Dire Wolf

For Packet radio, a sound card modem can be used instead of a Terminal Node Controller (TNC).

Typically, a TNC is connected to a computer using a Communication Port (com port). In order to have a sound card (such as Signalink, RigBlaster, etc) work with packet, a software package will need to be installed that will act as an emulator. This will allow the sound card to "emulate" a com port. Two of the most popular programs are Direwolf and SoundModem.

The Direwolf program can be downloaded from GitHub here: https://github.com/wb2osz/direwolf (Scroll down to the "Installation" section for actual downloads).

Once you install Direwolf, you will need to change the file Direwolf.conf file. First, make a copy of that file so the original still exists.

Select Sound Card

When modifying the Direwolf.conf file, the first thing we will need to change is the part where we select which sound card we want to use. The easiest way to find a list of all available sound devices in your system is to go ahead and start Dire Wolf. It's okay, it won't blow anything up.

All the devices for input (microphones) and outputs (speakers) are listed. The config file does not select either. When you modify the config file to look for a device, you do not have to put in the full device name, just enough of the device so that it can distinguish between the devices. The values are case-sensitive, so keep that in mind. The numbering of the devices is inconsistent, so you can not rely just on the number. Most of the time the Signalink installs itself as "USB Audio CODEC", so that is a value that can be used in the Direwolf.conf file for both the input and out values.

For the Direwolf.conf file, I have replaced line 96 with the value ADEVICE "USB Audio CODEC" "USB Audio CODEC". The first value indicates the input and the second indicates the output.

Call Sign

The next value we need to change is the call sign. The default is N0CALL. This value is in line 153. If it's not on that line, search the file for the value N0CALL and change it to your call sign.

Virtual TNC Server Properties

Direwolf uses a virtual Com Port using the TCP protocol. The default value for the AWG port is the same as the default value that Winlink Express uses for the HTML Template forms. Since both services can not be on the same port (See the TCP Port page for further explanation), that needs to be changed.

Around line 248 and 249 is the settings for AGWPORT and KISSPORT. The settings of 8050 and 8100 respectively will work nicely with Dire Wolf and Winlink Express.

Starting Direwolf

At this point, save the conf file. If Dire Wolf is still running from the first step, go ahead and close the program. Now start Dire Wolf. The screen should have an asterisk next to the selected sound card. Also not the ports being used.

At this point, you are ready to use Dire Wolf with Winlink Express. Just minimize the window (don't close it!) and open Winlink Express as normal.