: /dev/ttyS3
>
> The Kenwood d72A is showing in Windows XP as being on COM4 in device manager
> as in the screen shot below (removed).  I thus have configured to /dev/ttyS3
> as suggested.

Yup, exactly like mine is after I changed to a different USB port.

> Note that I also enabled a connection via  /dev/ttyUSB0  ( The Xaster
> Debian6 XCFE Machine / USB / USB Device filters show the Silicon Labs driver
> for the USB serial port for the D72A).

As stated above, I didn't set up an interface using /dev/ttyUSB0

> B. Port Settings: 9600bps
>
> Used 9600 bps as that is what Kenwood MC_4 software and Outpost both use and
> it works there

9600 n81 is also what I am using on /dev/ttyS3 that works with the D7A.

> C. Port Style
>
> 8-N-1, works in Kenwood software and Outpost

Should be right.

> D. TNC configuration files
>
> I have changed the start up and shutdown files to the names on the scripts
> that Lee sent:
>
> tnc-startup.d72_d710
>
> tnc-stop.d72_d710

I only sent them because I thought they may not have been in the
binary build from October, but it turned out they were there, and
those are the correct names.

> When I save these settings and try to hit "start" on the Interface control
> window below it now changes from the "down" status to "up" for both USB and
> com 4 settings.  When I go to view/incoming data/ packet data do see some
> basic command communication with the Kenwood there when I use the USB
> settings and the Kenwood TNC is in Packet but not in APRS mode.  Nothing
> seems to change in terms of the display though to indicate that it is
> sending or receiving data despite the configuration above and I don't really
> get any indication it is receiving packets from RF at least so far.

Are you trying the USB0 and ttyS3 interfaces separately as opposed to
enabling them at the same time?  Just in case there's a conflict
there, I wouldn't recommend both at the same time.  Based on my own
experience, I am baffled as to why you evidently are not seeing
anything from the D72A when you use /dev/ttyS3.

Given the comments about the inability to get GPS data to Xastir,
perhaps you should try a serial TNC without the GPS piece.

> The GPS data also does not seem to be updating as it indicates it is greater
> than 30 seconds old despite my having a position lock showing on the D72A. I
> have read about others having difficulty with this and will ignore this
> issue for the moment.

> II. Garmin Rino 530HCx

> I am following the section "Enabling Garmin RINO Support" on the Xastir wiki
> here (Link removed)

> "Install GPSMan (and gpsmanshp if you wish normal GPS download support as
> well). Configure/compile support for it in Xastir." (Lee appears to have
> done this)

Yes, GPSMan should be there, but what bothers me about the Rino is the
screen shot you sent directly showing that Windows detected it as a
USB device - not a serial device.  I'm not that familar with Rino's or
GPSMan, but I believe GPSMan is designed to communicate with serial
devices.  So my fear is that you have a newer version of Rino as
compared to what was available when Xastir was set up to work with
them.  Hopefully someone on the list who has worked with Rinos can
comment on that.

> Note that when I plug in the Rino, without the linux running, and look in
> Windows XP device manager it does not show up as using a COM port but
> instead as being a separate entry as below (screen shot removed):

Yes, that is what worries me.

> When I right click on properties it shows as being at Location 0 (USB
> Device) as below (screenshot removed)

> If anyone has a working configuration with Xastir with the Kenwood TH-D72A
> or the Rino 530HCx models can you post how you got these connected?

I second that - I don't own a D72A or a Rino.

Regards,

Lee - K5DAT