I’ve been debugging a frustrating issue with a remote server rejecting some credentials from a Raspberry Pi based system on my network. While I’ve used WireShark in the past, it’s generally debugging traffic to or from my computer. Being a man in the middle is a pain as I need to set up proxies to route traffic through my network.
Enter the wonders of adding a Mikrotik router into the mix, and life is bliss!
Continue reading Sniffing your network with WireShark and Mikrotik routers
This post came about because the official documentation can be confusing, and hasn’t kept pace with developments in some areas. There is plenty of old information that is no longer relevant which further confuses matters.
Additionally, for those that simply want to configure a simplex node, it can get confusing if you’ve not done it before. So I’ve created some template configuration files that have most of the work taken care of for you.
For those unfamiliar with VKLink project, it’s an AllStar derivative enabling linking of amateur radio stations and repeaters over the internet. A great summary of the enhancements over AllStar can be found in this post on the forums. Think IRLP and EchoLink but crystal clear audio and a lot more flexible.
The process documented below will set up a simplex node with an access tone of 123.0 Hz.
My VKLink node uses a PRM80 for the RF gateway, and needed a wiring harness to connect it to the Raspberry Pi.
I bought my IC-208h without a remote head separation cable, and sourcing them was like hens teeth, and cost a small fortune. So I tried unsuccessfully to duplicate the cable ends and gave up for a while.
With renewed interest after about twelve months, I trued again, this time successfully.
This is mainly here so that when this happens to me again, I know what to do about it.
Having spent a while not being able to sign software packages I discovered that when you SSH into OSX, your keychain remains locked. So you have to issue the following command to unlock the user keychain:
security unlock-keychain
You’ll be prompted for your password, after which your keychain will be unlocked and accessible to your scripts as expected.
As someone who’s more than happy to drink instant coffee, being able to pull an espresso shot and froth milk does make a lovely treat from time to time.
This morning was one such day. Just look at that latte art!
It’s common knowledge that the Rod Rod Deluxe is a fantastic amp, it’s also LOUD. I play live a lot, but almost all my playing is with my amp mic’d and run through a PA, so really need to maintain a manageable stage volume without loosing the sound of driven tubes, especially the sound of saturated power tubes (yum). Plus as much as I like the sound of my playing, when practising the same lick over and over, I don’t know that my wife and kids really want to listen at full volume.
Time to find a solution that didn’t involve buying another amp.
Continue reading Taming the Fender Hot Rod Deluxe with VVR power scaling.
I’m super stoked. I listened to the International Space Station (ISS) pass yesterday with my kids. Lots of beeping and screeching, but it was coming from a radio on the ISS, that we were hearing in Margate, so it was exciting none the less. So this morning I thought I’d best install some decoding software (MMSSTV) to see if we could receive the images they were transmitting, which I did, and wouldn’t you know it, the ISS was due for a long pass (eight minutes) almost directly overhead as soon as I’d finished. 
I bought an old pair of speakers which had a problem with the tweeters in one of them. First port of call was to check the crossover circuit, and sure enough one of the electrolytic capacitors looked like it had given up the ghost. Not surprising really considering they’re about 30 years old!![scaled_new-caps-oldcap[1]](http://lance.conryclan.com/home/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/scaled_new-caps-oldcap1.jpg)
I’ve got a VKLink node that doesn’t get a whole lot of use, so seems a little daft to have a radio on all day just in case. Most of my “radio time” happens in my office, so I always have my computer on. Seeing as the VKLink internals uses Asterisk, I should be able to connect and monitor the node from a SIP client on my phone or computer.
I’ve only got it configured to access via the LAN at the moment, but there’s nothing stopping you accessing the node via the internet too.
This post demonstrates how to set it up for yourself.