Amateur Radio and Internet Tablets: Lack of Software
 

There are so many different types of specific software applications for the Nokia Internet Tablets, but there is one I have not come across of: Using the IT's as Digital Amateur Radio clients.

I understand the sparse presence of amateur radio operators in this community, but the potential is next to unlimited.

Before we go any farther with this idea, we need a sure idea if this device is capable of this type of operations. Digital Radio in the ham world is basically as I understand it to be pulses of sound that mean text characters that are transmitted over an amateur radio frequency. And obviously the sound pulses are received when listening on the air and translated into text. In order to control the actual transceiver there needs to be either a USB OTG connection to the rig directly or with an USB->Serial Adapter. Another method of control could be a bluetooth link since bluetooth changes frequency so quickly interference would not be an issue.

The easiest way of accomplishing this would be just porting a ham radio digital program to maemo.

I would undertake this project if it weren't for my lack of a tablet and more importantly the need for actual programing skills. I would rather just rewrite major portions of an existing port to fit the small screen better, use bluetooth, and actually play well with USB Host and the IT's sound interface.

Re: Amateur Radio and Internet Tablets: Lack of Software
 

Yeah, a nice CW decoder would be a good start. taking the IT on field trips would be cool, and even a contact logger would be nice, but probably won't happen, just not enough interest in Ham radio anymore. Could be wrong though.

Joel
KB6QVI

Re: Amateur Radio and Internet Tablets: Lack of Software
 

Joel --

you're supposed to be the CW decoder!!

--... ...-- -.. . .- .. ....- .- ..

Re: Amateur Radio and Internet Tablets: Lack of Software
 

I always thought about a psk31 decoder AND encoder for portable low power operations. That would be fun.

Re: Amateur Radio and Internet Tablets: Lack of Software
 

Ha!, funny, I used to be a pretty good one,(decoder that is), then I got older now I can't remember the code as well. Still fun though. QRP was my expertise, built all my equipment. Now I use a N800, my how things have changed.

Re: Amateur Radio and Internet Tablets: Lack of Software
 

rgr. ..and, nice to meet you! to save you the headache, then, the translation is:

73 de AI4AI

Re: Amateur Radio and Internet Tablets: Lack of Software
 

I agree, especially with a 817.
It looks like the foundation for the software is more or less there:
http://www.internettablettalk.com/fo...ighlight=psk31
http://www.internettablettalk.com/fo...t=psk31&page=2
Someone with the motivation and skills now has to setup and make it run on OS2008 :)

Re: Amateur Radio and Internet Tablets: Lack of Software
 

I just compiled gpsk31 no errors. But since there's no /dev/dsp it won't run... Anyone know how to get /dev/dsp up on the IT?

Cheers
kernelpanic (AC0IJ)

Re: Amateur Radio and Internet Tablets: Lack of Software
 

Looks like there are multiple /dev/dsptasks instead:

/dev/dspctl/ /dev/dsptask11 /dev/dsptask16 /dev/dsptask20 /dev/dsptask7
/dev/dsptask/ /dev/dsptask12 /dev/dsptask17 /dev/dsptask3 /dev/dsptask8
/dev/dsptask0 /dev/dsptask13 /dev/dsptask18 /dev/dsptask4 /dev/dsptask9
/dev/dsptask1 /dev/dsptask14 /dev/dsptask19 /dev/dsptask5
/dev/dsptask10 /dev/dsptask15 /dev/dsptask2 /dev/dsptask6

I also found someone else with a similar problem:

http://www.internettablettalk.com/fo...t=%2Fdev%2Fdsp

Based on earlier reading, I kind of had a feeling it wouldn't be super easy, and alsa/esd/gstreamer would have to come into play.

Re: Amateur Radio and Internet Tablets: Lack of Software
 

In general, the best audio interface (for non-gstreamer-happy programs) is through esd. Of course, that's best from an audio playback perspective, where mixed (non-blocking) output is desired; for this application, blocking is actually better, as you don't have to hunt around disabling audio notifications from everything.

But, if you do want to go that route, install esound-clients, as explained here. This includes esddsp(1), which should help.