How I installed LinPac

2022-11-14 by Rev. Fr. Robert Bower

LinPac

LinPac is a program to connect to a packet BBS or do Keyboard to Keyboard Radio Communication.

Watch Keyboard to Keyboard Radio Coms with AX.25 and Linpac! and VA7SHG - LinPac - Packet radio on linux, beyond Winlink and APRS to get the idea.

The guides I used were Direwolf soundcard packet on Linux, with ax25 and LinPacSetting up Packet Radio on a Raspberry Pi (4 thru Zero-W) running Raspberry Pi OS Bullseye, Buster, Stretch or Jessie.

My system is a 64 bit Intel based laptop running an Ubuntu derivative connect to a G90. Installing LinPac on my laptop for use with my G90 required a few modifications from the first set of instructions. Many of the changes I used were in the second set of instructions.

My changes

  1. The best way to control a G90 is to use Flrig.

  2. Besides installing Flrig, hamlib needs to be installed.

  3. direwolf.conf needs to be edited to be used with hamlib.

PPT 2 localhost:4532
  1. Since LinPac is being used on HF the modem speed in direwolf.conf needs to be changed:
MODEM 300 1600:1800 7@30 /4
  1. After installing all the packages for AX.25 the /etc/ax25axports file needs to be edited:

Replace my call sign with yours including SSID

wl2k W9RWB-3 300 255 7 HF

The first entry is just the name of the port. I used wl2k but you can name the port anything you like. The second is your call sign with SSID. The third is desired modem speed. Since I am on HF I used 300. I am not sure what the 255 is but every example had it. I am also unsure about the next number but if you are doing UHF use 2 and if you are doing HF use 7. The next is just a description of the port.

  1. Making listen work properly
sudo chmod 4755 /usr/bin/listen

or

sudo chmod 4755 /usr/bin/axlisten
  1. Install LinPac

How to start LinPac.

  1. Start Flrig and make sure it is connected to your radio.

  2. Run the following in a terminal window and let it run. This is command connects hamlib to flrig.

rigctld -m 4 -vvvv
  1. Start direwolf with the following command: (Replace direwolf-ax25.conf with the name of your configuration file.)
direwolf -t 0 -p -B 300 -X 16 -d tx -c direwolf-ax25.conf

Only use the command options if you want to use FX.25 in place of AX.25

-X 16 and -d tx
  1. Run the following command:
sudo kissattach /dev/ptmx wl2k

sudo kissparms -c 1 -p wl2k -t 300 -l 30 -s 20 -80 -f n

linpac

Zettelkasten ID LinPac-2022-11-14-1055

Tags: radio