Rpt.conf

Rpt.conf is where the majority of user-facing features, such as the node's CW and voice ID, DTMF commands and timers are set. There is a lot of capability here which can be difficult to grasps. Fortunately the default DIAL rpt.conf is well commented and will work fine for most node admins.

DTMF Commands

DTMF commands are placed in any one of three named stanzas. Function stanzas control access to DTMF commands that a user can issue from various control points.

• The fuctions stanza - to decode DTMF from the node's local receiver.
• The link_functions stanza - to decode DTMF from linked nodes.
• The phone_functions stanza - to decode DTMF from telephone connects.

A function stanza key/value pair has the following format:

dtmfcommand=functionclass,[functionmethod],[parameters] Where:

• dtmfcommand is a DTMF digit sequence minus the start character (usually *)
• functionclass is a string which defines what class of command; link, status or COP
• functionmethod defines the optional method number to use in the function class.
• functionoptions are one or more optional comma separated parameters which further define a command.

Status Commands

Status commands (functioncalss 'status') provide general information about the node.

Sample:

712 = status,12   ; Give Time of Day (local only)

Status	Description
1	Force ID (global)
2	Give Time of Day (global)
3	Give software Version (global)
4	Give GPS location info
5	Speak the last (dtmf) user
11	Force ID (local only)
12	Give Time of Day (local only)

Link Commands

Link commands (functioncalss 'link') connect to, disconnect from, monitor (Rx only) other nodes and give link status.

Sample:

3 = ilink,3   ; Connect specified link -- transceive

ilink	Description
1	Disconnect specified link
2	Connect specified link -- monitor only
3	Connect specified link -- tranceive
4	Enter command mode on specified link
5	System status
6	Disconnect all links
7	Last Node to Key Up
8	Connect specified link -- local monitor only
9	Send Text Message (9,<destnodeno or 0 (for all)>,Message Text, etc.
10	Disconnect all RANGER links (except permalinks)
11	Disconnect a previously permanently connected link
12	Permanently connect specified link -- monitor only
13	Permanently connect specified link -- tranceive
15	Full system status (all nodes)
16	Reconnect links disconnected with "disconnect all links"
17	MDC test (for diag purposes)
18	Permanently Connect specified link -- local monitor only

COP Commands

Control operator (functionclass 'cop') commands are privileged commands. Node admins may provide some of these to their user community based on personal preference.

Sample:

99 = cop,7   ; enable timeout timer

Some COP commands can take multiple parameters. For example this COP 48 would send #3#607 on command.

