Tag: packet

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SignaLink Jumpers for FT290R

Here’s how to set the jumpers in a SignaLink USB when connecting a Yaesu FT290R.

FT290R Front

I found the jumper instructions on the Tigertronics website just a little too general, so this may save some time.

WARNING: I now think these are wrong. Please see my post of 27th July 2021.

Signalink jumpers for FT290R IMG 1043

The SignaLink works fine with PocketPacket on a Mac mini. ‘Use Vox for PTT’ was set in the PocketPacket Audio Modem preferences. The SignaLink delay knob was turned fully anticlockwise.

Using this setup I could receive and decode signals from a local packet test GM7RYR-10. I transmitted to the ISS packet digipeater but didn’t see any of my packets digipeated. However, I received my packets locally on my Yaesu FT60 and decoded them on a Raspberry Pi via Direwolf by WB2OSZ and Xastir.

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PTT for FT290R

I bought an FT290R (thanks Bob!) a few months back and have finally got around to trying it with packet. The PTT circuit I used for the FT60 Raspberry Pi 3B+ works fine so all it needed was to connect up a plug for the front socket as shown here.

Scribbled Pinout

I tested it with Direwolf and Xastir and it seems to work fine. Here’s an audio clip FT290R Packet Audio.flac of a packet being sent from the FT290R. I recorded it using Audacity from my Alinco DJ-C6.

I had hoped that the extra power (25W) from the FT290R would allow the ISS to hear my packets but I’ve had no joy in the couple of passes I’ve tried so far. I can hear packets fine, but the ISS doesn’t digipeat the ones I’ve sent. I changed the APRS path to just ‘ARISS’ having read this aprs.fi blog but that didn’t help either. Perhaps the ISS needs to be at a higher elevation. Or perhaps my rather ramshackle Cebik Moxon aerial needs tweaked.

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Cebik Moxon Aerial and Packet

When used with my FT–60 transceiver handheld, which is FM only, the Cebik Moxon picks up satellites AO–85, NO–84, AO–91, AO–92 and ISS SSTV. I don’t know enough about satellites to know if it’s getting good signals but I can hear many voice stations, amongst them G0VHS, EA7IFT, G0IIQ, OH1ON, EB2DJ, G0FGX, PE1NIL.

Using DireWolf and Xastir as described in my FT60 PTT page, we get

NO 84 Map
A map of stations