[pskmail] Test version 0.5.alpha1

  • From: Rein Couperus <rein@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: pskmail@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Sun, 19 Aug 2007 11:47:29 +0200

On http://sharon.esrac.le.tue.nl/pub/linux/ham/pskmail/snapshot/client you find 
a new set of 
files which make up a test release of version 0.5.

This release has alpha status.

Main changes:

* complete rewrite of the interface to fldigi, which now works with a SYSV 
message queue.
That means you are not dealing with gmfsk_autofile and gMFSK.log anymore, which 
greatly 
simplifies installation. (You still have to install the perl modules though...).

* software DCD. The client will not transmit when the squelch has been opened 
by another 
station running the pskmail protocol. At the moment this is only implemented in 
the client, 
I am waiting for a fully working version of fldigi to implement it on the 
server as well.

* semi-synchronous polling. Polling is used to pick up a broken link. On an 
established link 
the protocol behaviour is asynchronous, which means the stations transmit in 
turn, answering as 
quickly as possible. If a link is broken through qrm or condx timing used to 
become fully random 
and there would be lots of collisions from stations polling at the same time.
In version 0.5 the station starting the connection (master) is polling in 
seconds 0...4 and the slave 
is polling in seconds 5...9. This way the chance of picking up the link again 
is greatly enhanced.
it will take max. 9 seconds extra  before a poll is released, but if polling is 
necessary there is 
something wrong with the link anyway (a pactor station will need several 
minutes before it goes away).

* RX/IDLE/TX indicator on the GUI.

The signal capturing capabilty of fldigi is now so good that instead of using a 
long preamble 
(CALL) I am trying a 1-character preamble (<US>, ASCII 31) which will also 
trigger the software 
squelch.

This stuff needs testing, let me know what you think...

73,

Rein PA0R
-- 
http://pa0r.blogspirit.com

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