900=cop,48,#,3,#,6,0,7

COP	Description
1	System warm boot
2	System enable
3	System disable
4	Test Tone On/Off
5	Dump System Variables on Console (debug)
6	PTT (phone mode only)
7	Time out timer enable
8	Time out timer disable
9	Autopatch enable
10	Autopatch disable
11	Link enable
12	Link disable
13	Query System State
14	Change System State
15	Scheduler Enable
16	Scheduler Disable
17	User functions (time, id, etc) enable
18	User functions (time, id, etc) disable
19	Select alternate hang timer
20	Select standard hang timer
21	Enable Parrot Mode
22	Disable Parrot Mode
23	Birdbath (Current Parrot Cleanup/Flush)
24	Flush all telemetry
25	Query last node un-keyed
26	Query all nodes keyed/unkeyed
27	Reset DAQ minimum on a pin
28	Reset DAQ maximum on a pin
30	Recall Memory Setting in Attached Xcvr
31	Channel Selector for Parallel Programmed Xcvr
32	Touchtone pad test: command + Digit string + # to playback all digits pressed
33	Local Telemetry Output Enable
34	Local Telemetry Output Disable
35	Local Telemetry Output on Demand
36	Foreign Link Local Output Path Enable
37	Foreign Link Local Output Path Disable
38	Foreign Link Local Output Path Follows Local Telemetry
39	Foreign Link Local Output Path on Demand
42	Echolink announce node # only
43	Echolink announce node Callsign only
44	Echolink announce node # & Callsign
45	Link Activity timer enable
46	Link Activity timer disable
47	Reset "Link Config Changed" Flag
48	Send Page Tone (Tone specs separated by parenthesis)
49	Disable incoming connections (control state noice)
50	Enable incoming connections (control state noicd)
51	Enable sleep mode
52	Disable sleep mode
53	Wake up from sleep
54	Go to sleep
55	Parrot Once if parrot mode is disabled
56	Rx CTCSS Enable
57	Rx CTCSS Disable
58	Tx CTCSS On Input only Enable
59	Tx CTCSS On Input only Disable
60	Send MDC-1200 Burst (cop,60,type,UnitID[,DestID,SubCode]) Type is 'I' for PttID, 'E' for Emergency, and 'C' for Call (SelCall or Alert), or 'SX' for STS (ststus), where X is 0-F. DestID and subcode are only specified for the 'C' type message. UnitID is the local systems UnitID. DestID is the MDC1200 ID of the radio being called, and the subcodes are as follows: Subcode '8205' is Voice Selective Call for Spectra ('Call') Subcode '8015' is Voice Selective Call for Maxtrac ('SC') or Astro-Saber('Call') Subcode '810D' is Call Alert (like Maxtrac 'CA')
61	Send Message to USB to control GPIO pins (cop,61,GPIO1=0[,GPIO4=1].....)
62	Send Message to USB to control GPIO pins, quietly (cop,62,GPIO1=0[,GPIO4=1].....)
63	Send pre-configred APRSTT notification (cop,63,CALL[,OVERLAYCHR])
64	Send pre-configred APRSTT notification, quietly (cop,64,CALL[,OVERLAYCHR])
65	Send POCSAG page (equipped channel types only)

Node Number Stanza

The node number stanza is the first stanza in rpt.conf.

[1999]    ; Replace with your assigned node number

The node number stanza contains the following key/value pairs.

althangtime=

This controls the length of the repeater hang time when the alternate hang timer is selected with a control operator function. It is specified in milliseconds.

Sample:

althangtime=4000   ; 4 seconds

beaconing=

When set to 1 will send the repeater ID at the idtime interval regardless of whether there was repeater activity or not. This feature appears to be required in the UK, but is probably illegal in the US.

Sample:

beaconing=1   ;Set to 1 to beacon. Defaults to 0

callerid=

This setting allows the autopatch on the node to be identified with a specific caller ID. The default setting is as follows

callerid="Repeater" <0000000000>

Note: The value in quotes is the name of the autopatch caller, and the numbers in angle brackets are the originating telephone number to use.

context=

This setting directs the autopatch for the node to use a specific context in extensions.conf for outgoing autopatch calls. The default is to specify a context name of radio.

context=radio

controlstates=

This setting defines the name of the variable named control state stanza. Control states are an optional feature which allows groups of control operator commands to be executed all at once. To use control states, define an entry in your node stanzas to point to a dedicated control state stanza like this:

controlstates = controlstates   ; points to control state stanza

[controlstates]
0 = rptena,lnkena,apena,totena,ufena,noicd  ; Normal operation                                  
1 = rptena,lnkena,apdis,totdis,ufena,noice  ; Net and news operation                                             
2 = rptena,lnkdis,apdis,totena,ufdis,noice  ; Repeater only operation

The control state stanza (below) describes these mnemonics.

duplex=

The duplex key/value pairs sets the duplex mode for desired radio operation. Duplex mode 2 is the default if none specified.

Duplex Mode	Description
0	Half duplex with no telemetry tones or hang time. Special Case: Full duplex if linktolink is set to yes. This mode is preferred when interfacing with an external multiport repeater controller. Comment out idrecording and idtalkover to suppress IDs.
1	Half duplex with telemetry tones and hang time. Does not repeat audio. This mode is preferred when interfacing a simplex node.
2	Full Duplex with telemetry tones and hang time. This mode is preferred when interfacing a repeater.
3	Full Duplex with telemetry tones and hang time, but no repeated audio.
4	Full Duplex with telemetry tones and hang time. Repeated audio only when the autopatch is down.

