sa818 0.1.4

SA818 Programming Software

SA818 Programming

My friend (W6IPA) and I developed a versatile Raspberry-Pi hat that can be used for Allstar, Echolink, APRS, or any digital modes.

We use the program in this GitHub repository to program the radio module SA818 used for the Pi-Hat.

We have some PCB left. We are selling them for $25 on tindie. You can also visit the this blog post about this program

Before programming the SA818 module, make sure you consult the band plan for your country and transmit on a frequency you are allowed to use.

Intallation

The easiest way to install is program is to use the command pip. Pip will automatically take care of installing the dependencies.

$ sudo pip install sa818

You can also clone this repository and use the setup.py script with the following command. You will have to install the python package pyserial manually. To install dependencies, refer to the manual of your operating system.

$ git clone https://github.com/0x9900/SA818.git
$ sudo python3 setup.py install

Example

[root@allstar ~]# sa818 version
SA818: INFO: Firmware version: V4.2

[root@allstar ~]# sa818 radio --frequency 145.230 --offset -.6 --ctcss 100
SA818: INFO: +DMOSETGROUP:0, RX frequency: 145.2300, TX frequency: 144.6300, ctcss: 100.0, squelch: 4, OK

[root@allstar ~]# sa818 volume --level 5
SA818: INFO: +DMOSETVOLUME:0 Volume level: 5

If you use an FTDI dongle to program the SA828 module the USB port can be specified with the --port argument

[root@allstar ~]# sa818 --port /dev/ttyAMA0 volume --level 5
SA818: INFO: +DMOSETVOLUME:0 Volume level: 5

Usage

This program has for sections:

• radio: Program the radio's frequency, tone and squelch level
• volume: Set the volume level
• filters: Turn on or off the [pre/de]-emphasis and as well as the high and low pass filter
• version: display the firmware version of the SA818 module

usage: sa818 [-h] [--port PORT] [--debug]
                {radio,volume,filters,version} ...

generate configuration for switch port

positional arguments:
  {radio,volume,filters,version}
    radio               Program the radio (frequency/tome/squelch)
    volume              Set the volume level
    filters             Set filters
    version             Show the firmware version of the SA818

optional arguments:
  -h, --help            show this help message and exit
  --port PORT           Serial port [default: linux console port]
  --debug

Radio

usage: sa818 radio [-h] --frequency FREQUENCY [--offset OFFSET]
                      [--squelch SQUELCH] [--ctcss CTCSS | --dcs DCS]

optional arguments:
  -h, --help            show this help message and exit
  --frequency FREQUENCY
                        Transmit frequency
  --offset OFFSET       0.0 for no offset [default: 0.0]
  --squelch SQUELCH     Squelch value (1 to 9) [default: 4]
  --ctcss CTCSS         CTCSS (PL Tone) 0 for no CTCSS [default: None]
  --dcs DCS             DCS code must me the number followed by [N normal] or
                        [I inverse] [default: None]

Volume

usage: sa818 volume [-h] [--level LEVEL]

optional arguments:
  -h, --help     show this help message and exit
  --level LEVEL  Volume value (1 to 8) [default: 4]

Filters

usage: sa818 filters [-h] [--emphasis EMPHASIS] [--highpass HIGHPASS]
                        [--lowpass LOWPASS]

optional arguments:
  -h, --help           show this help message and exit
  --emphasis EMPHASIS  Enable [Pr/De]-emphasis (yes/no) [default: no]
  --highpass HIGHPASS  Enable high pass filter (yes/no) [default: no]
  --lowpass LOWPASS    Enable low pass filters (yes/no) [default: no]

CTCSS codes (PL Tones)

67.0, 71.9, 74.4, 77.0, 79.7, 82.5, 85.4, 88.5, 91.5, 94.8, 97.4,
100.0, 103.5, 107.2, 110.9, 114.8, 118.8, 123.0, 127.3, 131.8, 136.5,
141.3, 146.2, 151.4, 156.7, 162.2, 167.9, 173.8, 179.9, 186.2, 192.8,
203.5, 210.7, 218.1, 225.7, 233.6, 241.8, 250.3

DCS Codes

DCS codes must be followed by N or I for Normal or Inverse:

Example: 047I

023, 025, 026, 031, 032, 036, 043, 047, 051, 053, 054, 065, 071, 072,
073, 074, 114, 115, 116, 122, 125, 131, 132, 134, 143, 145, 152, 155,
156, 162, 165, 172, 174, 205, 212, 223, 225, 226, 243, 244, 245, 246,
251, 252, 255, 261, 263, 265, 266, 271, 274, 306, 311, 315, 325, 331,
332, 343, 346, 351, 356, 364, 365, 371, 411, 412, 413, 423, 431, 432,
445, 446, 452, 454, 455, 462, 464, 465, 466, 503, 506, 516, 523, 526,
532, 546, 565, 606, 612, 624, 627, 631, 632, 654, 662, 664, 703, 712,
723, 731, 732, 734, 743, 754