BenshiNode is a Windows C++ simplex radio node for the Vero VR-N76 handheld, the VR-N7600 mobile, and compatible Benshi Bluetooth radios. It turns the radio into a small SVXLink-style voice node with DTMF control, parrot mode, CW or spoken identification, BenshiNode linking, outbound EchoLink, outbound AllStarLink (IAX2), and a bidirectional Discord voice bridge.

Radio callsign used by the current configuration: N0CALL.

Working:

• VR-N76 / VR-N7600 Bluetooth Classic connection (control + SBC audio)
• Radio RX/TX audio, squelch/VOX, hang time, TX timeout and forced unkey
• DTMF decoding with DTMF audio muted from parrot/link recordings
• Parrot/repeat with 1#
• CW or WAV station identification
• Optional courtesy tone
• Single/dual-watch configuration and memory-channel selection
• APRS location-sharing disable
• BenshiNode link server/reflector (--server)
• BenshiNode link client (--connect)
• Outbound EchoLink with directory lookup, GSM 06.10 audio, and DTMF dialing
• Outbound AllStarLink over IAX2 with MD5 authentication and u-law audio
• Optional Discord voice-channel bridge with DTMF join/leave control
• Optional Piper female voice for help, callsign spelling, and command prompts
• Native Windows GUI with status, DTMF keypad, EchoLink/AllStar/Discord controls, and live log
• Windows build and automated protocol/codec tests

Not yet implemented:

• Incoming EchoLink connections
• EchoLink proxy support
• Inbound AllStar hosting, IAX2 registration, Web Transceiver/portal auth, and GSM audio
• SVXLink reflector interoperability
• Dynamic DTMF commands for the BenshiNode link server
• Full SVXLink module/event system

EchoLink, Discord, and AllStar are disabled by default. No EchoLink station is contacted unless ECHOLINK/ENABLED=1, --echolink is used, or a DTMF dial command is sent. Discord is inactive until a token, guild, and voice channel are configured. AllStar is inactive until [ALLSTAR] is configured and the GUI Connect button is used or ALLSTAR/ENABLED=1.

• Windows 10 or 11, x64
• Visual Studio 2022 C++ build tools
• CMake 3.20 or newer
• A paired VR-N76, VR-N7600, or compatible Benshi radio
• Optional: Piper and a female voice model for spoken prompts

The radio exposes two Bluetooth Classic RFCOMM services:

• Control: SPP 00001101-0000-1000-8000-00805F9B34FB
• Audio: vendor "BS AOC" 39144315-32FA-40DB-85ED-FBFEBA2D86E6 (falls back to generic audio 00001203-0000-1000-8000-00805F9B34FB)

The easiest path is the native GUI:

1. Put the radio in Bluetooth pairing mode.
2. Open BenshiNodeGUI.exe and click Pair radio.
3. Click Refresh, select each radio entry, and click Pair selected. Windows may list separate control and audio entries; pair both.
4. Select the entry BenshiNode should use and click Use this radio.
5. Click Restart in the main window.

The radio normally appears as two Bluetooth devices: an audio device and a control device. If only the audio device is paired, BenshiNode will report that the RFCOMM service could not be found. Pairing from Windows Settings still works as a fallback.

From a Visual Studio Developer PowerShell:

cmake -S . -B build -G "Visual Studio 17 2022" -A x64
cmake --build build --config Release
ctest --test-dir build -C Release --output-on-failure

The executables are build\Release\BenshiNode.exe (console) and build\Release\BenshiNodeGUI.exe (native GUI launcher).

After building:

# Create BenshiNode.ini and optionally install the female Piper voice
.\tools\setup.cmd -WithPiper

# Edit RADIO/MAC, NODE/CALLSIGN, and any optional service credentials
notepad BenshiNode.ini

# Start the native GUI
.\build\Release\BenshiNodeGUI.exe

The .cmd wrappers use -ExecutionPolicy Bypass so they also work when PowerShell script execution is disabled by local policy.

BenshiNodeGUI.exe starts BenshiNode.exe --gui without a console window. You can also run .\build\Release\BenshiNode.exe --gui directly.