Sample:

duplex = 0     ; 0 = Half duplex with no telemetry tones or hang time.

endchar=

This setting allows the end character used by some control functions to be changed. By default this is a #. The endchar value must not be the same as the funcchar default or overridden value.

erxgain=

Echolink receive gain adjustment in +/- db-volts. Used to balance Echolink recieve audio on an app_rpt node.

erxgain = -3

See Echolink How to

etxgain=

Echolink transmit gain adjustment in +/- db-volts. Used to balance Echolink transmit audio on an app_rpt node.

etxgain = 3

See Echolink How to

funcchar=

This setting can be used to change the default function starting character of * to something else. Please note that the new value chosen must not be the same as the default or overridden value for endchar=.

functions=

This names (points to) the function stanza.

Sample:

functions = functionsUHF   ; pointer to 440 repeater functions stanza

hangtime=

This controls the length of the repeater hang time. It is specified in milliseconds.

Sample:

hangtime = 1000   ;Set hang time for 1 second

holdofftelem=

This node stanza configuration key forces all telemetry to be held off until a local user on the receiver or a remote user over a link unkeys. There is one exception to this behavior: When an ID needs to be sent and there is activity coming from a linked node.

Sample:

holdofftelem = 1   ;Set to 1 to hold off. Default is 0

idrecording=

The identifier message is stored in the node stanza using the idrecording key. It can be changed to a different call sign by changing the value to something different. The value can be either a morse code identification string prefixed with |i, or the name of a sound file containing a voice identification message. When using a sound file, the default path for the sound file is /var/lib/asterisk/sounds.

Sample:

idrecording = |iwa6zft/r   ; Morse Code ID

or

idrecording = /var/lib/asterisk/sounds/myid   ; Voice ID

Note: ID recording files must have extension gsm,ulaw,pcm, or wav. The extension is left off when it is defined as the example shows above. File extensions are used by Asterisk to determine how to decode the file. All ID recording files should be sampled at 8KHz. See Recording audio files

idtalkover=

The ID talkover message is stored in the node stanza using the idtalkover setting. The purpose of idtalkover is to specify an alternate ID to use when the ID must be sent over the top of a user transmission, This can be a shorter voice ID or an ID in morse code. The value can be either a morse code identification string prefixed with |i, or the name of a sound file containing a voice identification message. When using a sound file, the default path for the sound file is /var/lib/asterisk/sounds. Example usages are as follows:

Sample:

idtalkover = |iwa6zft/r   ; Morse Code ID

or

idtalkover = /var/lib/asterisk/sounds/myid   ; Voice ID

Note: ID recording files must have extension gsm,ulaw,pcm, or wav. The extension is left off when it is defined as the example shows above. File extensions are used by Asterisk to determine how to decode the file. All ID recording files should be sampled at 8KHz. See Recording audio files

inxlat=

The inxlat setting allows complete remapping of the funcchar and endchar digits to different digits or digit sequences. inxlat acts on the digits received by the radio receiver on the node.

Format: inxlat = funchars,endchars,passchars,dialtone

where:

• funcchars is the digit or digit sequence to replace funcchar
• endchars is the digit or digit sequence to replace endchar
• passchars are the digits to pass through (can be used to block certain digits)
• dialtone is optional. Set to Y for dial tone on successful funcchars.

Sample:

inxlat = #56,#57,0123456789ABCD ; string xlat from radio port to sys

link_functions=

This names (points to) the link_functions stanza.

The link_functions setting directs the node to use a particular function stanza for functions dialed by users accessing the node via a link from another node. The traditional default is to point it to a function stanza named "functions".

Sample:

link_functions = functions ; pointer to the Link Function stanza

linkmongain=

Link Monitor Gain adjusts the audio level of monitored nodes when a signal from another node or the local receiver is received. If linkmongain is set to a negative number the monitored audio will decrease by the set amount in db. If linkmongain set to a positive number monitored audio will increase by the set amount in db. The value of linkmongain is in db. The default value is 0 db.

Sample:

linkmongain = -20   ; reduce link volume 20dB

linktolink=

When operating in duplex mode 0, this forces the radio interface to operate in full duplex mode, but keeps all the other duplex mode 0 semantics. This is used when a radio interface is connected to a multiport analog repeater controller. The linktolink= key can take two values: yes or no.

