APRX not sending to server

[Primoz Lemut]

Hi,

I put up an APRSIS gate based on the Orange Pi & ARMbian Linux distribution. APRX software compiles without any problems and installs as well. I configured the APRX to be in receive mode only for the beginning. The modem is S53MV's MATNC, configured to be in KISS mode (no checksum). In fact it is a very good DSP modem, based on ARM microcontroller.

My config file is a basic one for the receive-only mode of operation.

But there is no traffic from radio to APRSIS. However, the APRX send beacon packets to the server properly. This can be observed from the raw packets log:
http://aprs.fi/?c=raw&call=S53KS-5

I think the following to messages are telling what the core of the problem might be:
interface_receive_ax25() no receivers for source S53KS-5
Adding to histroydb anyways... Failed to find digipeater by aprx_interface

S53UAN is a local APRS digipeater with an excellent radio coverage as it is located 1305 m ASL on a mountain.

I think I read somewhere that APRX was not performing well with the 3.x kernels. This ARMbian distribution is using 3.4.112 kernel.

In the attachment I put a ZIP file with APRX log to have a full overview of what is going on.


Does anybody have a clue what might be wrong?


Thanks and regards,

Primoz S53KS

[Kenneth Finnegan]

What makes you think that you have no traffic to the APRS-IS? Like you pointed out, your beacons are making it, and I see you I-gating other stations such as S57MJC-7 as recent as yesterday.

The no receivers warning is normal, since you don't have any digipeater blocks using that interface as a source.

I'm not aware of any sweeping issues with the 3.x kernel. There was a span of time when AX.25 was broken, but if you're using KISS that makes no difference.

--
Kenneth Finnegan
http://blog.thelifeofkenneth.com/

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[kd0...@gmail.com]

A copy of your /etc/aprx.conf file would be helpful. (with passcode blanked out)

If you are using  "ax25-device" instead of "serial-device" in your interface section, your /etc/ax25/axports needs to be configured.

If aprx is the only application needing access to the modem/tnc, I would recommend using the "serial-device" if possible. 

[Primoz Lemut]

Hi Kenneth,

Thanks for the reply.
 

What makes you think that you have no traffic to the APRS-IS? Like you pointed out, your beacons are making it, and I see you I-gating other stations such as S57MJC-7 as recent as yesterday.

Well, obviously I missed the S57MJC-7 forwarded packets and I thought there hadn't been any. On the other hand I thought all the properly received APRS radio traffic is forwarded through the APRS-IS - that the internet is its final destination regardless of being already digipeated or not. Frankly, I didn't study much the APRS protocol. I had the hardware (2m RTX, modem & Orange Pi) available and I said to myself let's give a try.

The no receivers warning is normal, since you don't have any digipeater blocks using that interface as a source.

I could also set up a digipeater mode and see what is going on.

I'm not aware of any sweeping issues with the 3.x kernel. There was a span of time when AX.25 was broken, but if you're using KISS that makes no difference.

 Good to hear that APRX is really platform independent. I like Orange Pi because it is just what I need.

Primoz S53KS

[Primoz Lemut]

Hi,

Here is my aprx.conf file:

#-----------------------------------------
mycall  S53KS-5
myloc lat 45**.**N lon 013**.**E

<aprsis>
passcode *****
server   euro.aprs2.net
</aprsis>

<interface>
serial-device /dev/ttyS1  115200 8n1    KISS
tx-ok        false    # transmitter enable defaults to false
</interface>

<beacon>
beaconmode aprsis
cycle-size  10m
beacon symbol "R&" $myloc comment "APRX 2.9.0, OrangePi PC & MATNC"
beacon raw ">144.800 MHz, RX on"
</beacon>
#-----------------------------------------


As you can see, I am already using serial-device.

Regards,
Primoz S53KS

[kd0...@gmail.com]

Your configuration file looks good to me.

The communication rate 115200 seems high to me, but after a quick look at the documentation for modem, it appears correct.

Take a look at /var/log/aprx/aprx-rf.log and you should see the received stations.

[Bill Vodall]

>> But there is no traffic from radio to APRSIS. However, the APRX send
>> beacon packets to the server properly.

Only the first instance of a packet processed by the APRS-IS is
preserved. All other duplicates are dropped. Is there another iGate
in your area that's getting credit for the packets being uploaded.

Bill

[Primoz Lemut]

Hi Bill,

I switched on RF logging for two days. You may see what was going on in the attachment. Looks my I-gate is sending quite a number of packets to the server but they are being overrun by other I-gates, as you have already predicted.

Now I am wondering if it makes sense to have this I-gate operational. Two to three years ago when I put up a weather station only a few packets a week were received by an I-gate 50 km away. At that time I gave up and made a direct connection to Internet through the broadband that had just become available at that location. Then the S53UAN digipeater was put up on a mountain what made the situation totally different. I live in a valley with quite high mountains in the N-W and my radio coverage is not something special. I'd say the line of sight is about 25 by 10 km on average.

Thanks everyone for good hints and assistance.

Regards,

Primoz S53KS

[Kenneth Finnegan]

If I were you, I would reconfigure it as a Tx I-gate and keep it running if that's possible. Even with the other available I-gates, it's common for areas of the APRS network to not have any ability to gateway messages from the APRS-IS *back* to the local RF. 

All it takes is to change your interface to "tx-ok true" and add a digipeater block with APRS-IS as a source. It won't act as an actual RF-to-RF digipeater without adding the RF interface as a source, which I don't think you'd want to do.

In any case, more I-gates is better than less I-gates, so it's mainly a question of if you're willing to pay for the power and having a radio tied up for it.

Add to the end of your config:

<digipeater>

transmitter $mycall

<source>

source APRSIS

relay-type third-party

via-path WIDE2-1 # default: none

msg-path WIDE2-1 # default: none

</source>

</digipeater>

--
Kenneth Finnegan
http://blog.thelifeofkenneth.com/

--

[kd0...@gmail.com]

I looked through your log and found one station in particular that your gate was credited for the packet delivered.

http://aprs.fi/?c=raw&call=S55MA-9

By the time you read this, the mobile could drive out of the area.  You may need to expand the search from 50 to 1000 to witness it for yourself.

I think your gate is working, but as Bill suggested, another station could be getting the packet to aprsis first.

[Lynn W Deffenbaugh (Mr)]

If you want to see what your station is actually gating "first" to the APRS-IS, simply bring up a new instance of your favorite APRS-IS client, set its range to zero and use a filter of e/<yourgate-SSID> where <yourgate-SSID> is your IGate's callsign-ssid.  The only packets that should show up are the ones that your IGate injected and were propagated, implying that your IGate was "first".

Lynn (D) - KJ4ERJ - Author of APRSISCE for Windows Mobile and Win32

PS.  "First" is still a relative term because of how packets propagate through the APRS-IS servers.  Depending on which server a given pair of IGates is directly connected to, and how those servers are interconnected, different other APRS-IS servers may show different entry/IGate callsigns.  But we're talking TCP/IP propagation delays here, not digipeater delays which are MUCH longer!

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[kd0...@gmail.com]

Now I am wondering if it makes sense to have this I-gate operational.

I wouldn't give up on it too quick. 

Look at the "heard direct" and "Position packets sent to APRS-IS" maps on aprs.fi:

http://aprs.fi/#!v=heard&call=a%2FS53KS-5&timerange=3600&tail=3600

Then look at the maps for surrounding iGates.   I think you'll find your station is providing service to an area other stations cannot hear.