Jim, All I can say is WOW! I love the fact that you don't need a "COMPUTER" at the remote site and you don't need to deal with the "PORT FORWARDING" issue or network provisioning as well. It sure seems like you guys have made a simple, easy to use product that is really a good bargain. When you start adding up the cost of hardware to build an Allstar node the "Old Fashion Way" <GRIN> with a computer and Sound FOB, the RTCM sure seems to be a pretty good deal. And it is very small and does not take up any space in the equipment rack at a repeater site. Marshall _____ From: Jim Duuuude [mailto:telesistant@hotmail.com] Sent: Wednesday, December 21, 2011 12:52 PM To: Marshall Oldham; app_rpt mailing list Subject: RE: [App_rpt-users] Allstar RTCM (Radio Thin Client Module) is nowavailable Yeah you got it. Another thing I probably should have mentioned is that the RTCM/Voter module uses an Internet protocol that is specifically designed to work on ANY Internet connection from which "generic web surfing" is possible (behind any number of NAT routers/firewalls, etc and where LAN address is provided via DHCP). No "port forwarding" or "network provisioning" nightmares are necessary. You can just plug it in and it works. JIM WB6NIL _____ From: ke6pcv@cal-net.org To: telesistant@hotmail.com; app_rpt-users@ohnosec.org Subject: RE: [App_rpt-users] Allstar RTCM (Radio Thin Client Module) is nowavailable Date: Wed, 21 Dec 2011 12:23:28 -0800 Jim, Okay so one server running Allstar node software at a central location (like my house) can support a dozen RTCM's being used as "Generic" conventional full duplex (repeaters) radio interfaces on far away hilltops even if I do not want to use the RTCM GPS-Timing Multi receiver voting or Simulcast Transmitter features? As long as I have some sort of internet connection at the remote sites back to my house? If I understand this correctly this would mean that: 1) No cost of computer at the radio site. 2) No worry about the node computer locking up at the remote radio site and having to reboot or reset it. 3) No cost other than the RTCM (Radio Thin Client Module) to setup an Allstar node at the remote radio site. (no computer, no URI, no Sound FOB) 4) If I use the RTCM (Radio Thin Client Module) I have the ability to setup a normal Allstar node at the present time and then later if I want to I can upgrade the hilltop for GPS-Timing Multi receiver voting and Simulcast Transmitter by simply adding a GPS receiver at the site and reconfiguring the software. If so, this seems like a pretty cool little piece of hardware! Marshall - ke6pcv _____ From: Jim Duuuude [mailto:telesistant@hotmail.com] Sent: Wednesday, December 21, 2011 11:52 AM To: Marshall Oldham; app_rpt mailing list Subject: RE: [App_rpt-users] Allstar RTCM (Radio Thin Client Module) is nowavailable Yeah, that's the general idea. The location of the Linux server running app_rpt/Asterisk can be more or less anywhere within Internet connectivity of all of the receiver and/or transmitter sites. Of course, "Internet" can mean either some sort of public Internet connection, or a privately-provided Internet connection (low-cost microwave link(s), etc). The only limitation is that an RTCM/Voter module *must* be located on the same LAN as the Linux server, to at least provide a GPS-based timing reference. A system could be set up with a server located in some sort of datacenter "on the ground", and all the radios could have an RTCM "on the hill" with them, and as long as there is Internet connectivity of some sort between each of them and the server, the system will work nicely. That is providing that there is an RTCM located at the server location also (whether or not that particular RTCM has radio hardware connected to it or not). One minimal Linux server can easily support 1 or 2 dozen RTCM's (on 1 or 2 allstar nodes), and a larger server could easily support MANY dozens of them on dozens of allstar nodes. Of course, you REALLY dont want to put too many of them on a single server, being a potential single point of failure. For pretty much any practical purpose, the reasonable limitation is the point of failure/redundancy issue, not technical limitations. I'm not sure if you were clear on this, so I thought I would mention that the RTCM is not just usable as a GPS-timing-based Multi-Receiver Voting system and/or a Simulcast Transmitter system. It can also be used as a "generic" radio interface for a conventional (non-GPS-based) either simplex or full duplex (repeater) radio. The advantage of doing this would be to not have the Linux host "on the hill" with the radio (as mentioned above). In addition, the RTCM allows for portable/mobile operation with a mobile/portable Internet connection in both the GPS-based and non-GPS-based environments. JIM WB6NIL _____ From: ke6pcv@cal-net.org To: app_rpt-users@ohnosec.org Date: Wed, 21 Dec 2011 10:54:18 -0800 Subject: Re: [App_rpt-users] Allstar RTCM (Radio Thin Client Module) is nowavailable I have been looking at the Allstar RTCM (Radio Thin Client Module) and it really looks like a GREAT product and addition to the already cool Allstar hardware. Among all the other cool features of the RTCM (Radio Thin Client Module) like Transmitter Simulcasting and Receiver Voting, if I understand the documentation correctly you can use this very small Radio Thin Client Module at a remote radio site to set up an Allstar repeater node if the site has internet connection without a COMPUTER at the site? Then you can point the node on the hilltop back to a server on the ground somewhere that is easy to get too? How many total sites can you use Radio Thin Client Modules on and point back to a single server on the ground? If this is the case, All I can say is WOW, how cool! 73 Marshall _____ From: app_rpt-users-bounces@ohnosec.org [mailto:app_rpt-users-bounces@ohnosec.org] On Behalf Of Mark Guibord Sent: Sunday, December 18, 2011 11:03 AM To: app_rpt-users@ohnosec.org Subject: [App_rpt-users] Allstar RTCM (Radio Thin Client Module) is nowavailable Allstar RTCM Radio Thin-Client Module, an Open-Source VOIP-Based Voting Multi-Receiver and Simulcast Transmit System is now available for purchase. For more information visit http://micro-node.com/thin-m1.html Regards, Mark Guibord Micro-Node International _______________________________________________ App_rpt-users mailing list App_rpt-users@ohnosec.org http://ohnosec.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/app_rpt-users