Remote RSS Programming

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berkinet
Posts: 30
Joined: Fri Jan 06, 2017 11:30 am

Remote RSS Programming

Post by berkinet »

I would like to be able to program my GR1225 repeater remotely. One option is to simply place a laptop at the repeater site and do screen sharing. That works, but is not really my first choice as it ties up a laptop full time.

The second option, which I have working in a prototype, is to place a small CPU (Raspberry-Pi in this case) on site and connect that to the repeater. I can then "share" the serial connection (I am using a ribless USB cable) over the network. There are several programs to do that, but right now I am using ser2sock. At the remote end, I can create a virtual COM port that connects to the server on the R-Pi. The Windows end was harder as most products that do this virtual connection are quite expensive. However, I found one, HW Virtual Serial Port, that is free for personal use and works, mostly.

Right now I can read and write to a radio about 50% of the time. The other half of the attempts fail. I suspect the problem is in the serial configuration on the R-Pi, which is now set for 7, even and 2. I have tried 1200 baud, but 9600 seems more reliable. On the PC end, the virtual COM software says the RSS is asking for 1200, 7, even and 2.

So... has anyone tried this, and if so, what were your results? And, any tips or ideas?

Thanks.
jmfirefighter20
Posts: 177
Joined: Tue Sep 08, 2009 6:47 pm
What radios do you own?: /\/\ AS, APX7000

Re: Remote RSS Programming

Post by jmfirefighter20 »

I remote programmed a moderate sized fleet of Quantars using RS-232 to IP converter boxes. Works slick with being able to program stuff remotely without visiting the site. Don't know if you'd rather build one or buy one, but here is an off the shelf solution that I use.....

https://www.amazon.com/Brainboxes-Devic ... s=Brainbox
Joshua
W1DPT
Raymond, NH
Wiregeek
Posts: 61
Joined: Thu Nov 06, 2014 9:53 am

Re: Remote RSS Programming

Post by Wiregeek »

assuming ethernet connectivity between the sites, I'd look at a dedicated hardware solution like a Lantronix UDS-1100 or similar. I'm a big fan of those, you can set them up so they function like a serial extension cord with an ethernet network in the middle.

It's my understanding that jitter is the enemy here, more than latency or bandwidth.
berkinet
Posts: 30
Joined: Fri Jan 06, 2017 11:30 am

Re: Remote RSS Programming

Post by berkinet »

Thanks for the suggestions. Unfortunately, I do not have physical Ethernet at the location. But, I do have Wi-Fi. So, I looked for RS232-over-Wi-Fi and found a couple of options. But, then I realized I may have been looking at this upside-down... I was trying to do the USB-to-Serial/TTL on the remote cpu (the Pi in my case) and then forward the serial stream over IP to a virtual serial COM port. I realized that instead, I might be able to extend the USB device itself over IP to have it appear locally as an actual USB device on the machine running the RSS.

A little searching found virtualhere.com and they had exactly what I needed. I run the server on the Pi and the client on XP and, voila, I see my Prolific Ribless cable in the Device Manager on XP. And, it works. At least on the local LAN. I have not tried it over the Internet yet.

BTW, VirtualHere is free for use on a single USB port (and $39 for 3 devices and $49 for unlimited devices). If you buy the licensed versions you get server software optimized for your specific platform, Since I am using the Pi for this one purpose, I really didn't need optimization.
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