Setting Up AllStarLink ASL3 and Associated Tools

15 minute read

Published: January 10, 2025

This guide walks you through installing and configuring AllStarLink (ASL3) along with several helpful management tools and utilities:

allscan
supermon
allmon3
skywarn plus
dvswitch
digital_link
alltune

Step 1: Install ASL3

Prepare the Raspberry Pi:
- Download and install the Raspberry Pi Imager.
- Select Lite 64-bit OS and configure username, password, and enable SSH.
- Flash the microSD card and boot the Raspberry Pi.

Install ASL3:

sudo -s
apt update && apt upgrade
cd /tmp
wget https://repo.allstarlink.org/public/asl-apt-repos.deb12_all.deb
dpkg -i asl-apt-repos.deb12_all.deb
apt update
apt install asl3

Configure ASL3:
- Run the ASL configuration menu:
```
asl-menu
```
- Adjust node settings as needed and save.
- For my setup, I set CTCSS From to usb instead of usbinvert

Access ASL3 at http://<your_ip_address>:9090.

Step 2: Configure ASL3 Components

SimpleUSB Configuration

Edit the simpleusb.conf file to set up your hardware interface:

nano /etc/asterisk/simpleusb.conf

Configure Audio Levels

Restart Asterisk and test the setup:

asterisk -r
rpt fun <your_node_number> *355553

Speak into the microphone and adjust the audio settings so that the meter just touches the 5kHz level. Disconnect when done with:

rpt fun <your_node_number> *155553

To set the audio transmit level, edit /etc/asterisk/simpleusb.conf and set the rxmixerset value. I went with a value around 650, such that running asterisk -rvvv (after restarting asterisk) and rpt debug level 7 decodes and displays DTMF codes being sent and audio levels “just about right” or at least just a bit low when testing on node 55553. I found that setting the audio level to the “just about right” setting caused the DTMF tones to be oversaturated and fail to decode, so I adjusted this to a slightly lower value.

Test AllStarLink Connection

Connect to Allstar Echo node: 40894 via the radio by entering *340894 to connect (and speak / echo), and *140894 to disconnect.

Allmon3 Setup

Install Allmon3:
```
apt install allmon3
```
Configure Allmon3 settings in /etc/allmon3/allmon3.ini according to these instructions. Be sure to remove the allmon3 user account and add an admin password:
Update passwords:
```
allmon3-passwd --delete allmon3
allmon3-passwd admin
```
Uncomment / set account and manager.conf secret for node 1999.

Restart services:

systemctl restart asterisk
systemctl start allmon3

Access Allmon3 at http://<your_ip_address>/allmon3.

Echolink Setup

Edit the following files to configure Echolink: /etc/asterisk/echolink.conf and /etc/asterisk/modules.conf.

In /etc/asterisk/modules.conf, add or uncomment this line: load => chan_echolink.so. If there is a similar line with noload =>, comment that out.

In /etc/asterisk/echolink.conf, add your AllStarLink node number and set your personal EchoLink information.

Load the Echolink module and restart Asterisk:

systemctl restart asterisk

Test by connecting to *33009999 (EchoLink echo test 9999); then *13009999 to disconnect. To connect to an EchoLink node, dial *33 followed by a 6 digit EchoLink node number. If the node number is fewer than 6 digits long, prepend the node number with enough zeroes to make a 6 digit number. For example, EchoLink node 9999 is entered as 009999.

Step 3: Install and Configure DVSwitch

Install DVSwitch:

wget http://dvswitch.org/bookworm
chmod +x bookworm
./bookworm
apt update
apt install dvswitch-server
apt install php-cgi libapache2-mod-php8.2

Configure DVSwitch:
```
cd /usr/local/dvs
./dvs
```
You can set modes from the dvs menu under Advanced - Configure Other Stanzas (Edit <mode>), Additional DMR Networks, and Configure Favorite TG. Additionally, you may be able to set up DV3000 USB as the vocoder here if available for D-Star support under the initial setup menu, in the Hardware Vocoder section (for example, if you have a USB ThumbDV AMBE vocoder device).
Edit configuration files as needed: In /opt/Analog_Bridge/Analog_Bridge.ini, under [USRP], set:
```
txPort = 32001                          ; Transmit USRP frames on this port
rxPort = 34001                          ; Listen for USRP frames on this port
usrpAudio  AUDIO_USE_GAIN
usrpGain = 3.00
tlvAudio = AUDIO_USE_GAIN
```
In /opt/MMDVM_Bridge/MMDVM_Bridge.ini, set Jitter=750 under [DMR Network], and set RX/TXFrequency to 433800000 under [Info]. You can also set your contact information in this file.
Set up private node 1999 in ASL3 to bridge to DVSwitch:
```
 sudo asl-menu
```
Under Node Settings - AllStar Node Settings - Add Node with the following parameters: node number 1999, “None of the Above”, “Radio Interface USRP”, and “Duplex Type 0 / Half”.
Test by connecting/disconnecting to node 1999 in allmon3. You must connect your ASL node to 1999 before using DVSwitch. You can dial *31999 to do this (and *11999 to disconnect).

