Random Wire Review: Issue 123

March 14, 2025: Featured this month is Roger Radcliff KE8LCM (the person behind the AmateurWire VoIP service) and the AllScan catalog. If you know SIP and Asterisk, I need help (item 1.2)!

Note: in most browsers, a table of contents is available by hovering over the left side of your browser window. It looks like this:

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1. Recent Doings

I’ve been on the road an awful lot the past few weeks, with little time for radio play except while mobile. I’ve listened to some issues of the Ham Radio Workbench while driving. I used my Hamshack Hotline number on the Groundwire app on my smartphone to check in on an informal net.

I think the highlight for me was listening to Carrie MM0RKN in Lanarkshire, Scotland on the Alaska Morning Net on AllStarLink node 29332. Her wonderful accent brought back memories of touring western Scotland (at least that’s what my ears were hearing) in 1985. It turns out that Lanarkshire is located closer to halfway between Glasgow and Edinburgh, so not quite the west coast of Scotland.

What else?

1.1 ClearNode

I also worked on cleaning up the audio on my ClearNode, experimenting with some Faraday cloth to try to reduce radio frequency interference (RFI) with unclear results. I did discover my transmission audio was going out a little hot so I turned that down. Many thanks for Gerry at Node-Ventures.com for taking the time to listen to the several audio recordings I made and giving me some advice. I’ve ordered a 440 monoband Super-Elastic Signal Stick™ to try to improve the RX and TX on the ClearNode.

1.2 Connecting SIP phone from WAN side to ASL node

I’ve also been working on two separate issues with some remote hams. One person in Italy is having trouble getting a friend’s SIP phone to connect to his AllStarLink node. I’ve gone so far as to try to recreate his setup (with a different model phone) and like him, I’ve been unable to get the WAN-side phone to connect to my ASL node on my LAN. If you’ve done something like this, please contact me so I can learn how to do this! It should be relatively simple, but it isn’t going well. To be clear: I am asking for your help.

1.3 WRT54G routers as a back-up mesh system

The other person is in the Virgin Islands where they are looking for a way to have an off-the-grid mesh with Linksys WRT54G routers to back up their primary mesh system. (I think they lean that way because they already have some WRT54G routers on hand.)

I’m not sure I can help them. Their primary mesh is fairly sophisticated and robust. While I do have some old WRT54G routers, I don’t think I’m the right person to figure out how to make them work with their repeater controllers. I do note that the hsmm-mesh website appears to be broken so I don’t know where to go for the appropriate software. AREDN appears to be the successor to HSMM-Mesh, so that seems like a more route to explore. (Which reminds me, I have a MicroTik router on the shelf just waiting to be used for AREDN.)

It is enjoyable to get to know other hams and explore some solutions with them. I’ve had a lot of learning the past couple of weeks, even if I haven’t succeeded in solving anything!

1.4 WiFi scanner

I also picked up an inexpensive WiFi scanner, planning to write about it. I’ve got photos of it working, if desired. But honestly, a couple of applications on my smartphone do a better job for me and they are free. For my Android smartphone, WiFi Analyzer works very well. Also, Net Analyzer works, but I don’t like the interface quite as much.

Why scan for WiFi signals? To find the strongest signal when traveling, and to avoid conflicts with other other wireless networks nearby.

Please do share the Random Wire with others in our amateur radio community. I learn a lot from subscribers and look forward to learning more!

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2. Feature: Who Made AmateurWire?

AmateurWire home page

2.1 What is AmateurWire?

Let’s start with what this is. AmateurWire is a voice-over-IP service for amateur radio, with over 500 users and growing.

AmateurWire VOIP Service is a PBX phone system much like the HamShack Hotline or HamsOverIP. With this system hams can use VOIP Phones like Cisco, GrandStream, Yealink, Polycom etc…or even soft phones on Android, iPhone, and PC with support for most Operating Systems. The most common soft phone applications are GroundWire, Zoiper, Mizudroid, microsip.

With the question of what answered, let’s meet the licensed ham behind AmateurWire, then explore some aspects of the service.

