[Xastir] (OT Perhaps) Hear packets thru soundcard; Soundmodemconfig diagnostics show nothing

[David Ranch]

Hello Paul,

A question:   How have you configured your sound system?  ALSA native, 
PortAudio, or PulseAudio?  If PulseAudio, have you installed 
PAVUcontrol, started soundmodem, and then made sure that PAVUcontrol is 
both routing the audio to the right application AND it's levels are set 
correctly?  Once you have this, you really need to start with 
soundmodemconfig's "spectrum" view to see the levels.  It would look 
like something like this:

http://www.trinityos.com/HAM/CentosDigitalModes/Images/soundmodem-spectrum.png

the scope view would look like:
http://www.trinityos.com/HAM/CentosDigitalModes/Images/soundmodem-scope.png

and the modem view would look like:
http://www.trinityos.com/HAM/CentosDigitalModes/Images/soundmodem-modem.png


Btw, in the past, soundmodem would NOT start working correctly until I 
tapped the "PTT" button that would seemingly get things to work under 
the soundmodemconfig tool but upon exiting that view, soundmodemconfig 
would hang and require a kill.  Fortunately, the running soundmodem 
daemon would be reliable.  Anyway, you might want to reconsider using 
Soundmodem.  Though it works, there are several MUCH better options 
now.  I've written up some of the options here which calls out their 
benefits, etc:

http://www.trinityos.com/HAM/CentosDigitalModes/hampacketizing-centos.html#5.softtnc

I have some Linux HAM friends who have switched to Direwolf with 
impressive results.

--David
KI6ZHD


On 10/18/2013 05:25 AM, Paul Burton wrote:
> I'm trying to get xastir working with soundmodem (in KISS mode). I
> finally seem to have the mixer and inputs configured properly so that
> when I issue the command arecord|aplay I can hear the packets coming in
> from my radio. However, when I run soundmodemconfig and look at
> Diagnostics (Scope, Spectrum, Modem), I see a very slight undulation (or
> lots of 1's and 0's in "Modem"), but never anything that looks like real
> packets or even background noise. Also, when I launch xastir, I don't
> seem to be getting any packets through (nothing on the map, nothing in
> the raw packet feed window).
>
> If I can clearly hear audio coming through the soundcard, why wouldn't
> soundmodem "hear" it too?
>
> For what it's worth, when I was struggling with getting alsamixer
> configured to enable to correct inputs and set levels, and I was having
> problems with distortion and poor audio quality, I *could* see the
> diagnostic tools in soundmodemconfig responding to the trashy audio, so
> I think everything is properly "hooked up." Of course, now that the
> audio problems are ironed out, soundmodemconfig doesn't appear to be
> receiving the audio.
>