Dunnow how many of you read this month's QST, but there was an article about a Bluetooth radio control program. I have no interest in controlling my radios with a PDA, but the application seemed cool and the interface he described was very simple --- I started wondering if I could use it with Xastir to run APRS wirelessly with my D700. The answer to that question was yes.
I bought one of the guy's "BlueLync-Serial" interfaces, a BlueSMiRF bluetooth module, and a bluetooth USB dongle for my linux laptop. Turns out that while the BlueLync-Serial adapter doesn't provide true RS232 signal levels, they're close enough for the D700. Using the linux "rfcomm" module, I was able to connect to the BlueSMiRF/BlueLync adapter and create a virtual serial port that Xastir could connect to with no problem, and was able to control my D700 that way. This is by no means an inexpensive alternative to a USB<->Serial dongle, but it is pretty nifty to have a wireless link between my laptop and my D700. This will make it relatively easy for me to operate APRS outside my truck using the D700 inside my truck without having to deal with long serial cables. I expect that this could come in handy on SAR missions. The BlueLync-Serial interface adapter is available from "Lynovation" at <http://ctr-remote.home.att.net> for about $16. You will also need a BlueSMiRF bluetooth modem from http://www.sparkfun.com/ This will cost you about $60. And of course you'll need your linux computer to have a supported bluetooth adapter. I was able to use the D-Link DBT-120 right out of the box. The nifty thing about this is that if you have an application for which the BlueLync's signal levels aren't good enough, you could always throw together a quick adapter using a MAX232 IC to get true RS232 signal levels. I suspect that using a bluetooth link to a KPC3+ or other tnc might require that. I think I might try to do so sooner or later. Once I built the BlueLync-Serial and hooked it up to the BlueSMiRF, it was just a matter of doing hcitool scan on linux to get the address of the bluetooth unit and rfcomm connect 0 <address> 1 to connect /dev/rfcomm0 to the remote unit using channel 1. Xastir can then use /dev/rfcomm0 as if it were a 9600 baud serial port. I still haven't explored it much, but it does work nicely. -- Tom Russo KM5VY SAR502 DM64ux http://www.swcp.com/~russo/ Tijeras, NM QRPL#1592 K2#398 SOC#236 AHTB#1 http://kevan.org/brain.cgi?DDTNM "And, isn't sanity really just a one-trick pony anyway? I mean all you get is one trick, rational thinking, but when you're good and crazy, oooh, oooh, oooh, the sky is the limit!" --- The Tick _______________________________________________ Xastir mailing list Xastir@xastir.org http://lists.xastir.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/xastir
