Today I resolved an interesting problem with the D-Star repeater that was severely affecting its performance. Fairly often, the MoenComm GMSK modem would lock up or reboot while you were using the repeater, although this never seemed to happen while it was just transmitting from reflector. Transmissions heard via RF from the repeater were becoming more and more garbled, as well.
Initially I thought the problem was caused by RFI and spent a few hours down that path troubleshooting. In the end, the problem was a passive USB hub that the GMSK modem was plugged into. For whatever reason, the GMSK board didn't like it, and when I plugged it directly into the PC, everything started working properly again. I suspect that the current draw required was just a bit greater than what the passive hub could supply.
Lesson learned!
Initially I thought the problem was caused by RFI and spent a few hours down that path troubleshooting. In the end, the problem was a passive USB hub that the GMSK modem was plugged into. For whatever reason, the GMSK board didn't like it, and when I plugged it directly into the PC, everything started working properly again. I suspect that the current draw required was just a bit greater than what the passive hub could supply.
Lesson learned!