2.2 Who is behind AmateurWire?

AmateurWire came to the amateur radio community through the good work of Roger Radcliff KE8LCM, who figured out how other amateur radio VoIP systems were providing similar service. (I admire this style of work: question it, figure it out, then share it with others.) Roger was first licensed in 2018 and has since upgraded to Extra Class.

How did AmateurWire come to be? In Roger’s words:

I got a Hamshack Hotline extension and then wondered, what makes this tick? I dug a little deeper and found out they were running a software called FreePBX so I found that, downloaded it, and got it running.

Roger has experience running servers and used that knowledge to help get FreePBX running.

I started out as the KE8LCM PBX Server and figured it would just be a small thing but then Andreas (M0FXB) did a YouTube video about it and people began signing up for extensions. From that point I decided it needed a better name and I came up with AmateurWire and rebranded it. Since then, it has grown to a server with nearly 500 users and still growing.

I think the original YouTube report by Andreas M0FXB may be this one:

I have to say that I’ve benefited from quite a few YouTube videos produced by Andreas, particularly as I was learning my Yaesu handheld radios.

2.3 Other services beyond AmateurWire

Roger has more going on, too. Check out his website at https://ke8lcm.com/ which serves as a sort of dashboard for several services he provides:

• The AmateurWire VOIP service is, of course, part of the dashboard.

• The HamCam FrontDoor helps to find the video chats he hosts.

• Roger’s AllStar nodes are described in All-Star Nodes. He has nodes that bridge to DMR and another that bridges to Yaesu System Fusion.

• HamCloud is a NextCloud instance on Roger’s server that he makes available to others.

• Virtual Radar is an air traffic tracking system using ADSB signals and a USB dongle.

• Roger can host some services for hams. Contact him for more information.

• An internet relay chat (IRC) server is hosted by Roger.

• He also hosts a Jitsi Video Chat service.

Clearly, Roger has been busy exploring the intersection of computing and amateur radio!

2.4 Using AmateurWire

2.4.1 Call other AmateurWire users

Obviously, you call call another AmateurWire user by dialing their extension. Where do you find extension numbers? In the AmateurWire phone book, of course. When you open the phone book, you’ll probably see some conference rooms. Yes, this means AmateurWire can also host conferences.

AmateurWire phone book entry for KJ7T

2.4.2 Call HamsOverIP users

You also have the ability to call users of the HamsOverIP (HOIP) service. To dial users of the HamsOver IP service, dial 304 and the extension number of the person you wish to call. For example, Roger’s HamsOver IP extension is 100029 so if you wanted to call that extension from your AmateurWire extension you would dial 304100029. Same for users of the HamsOverIP system. If they wish to call you they dial 304, wait for a dialtone, and then dial your AmateurWire extension. (On the AmateurWire side, you do not have to wait for a dial tone.) To see the HOIP phonebook, go to https://hamsoverip.com/phonebook.

Hams Over IP phonebook entry for KJ7T

2.4.3 Use voicemail

To access your AmateurWire voicemail dial *97 over your AmateurWire line and the system should walk you through the initial setup. If the system asks you for a pin code the first time you call it the password is your extension number. It shouldn't ask you for this after the first time you call it.

2.5 How to support AmateurWire

I’m pretty impressed by the work Roger has been doing, and I know it costs money to run a server and maintain the internet service, so I gladly donated $25 to help. You can support his work with the Donate button on the AmateurWire homepage. Since I have an ad blocker on my home network, my visits to his AmateurWire page don’t register any ad impressions. My donation should help offset that for him.

A big thank you to Roger for creating an alternative VoIP system for radio amateurs, and for the other interesting intersections between information technology and amateur radio he has been exploring!

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3. Feature: AllScan Device Catalog

I started working on a listing of all the devices that David Gleason NR9V has available through his AllScan.info website, but frankly, I got a little lost. There is so much there! If you want a full-duplex node with high-quality audio, he’s got that. If you want a simpler simplex node, he has that, too. David also has kits.

The top bar menu on the AllScan.info website is the simplest way to navigate: click Web App to head to the GitHub page for the AllScan favorites management tool, or click Products to see the hardware David offers, or click How-To Guides for helpful information on configuring AllStar on various devices. (I use the How-To Guides as a handy reference when I’m configuring my devices.)