.\build\Release\BenshiNode.exe --list

Radio candidates are marked. Put the control device's address in the configuration file.

Copy config\example.ini to BenshiNode.ini and edit it. The local BenshiNode.ini is intentionally ignored by git because it contains Bluetooth and EchoLink credentials.

Important settings:

[RADIO]
MAC=AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:FF
DUAL_WATCH=0          ; 0=single, A/1=VFO A, B/2=VFO B
# CHANNEL=30          ; optional 0-based memory channel; radio display is +1
APRS=0                ; disable APRS location sharing
SBC_BITPOOL=18        ; radio-compatible SBC quality
TX_LEAD_MS=100        ; keep the radio playout buffer shallow
STATUS_POLL_MS=500
CONNECT_RETRY_MS=5000

[NODE]
CALLSIGN=N0CALL
DTMF_PREFIX=          ; empty = commands like 0#, 1#, 9#
DTMF_SUFFIX=#
PARROT_MODE=dtmf      ; off | dtmf | auto
SQUELCH_MODE=auto     ; radio | vox | auto
VOX_THRESHOLD_DB=-38
ID_INTERVAL_SEC=600
ID_MIN_GAP_SEC=120
CW_WPM=20
CW_TONE_HZ=700
WAV_DIR=clips

On connect BenshiNode:

1. Applies DUAL_WATCH and APRS.
2. Selects CHANNEL only when it is configured.
3. Starts the node.

BenshiNode never rewrites channel memory. If CHANNEL is set, that existing memory channel is selected as-is. If it is unset or blank, BenshiNode does not change the radio channel. Use the GUI Channel box to select a memory channel or clear the selection, or use --dump to inspect the radio.

CHANNEL is 0-based. The radio display is normally one higher. Leaving CHANNEL unset keeps the radio on its current channel. Setting FREQUENCY uses the VFO fallback instead.

# Radio and status information
.\build\Release\BenshiNode.exe --probe

# Inspect memory channels and APRS state
.\build\Release\BenshiNode.exe --dump

# Receive audio and optionally record a 32 kHz mono WAV
.\build\Release\BenshiNode.exe --monitor rx.wav

# Transmit a 1 kHz test tone (only with an appropriate RF setup)
.\build\Release\BenshiNode.exe --test-tx

# Send the configured callsign in CW
.\build\Release\BenshiNode.exe --tap-id

# Force the radio out of transmit
.\build\Release\BenshiNode.exe --unkey

# Run the simplex node in the console
.\build\Release\BenshiNode.exe

# Run the native GUI
.\build\Release\BenshiNode.exe --gui

Use --config <file> for a different configuration and --verbose for debug logging. Press Ctrl+C to stop.

BenshiNodeGUI.exe is the no-console launcher for the native Windows window. It starts the same node engine and configuration as the console version.

The window shows radio connection, channel, RSSI, TX/RX state, Piper status, EchoLink, Discord, and AllStar state, and a live log. It provides quick command buttons for help (0#), identify (3#), parrot (1#), reset (9#), force unkey, and node stop, plus an on-screen DTMF keypad and EchoLink dial field, and an AllStar Connect/Disconnect card. All controls use the same no-star command codes as the radio keypad.

The Pair radio button scans Bluetooth, pairs selected devices, and saves the selected radio address. Windows may show separate control and audio entries for the radio; pair both, then select the entry BenshiNode should use. No .ini editing is required.

The Settings window lists every section and key in the configuration as individual fields, including [ALLSTAR]. Select a field, edit its value, and use Save; optional path fields have a Browse button. This covers radio, channel, DTMF, Piper, EchoLink, Discord, AllStar, link, logging, and advanced options. Saving creates a BenshiNode.ini.bak backup first.

The main window also has a Channel box. Enter a memory channel ID and click Apply to select it live and save it for future starts. Leave it blank and click Apply to stop forcing a channel; the radio then stays on its own current channel. Use the Restart button after changing settings that require a reload.