Enable and start DVSwitch services:

systemctl enable analog_bridge mmdvm_bridge md380-emu
systemctl start analog_bridge mmdvm_bridge md380-emu

Test DVSwitch:

/opt/MMDVM_Bridge/dvswitch.sh mode YSF
/opt/MMDVM_Bridge/dvswitch.sh tune parrot.ysfreflector.de:42020

In general, you can connect to any mode and endpoint via:

/opt/MMDVM_Bridge/dvswitch.sh mode {DMR|NXDN|P25|YSF|DSTAR} # Set Analog_Bridge digital mode
/opt/MMDVM_Bridge/dvswitch.sh tune <tg> # Tune to specific TG number/Reflector

Don’t forget to connect to node 1999 either through DTMF tones, or through allmon3. You can change digital modes using the web interface at http://<your_ip_address>/index.php.

Enable DVSwitch Mode Switcher Frontend:
```
 sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade && sudo apt install git nodejs
 git clone https://github.com/firealarmss/dvswitch_mode_switcher.git
 cd dvswitch_mode_switcher
```
Follow the instructions in dvswitch_mode_switcher-README.md.txt within the above repository.
```
 cd /opt/dvswitch_mode_switcher
 cp debian/dvswitch_mode_switcher.service /etc/systemd/system/dvswitch_mode_switcher.service
 systemctl daemon-reload
 systemctl enable dvswitch_mode_switcher.service
 systemctl start dvswitch_mode_switcher.service
```
Then, log onto the ASL3 Cockpit at http://<your_ip_address>:9090 to update the firewall to allow port 3000 access. After logging in, click Networking on the left, click Edit Rules and Zones in the firewall panel, click Custom Ports, and enable port 3000 over TCP.
Access the portal via http://<your_ip_address>:3000. Again, be sure to connect to node 1999 first! You can edit your favorite digital talkgroups by editing the /opt/dvswitch_mode_switcher/configs/tg_alias.yml file. For example:
```
 - tgid: "yourbrandmeisterpasswordhere@3102.repeater.net:62031!4000"
   alias: Brandmeister Unlink
```

Step 4: Install and Configure Supermon

Install Supermon:

cd /usr/local/sbin
wget "http://2577.asnode.org:43856/supermonASL_fresh_install" -O supermonASL_fresh_install
chmod +x supermonASL_fresh_install
./supermonASL_fresh_install

Configure Supermon:
- Edit allmon.ini and global.inc in /var/www/html/supermon/.
- Set up .htpasswd for authentication:
```
htpasswd -cB /var/www/html/supermon/.htpasswd admin
```

Enable automatic database updates:

systemctl enable asl3-update-astdb.service asl3-update-astdb.timer
systemctl start asl3-update-astdb.timer

Access Supermon at http://<your_ip_address>/supermon.
Update supermon with /usr/local/sbin/supermonASL_latest_update
Edit /var/www/html/supermon/almon.ini to modify the top menu. For example, you can add links to all the URLs from the tools in this document for easy access.

Step 5: Configure Skywarn Plus

bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Mason10198/SkywarnPlus/main/swp-install)"

Configuration

Configure /usr/local/bin/SkywarnPlus/config.yaml file according to readme instructions.
Add these lines to enable weather alert tail messages at a certain interval of activity:
```
tailmessagetime=60000
tailsquashedtime=30000
tailmessagelist=/tmp/SkywarnPlus/wx-tail
```

Add to root crontab:

* * * * * /usr/bin/python3 /usr/local/bin/SkywarnPlus/ASL3_Supermon_Workaround.py
* * * * * /usr/local/bin/SkywarnPlus/SkywarnPlus.py
* * * * * chown -R asterisk:asterisk /tmp/SkywarnPlus 

Follow these instructions to add time and weather hourly announcements. Add or modify your root crontab as follows:
```
00 00-23 * * * /usr/bin/perl /usr/local/sbin/saytime.pl 19320 62933 > /dev/null
```

Allscan

Follow these instructions.

sudo apt update; sudo apt install php unzip -y
cd ~
wget 'https://raw.githubusercontent.com/davidgsd/AllScan/main/AllScanInstallUpdate.php'
chmod 755 AllScanInstallUpdate.php
sudo ./AllScanInstallUpdate.php

Edit /etc/php/8.2/cli/php.ini and uncomment extension=pdo_sqlite and extension=sqlite3.