AllScan.info home page

Maybe it suffices to say you’ll find some great AllStarLink node products there. I own some of his devices and have been extraordinarily pleased with all of them. And while I don’t need more nodes, I do want more of his builds!

What does David have available? I asked him and following is his summarized reply.

There are four types of nodes that can be used with AllStar, EchoLink and other PTT communication apps. These are complete, 100% configured and tested, plug-and-play nodes:

• ANR100 Radio-less Nodes

• ANH100 Half-Duplex HT Nodes

• ANF101 Full-Duplex HT Nodes

• ANF200 Full-Duplex Mobile Radio Nodes

These are also available as individual components if you want to set up AllStarLink yourself and already have a Mini PC or Raspberry Pi. And then there are the USB interfaces, including the UCI120 for radio-less nodes, and a range of URIs for radio nodes (I have a UCI120).

Finally, he also has various accessories such as the MA1 Mic Adapter, a communications speaker, and refurbished Dell Wyse 3040 Mini PCs.

If you’re looking for a low-cost entry into the AllStarLink world without building a thing, check our the very low-cost ANH100 which is available as a fully assembled and tested module that plugs into any MiniPC/RPi for $99 (URI141-RT85) or as a
complete node for $229 (ANH100). Learn more about this the URI141-RT85 platform in the following YouTube video report:

It’s clear I like David’s products. The audio quality is great (which makes sense, since he is an audio engineer) and the nodes work well. I have other nodes (a ClearNode and a couple of SHARI nodes) but the ones I like the best are David’s designs.

A big thank you to David for the array of devices he has developed that allow the great audio quality inherent in AllStar to shine through.

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4. Could I Build an Amateur VOIP System?

Could I build a voice-over-IP system for amateurs, or perhaps for use at home or at work? Yes. I would do that with FreePBX, probably on a cloud server. Since I have experience with Vultr, I lean toward them as a cloud provider. (I also reviewed some opinions on Digital Ocean vs. Vultr, reinforcing my inclination to use Vultr.)

The fastest way to install FreePBX is to follow their Getting Started instructions at https://www.freepbx.org/get-started/.

FreePBX home page

Another good instruction set is available at https://community.bundystl.com/topic/3/creating-a-freepbx-instance-on-vultr.

Of course, the question really is: does the amateur radio community need another VOIP system? Probably not. But what if you are part of an amateur radio emergency team and want to have control over your communication systems? You could use Hamshack Hotline, HamsOverIP, or AmateurWire, but you are giving up control to someone else. Thus, you might want to create your own service that was private for your group and was completely within your control.

While I could build a voice-over-IP system, I probably won’t. Instead, I’ll continue doing what I started a few years ago: using voip.ms services for my work phone system and for my home phones (under different accounts). I don’t really want to manage another server so for a very limited cost, I let the voip.ms folks handle the infrastructure and provide redundancy. All I have to do is make sure I configure the phones and the services correctly, and occasionally replenish the funds in the accounts. Once the accounts are correctly configured, I’ve had to engage with the system settings very rarely.

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5. A Hidden AllStarLink IP Setting

I recently moved one of my AllStar nodes to a different network, and that means the IP address changed. Since I also had a port conflict on the new network, I added a new server at AllStarLink.org and created a non-conflicting port for the new server, then changed the node to the new server settings.

Since I had already set up this node on my home network, I needed to edit various files to check/change the IP address (and the “bindaddr”) and the port number. These are the files I checked or edited:

• /etc/asterisk/iax.conf

• /etc/asterisk/rpt.conf

• /etc/asterisk/extensions.conf

• /etc/asterisk/manager.conf

• /etc/asterisk/pjsip.conf

• /etc/allmon3/allmon3.ini

After making changes in these files, I rebooted the node…and the IP address was still wrong. I could see that when I tried to log into Allmon3 because Allmon3 showed me the IP address it was trying to contact. It was looking for information at the old IP address.

I double and triple-checked all of the files and found I had made all the right changes in all the right places. After rebooting again, it still wasn’t working right.

So I closed my eyes and thought about all the places the IP address is captured. Since I was having trouble with Allmon3, and since the allmon3.ini file is built from the allmon3.ini.php file, I took a look inside the PHP file. Sure enough, the old IP address was recorded there. Once I corrected the address in that file and rebooted, the system worked as expected.