Default command form is <n># (no leading star):

The EchoLink dial prefix is configurable with [ECHOLINK] DTMF_PREFIX and defaults to 4. DTMF tones are removed from parrot and network audio.

AllStar has no default key. Map it in [DTMF], for example 2=ALLSTAR_CONNECT and 5=ALLSTAR_DISCONNECT (these override the defaults).

The ident clip is selected in this order:

1. clips\ident.wav
2. clips\<CALLSIGN>.wav (for example clips\N0CALL.wav)
3. Piper-spelled callsign, if [PIPER] ENABLED=1 and SPELL_CALLSIGN=1
4. Generated CW from CALLSIGN

Piper spells the callsign as individual character clips, then inserts a short gap and plays them in sequence, SVXLink-style. WAV files may be 8-bit or 16-bit PCM, mono or stereo, and are resampled to 32 kHz. The radio still needs its own RF identification as required by local regulations.

BenshiNode can host a reflector-style server, allowing radio nodes to link without opening inbound ports on the clients.

[SERVER]
PORT=7300
AUDIO_PORT=7301
KEY=use-a-long-random-shared-key
MAX_CLIENTS=16

.\build\Release\BenshiNode.exe --config config\server.ini --server

Only the server needs inbound TCP 7300 and UDP 7301. Clients make outbound connections.

A standalone Go implementation of the server/reflector is available in go/. It is wire-compatible with the C++ client and uses its own server.ini (copied from config/server.ini). It adds an optional web dashboard with live stats and browser audio listening (--web :8080). See go/README.md for build and run instructions.

In the native GUI, use the BenshiNode link panel: enter the server as host:port, enter the shared key, and click Connect. Click Disconnect to leave. The server and key are saved for convenience. When [LINK] ENABLED=1 and SERVER/KEY are configured, the link also connects automatically at startup. A BenshiNode link has priority over Discord: connecting it automatically leaves the Discord voice channel and disables Discord auto-join while the link is active. EchoLink must still be disconnected first. DTMF 2# connects the configured link and 8# disconnects all networks.

The same connection can be configured for console/startup use:

[LINK]
ENABLED=1
SERVER=your.server.example:7300
KEY=use-a-long-random-shared-key

or:

.\build\Release\BenshiNode.exe --connect your.server.example:7300

The client reconnects, relays local RF audio, plays incoming server audio on the radio, gives local RF priority, and suppresses DTMF tones from the link.

Link audio uses G.711 u-law, 8 kHz mono, 20 ms UDP frames (about 64 kbit/s each way). The TCP handshake uses HMAC-SHA256 for access control. Audio is sent in the clear, as appropriate for amateur radio.

EchoLink uses the directory at servers.echolink.org:5200, the legacy RTP/RTCP QSO protocol, and GSM 06.10 audio.

[ECHOLINK]
ENABLED=0
DTMF=1
DTMF_PREFIX=4
CALLSIGN=AD8NT
PASSWORD=your-echolink-password
NAME=AD8NT
INFO=BenshiNode
NODE=179729
DIRECTORY=servers.echolink.org:5200
PORT_BASE=5198

ENABLED=0 means no EchoLink connection at startup. With DTMF=1, the node starts idle and waits for keypad commands:

• 4# connects to NODE
• 4<node># dials any node
• 5# disconnects

--echolink <node> explicitly connects at startup.

EchoLink binds local UDP 5198 and 5199. NAT port forwarding may be needed if the remote station cannot return audio. EchoLink proxy support is not implemented yet.

EchoLink audio is sent in the clear. There is no encryption, and none is needed for amateur radio. Stations remain responsible for identification and for following EchoLink and national regulations.

BenshiNode can bridge the radio to an outbound AllStarLink node over IAX2. It calls the configured node number with an IAX2 username/secret and uses G.711 u-law audio. Inbound hosting, registration, Web Transceiver/portal tokens, and GSM are not implemented.

[ALLSTAR]
ENABLED=0
NODE=12345
HOST=
PORT=4569
USER=iaxuser
SECRET=iaxsecret
CALLERID=K8SDR
CALLERNUMBER=12345

HOST defaults to <NODE>.nodes.allstarlink.org when blank. For a private node, set HOST to its reachable hostname or IP. ENABLED=1 connects on startup; otherwise use the AllStar card in the GUI. CALLERID and CALLERNUMBER are optional but help ASL3 nodes accept the call.

