In the early days of Amateur Packet Radio, it was necessary to use an expensive "Terminal Node Controller" (TNC) with specialized hardware. Those days are gone. You can now get better results at lower cost by connecting your radio to the "soundcard" interface of a computer and using software to decode the signals.
Why waste $200 and settle for mediocre receive performance from a 1980's technology TNC using an old modem chip? Dire Wolf decodes over 1000 error-free frames from Track 2 of the WA8LMF TNC Test CD, leaving all the hardware TNCs, and first generation "soundcard" modems, behind in the dust.
Dire Wolf includes FX.25 which adds Forward Error Correction (FEC) in a way that is completely compatible with existing systems. If both ends are capable of FX.25, your information will continue to get through under conditions where regular AX.25 is completely useless. This was originally developed for satellites and is now seeing widespread use on HF.
Version 1.7 adds IL2P, a different method of FEC with less overhead but it is not compatible with AX.25.
Dire Wolf is a modern software replacement for the old 1980's style TNC built with special hardware.
Without any additional software, it can perform as:
- APRS GPS Tracker
- Digipeater
- Internet Gateway (IGate)
- APRStt gateway
It can also be used as a virtual TNC for other applications such as APRSIS32, Xastir, APRS-TW, YAAC, PinPoint APRS, UI-View32,UISS, Linux AX25, SARTrack, Winlink Express (formerly known as RMS Express, formerly known as Winlink 2000 or WL2K), BPQ32, Outpost PM, Ham Radio of Things, Packet Compressed Sensing Imaging (PCSI), and many others.
