Batboard

yea yea, I know. I'm thinking again and the room is filling with smoke....

The Virtual Radio Control Head thing made me think of this. All a tone remote really consists of is voice with a bunch of beeps, correct? Why then could you not make a computer program that will mimic a regular tone remote? All it would need to do is generate the proper tones at the right level and send them out along with the audio from the microphone. For recieving, it would need to filter the proper tones.

Is this too far fetched? I mean, it seems like somethign that would be REALLY simple. I'm thinking two sound cards might be needed to handle recieve audio and microphone audio seperately.

If there is a way to make audio go out of a com port, I supposed you could have several radios on one remote control program.

I can build one of these for you no problem all you need is an internet connection. contact me for pricing and so that you can explain to me further in what capacity will it be used.....what I am working with/on is truly revolutionary and any computer that can be used to talk out over a system is just the beginning. Let me know.
Steve Calabrese
Critical RF, Inc.

Steve -

I'm sure I'm not the only one with this question brewing:

Can you give us some more info on what your building and such? I'm sure there would be a number of people (myself included) that wouldn't mind working on something like what your doing... Or at least buying and making use of

-Alex

....just don't make it Windows based or you'll have to re-boot it every day when it crashes!

We just LOVE Microsoft

i too, like alex am very interested in what you are doing. please pass us along some information as to what this is and some more details! thanks

Hello.

We use a soundcard/modem for a remote, have for several years.
The original thing was a packard bell with taxitroller on it.
The company is no longer in business, however, the software lives on.
Software emulation of a tone remote is very easy.
You create a WAV file that you send to a codec based or DSVD modem.
DSVD modems work, as they can open an audio path to telephone line, as well as generate what ever tone you need.
Most modems can be reprogrammed with a look up table, making this even easier, the modem then has all the harware you need, the PC soundcard is only used for audio route.
There is software out for emulating everything, MTS, IMTS SMART, MF, DTMF, 2 out of 5, POCSIG, reach, plectron, CTCSS/PL, DCS/DPL, TOR, SITOR, MDC, you name it, most likely you will find it.

OK. So where can I find this mysterious software?

Nifty idea! I would also imagine that doing voice and tone remote could be accomplished via one sound card in full duplex mode. There was a program called "SoftRepeater" at one time (freeware/stampware?), it ran off the serial port, and was more a voice store and forward than anything else...
I'll scrounge a little and see if there's something residing in the archives...funny,how when you're off work for a while due to illness that affects the memory, a LOT of the stuff you lost starts coming back...
cat

Sorry for the delay, I was out of town. Actually the device I am developing can be used in that mannor(as a computer tone remote) but was developed for something completely different. The software I am developing uses Mac OSX as the client software (No more crashing!), and I am slowly becoming competent in writing and changing things in "carbon" and "cocoa". The complete device (hardware and software) is not completed yet really for any commercial implementation, and to be honest I really haven't thought of introducing it for a tone remote use (although it makes a mighty fine, flexible, and cool one!) If anybody knows how to write cocoa or carbon and would like to help me, please PM me. Frankly, I suck and am a beginner with the writng of programs. As to how it's made, I really don't want to tell that to the world just yet. As smart as some of you are with the more technical aspects of things, it would be copied and sold, and my entire plan of existence be taken by someone else would probably force me to jump off of a bridge. But for all the technical wizards (especially riciiticitembo, who baffles me) all you need to know is that it rests on a very simple architecture. Contact me if you'd like to help.
Steve

/\/\y 2 cents wrote:especially riciiticitembo, who baffles me
Steve

Too funny! I agree, although he seems to know a lot about Linux & other platforms, he can probably help you.

Todd

/\/\y 2 cents wrote:The software I am developing uses Mac OSX as the client software (No more crashing!), and I am slowly becoming competent in writing and changing things in "carbon" and "cocoa".

Do yourself a favor. Don't base ANY of the program requirements on the Mac proprietary libraries. While OSX is more reliable than most winblows systems, I can still manage to crash my father-in-laws macs doing very simple things like browsing, running a secureshell session, etc.

In general, for tools, unless a cute WYSIWYG interface is REQUIRED, I recommend that they be coded in C and made portable. That way, if the end-user wants to run them on winblows, they (or you) can compile the code for winblows. If they want them to run on OSX, compile for OSX. Linux, *nix, *bsd - same goes.

I have *YET* to find anything short of a hardware failure that will bring my *nix boxen (not running X). I can't say the same for ANY OS that has a GUI.

---
John

WOO HOO K4WTF !!! YES. YES. YES.

Hey, Man Your pretty sharp. Picked right up on those Sabers too.

Lets just stomp out all those stupid non-working GUI's.


And to add to what he already said, since He covered the software
part already, I'll put my 2 cents in on the Hardware for example.....

