[aprssig] Stand alone TNC use, due to some incompatability somewhere...

[Dave B]

I remember somewhere, there is a tool or website that will "generate" a 
BeaconText string, to enter into a TNC only digi so as to form a sensible 
beacon, showing symbol & location etc, from what you tell it in plain 
language (Lat/Long and other data etc.)

Anyone else know what or where?

So far, doing it manually, I've failed to create one that works, the best 
I get is seeing my beacon packet getting digi'd, but never appearing on 
APRIS.fi.  If I use a TH-D7, then I appear after the first squawk.

I'm trying to use one or two "spare" TNC's as ocasional fill-in digi's.  
(TNC-220's, with V5.0.0 firmware.)  The TNC's themselves work well, 
despite dead backup batteries.

I have command line tools that can initialise a TNC, and "set it up" as 
needed, just fine.

I'm Trying it this way, as....

Despite having had it working in the past on Windows 7(32 bit) since many 
months of updates, UiView now is totally unable to receive real serial 
data from anything, irrespective of what flavor of USB<>RS232 devices I 
use.  It still sends the commands on startup, that the TNC accepts. (I've 
intercepted the serial line, and can see that, and the TNC's correct 
replies.)  Just that UiView never sees those replies, or any monitored 
data.  Running a duplicate install on an older PC (unreliable) that has 
real com-ports, but more significantly is running Win2k, it all works 
fine.

And I can't get YAAC to handle the TNC either on W7 even if I first put 
into KISS mode before YAAC starts.  The June 16 build I think (I'm not at 
that PC just now.)  The same issue perhaps?

When YAAC starts, there is a warning in the console window regarding a 
"RXTX Lib" being the wrong version.   But no other "errors."

The TNC is on COM8: via any one of several (one at a time) USB<>serial 
adapters, using (genuine!)Prolific or FTDI chipsets.

All the usual system tools relating to serial com's, Hyperterminal, 
PuTTY, and some stuff I've created, work fine with the TNC on the same 
PC, W7 and USB<>Serial adapters, even hardware handshaking etc up at 
19200 baud on the TNC<>PC link is rock solid for hours of monitoring.

The same USB<>Serial devices also work fine for general rig control with 
many different software packages (and rig's.)  Some using the hardware 
handshake lines for PTT/Keying etc.

Idea's anyone?

73.

Dave G0WBX.