SIP Out, Audio Out, and Command Out Ports Change on their own

[VA6OK]

Ok.  Here is an interesting development:

I can swap the radio out to a TS-480 and everything works fine on the LAN and on the www !!!  Then I hook the TM-V71A back up to the RRCs and it won't work over the www, but it will on the LAN.

So, the problem ONLY occurs when I am trying to use the TM-V71A radio over the www.  I can remote the TM-V71A over my LAN without issues. 

Both RRCs that are in use now are Version 7, Firmware 2.91, Bootloader 1.10, and HW 8.

[dj0qn]

This is really a very strange problem. By swapping them, you have proven that it must be an
issue somewhere in the router or network settings somewhere. I would have also suspected a
wiring problem, but it works within the LAN which means this is not the issue.

If I had a TM-V71A, I would try it out from here, but I don't. I am not sure what to do next,
except maybe a completely different number sequence, like 15000-15002 or similar.

I could take a look at both your settings and router if you want, but somehow I doubt that I will
find something.

Also make sure that SIP ALG is turned off in your router. I would assume that the TS-480 would also not
have worked with it on, but I have seen weirder things. SIP ALG turned on and even router firewalls have
caused these types of problems before. This goes for both sides, not only the radio.

Good luck and keep us informed. If you want me to look anyway, just let me know.

73,
Mitch DJ0QN / K7DX

[VA6OK]

I disagree.  Please re-read my last post.  I changed nothing in the RRCs or the router.  Just swapping radios from the V71A to the 480 caused it to work.  Swapping radios back caused it to not work.  Looks like I might have stumbled onto a bug.

Thanks
Dale

[dj0qn]

Then I misread what you wrote, however, I still not sure if I understand what you did. I assume
you mean that you kept the same port numbers, etc. when you did that swap between rigs?

Why don't you try my suggestion and swap RRC's? Then we can narrow down where the bug is.
We can then see if the problem is with the port number having a conflict, or something more
specific to the V71A.

73,
Mitch DJ0QN / K7DX

[VA6OK]

Perhaps I haven't properly explained what I did.  I have narrowed the problem down to the V71A essentially.... or the interaction between it and the RRC(s).  It will remote over my LAN so it seems like a bug somewhere in the interaction of the RRCs with the V71A (or that is at least how it appears to me).  I can swap out either the control or the radio RRC and it makes no difference.  The problem is not with any one RRC. If I unhook the V71A from any pair of RRCs and put a TS-480 in its place, there is then no problem whatsoever.  The unit will remote fine over the internet.  Then if I remove the TS-480 (from both ends) and put the V71A back, the problem returns.  I guess my next step could be to round up another V71A to see if it does the same thing.  But again, I come back to the fact that it works just fine over the LAN so that suggests that the problem is not within the radio itself. 

Thanks
Dale

[VA6OK]

To clarify further: when I swap radios I am not changing any router ports or anything in the RRCs.  The only thing that changes is the radio and the cables to the RRCs.  The V71A, cable, and RRC combination work fine on the LAN, just not on the internet.

[dj0qn]

Ok, I think I got it now, but this just doesn't make any sense. If I can summarize:

- You verified that the ports work fine, since these same ports work for the TS-480 that didn't for the V71A
- Since the ports work fine, it is not a router problem
- You verified that it is not a specific RRC problem, swapping RRC's has the same problem with the V71A
- The V71A works fine within the LAN
- There is no error code, but no audio passes when outside of the LAN

This is very strange. There is no reason why changing the rig for another one would make
any difference, since you verified that it works in the LAN. The rig has no influence over the
way it works over the internet using a pair of RRC's.

I will have to sleep on this one, but there is no logical explanation for your problem. Maybe we need to
think out of the box on this. See if you can take your V71A control RRC to another location and use someone
else's internet to try to access it. Maybe the problem is in your control RRC's router, or the interface between
the rig to the control RRC and the router. At least that is the only thing left that hasn't been looked at (I think).

73,
Mitch DJ0QN / K7DX
thing left I can think of that hasn't been

[VA6OK]

Yes, we are on the same page now.  Your summary of the situation is 100% correct.  In addition to no audio passing on the V71A over the internet, the control head is not showing any sign of life either..... no backlight, no lcd digits, nothing. Yet, every once in a while (like 1 out of 50 tries) it will connect and work....but only that one time.  Once you turn it off it won't turn back on again.  The control RRC is working on the same internet connection (hotspot) that the 480 control head was on when I verified proper operation with the TS-480 so I doubt the problem is there. 

