Broadcastify Calls Node Requests

[Enforcer52]

Since a lot of us lived in other places at various times, I started this thread so one can request that a Calls feed be started for a particular area/city by someone in that area. There are a lot of regular Broadcastify feeds, but often times I only want to listen to specific channels in a given place and Calls gives me that option to set up a custom playlist. There are lots of Calls feeds, but this seems to be an overlooked opportunity for a lot of feed providers. The Dashboard allows you to listen to multiple feeds, but still get a lot of channels that one may not be interested in, and the overlapping audio can become confusing.

My own request would be for a Calls feed for the SETTRS system in the Jefferson, Orange, Hardin Counties area of South East Texas. There is a couple of regular feeds at the present time, but I would like to be able to just monitor, Port Arthur, Nederland (Central Dispatch), & Bridge City channels since this is my growing up stomping grounds, and integrate in my personal playlist which covers channels in various states and cities where I have lived.

 

[blantonl]

I'd really like to see someone put up nodes for:

Los Angeles PD and Fire
FDNY (New York City Fire)

 

[RaleighGuy]

Perhaps @Enforcer52 if you created a fund to help people willing to provide feeds with money to purchase the equipment, and a support team to help them set it up, you'd find people willing to provide feeds for areas you and others submitting their requests in the thread are looking for.

I had a feed but eventually had to take it done because my computer crashed, and wasn't right for the task. I'd be happy to put one up, even over a raspberry pi, which would only cost about $150, but now a days it is hard for me to justify such expenses.

 

[Enforcer52]

Perhaps @Enforcer52 if you created a fund to help people willing to provide feeds with money to purchase the equipment, and a support team to help them set it up, you'd find people willing to provide feeds for areas you and others submitting their requests in the thread are looking for.

Good Idea! I will look into how to setup something to help since this would require some sdr's and knowledge of how to set them up. Anyone interested in helping others, let me know.

I'm willing to donate some sdr's to get the SETTRS Calls nodes setup.

 

[Enforcer52]

I'd really like to see someone put up nodes for:

Los Angeles PD and Fire
FDNY (New York City Fire)

Those would be great nodes to get setup also for all the Fire listeners we have.

I wonder how many folks we have streaming with SDRs that have not considered setting up Calls nodes also. It is really simple with SDRTrunk to setup Calls nodes along with their current regular feed.

 

[IcomIcR20]

Good Idea! I will look into how to setup something to help since this would require some sdr's and knowledge of how to set them up. Anyone interested in helping others, let me know.

I'm willing to donate some sdr's to get the SETTRS Calls nodes setup.

It is fairly easy to get a simple Calls node going using a Raspberry Pi. I run three nodes in this manner, and here is what I do:

• Purchase the necessary components:
  • The Raspberry Pi -- Two of my nodes run a Pi 4, and one runs a Pi 5. There are starter kits on Amazon that have everything you need to get up and running (example). The kits range from $115-$160 depending on which Pi you want and how much RAM you need. They also include heatsinks and a fan to keep the Pi from running too hot.
  • The SDR -- I use an Airspy Mini and have been very happy with it. You can get up to 6 MHz bandwidth from a single dongle, and it tends to be pretty stable. The Airspy Mini costs about $120 (on sale for $99 right now). There are probably cheaper options that would work, but I have not tried them. I know some use RTLs, but they provide limited bandwidth.
  • The antenna -- My nodes are located pretty close to the sites they are monitoring, so I just got some super cheap "rubber ducks" off Amazon. Depending on the location of the node, a better antenna may be desirable.
  • Optional: Ethernet cable for a more stable internet connection, heatsink(s) for the SDR as it can get pretty hot (you can get a pack for just a few dollars on Amazon).
• Set up the node's software:
  • Flash the Broadcastify image to the pi's SD card. I use Balena Etcher to do this. After this step, there is relatively little setup you have to do on your end.
  • I use the included Trunk-recorder program to feed to the Calls platform. My Pi 4 could not handle SDRTrunk. I have heard that it works better with the Pi 5, but I have not yet tried.
  • Create the required Trunk-recorder config.json file. This is really the only "complicated" part of the setup, but it is not too difficult and there are a lot of helpful guides and example files out there. Once your node application has been approved, include your assigned API key and Node ID in the config file. There are a few little tips and tricks to keep in mind that I am happy to share with anyone who might go this route.
  • Once your config.json file is completed, start trunk-recorder through the included BCFY Shell, and away you go! Everything should largely run on its own at this point, and you can watch the trunk-recorder log file to make sure everything is good to go, and no errors are being received.
  • I would highly recommend enabling the included Raspberry Pi Connect service so you can remotely access your pi via a web browser from anywhere to make changes as needed.
• Keep in mind that if the difference between the highest and lowest frequency for the site you are monitoring is more than 6 MHz (maybe 5.5 MHz to account for roll-off), you will not be able to run a calls node with a single Airspy! My Rapsberry Pi 4 could not handle 2 Airspys running at 6 MHz. I am not sure if the Pi 5 is able to handle that load though. You might be able to run one Airspy at 3 MHz and the other at 6 MHz, but I have not tested that. If your trunked system uses a wider spread than 6 MHz, you may need an SDR supporting a wider bandwidth.

 

[Enforcer52]

It is fairly easy to get a simple Calls node going using a Raspberry Pi.

Thank you very much for sharing the Raspberry Pi instructions. I may have to try this myself.

 

[IcomIcR20]

Thank you very much for sharing the Raspberry Pi instructions. I may have to try this myself.

No problem! Shoot me a DM if you decide to give it a try and I would be happy to give you some additional assistance.