AllStar is mutually exclusive with the BenshiNode link, EchoLink, and Discord. Disconnect the active service before connecting another. No DTMF key is assigned by default; map one in [DTMF], for example 2=ALLSTAR_CONNECT and 5=ALLSTAR_DISCONNECT (these override the default keys). The GUI is the primary control.

Audio is 8 kHz u-law; radio audio is resampled to and from 32 kHz. The client uses IAX2 MD5 authentication. AllStar audio is sent in the clear. If the node rejects the call with a cause such as "No such context/extension", its dialplan does not accept direct IAX calls for that number.

BenshiNode can use Piper to speak help, station identification, startup, network link state, and command acknowledgements. The default voice is the clear female en_US-lessac-medium model.

No Python installation is required. The Windows Piper download is a native C++ executable using ONNX Runtime and espeak-ng. Install the runtime and voice with:

.\tools\install-piper.cmd

or install the config, Piper runtime, and voice together:

.\tools\setup.cmd -WithPiper

The .ps1 scripts can also be run directly with powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File ... if your policy blocks scripts.

Piper is downloaded to tools\piper and is not committed to git. Then add:

[PIPER]
ENABLED=1
EXE=tools\piper\piper.exe
MODEL=tools\piper\voices\en_US-lessac-medium.onnx
CACHE_DIR=tts-cache
LENGTH_SCALE=1.0
SENTENCE_SILENCE=0.05
SPELL_CALLSIGN=1
STARTUP_PROMPT=1
TIMEOUT_MS=30000
# HELP_TEXT=Custom help text.
# STARTUP_TEXT=BenshiNode ready.
# LINK_CONNECTED_TEXT=Connected to Network.
# LINK_DISCONNECTED_TEXT=Disconnected from Network.

The node speaks Connected to Network when a BenshiNode link is established and Disconnected from Network when it drops. If Piper is unavailable, it falls back to the normal beep acknowledgement.

Generated WAV clips are cached in tts-cache. The first startup takes a few seconds while the cache is built; later startups reuse the cached clips. The cache is keyed by the voice model, pacing settings, and text, so changing a prompt generates only the new clip.

Piper is optional. If it is disabled or unavailable, BenshiNode falls back to clips\help.wav/clips\ident.wav, CW, or the normal beep acknowledgements. The spoken callsign is assembled from cached letter and digit clips.

Other Piper voices can be used by pointing MODEL at another .onnx model and placing its .onnx.json beside it. Piper and its voice models are downloaded separately and remain subject to their own licenses.

BenshiNode bridges radio audio to one Discord voice channel in both directions. Radio RX audio is sent to Discord; Discord audio is mixed to mono and played on the radio. A BenshiNode link has priority over Discord: starting a link leaves the Discord voice channel and blocks Discord join until the link disconnects. EchoLink may stay configured for DTMF use, but BenshiNode refuses to join Discord while EchoLink is connected, and refuses to start EchoLink while Discord is connected.

Create a Discord application and bot, invite the bot with Connect and Speak permissions for the target voice channel, then copy the bot token, guild ID, and channel ID into the ignored BenshiNode.ini. No privileged message-content intent is required for the voice bridge.

Discord now negotiates DAVE end-to-end encryption on voice channels that require it. D++ logs a six-part E2EE Privacy Code when the encrypted voice session is ready. D++ may also log frame is not encrypted and pass through is disabled for legacy/unencrypted voice frames; this does not stop normal radio or Discord audio.

[DISCORD]
ENABLED=0             ; 1 = join the voice channel at startup
DTMF=1                ; allow 6# / 7# control
TOKEN=your-bot-token
GUILD_ID=123456789012345678
CHANNEL_ID=123456789012345678

With ENABLED=0 and DTMF=1, the bot connects to Discord but stays out of the voice channel until 6# is sent. Set ENABLED=1 to auto-join at startup. 7# leaves the channel. Radio RX audio is resampled from 32 kHz to Discord's 48 kHz stereo, and Discord audio is mixed to mono and resampled back to 32 kHz for the radio.