Sample:

linktolink = yes   ; set to yes to enable. Default is no.

linkunkeyct=

The linkunkeyct setting selects the courtesy tone to send when a connected remote node unkeys. The default is no courtesy tone when a remote node unkeys.

Sample:

linkunkeyct = ct8  ; use courtesy tone 8

macro=

The marco key/value points to by the Macro Stanza key/value pair. Macros are DTMF shortcuts.

Sample:

macro=macro   ; use stanza names 'macros'

[macro]
1 = *32000*32001     ; connect to nodes 2000 and 2001

nounkeyct=

The nounkeyct node stanza key completely disables the courtesy tone. This is useful for eliminating TX time in applications using simplex uplinks to repeaters on the repeater pair itself. This practice is strongly discouraged.

Sample:

nounkeyct = yes  ; :(

politeid=

The politeid setting specified the number of milliseconds prior to the end of the id cycle where the controller will attempt to play the ID in the tail when a user unkeys. If the controller does not get a chance to send the ID in the tail, the ID will be played over the top of the user transmission. Optional, default 30000.

Sample:

politeid = 30000   ; 30 seconds

propagate_dtmf=

Takes either yes or no. When set to yes, DTMF will be regenerated from out-of-band signalling or from from the receiver dtmf decoder whenever a function start character is NOT detected and command decoding has not begun. When set to no, no tones will be regenerated. The default for this setting is no. This setting is meant to be used in conjunction with linktolink, inxlat, and outxlat when interfacing a radio port to a multiport analog repeater controller on an RF-linked system.

Sample:

propagate_dtmf = no

Note: There is a separate setting propagate_phonedtmf for use by dial-in (phone and dphone) users.

remotect=

The remotect setting allows the selection of the remote linked courtesy tone so that the users can tell there is a remote base connected locally.

Sample:

remotect = ct3   ; use courtesy tone 3

rxburstfreq=

If rx tone burst operation is desired, specify the frequency in hertz of the desired tone burst. Setting to 0 (or not specifying) indicates no tone burst operation.

Sample:

rxburstfreq = 1000

rxburstthreshold=

In rx toneburst mode, specifies the minimum signal to noise ratio in db that qualifies a valid tone. Defaults to 16 (db).

rxbursttime=

For rx toneburst operation, specifies minimum amount of time that tone needs to be valid for recognition (in milliseconds). Defaults to 250.

rxchannel=

The rxchannel key/value pair selects the radio interface. There must be one (and only one) rxchannel per node. The selections are:

Value	Description
dahdi/pseudo	No radio, used for hubs
SimpleUSB/usb_1999	SimpleUSB (limited DSP)
Radio/usb_1999	USBRadio (full DSP)
voter/1990	RTCM
Pi/1	Raspberry Pi PiTA
Dahdi/1	PCI Quad card
Beagle/1	BeagleBoard
USRP/127.0.0.1:34001:32001	GNU Radio interface USRP

Sample:

rxchannel = dahdi/pseudo     ; No radio (hub)

Note: This is selecting what is known as (in Asterisk terminology) the channel driver.

sleeptime=

This sets the inactivity period in seconds for no signal on the repeater receiver before the system goes to sleep.

Sample:

sleeptime = 300   ; go to sleep after 5 mins of no activity

startup_macro=

The startup_macro is executed once on system startup. Each node can have one startup macro defined in its node stanza.

Sample:

startup_macro = *31000*31001*31002   ; Connect to 1000, 1001 and 1002 at startup

tailmessagelist=

The tailmessagelist setting allows a comma separated list of audio files to be specified for the tail message function. The tail messages will rotate from one to the next until the end of the list is reached at which point the first message in the list will be selected. If no absolute path name is specified, the directory var/lib/asterisk/sounds will be searched for the sound file. The file extension should be omitted.