I didn’t expect the allmon3.ini.php file to be controlling, but it was. I find that strange since the system should be pulling the data from allmon3.ini. Nevertheless, I got it working again.

(I also note the new node that is located 135 miles away is offline. I’m going to have to edit the BIOS settings to make sure it restarts after a power interruption. Unfortunately, the power does drop fairly often at that location.)

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6. How to Check UDP Ports (Debian 12 & ASL 3)

Sometimes you need to see if your UDP ports are open. There are web-based port checkers found online, but these generally check your TCP ports, not UDP. Never fear, there is an easy way to check from the Debian command line with this command:

sudo lsof -nP -iUDP

This command reveals to you the UDP ports that the computer sees as open, not the ones you may think you opened. (Assumptions trip us up quite often when configuring devices!) This command helped me when I was sure I had port 4573 open but the computer saw port 4569, not 4573. Knowing this allowed me to track down and correct the error.

I also made this command a little longer to pipe the output to a file:

sudo lsof -nP -iUDP > /home/thomas/UPD-ports.txt

And since I run Tailscale on my node and on my laptop, I was able to easily send the file to my laptop named “tombook”:

sudo tailscale file cp /home/thomas/UDP-ports.txt tombook:

By the way, you can use the same command for your TCP ports by substituting TCP for UDP:

sudo lsof -nP -iTCP

What you’ll get is a long list of TCP ports — much longer than the list of UDP ports. For AllStar ports, just find the lines that say Allmon3 or Asterisk.

Finally, if you are running the Uncomplicated Firewall (UFW), take a look at the output of this command to see which ports you have open:

sudo ufw status verbose

(For more on how to use the UFW firewall, Digital Ocean has a great guide. While it was written for Ubuntu, it works fine for Debian, too.)

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7. The New Inovato Quadra 4K

You might have missed this news: the Inovato Quadra is now available for 4K displays. If you have a newer large-screen television, this is a great way to have an incredible ham clock display.

Quadra4K

Three months ago, the news was that Inovato was shutting down, but not only have they stayed open, they have added a new 4K device: the Quadra4K. The Quadra4K has WiFi built-in so no external dongle is required.

You can buy the complete kit for $69 or if you want to upgrade your existing system, you can but a conversion for only $39. Note that the Quadra4K conversion is really a replacement of the core unit:

This is the main unit only and replaces your current Quadra. It does not include any power, HDMI, or keyboard accessories. You will continue to use the ones you already have for your existing Quadra.

Find the Inovato store at this link: https://inovato.com/collections/all

7.1 Alternative: Simon’s World Map

As an alternative, you might want to consider Simon’s World Map: https://www.sdr-radio.com/world-map. This is available for Windows 7/8/10/11 systems.

On my laptop, it uses nearly 1 megabyte of memory and about 1.4% of the CPU. Here’s what it looks like at first opening after installing it on Windows 11:

Simon’s World Map

You get time zones, a gray line map, and options in the top bar to customize the data and display. You can track satellites (the default is the ISS). Note that if you have a rotator, Simon’s World Map can control it.

Full support for the ERC Mini, ERC V4 and all Yaesu GS232A/GS232B rotators. DDE interface for other software such as PST Rotator.

You can toggle the detailed menu bar on and off, and when it is off, the display looks very clean. Here is what that looks like (with ISS tracking enabled):

Simon’s World Map with ISS showing and detailed menu hidden

If you have multiple displays, the two icons on the top right of the screen allow you to shift from one display to the other with a single mouse click.

Scroll down the Simon’s World Map home page to learn about more options available when using this application.

While I prefer the Quadra/Quadra4K display, I have say it is great that we have such wonderful options for ham clocks. Whether you choose the GeoChron, Quadra4K, or Simon’s World Map, there is something for everyone!

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8. What is Slowing My PC?

I changed my antivirus program and about the same time my laptop got noticeably slower. I thought it must be the antivirus but after digging in, I’m revising my thinking.

I started with looking at errors and warning in the Event Viewer (more on the Event Viewer here). To start it on Windows 11, open the Start Menu, type eventvwr in the search box, and hit Enter. While the Event Viewer loads in a few moments, it may take longer for the log files to be parsed and displayed.

