Some Questions

[rustyhodge]

The P25RX is awesome!

Is there a place where a list of potential upcoming features / feature requests gets listed?

Can the p25rx show up as a USB audio device? It doesn't seem to now, but there seems to be some way that the audio is getting back to the BTConfig app for recording.

Is there a way to connect to the p25rx as a serial device? For example, creating your own logging device. (I've got some existing scripts that do this on a RPi with the Uniden scanners and their serial over USB; and would like to be able to do this with a p25rx too.

And a request for the BTConfig app:

I would love to see support for breaking up recorded files. Ideally with a naming method like Freescan does, so the filenames can have tgid/name and timestamps as well.

Thanks!

Thanks!

 

[btt]

The P25RX is awesome!

Is there a place where a list of potential upcoming features / feature requests gets listed?

Can the p25rx show up as a USB audio device? It doesn't seem to now, but there seems to be some way that the audio is getting back to the BTConfig app for recording.

Is there a way to connect to the p25rx as a serial device? For example, creating your own logging device. (I've got some existing scripts that do this on a RPi with the Uniden scanners and their serial over USB; and would like to be able to do this with a p25rx too.

And a request for the BTConfig app:

I would love to see support for breaking up recorded files. Ideally with a naming method like Freescan does, so the filenames can have tgid/name and timestamps as well.

Thanks!

Thanks!

Hi @rustyhodge. I'm glad to hear your experience with the P25RX is positive so far! I'll enumerate my responses to your questions.
1) Feature List: No, not yet. This is a great idea, but as one person running this whole thing, I don't really want to publish this information yet. If I mentioned that I added a request to the "list", then I really did do so.
2) USB Audio: I've thought about this, but have not attempted it so far. I will look into it.
3) The P25RX does map in as a USB serial device. You will see what the current serial port name is in the upper left-hand corner of the BTConfig software. COM1, COM2, /dev/TTYACM0, etc. Please feel free to contact me directly for the protocols or anything like that. The BTConfig software is open-source. It isn't really great object-oriented Java source code to look at. I have been programming in Java since 1997, but I've grown very tired of the so-called encapsulation way of doing things, so I misuse public variables to get things done more like 'C' code. Let me know if you have questions about that.
4) I've had multiple requests for breaking up the mp3 files recently. I will be looking into this soon.

 

[Mike_G_D]

So, I'm curious, rustyhodge, is that audio as good as you hoped for?! I am still pretty amazed by it, myself.

-Mike

 

[rustyhodge]

So, I'm curious, rustyhodge, is that audio as good as you hoped for?! I am still pretty amazed by it, myself.

It's definitely better than the BCD996p2. I've heard some transmissions that are extremely clear. I've heard others that are still don't sound so good, but that could easily be the noise reduction in the transmitting unit's microphone.

I feel like I'm having the Vinyl vs MP3 debate for radio... I still prefer the sound of the old analog systems with all their extra noise and grit.

(And I can't vouch for the analog/FM audio quality of the P25RX because so far I've only used it for the TDMA feeds.)

In the next 2 weeks I plan to get the SF P25 system streaming over our site at a high bitrate so you can really hear how it sounds. We have the analog system streaming from a BCT-15X at SomaFM: SF Police Scanner: San Francisco Public Safety Scanner Feed Commercial-free, Listener-supported Radio

 

[rustyhodge]

Thanks for all the details! Sadly my Java skills are terrible, I'm a Perl/Python person mostly; which will be enough to let me look at stuff coming across the serial (which I'm guessing looks much like the logs now).

2) USB Audio: I've thought about this, but have not attempted it so far. I will look into it.

How is the audio transferred to the computer now? Just as a bitstream?

 

[btt]

The audio is framed with 32-bits at the start-of-frame: 0xb25f9c71 followed by 320 bytes of pcm data when sending over the USB/serial link to the BTConfig software. This is sent at the 8 kSPS voice rate. That is then interpolated and resampled to 48kHz for playback on the PC by the BTConfig software. Upsampling from 8kHz to 48kHz is also done for the 3.5mm jack and when sending data to the Bluetooth module. The Bluetooth module down samples to 44.1 kHz before sending to the Bluetooth sink device.

 

[epersson]

USB Audio: I've thought about this, but have not attempted it so far. I will look into it.

