I regularly receive requests from fellow radio amateurs to help them setting up an AllStar Node from scratch. Now I am not unwilling to help when a specific problem arises but to build a complete unit from scratch is definitely not possible due to my bad eyesight and various other personal reasons. Having said that I will however provide you with all the info you need to build your own AllStar Node. No, it is not difficult but you must be willing to read and I mean read a fair amount of documentation. You also need some surface mount soldering skills or a fellow ham with such skills to modify a USB Sound Card Interface Dongle.
How do I start?
There are two firmware packs which you can use to install AllStar on a Raspberry Pi:
The choice is yours which firmware pack you want to use. The GRHub Network runs on HamVoip while the ZS1I DMR Bridge runs on AllStarLink.To build an AllStar Node to run on a Raspberry Pi you will need the following:
- 12v to 5v (3 amp minimum) Step Down Buck Converter
- Raspberry Pi 3 b or Raspberry Pi 4 (You can also use the Pi Zero W or Zero 2 but then you will need adapter cables for USB and Ethernet.
- Syba USB Sound Card Interface CM119 (To be converted into a Sound Card Fob, A USB CM118 can also be used.) (Many commercial Sound Interfaces are available but can cost up to $100 without import an shipping costs.)
- 2m /70 cm VHF/UHF Mobile or HT Radio (Single band unit can also be used.)
- Antenna of your choice
- LTE WiFi Router or Home Fiber Internet and Router
- Cables
- 12v Battery (Yes you can run it of mains power but loadshedding will provide you with lots of problems and even total failure of the Node.)
- Project Cabinet
- Odds and Sods
Now there are other methods to build an AllStar Node including to buy a ready build Node from overseas, but at the current exchange rate it is not worth spending so much money when you can build a node at the fraction of what a commercial unit would cost.
Okay lets get to the "homework and reading" side of things.
Here are a few links that will assist you to build your own AllStar Node from scratch:
- Getting Started Overview - AllStarLink Wiki
- Beginners Guide - AllStarLink Wiki
- Welcome to AllStarLink!
- HAMVOIP Asterisk Allstar on the Raspberry Pi 2/3/4
- A Simplified USB Sound FOB Modification
- A self contained portable Allstar node Part 1 - 5
- Modifying the sound card fob
- AllStar Node Setup and Configuration Guide PDF
- Building a Portable Raspberry Pi Asterisk AllStar Node PDF
In the event that you would rather go the route of buying a commercial AllStar Node herewith a few links to some suppliers:
Now you have everything you need to get going on AllStar. If you need further information then Google is you friend. As I said in the beginning I am more than willing to assist if you experience a specific problem, that's if I have the knowledge to assist you with the specific problem. There are several AllStar Groups, Forums and Message Boards that provides a great service in answering your questions. Links are available from the above web-pages to these information sources.
Finally: We are looking forward to welcome you to the ZS - Link Network with your AllStar node. Once you build and used an AllStar node I can guarantee you that you will not go back to Echolink, IRLP or any of the older programs. AllStar is in my opinion currently the best VOIP application to start with. Yes, there is another very useful application but this is beyond the scope of this posting. We will be looking at this firmware in a future posting.
Hope to hear you via your allstar node on the ZS - Link Network soon!!