Examination of the events recorded in the logs revealed several errors. There were missing applications the system was looking for, and others that were timing out at boot. I decided to go through a Clean Boot process to try to eliminate some of the slowdown (more on the Clean Boot process here).

To do this, type msconfig in the Windows start box, then hit Enter. This should open the System Configuration screen. Go to the Services tab and check the “Hide all Microsoft services” box, then click the “Disable all” button and hit the OK button. And then reboot.

System Configuration screen, Services tab

To selectively turn disabled services back on, go through the same process, and enable one services and reboot. Repeat until you find the service that is slowing your machine.

In my case, I didn’t find a single cause, but reducing many of the services did result in a faster bootup process for me.

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9. Interested in M17?

If you are interested in learning more about M17, I encourage you to subscribe to the Zero Retries newsletter: https://www.zeroretries.org/. There is also an M17 group on Groups.io and ready-to-use M17 radios can be purchased from Connect Systems.

If that isn’t enough, the M17 Project folks now have a streaming player so you can listen to M17 reflector traffic in your browser. Don’t get too excited, though — M17 is a new protocol so there are not a lot of users transmitting yet. You may have to wait a bit to hear a transmission.

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10. Trivia: The Rankine Temperature Scale

Maybe if you are nuts for NASA you already know about the Rankine temperature scale. Even though I’ve followed NASA for many, many years (translation: I grew up as a bit of a NASA nerd), I missed this. Fahrenheit and Centigrade scales were covered in my education. So was the Kelvin scale. But Rankine? I hadn’t heard of it.

Says Wikipedia:

The Rankine scale (/ˈræŋkɪn/ RANG-kin) is an absolute scale of thermodynamic temperature named after the University of Glasgow engineer and physicist Macquorn Rankine, who proposed it in 1859.

NASA uses Rankine temperatures. I suspect their engineers find it easier to use Rankine temperatures in a place where Fahrenheit degrees reign supreme, because a Rankine degree is the same as a Fahrenheit degree.

The Rankine scale is used in engineering systems where heat computations are done using degrees Fahrenheit.

Next time you are in a trivia contest, remember the Rankine Temperature Scale!

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11. Closing

Thank you, Lloyd

Thank you to Lloyd KC5FM who has left me a few voice messages on Hamshack Hotline and on AmateurWire. He is obviously well-versed in these voice-over-IP systems for amateur radio!

ARRL membership renewed

I renewed my ARRL membership this month as it was due to expire on March 31, 2025. Normally, I renew for three years at a time, but this time I renewed for a single year. I’m still unhappy with the ARRL’s decision to discontinue the print version of the QST magazine. I had paid my membership in the expectation of receiving the print magazine so to have it dropped did not feel good. Since I run a nonprofit, I have an inkling of the pressures being faced by the ARRL, but better communication would have made it feel a little less onerous.

I remain dissatisfied with the ARRL’s (a) apparent lack of preparation to guard against a malicious cyberattack and (b) subsequent response to it. I still can’t tell what the ARRL is doing to keep the organization and its members safe, although I note that this time, the renewal process is going through an outside vendor. Maybe that’s a good sign. Time will tell. I very much want the ARRL to be successful, but it feels like much of the amateur radio world is moving forward faster than the League is. That gap could easily grow which would contribute to making the ARRL seem irrelevant to more amateur radio licensees. I hope that doesn’t happen.

Having said that, I am happy to see that the Oregon Section of the ARRL has its own website. A separate instance that conveys some ARRL information is a resilient approach. Find it at https://oregonarrl.org/.

By the way, if you’re looking for hamfests near you, check out the ARRL’s searchable system for ARRL-affiliated events: https://www.arrl.org/hamfests/search. Hamfest events often offer more than just the opportunity to score a bargain — you can also connect with friends, find new ones, and learn new things.

Thank you, subscribers!

Thank you for subscribing. Please do take a moment and let me know what you are working on, what your interests are, and other amateur radio-related tidbits! Hit the button, email me directly at tsalzer@pm.me, or try my new 44Net address: kj7t@44net.email.

https://www.qrz.com/db/kj7t