The bot token is a credential. Keep it in the ignored BenshiNode.ini, never in a tracked file. D++ handles Discord voice encryption and Opus; audio sent to Discord is protected by Discord's voice transport and DAVE E2EE when active. The D++ runtime DLLs and ca-bundle.crt are copied next to BenshiNode.exe by the build.

• Control: GAIA framing FF 01 00 LEN [group16][cmd16][data...].
• Replies set bit 15 in the command.
• Audio: 0x7E-delimited SBC frames on the BS AOC RFCOMM channel.
• TX audio command 0x00; RX commands 0x00 / 0x03; TX echo 0x09; end-of-audio 0x01.
• SBC: 32 kHz, 16-bit mono, 16 blocks, 8 subbands.
• Sending TX audio keys the radio. The end-of-audio frame unkeys it.
• BenshiNode re-sends the end frame and has an explicit unkey watchdog.

src/
  bluetooth/   WinRT RFCOMM transport
  radio/       GAIA control, status, SBC audio
  node/        squelch, DTMF, parrot, tones, ID, TX engine
  link/        BenshiNode server/client, G.711, resampling, auth
  echolink/    EchoLink directory, SDES/RTP, GSM QSO
  discord/     D++ bot and Discord voice bridge
  tts/         Piper prompt generation and callsign spelling
  util/        WAV output
third_party/
  sbc/         Google libsbc (Apache-2.0)
  gsm/         TU Berlin GSM 06.10 codec
  dpp/         D++ Discord library, prebuilt Windows x64 (Apache-2.0)
tests/         protocol, codec, DTMF and audio tests
config/        example node and server configurations

• third_party/sbc: Google libsbc, Apache-2.0, see third_party/sbc/LICENSE.
• third_party/gsm: TU Berlin GSM 06.10 reference codec, see third_party/gsm/COPYRIGHT.
• third_party/dpp: D++ Discord library, prebuilt Windows x64 release, Apache-2.0, see third_party/dpp/LICENSE.
• third_party/dpp/ca-bundle.crt: Mozilla CA root bundle from https://curl.se/ca/cacert.pem, MPL-2.0. BenshiNode points OpenSSL at this bundle so D++ can verify Discord's HTTPS certificates on Windows.
• Piper and the en_US-lessac-medium voice are optional, downloaded by tools/install-piper.ps1, and not part of this repository. See the Piper and voice-model projects for their licenses.

The references/ directory used during development is not part of this repository.

• No RFCOMM service: pair the control device as well as the audio device, and make sure the radio is powered on.
• Audio channel fails: power the radio on before starting BenshiNode.
• No RX audio: check --monitor, radio volume, and Bluetooth pairing.
• Node steps on local RF: adjust SQUELCH_MODE, VOX_THRESHOLD_DB, and VOX_HANG_MS.
• Radio still shows APRS or dual watch: set DUAL_WATCH=0 and APRS=0, then run --dump.
• EchoLink will not connect: verify the EchoLink callsign/password, the target node ID, and UDP 5198/5199 reachability.
• Radio stuck transmitting: run --unkey; BenshiNode also has automatic end-frame and status-based unkey recovery.
• Discord bot will not join: verify the bot token, guild/channel IDs, and that the bot has Connect/Speak permission. Voice requires UDP access to Discord; restrictive firewalls can prevent audio. If HTTPS fails with Malformed HTTP response, make sure ca-bundle.crt is next to BenshiNode.exe or set SSL_CERT_FILE to a valid CA bundle.
• Piper prompts are silent or CW: check PIPER/ENABLED, EXE, and MODEL paths. Run piper.exe --help and test a sentence through Piper manually. Delete tts-cache to force regeneration after changing voice settings.

EchoLink and BenshiNode linking can transmit over the air. Confirm the channel, power, and legal operating status before enabling a link. The example configuration keeps EchoLink disabled and does not connect to any station.