Test at http://<your-ip-address>/allscan (set up initial user). You can now use allscan to connect/disconnect instead of allmon3 or DTMF.

Edit favorite nodes at /var/www/html/supermon/favorites.ini:

label[] = "Label"
cmd[] = "rpt cmd %node% ilink 3 <node number>"
label[] = "Echolink Label"
cmd[] = "rpt cmd %node% ilink 3 3<0 prepadded 6 digit node number>"

Alltune

Follow the instructions at the download provided here. Extract the web files to /var/www/html/alltune and access at http://<your-ip-address>/alltune.

IAX Configuration

You can access your AllStarNode from an Android device or other IAX connection by adding the following stanza to /etc/asterisk/iax.conf:

[iaxclient]                      ; Connect from iax client (Zoiper...)
type = friend                    ; Notice type here is friend <--------------
context = iax-client             ; Context to jump to in extensions.conf
auth = md5
secret = your-secret-password-here
host = dynamic
disallow = all
allow = ulaw
allow = adpcm
allow = gsm
transfer = no
requirecalltoken=no ; to allow all connections
;calltokenoptional=0.0.0.0/0.0.0.0 ; to connect from a particular IP address

And add this in the /etc/asterisk/extensions.conf file:

[iax-client]                            ; for IAX VoIP clients.
exten => ${NODE},1,Ringing()
        same => n,Wait(10)
        same => n,Answer()
        same => n,Set(CALLSIGN=${CALLERID(name)})
        same => n,NoOp(Caller ID name is ${CALLSIGN})
        same => n,NoOp(Caller ID number is ${CALLERID(number)})
        same => n,GotoIf(${ISNULL(${CALLSIGN})}?hangit)
        same => n,Playback(rpt/connected-to&rpt/node)
        same => n,SayDigits(${NODE})
        same => n,rpt(${NODE}|P|${CALLSIGN}-P)
        same => n(hangit),NoOp(No Caller ID Name)
        same => n,Playback(connection-failed)
        same => n,Wait(1)
        same => n,Hangup

You can then configure DroidStar by adding the following in the Hosts section: IAX <your node number> <your node IP address> 4569 iaxclient your-secret-password-here, and choose your node under the IAX hosts section on the main tab. You might have to update your databases and hosts with the buttons under Settings prior to use. Once connected, you can issue DTMF codes to connect/disconnect, and use the PTT button to transmit.

Digital Link DTMF Tuning

Installation and Configuration

Clone this repository to your AllStar node /opt directory, via:

cd /opt
git clone https://github.com/BillJr99/digital_link

Within the digital_link directory, there is a minimal amount of configuration. Copy the file switch_modes.conf.sample to switch_modes.conf, and create as many sections as you like. Some modes do not need all the fields, and these are set to NA in the template. The modemaster defines the first two DTMF tones one will send to link to that mode and master. For example, 12 will select the TGIF network on DMR, since 1 represents DMR, and 2 represents TGIF. Ensure that all masters within the same mode have the same first modemaster digit: for example, all DMR networks should have a first modemaster digit of 1, and all D-STAR networks should have a first modemaster digit of 2. The actual digit is your choice, as long as you do not select 0 for the mode or the master digit (these are reserved for unlinking). Set the mode to DMR, D-STAR, YSF, NXDN, or P25 as appropriate, as well as the host, port, and password, if applicable.

Within digital_link.sh, set your AllStar node number and linked digital node (i.e., 1999) for NODE_ID and LINKED_NODE_ID, respectively.

Finally, ensure that /opt/digital_link/dvswitch_links.log is owned by the asterisk user, and that the digital_link.sh script is executable:

sudo touch dvswitch_links.log
sudo chown asterisk:asterisk dvswitch_links.log
chmod a+x digital_link.sh

switch_modes.conf Example

[DMR_BrandMeister]
modemaster=11
mode=DMR
url=3102.master.brandmeister.network
port=62031
password=PASSWORD
type=NA

[DMR_TGIF]
modemaster=12
mode=DMR
url=tgif.network
port=62031
password=PASSWORD
type=NA

[DMR_DMRPLUS]
modemaster=13
mode=DMR
url=45.79.197.51
port=55555
password=PASSWORD
type=NA

[DSTAR_REF]
modemaster=21
mode=D-STAR
url=NA
port=NA
password=NA
type=REF

[DSTAR_XLX]
modemaster=22
mode=D-STAR
url=NA
port=NA
password=NA
type=XLX

[DSTAR_DCS]
modemaster=23
mode=D-STAR
url=NA
port=NA
password=NA
type=DCS

[DSTAR_XRF]
modemaster=24
mode=D-STAR
url=NA
port=NA
password=NA
type=XRF

[YSF_PARROT]
modemaster=31
mode=YSF
url=register.ysfreflector.de
port=42020
password=NA
type=NA