@btt Hi Todd, question on this... I can't find it on other threads.. I am heading back to FL In a month and want to use the P25rx as a Broadcastify site for new Broward P25 system, The mini computer I have does not have an audio-in port. Without BTConfig running, will the USB carry the audio to the default sound card so the Broadcastify client will pick it up? Or if I run BTConfig at the same time will that work? If not is there any way to get the USB to carry audio for this application? Thanks again.

 

[btt]

@btt Hi Todd, question on this... I can't find it on other threads.. I am heading back to FL In a month and want to use the P25rx as a Broadcastify site for new Broward P25 system, The mini computer I have does not have an audio-in port. Without BTConfig running, will the USB carry the audio to the default sound card so the Broadcastify client will pick it up? Or if I run BTConfig at the same time will that work? If not is there any way to get the USB to carry audio for this application? Thanks again.

The audio over USB will not be output over the default sound device. The current firmware supports a serial interface (USB CDC ACM). If you are running the BTConfig software, then the audio will be sent to the configured audio output device. I think the Broadcastify client will work if you are running BTConfig, but I'm not sure about this. Does the client map itself in as an audio output device? Anyone else know the answer to this?

 

[epersson]

The audio over USB will not be output over the default sound device. The current firmware supports a serial interface (USB CDC ACM). If you are running the BTConfig software, then the audio will be sent to the configured audio output device. I think the Broadcastify client will work if you are running BTConfig, but I'm not sure about this. Does the client map itself in as an audio output device? Anyone else know the answer to this?

Hi. Here is the SW if it helps. You can’t set up an account but you can see how it works.

http://s.broadcastify.com/assets/sc_rr_v014.zip

 

[epersson]

I suspect I will have to configure it as a running device, I can't do that until I get down there. but here are the screen shots of BT and Broadcastify when both running..

 

[btt]

I suspect I will have to configure it as a running device, I can't do that until I get down there. but here are the screen shots of BT and Broadcastify when both running..

Looks promising.

 

[dcr_inc]

worse case use virtual audio cable

 

[epersson]

Looks promising.

If I can get it to work it’s the perfect use for it. And the station description will give credit.

 

[epersson]

worse case use virtual audio cable
[/QUOTE
Maybe.

 

[rustyhodge]

I haven't used this myself, but it should work for creating a virtual audio device that you can send the output from bt_config to, and use as the input device for RR or other streaming tools:

VB-Audio VoiceMeeter Banana

VoiceMeeter Banana, the Advanced Virtual Audio Mixer by V.Burel

vb-audio.com

(Virtual Audio Cable will work as well, I use it for similar applications, but it's a pain to setup.)

 

[epersson]

I haven't used this myself, but it should work for creating a virtual audio device that you can send the output from bt_config to, and use as the input device for RR or other streaming tools:

VB-Audio VoiceMeeter Banana

VoiceMeeter Banana, the Advanced Virtual Audio Mixer by V.Burel

vb-audio.com

(Virtual Audio Cable will work as well, I use it for similar applications, but it's a pain to setup.)

Thanks. To be honest When I first read you said it I thought it was a joke. Like a sky hook or snipe hunt. But I found it and you’re right. It has potential. I will get it to create the link if just running the two together don’t work. Thanks.

 

[rustyhodge]

In case anyone is using a p25rx on a Mac, AudioHijack works well with this as an encoder. You can even run a short script that watches the bt_config log file and updates the metadata on which tg/channel it is currently playing.

 

[rustyhodge]

Here's the link for the free VAC (Virtual Audio Cable for Windows)

Virtual Audio Cable - Downloads

Virtual Audio Cable (VAC) - sound routing/transfer, integrating with DAW, SDR, VoIP, SIP. Simulates a multi-line audio adapter/card with loopback

vac.muzychenko.net

This will let you create a virtual audio device that you can set bt_config to output to; and then point Scanner Cast at the matching VAC output cable.

 

[epersson]

Here's the link for the free VAC (Virtual Audio Cable for Windows)

Virtual Audio Cable - Downloads

Virtual Audio Cable (VAC) - sound routing/transfer, integrating with DAW, SDR, VoIP, SIP. Simulates a multi-line audio adapter/card with loopback

vac.muzychenko.net

This will let you create a virtual audio device that you can set bt_config to output to; and then point Scanner Cast at the matching VAC output cable.

Just to close the loop, it didn't work native, but I did purchase VAC and it worked like a champ.
Broadcastify feed:
Broward County Fire-Rescue