Tuning Direwolf packet parameters for use with HT radios

Direwolf has a  number of tuneable properties – by default after installing and configuring the basics, your callsign etc, it normally ‘just works’. I’ve been experimenting setting up Direwolf and PiLinBPQ as a BBS on a Raspberry Pi, and using axcall or LinPac on another Pi with Direwolf to call into the BBS. I have a Rigblaster and Yaesu FT60 HT on one Pi, and a SignaLink and Wouxun HT on the other radio.

The problem I ran into was that either Pi seems to work ok to call into a Packet node nearby, but calling from one Pi to the other was pretty unreliable in terms of not decoding packets, and the number of retries before a packet would get received and decoded. I tried a number of options, and feedback in the Yahoo Groups Direwolf group give me some suggestions to try. The tuning parameters are all covered in the excellent Direwolf docs.

Possible problems with using HTs for packet could include a combination of these factors:

  • Receive audio too loud into Direwolf (aim for around 50)
  • Receive audio not loud enough – adjust soundcard volume (Rigblaster/Signalink) and alsamixer levels
  • The radio doesn’t transition quick enough between transmit and receive (can be fixed by adding DWAIT)
  • Latency from the soundcard audio either in receive or transmit – can be fixed by adding TXDELAY for delay at the start of the transmission, and/or TXTAIL for a delay at the end

The settings I finally wound up with on both Pis that worked for me are:

DWAIT 20

TXDELAY 60

TXTAIL 60

 

 

 

One Reply to “Tuning Direwolf packet parameters for use with HT radios”

  1. Su=igh. Last night it would receive 30% or better of the packets it could hear. tonight it shows audio heard but no decoded packets nd its supposed to do better than a hardware tnc. sigh.

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