And if you Buy the right hardware to begin with, it usualy DOESN'T
fail either. I STILL have Several Imprimis stamped seagates 1 Gig
sized Date Coded 1988 that are still perfectly good, and Quiet, and
resonably fast too. (Faster than a 1993 DEC drive thats for sure).
No bad sectors either. STILL using them, In fact I'm gonna use
them for System Drives. MTBF was a lot Higher on those Originally
$13 Thousand Dollars A PIECE back then. (i bought them used)
In 1989 a common sized Maximum Drive was 200 Megabytes.
40 Megabytes was the normal. One Gigabyte was unheard of.
I remember in 1984-85 the Corvus 20 Megabyte 8" drive for $20
Thousand Dollars. They kinda sucked though, very sensitive to
movement while spinning. Older Technology I guess. 1989 was one
of the very best years for Computer Hardware Longevity. 1993 was
good too, and so was 1988. '84 sucked, was better in the late 70's
early 80's. Takes a lot of research to determine the Correct
hardware thats going to last at least 10 Years before it needs ANY
kind of service though. And It's getting harder all the time. LOL.

Quality RAM is another issue, thats been spotty over the years.
Some lasts forever, some fails right away, with everthing inbetween. Just gotta know what to look for. Same with Processors. Pentium Pro's was good. Slot 1's were good. Some
pull twice the current of others though, so thats another thing. And
don't forget to match bus speed and RAM Speed. Make the RAM be
Faster than it needs to be. Preferably ECC RAM Only. Thats what I
run. MICRON USA.

And long live those Mylex, DPT and others ECC Caching SCSI RAID
Controllers. And those IBM type 3480 Carts with the 30-Year
Gauranteed Readability Tape in there. Those are REAL good.
The tape Never touches the heads on those things, It Flies near to it.....

Cheap Junk from.....All over the place......these days. Man, Stuff
used to last FOREVER. Not so anymore. Ever see a 1550?? hehehehe


Dave
N3WBX

ricciticcitembo wrote:WOO HOO K4WTF !!! YES. YES. YES.

Hey, Man Your pretty sharp. Picked right up on those Sabers too.

Lets just stomp out all those stupid non-working GUI's.

I'll accept all compliments based on my *nix knowledge base but, the Sabers are still an unknown.

I didn't mean to imply that I had them both functioning again. That is NOT the case. I did get the *'s off of the S3 display and now have an error code instead. I am thinking this is progress though. When I indicated that they were taken care of what I meant to convey is, "OK... I've got the information I think I need now and will be able to proceed once I get the right environment created... And now I have another question..."

I have a real (/\/\) RIB and cables on the way from Monty that I am quite sure will cure my programming blues.

GUIs have their place... I don't think that the BatBoard would be as active if it were console based but for service related tasks, the GUI just tends to get in the way and add another potential point of failure with the presentation layer of the code.

---
John

Hello.

Where is the software?
YellowChecker runs a nifty quasi MDT system in most cities.
The system runs a GPS unit, as well as voice support.
The "base" connects via a tone remote link to whatever radio system.
This replaced the voice only system.
To emulate a tone remote is very easy, if you use a DSVD modem.
Anderson-Jacobs 1228a is the model I have, simply set up a script to tell the tone generators what to do.
I test tone remotes in this manner, it is easy in that the modem can also detect the tones.

I'm pretty sure the modem is capable of that. Now I am totally clueless when it comes to writing scripts and stuff for it. Can anyone tell me how to do that or if there is a program out there (free or really cheap) that will. I am just in the "experiment and play" stages right now. We are awaiting grant money and I want to see what options I have for base communications.

Hi,

I completely agree with both of you regarding stability, and no OS, especially GUI's are bombproof in that regard. Now, I do not plan on using spinning hard drives on the final version. I plan on using on board instructions kind of like a headless computer....(flip the switch the files execute and its on, no need to see anything). I do not endorse or not endorse spinning drives....they do (obviously) have a more of a chance of dying out while in service. I only have it working on a spinning drive machine using a program written for OS X. This is because I now only use/have macs, and it is apparently "open-source", which someone explained to me as being able to modify an existing program without breaking the law..(I tried to call around to programmers and asked if they could change a program written in C++ for windows to adapt to my application and they laughed at me and told me there was no such thing.). The better stability thing because of OS X I stated because it's un-deniably more stable than windows, and still something an idiot like me know's how to use. I have been thinking about using something called red hat linux for the headless computer version. This is where I am at a crossroads as to getting to another level closer to production. I do not know how to aquire the parts and such....I can hook it up and use the Mac, but I want it w/o spinning drives so it is less succeptable to failure. Anyways...if anybody can help me at all with making progress, please PM me or whatever....i'd be willing to pay you or trade you radios or something for your help or instruction (even verbal). Computer programmer aficianados as well. As to the gentelman nmfire10, I can still build you what you want, with your own computer or a new mac, interface cable, and custom software and it will be cheap and work rather well, for a headless no spinning drive black box with a few switches....it will be whatever it costs to build those + a little bit fo me so I can buy groceries.
Any help is appreiciated and have a good day.
Steve Calabrese
Critical RF, Inc.
I am the only employee

Hello.

The tone generators are addressed as xxx,xxxa/xxx,xxxb.
duration,frequency"a"tone/'' '', '' "b" tone, same as you would set up the chintzy speaker in basic, but you have up to 5 "voices".
You create a file that tags the event script, this is used as the lookup table for your modem.
You can easily do paging tones in the same way, or CTCSS, what have you.
Once your modem has the script listed, you send it with ATDTxxxxetc, the modem "knows" to "dial" the correct tones,DTMF or custom, just like CCITT vs ATT/bellcore.

I'm working on something along these lines myself, uses the soundcard under windows, written in C++, still needs a lot of work, but it's coming along