[YSF_USALINK]
modemaster=32
mode=YSF
url=americalink.hamfm.com
port=42000
password=NA
type=NA

[YSF_KCWIDE]
modemaster=33
mode=YSF
url=ysf.kansascitywide.com
port=42000
password=NA
type=NA

[NXDN]
modemaster=41
mode=NXDN
url=NA
port=NA
password=NA
type=NA

[P25]
modemaster=51
mode=P25
url=NA
port=NA
password=NA
type=NA

Mapping to Asterisk

You can assign a dialplan to Asterisk so that the DTMF tones for a given code pattern will be forwarded to this script. I used AA as my entry code, and recommend choosing the same two-digit/character sequence. This is important because the rpt.conf will read and consume the first digit, and then pass the remaining to the dialplan. The second digit allows the dialplan to match the rest of the string, in case you have other dialplan patterns in place. This resulting string (starting with a single A) is passed to the script for parsing.

`/etc/asterisk/rpt.conf`

Modify rpt.conf under the [functions] section by adding the following line (replace A with the DTMF tone you’d like to match to run the script):

A = autopatchup,context=digital_link,noct=1,farenddisconnect=1,dialtime=60000,quiet=1

`/etc/asterisk/extensions.conf`

Modify extensions.conf by adding the following stanza (again, replace _A. with _@., where @ is the DTMF tone you used in rpt.conf above):

[digital_link]
; Match extensions explicitly ending with D
exten => _A.,1,GotoIf($["${EXTEN:-1}"="D"]?ends_with_D:normal)
; If it ends with D, replace the last character with #
exten => _A.,n(ends_with_D),System(/opt/digital_link/digital_link.sh ${EXTEN:0:-1}#)
exten => _A.,n,Hangup
; If it does not end with D, process normally
exten => _A.,n(normal),System(/opt/digital_link/digital_link.sh ${EXTEN})
exten => _A.,n,Hangup

Usage

Assuming you used A to start the autopatch and for the exten rules above, you can send the following DTMF tones to your AllStarLink node to activate DVSwitch, change/unlink modes, and change/unlink talkgroups. All commands will begin with *AA. The first A is provided to Asterisk, the second A is matched by the autopatch extension rules, and the entire string starting with (and including) the second A is passed to the digital_link.sh script and parsed.

*AA <mode digit> <master> <optional TG> <optional D key>

<mode digit>: The mode digit is the first digit in switch_modes.conf that corresponds to the modemaster of the master and/or talkgroup you wish to connect to. For example, DMR corresponds to 1, and D-STAR corresponds to 2 in the template provided by switch_modes.conf.
<master>: The master digit is the second digit in switch_modes.conf that corresponds to the modemaster of the master and/or talkgorup you wish to connect to. For example, Brandmeister corresponds to 1 and TGIF corresponds to 2 for DMR, and REF corresponds to 1 and XLX corresponds to 2 for D-STAR.
<TG>: The talkgroup you wish to connect to; for example, 9999. This can be omitted if there is no specific talkgroup on the master being connected to (i.e., when using YSF). On D-STAR, this is the numeric component, so to connect to REF030C, one would press the digit corresponding to REF for the <master> digit previously, and then enter 030C.
<optional D key>: Sending the D DTMF tone at the end of the command indicates that a private call should be made on DMR, or to link to the Echo repeater on D-STAR. This is translated to a # character and passed to DVSwitch as either a escaped # character, or as the E echo tone on D-STAR, as appropriate.

Linking

The first time you issue one of these commands, Asterisk will unlink from any connected nodes other than your digital-analog bridge node (i.e., 1999), and link to your digital-analog bridge node if it wasn’t already linked.

Examples

These examples assume the stock configuration in digital_link.sh, with spaces added to the commands for clarity (note that the entire set of tones is entered as a single transmission):

Connect to REF030C on D-STAR: *AA 21 030C
Connect to REF001E on D-STAR: *AA 21 001D
Connect to 9990 (Private call) on DMR Brandmeister: *AA 11 9990D
Connect to TG 91 on DMR Brandmeister: *AA 11 91
Connect to Parrot on YSF: *AA 31
Connect to AmericaLink on YSF: *AA 32
Connect to TG 101 on DMR TGIF: *AA 12 101

Unlinking

When you switch modes, the unlink command for the current mode is issued. You can force an unlink by entering *AA 0. If you wish to unlink from the current digital mode and also unlink from your digital-analog bridge node entirely on AllStar, you can enter *AA 00.

References

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Bill Mongan