Chattervox Install Instructions

chattervox_install_macos.md

Chattervox on MacOS

Install Direwolf

The official Direwolf User Manual uses MacPorts to manage installation and dependencies. I don't particularly like MacPorts, so here are some instructions for installing Direwolf via Homebrew.

# Install Direwolf via Homebrew
brew install tdsmith/ham/direwolf
# If this installed without any errors, great, skip ahead to the next section!

# If that didn't seem to work, try...
brew doctor
brew install hamlib
brew link hamlib

# and then try installing direwolf again
brew install tdsmith/ham/direwolf

Configure Direwolf

Next copy this direwolf.conf file to your home directory (e.g. ~/direwolf.conf). This is where Direwolf will load its configuration from by default.

Next, plug in a TRRS (Tip Ring Ring Sleeve) audio cable into your Mac. This cable must be plugged in before running the next command, so that we can get the correct name of the audio input and output devices on your machine.

dirwolf

You should see something like this printed to the screen.

Dire Wolf DEVELOPMENT version 1.4 E (Feb 24 2019)
Includes optional support for:  hamlib

Reading config file direwolf.conf
Audio input device for receive: External Microphone:0  (channel 0)
Audio out device for transmit: External Headphones:1  (channel 0)
Number of devices = 4
--------------------------------------- device #0
[ Default Input ]
Name        = "External Microphone"
Host API    = Core Audio
Max inputs  = 1
Max outputs = 0
--------------------------------------- device #1
[ Default Output ]
Name        = "External Headphones"
Host API    = Core Audio
Max inputs  = 0
Max outputs = 2
--------------------------------------- device #2
Name        = "MacBook Pro Microphone"
Host API    = Core Audio
Max inputs  = 1
Max outputs = 0
--------------------------------------- device #3
Name        = "MacBook Pro Speakers"
Host API    = Core Audio
Max inputs  = 0
Max outputs = 2

If direwolf keeps running without exiting, the default direwolf.conf configuration is likely suitable for your install. If it quits with a message like "pointless to continue with no audio device", we need to edit the ~/direwolf.conf so that it uses the correct microphone and speaker device names and input numbers.

Using the audio device information output by Direwolf, edit this line in ~/direwolf.conf:

ADEVICE	  "External Microphone:0" "External Headphones:1"

Using the following format, replacing *_NAME and *_DEVICE_NUMBER with the corresponding name and device number of the microphone and speaker used by the TRRS cable:

ADEVICE "MICROPHONE_NAME:MICROPHONE_DEVICE_NUMBER" "SPEAKER_NAME:SPEAKER_DEVICE_NUMBER"

Once you've edited the config, try running direwolf again.

Install Chattervox

If you already have npm, installing Chattervox is easy:

npm install -g --cli chattervox

If you don't yet have npm, I recommend installing it with the Node Version Manager.

curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/creationix/nvm/v0.34.0/install.sh | bash
source ~/.bash_profile # or ~/.bashrc, whatever you use

# Install Node.js 8
nvm install v8

npm install -g --cli chattervox

You should now have Chattervox installed! Run chattervox chat to get started.

Troubleshooting

There have been reports that some folks have trouble getting certain MacBook versions to recognize the microphone device when using an APRS cable with a Baofeng. This user was able to trick their MacBook into behaving as expected like so:

I use a MacBook Air and a MacBook Pro. The air doesn’t have any problem when connecting via TRRS. However my newer Pro has a quirk where it won’t recognize when I plug my ham radio into the TRRS. I found a way around the glitch. I plug in a pair of Apple TRRS headphones, confirm the headphones/mic are working, then quickly unplug the headphones and plug in the radio adapter cable. Starts working fine after that. Hope that works for ya.

direwolf.conf

#############################################################
#                                                           #
#               Configuration file for Dire Wolf            #
#                                                           #
#                   Macintosh version                       #
#                                                           #
#############################################################
#
# Consult the User Guide for more details on configuration options.
#
#
# These are the most likely settings you might change:
#
#	(1)   	MYCALL 	-  call sign and SSID for your station.
#
#			Look for lines starting with MYCALL and
#			change NOCALL to your own.
#
#	(2)	PBEACON	-  enable position beaconing.
#
#			Look for lines starting with PBEACON and
#			modify for your call, location, etc.
#
#	(3)	DIGIPEATER  -  configure digipeating rules.
#
#			Look for lines starting with DIGIPEATER.
#			Most people will probably use the given example.
#			Just remove the "#" from the start of the line
#			to enable it.
#
#	(4)	IGSERVER, IGLOGIN  - IGate server and login
#
#			Configure an IGate client to relay messages between
#			radio and internet servers.
#
#
# The default location is "direwolf.conf" in the current working directory.
# An alternate configuration file location can be specified with the "-c" command line option.
#
# As you probably guessed by now, # indicates a comment line.
#
# Remove the # at the beginning of a line if you want to use a sample
# configuration that is currently commented out.
#
# Commands are a keyword followed by parameters.
#
# Command key words are case insensitive.  i.e. upper and lower case are equivalent.
#
# Command parameters are generally case sensitive.  i.e. upper and lower case are different.
#