Sample:

tailmessagelist = welcome,clubmeeting,wx   ; rotate 3 tail messages

Note: ID recording files must have extension gsm,ulaw,pcm, or wav. The extension is left off when it is defined as the example shows above. File extensions are used by Asterisk to determine how to decode the file. All ID recording files should be sampled at 8KHz. See Recording audio files

tailmessagetime=

This sets the amount of time in milliseconds between tail messages. Tail Messages are played when a user unkeys on the repeater input at the point where the hang timer expires after the courtesy tone is sent.

Sample:

tailmessagetime = 900000   ; 15 minutes between tail messages

tailsquashedtime=

If a tail message is "squashed" by a user keying up over the top of it, a separate time value can be loaded to make the tail message be retried at a shorter time interval than the standard tailmessagetime= setting. The tailsquashedtime= setting takes a value in milliseconds.

Sample:

tailsquashedtime = 300000   ; 5 minutes

totime=

This defines the time out timer interval. The value is in milliseconds.

Sample:

totime = 180000   ;  3 minutes

unlinkedct=

The unlinkedct setting selects the courtesy tone to be used when the system has no remote nodes connected and is operating as a standalone repeater.

Sample:

unlinkedct = ct2   ; use courtesy tone 2

Functions Stanza

The functions stanza is a named stanza pointed to by the function= key/value pair. Functions within this stanza are used to decode DTMF commands when accessing the node from its receiver. This stanza is typically named 'functions'.

Sample:

functions = functions   ; name the functions stanza 'functions'

[functions]
...

See DTMF Commands for the list of functions available.

Link Functions Stanza

The link functions stanza is a named stanza pointed to by the link_function= key/value pair. Functions within this stanza are used decode DTMF commands when accessing the node via a link from another node. The traditional usage is to point link_functions= to the same stanza as named by functions= thereby having functions from a linked node and from the local node the same.

Sample:

functions = functions        ; name the functions stanza 'functions'
link_functions = functions   ; use the same stanza 

[functions]
...

If a different set of either limited or more capable functions is desired:

functions = functions                ; name the functions stanza 'functions'
link_functions = my_link_functions   ; use a different stanza

[functions]
...

[my_link_functions]
...

See DTMF Commands for the list of functions available.

Phone Functions Stanza

The phone functions stanza is a named stanza pointed to by the phone_function= key/value pair. Functions within this stanza are used decode DTMF commands when accessing the node from a telephone. The traditional usage is to point phone_functions= to the same stanza as named by functions= thereby having functions from a phone and from the local node the same.

Sample:

functions = functions         ; name the functions stanza 'functions'
phone_functions = functions   ; use the same stanza 

[functions]
...

If a different set of either limited or more capable functions is desired:

functions = functions                  ; name the functions stanza 'functions'
phone_functions = my_phone_functions   ; use a different stanza

[functions]
...

[my_phone_functions]
...

See DTMF Commands for the list of functions available.

Macro Stanza

The marco stanza is named stanza pointed to by the macro= key/value pair. Macros are DTMF shortcuts.

Sample:

macro=macro   ; use stanza names 'macros'

[macro]
1 = *32000*32001     ; connect to nodes 2000 and 2001

Remote Base Stanza

Here are key/value pairs required to get a remote base configured properly.

authlevel=

The authlevel= key is used to enable or disable login requirements for a remote base.

• authlevel=0 Disables all access control
• authlevel=1 Enables access control, and waits for key up before prompting for the access code
• authlevel=2 Enables access control, and prompts for the access code at the time of connection

Sample:

autllevel = 0   ; allow all comers 

civaddr=

civaddr= is used with ICOM band radios to set the CIV address. The value is a 2 digit hexadecimal number. If this key is not specified, then the CIV address will be set to the default of 88.

Sample:

civaddr = 98  ; set CIV to 98

Remote Base functions=

functions= is a pointer to a remote base function stanza.

Sample:

functions = functions-remote   ; name the functions stanza 'functions-remote'

ioaddr=

ioaddr= refers to a parallel port I/O address. It is specified as a hexadecimal number with a 0x prefix. The parallel port is used when the Doug Hall RBI-1 interface is employed.