I'm starting to wonder about the actual data that flows between the control head and the radio.  Is it possible that the requirements are higher on the V71A than on the 480 ?   Perhaps the internet connections are transferring sufficient data rates for the 480 but not quite enough for the V71A ?  Or maybe something in the initial "handshake" is too slow for the V71A but sufficient for the 480?  This could maybe explain why it works on the LAN but not over the internet. 

I agree that trying the control head on another internet connection somewhere  would be a good test. I will see if I can arrange that sometime tomorrow.  I may also try another V71A just because. I have access to another one but the fact that it works on the LAN makes it seem unlikely that it has the issue.

There is a logical solution to this that is patiently waiting to be found.....

Thanks and 73
Dale

[dj0qn]

No, the data rate of 57600 baud is identical to the TS-480 and should certainly be no more complex.
Certainly, 57.6k bps out of a modern broadband line is insignificant and any amount of overhead on
top would be in the couple k bps area and will have zero effect.

I will anxiously await the results of your test and dream about a solution tonight 

73,
Mitch DJ0QN / K7DX

[VA6OK]

Ok.  Here is what I found.

I swapped out the V71A with another one and no difference.  Then I drove into town and went to the library to use their wifi.  Well, the unit works on their wifi !!!

So, the issue seems to be limited to the internet connection through the hotspot on my cell phone.  But there still is the unanswered question of why won't it work on the hotspot with the V71A but it will with the TS-480.  I can swap radios out at each end, and change nothing else.  The RRCs are being used through their respective internet connections in exactly the same way for each radio.  The TS-480 will remote just fine through the cell phone internet connection and the TM-V71A will not.

So, I am still leaning toward my thinking about the data requirements.  It sure looks like the data transfer via the cell phone is sufficient for the 480 but not for the V71A. 

73
Dale
VA6OK

[dj0qn]

Somehow that is exactly what I expected to happen. I am not sure what the problem is
with that router, but that is where your problem lies.

The data requirements are 100% not the issue. Look at COM0's data rate of 57600 bps. That
is a small part of your available bandwidth, even on the uplink side.

What I suspect is the router's firewall sees something in the datastream it doesn't like and is
blocking it. See if a firewall in the router is turned on. If you can turn it off, that should solve the
problem. Also make sure that SIP ALG is deactivated.

73,
Mitch DJ0QN / K7DX

[VA6OK]

It's an iPhone hotspot..... what could there be to possibly configure in it?  It's either on or off, they don't give you access to configurations in it.  And however it is, it works with my other remoterigs which happen to be connected to TS-480s.  The problem is specific to the iPhone and the V71A together.  If either of them change, the problem goes away.

The 480 remotes just fine with the RRC connected to it, but not the V71A.

Are there others who have tried this?  Have you tried to re-create this issue there or with someone else?

[dj0qn]

I guess that Mike at Microbit will have to get back to you on this one. I am just a normal user and
have limited test ability, mainly TS-480 and K3.

Honestly, I believe that this problem is therefore caused by the iPhone. It is blocking packets it does
not like. The question is, why? Maybe you can Google to see if there are problems in general with the
iPhone hotspot blocking types of packets.

73,
Mitch DJ0QN / K7DX

[VA6OK]

I don't know anything about the packets that the RRC sends and receives over the internet.  Would they be different for the V71A vs the 480?  Or does the RRC convert the data into a standard string form that the RRCs recognize and therefore the strings should be similar no matter what type of radio is connected?  That would be something that Microbit would know, not me.

I think I have gone as far as someone with a "customer" level of knowledge can go.

Certainly there is something about the iPhone hotspot that is contributing to the problem.  I don't deny that.  However, if I had decided to remote a TS-480 with this setup from the start, I would have never discovered this issue.  It would have just worked with the iPhone, and I would be none the wiser.  The TM-V71A is a LARGE part of the equation here.  There is something specific to this radio that is not compatible with the RRC/iPhone combination.   

Since I was initially on the wrong track when I started this post, I think I will start another one with what we now know and see if someone out there has ideas.

Again, I have gone as far with this as I can with the knowledge available to me.

[VA6OK]

Thank you Mitch for your help in sorting through this.  It will be neat to see if we ever truly get to the bottom of this.

Thanks again and 73
Dale