#############################################################
#                                                           #
#               FIRST AUDIO DEVICE PROPERTIES               #
#               (Channel 0 + 1 if in stereo)                #
#                                                           #
#############################################################

#
# Many people will simply use the default sound device.
# Some might want to use an alternative device by chosing it here.
#
# Macintosh Operating System uses portaudio driver for audio
# input/output. Default device selection not available. User/OP
# must configure the sound input/output option.  Note that
# the device names can contain spaces.  In this case, the names
# must be enclosed by quotes.
#
# Examples:
#
# ADEVICE  "USB Audio Codec:6"  "USB Audio Codec:5"
#
#
# ADEVICE UDP:7355 default
#

ADEVICE	  "External Microphone:0" "External Headphones:1"

#
# Number of audio channels for this souncard:  1 or 2.
#

ACHANNELS 1
#ACHANNELS 2


#############################################################
#                                                           #
#               SECOND AUDIO DEVICE PROPERTIES              #
#               (Channel 2 + 3 if in stereo)                #
#                                                           #
#############################################################

#ADEVICE1  ...


#############################################################
#                                                           #
#               THIRD AUDIO DEVICE PROPERTIES               #
#               (Channel 4 + 5 if in stereo)                #
#                                                           #
#############################################################

#ADEVICE2  ...


#############################################################
#                                                           #
#               CHANNEL 0 PROPERTIES                        #
#                                                           #
#############################################################

CHANNEL 0

#
# The following MYCALL, MODEM, PTT, etc. configuration items
# apply to the most recent CHANNEL.
#

#
# Station identifier for this channel.
# Multiple channels can have the same or different names.
#
# It can be up to 6 letters and digits with an optional ssid.
# The APRS specification requires that it be upper case.
#
# Example (don't use this unless you are me):  MYCALL	WB2OSZ-5
#

MYCALL N0CALL

#
# Pick a suitable modem speed based on your situation.
#	1200 	Most common for VHF/UHF.  Default if not specified.
#	300	Low speed for HF SSB.
#	9600	High speed - Can't use Microphone and Speaker connections.
#
# In the simplest form, just specify the speed.
#

MODEM 1200
#MODEM 300
#MODEM 9600

#
# These are the defaults should be fine for most cases.  In special situations,
# you might want to specify different AFSK tones or the baseband mode which does
# not use AFSK.
#
#MODEM 1200 1200:2200
#MODEM 300  1600:1800
#MODEM 9600 0:0
#
#
# On HF SSB, you might want to use multiple demodulators on slightly different
# frequencies to compensate for stations off frequency.  Here we have 7 different
# demodulators at 30 Hz intervals.  This takes a lot of CPU power so you will
# probably need to reduce the audio sampling rate with the /n option.

#MODEM 300 1600:1800 7@30 /4


#
# Uncomment line below to enable the DTMF decoder for this channel.
#

#DTMF

#
# If not using a VOX circuit, the transmitter Push to Talk (PTT)
# control is usually wired to a serial port with a suitable interface circuit.
# DON'T connect it directly!
#
# For the PTT command, specify the device and either RTS or DTR.
# RTS or DTR may be preceded by "-" to invert the signal.
# Both can be used for interfaces that want them driven with opposite polarity.
#

#PTT COM1 RTS
#PTT COM1 RTS -DTR

# The Data Carrier Detect (DCD) signal can be sent to the same places
# as the PTT signal.  This could be used to light up an LED like a normal TNC.