Sample:

ioaddr = 0x378   ; set RB-1 address

ioport=

ioport= sets the serial port. On Linux Systems, these are typically path names to special files in the /dev directory.

Sample:

ioport = /dev/ttyS1   ; Linux com1

Remote Base phone_functions=

phone_functions= is a pointer to a remote base phone function stanza. It is equivalent to phone_functions in the Phone Functions Stanza but provides a separate set of commands.

Sample:

phone_functions = functions-remote

remote=

remote= sets the type of radio. It also ensures that the node will be defined as a remote base node and not a standard node.

Sample:

remote = xcat   ; set xcat interface

Radio	Value	Comments
Dumb	y	Use for single channel remote base radios
FT-897	ft897	Must specify serial port using ioport=
TMG-707	kenwood	Must specify serial port using ioport=
IC-706	ic706	Must specify serial port using ioport=. Must specify civaddr using civaddr=
TM-271	tm271	Must specify serial port using ioport=
Syntor Xcat	xcat	Must specify serial port using ioport=. Must specify civaddr using civaddr=

remote_inact_timeout=

Specifies the amount of time without keying from the link. Set to 0 to disable timeout.

Sample:

remote_inact_timeout = 0   ; do not time out

remote_timeout=

Session time out for remote base. Set to 0 to disable.

Sample:

remote_timeout = 0   ; do not timeout

Remote Base rxchannel=

This should contain the name of a usb radio interface which has been defined in usbradio.conf or a zaptel interface number if using a Quad Radio PCI Card.

Sample:

rxchannel = usbRadio/usb1

Sample Remote Configuration

[1234]
; Rx audio/signaling channel                                                                                   
rxchannel = Radio/usb

; Serial port for control
ioport = /dev/ttyS1

; Radio Type                
remote = ft897 

; Function list from link                                          
functions = functions-remote  

; Function list from phone         
phone_functions = functions-remote

; Authorization level                                         
authlevel = 0      

Remote Base Functions Stanza

remote	Description
1	Retrieve Memory
2	Set freq.
3	Set tx PL tone
4	Set rx PL tone
5	Long status query
99,CALLSIGN,LICENSETAG	Remote Base login
100	Rx PL off
101	Rx PL on
102	Tx PL off
103	Tx PL on
104	Low Power
105	Medium Power
106	High Power
107	Bump -20
108	Bump -100
109	Bump -500
110	Bump +20
111	Bump +100
112	Bump +500
113	Scan - slow
114	Scan - quick
115	Scan - fast
116	Scan + slow
117	Scan + quick
118	Scan + fast
119	Tune
140	Short status query
210	Send a *
211	Send a #

Remote Base Login

When authlevel= is greater than zero, remote 99 is used to define a different dtmf sequence for each user authorized to use the remote base. The remote base and announce the callsign as access is granted.

Sample:

9148351=remote,99,WA6ZFT,E   ; Grant access to Steve
9139583=remote,99,WB6NIL,G   ; grant access to Jim

When the remote base is disconnected from the originating node, the user will be logged out.

The LICENSETAG argument is used to enforce tx frequency limits. See [txlimits] below.

Nodes Stanza

[nodes]

Control States Stanza

There are several predefined nmemonics (keywords) used in the control state stanza to enable and disable the various features of the controller. These nmemonics correspond to the control operator command to be executed and most of these are the same groups of letters sent back when a single control operator command is executed on the controller.

Nmemonic	Description	COP Method
rptena	Repeater Enable	2
rptdis	Repeater Disable	3
totena	Timeout Timer Enable	7
totdis	Timeout Timer Disable	8
apena	Autopatch Enable	9
apdis	Autopatch Disable	10
lnkena	Link Enable	11
lnkdis	Link Disable	12
skena	Scheduler Enable	15
skdis	Scheduler Disable	16
ufena	User Functions Enable	17
ufdis	User Functions Disable	18
atena	Alternate Hangtime Enable	19
atdis	Alternate Hangtime Disable	20
noice	No Incoming Connections Enable	49
noicd	No Incoming Connections Disable	50
slpen	Sleep Mode Enable	51
slpds	Sleep Mode Disable	52