#DCD COM1 -DTR


#############################################################
#                                                           #
#               CHANNEL 1 PROPERTIES                        #
#                                                           #
#############################################################

#CHANNEL 1

#
# Specify MYCALL, MODEM, PTT, etc. configuration items for
# CHANNEL 1.   Repeat for any other channels.


#############################################################
#                                                           #
#               TEXT TO SPEECH COMMAND FILE                 #
#                                                           #
#############################################################



#############################################################
#                                                           #
#               VIRTUAL TNC SERVER PROPERTIES               #
#                                                           #
#############################################################

#
# Dire Wolf acts as a virtual TNC and can communicate with
# client applications by different protocols:
#
#	- the "AGW TCPIP Socket Interface" - default port 8000
#	- KISS protocol over TCP socket - default port 8001
#

AGWPORT 8000
KISSPORT 8001

#
# It is sometimes possible to recover frames with a bad FCS.
# This applies to all channels.
#
#	0  [NONE] - Don't try to repair.
#	1  [SINGLE] - Attempt to fix single bit error.  (default)
#	2  [DOUBLE] - Also attempt to fix two adjacent bits.
#	... see User Guide for more values and in-depth discussion.
#

#FIX_BITS 0

#
#############################################################
#                                                           #
#               BEACONING PROPERTIES                        #
#                                                           #
#############################################################


#
# Beaconing is configured with these two commands:
#
#	PBEACON		- for a position report (usually yourself)
#	OBEACON		- for an object report (usually some other entity)
#
# Each has a series of keywords and values for options.
# See User Guide for details.
#
# Example:
#
# This results in a broadcast once every 10 minutes.
# Every half hour, it can travel via two digipeater hops.
# The others are kept local.
#

#PBEACON delay=1  every=30 overlay=S symbol="digi" lat=42^37.14N long=071^20.83W power=50 height=20 gain=4 comment="Chelmsford MA" via=WIDE1-1,WIDE2-1
#PBEACON delay=11 every=30 overlay=S symbol="digi" lat=42^37.14N long=071^20.83W power=50 height=20 gain=4 comment="Chelmsford MA"
#PBEACON delay=21 every=30 overlay=S symbol="digi" lat=42^37.14N long=071^20.83W power=50 height=20 gain=4 comment="Chelmsford MA"


# With UTM coordinates instead of latitude and longitude.

#PBEACON delay=1 every=10 overlay=S symbol="digi" zone=19T easting=307477 northing=4720178


#
# When the destination field is set to "SPEECH" the information part is
# converted to speech rather than transmitted as a data frame.
#

#CBEACON dest="SPEECH" info="Club meeting tonight at 7 pm."

# Similar for Morse code.  If SSID is specified, it is multiplied
# by 2 to get speed in words per minute (WPM).

#CBEACON dest="MORSE-6" info="de MYCALL"


#
# Modify for your particular situation before removing
# the # comment character from the beginning of appropriate lines above.
#


#############################################################
#                                                           #
#               DIGIPEATER PROPERTIES                       #
#                                                           #
#############################################################

#
# For most common situations, use something like this by removing
# the "#" from the beginning of the line below.
#

#DIGIPEAT 0 0 ^WIDE[3-7]-[1-7]$|^TEST$ ^WIDE[12]-[12]$ TRACE

# See User Guide for more explanation of what this means and how
# it can be customized for your particular needs.

# Filtering can be used to limit was is digipeated.
# For example, only weather weather reports, received on channel 0,
# will be retransmitted on channel 1.
#

#FILTER 0 1 t/wn


#############################################################
#                                                           #
#               INTERNET GATEWAY                            #
#                                                           #
#############################################################

# First you need to specify the name of a Tier 2 server.
# The current preferred way is to use one of these regional rotate addresses:

#	noam.aprs2.net 		- for North America
#	soam.aprs2.net		- for South America
#	euro.aprs2.net		- for Europe and Africa
#	asia.aprs2.net 		- for Asia
#	aunz.aprs2.net		- for Oceania

#IGSERVER noam.aprs2.net

# You also need to specify your login name and passcode.
# Contact the author if you can't figure out how to generate the passcode.

#IGLOGIN WB2OSZ-5 123456

# That's all you need for a receive only IGate which relays
# messages from the local radio channel to the global servers.

# Some might want to send an IGate client position directly to a server
# without sending it over the air and relying on someone else to
# forward it to an IGate server.  This is done by using sendto=IG rather
# than a radio channel number. Overlay R for receive only, T for two way.

#PBEACON sendto=IG delay=0:30 every=60:00 symbol="igate" overlay=R lat=42^37.14N long=071^20.83W
#PBEACON sendto=IG delay=0:30 every=60:00 symbol="igate" overlay=T lat=42^37.14N long=071^20.83W


# To relay messages from the Internet to radio, you need to add
# one more option with the transmit channel number and a VIA path.

#IGTXVIA 0 WIDE1-1

# You might want to apply a filter for what packets will be obtained from the server.
# Read about filters here:  http://www.aprs-is.net/javaprsfilter.aspx
# Example, positions and objects within 50 km of my location:

#IGFILTER m/50

# That is known as a server-side filter.  It is processed by the IGate server.
# You can also apply local filtering to limit what will be transmitted on the
# RF side.  For example, transmit only "messages" on channel 0 and weather
# reports on channel 1.

#FILTER IG 0 t/m
#FILTER IG 1 t/wn

# Finally, we don't want to flood the radio channel.
# The IGate function will limit the number of packets transmitted
# during 1 minute and 5 minute intervals.   If a limit would
# be exceeded, the packet is dropped and message is displayed in red.

IGTXLIMIT 6 10


#############################################################
#                                                           #
#               APRStt GATEWAY                              #
#                                                           #
#############################################################

#
# Dire Wolf can receive DTMF (commonly known as Touch Tone)
# messages and convert them to packet objects.
#
# See separate "APRStt-Implementation-Notes" document for details.
#

#
# Sample gateway configuration based on:
#
#	http://www.aprs.org/aprstt/aprstt-coding24.txt
#	http://www.aprs.org/aprs-jamboree-2013.html
#

# Define specific points.

TTPOINT  B01  37^55.37N  81^7.86W
TTPOINT  B7495088  42.605237  -71.34456
TTPOINT  B934  42.605237  -71.34456

TTPOINT B901  42.661279  -71.364452
TTPOINT B902  42.660411  -71.364419
TTPOINT B903  42.659046  -71.364452
TTPOINT B904  42.657578  -71.364602


# For location at given bearing and distance from starting point.

TTVECTOR  B5bbbddd  37^55.37N  81^7.86W  0.01  mi

# For location specified by x, y coordinates.

TTGRID   Byyyxxx    37^50.00N  81^00.00W  37^59.99N  81^09.99W

# UTM location for Lowell-Dracut-Tyngsborough State Forest.

TTUTM  B6xxxyyy  19T  10  300000  4720000



# Location for the corral.

TTCORRAL   37^55.50N  81^7.00W  0^0.02N

# Compact messages - Fixed locations xx and object yyy where
#   	Object numbers 100 - 199	= bicycle
#	Object numbers 200 - 299	= fire truck
#	Others				= dog

TTMACRO  xx1yy  B9xx*AB166*AA2B4C5B3B0A1yy
TTMACRO  xx2yy  B9xx*AB170*AA3C4C7C3B0A2yy
TTMACRO  xxyyy  B9xx*AB180*AA3A6C4A0Ayyy

TTMACRO  z  Cz

# Receive on channel 0, Transmit object reports on channel 1 with optional via path.
# You probably want to put in a transmit delay on the APRStt channel so it
# it doesn't start sending a response before the user releases PTT.
# This is in 10 ms units so 100 means 1000 ms = 1 second.

#TTOBJ 0 1 WIDE1-1
#CHANNEL 0
#DWAIT 100

# Advertise gateway position with beacon.

# OBEACON DELAY=0:15 EVERY=10:00 VIA=WIDE1-1 OBJNAME=WB2OSZ-tt SYMBOL=APRStt LAT=42^37.14N LONG=71^20.83W COMMENT="APRStt Gateway"


# Sample speech responses.
# Default is Morse code "R" for received OK and "?" for all errors.

#TTERR  OK               SPEECH  Message Received.
#TTERR  D_MSG            SPEECH  D not implemented.
#TTERR  INTERNAL         SPEECH  Internal error.
#TTERR  MACRO_NOMATCH    SPEECH  No definition for digit sequence.
#TTERR  BAD_CHECKSUM     SPEECH  Bad checksum on call.
#TTERR  INVALID_CALL     SPEECH  Invalid callsign.
#TTERR  INVALID_OBJNAME  SPEECH  Invalid object name.
#TTERR  INVALID_SYMBOL   SPEECH  Invalid symbol.
#TTERR  INVALID_LOC      SPEECH  Invalid location.
#TTERR  NO_CALL          SPEECH  No call or object name.
#TTERR  SATSQ            SPEECH  Satellite square must be 4 digits.
#TTERR  SUFFIX_NO_CALL   SPEECH  Send full call before using suffix.

I was able to get Chattervox and Direwolf working on MacOS with the built-in sound card of a MacBook Pro (late-2012) by changing line 78 of the Direwolf config to the following:

ADEVICE "Built-in Microphone" "Built-in Output"

From this post: http://idoroseman.com/installing-direwolf-on-macos/