MODULETRX.CONF(5)

📦
version 26.05.1 · 5 versions
, in ubuntu stonking

💖 MODULETRX.CONF — the transceiver control module's config file, bestie ✨

okay so this is ModuleTrx.conf, and it lives in section 5 (file formats), and it is literally the glow-up guide for the SvxLink transceiver control module. come sit, i'll explain everything 🫶

🌸 NAME 🌸

ModuleTrx.conf — the configuration file for the SvxLink transceiver control module. that's it, that's the name, slay 💅

✨ DESCRIPTION ✨

so svxlink is a general purpose voice service system for ham radio use, periodt. and this man page describes the SvxLink server configuration for the transceiver control module.

the transceiver control module is what lets you remotely control and operate a transceiver through a SvxLink node. you set it up by configuring one or more bands to operate the transceiver on. and the way that you can even support multiple transceivers is by having multiple band definitions but with differing RX and TX configurations — that's the trick 🧚 so like, one module can handle HF, VHF, UHF etc etc. iconic.

now, ngl, the only thing you can actually select through the command interface is the operating frequency. BUT with intelligent band configurations you can also get modulation and other parameters selected for you, like listen only bands. lowkey genius.

you can also select a band through a shortcut — then the configured default frequency for that band gets selected. and single frequency channels? those are just a band that spans only one frequency. you select the channel by entering either a possibly configured shortcut or the frequency for the channel. easy 💅

when you enter a frequency on the control interface, a band gets selected that matches the entered frequency. but bestie, if there's more than one band that matches? there are rules:

  • if the new frequency falls within a band that is a subband of another band, the subband gets selected. this makes it possible to configure regions of a larger band differently than the whole band — like making parts of a band listen only, or selecting another modulation. it also makes it possible to define channels within the band that have different settings like repeater shift. okay versatility 👑
  • if the new frequency falls within a band that is overlapping with the current band but that is not a subband of the current band, the band having the lowest valued shortcut will be selected. and if there's no shortcut configured, the band with the lowest lower frequency limit gets selected.
  • if there is a band currently selected and the new band is not a subband, the transceiver will prefer to stay on the current band. want a different band? select it explicitly by setting a shortcut on it and first use that shortcut to switch to the other band. that's the move 🎀
  • and if the above rules do not apply, it is undefined which band gets selected. no cap, it's just vibes at that point 💀

🎀 CONFIGURATION VARIABLES 🎀

there are a couple of configuration variables that are common to all modules, and the documentation for those lives over in the svxlink.conf(5) manual page (go read it, i'm serious 🙈).

here though is the description of all module specific configuration variables that the SvxLink transceiver control module understands. the configuration file consists of one global section — called ModuleTrx by default — and then one or more band configuration sections. the global configuration variables serve as a default for all band configuration sections. cute, right?

🦋 ModuleTrx

  • RX — specify a receiver configuration section in the same way that it is done in the rest of SvxLink. it's even possible to use receivers defined in other</> SvxLink configuration files. if a receiver is defined in the ModuleTrx configuration file it is good practise, but not required, to prefix the configuration section name with ModuleTrx:, like [ModuleTrx:Rx1]. 💖
  • TX — specify a transmitter configuration section in the same way that it is done in the rest of SvxLink. it's even possible to use transmitters defined in other</> SvxLink configuration files. if a transmitter is defined in the ModuleTrx configuration file it is good practise, but not required, to prefix the configuration section name with ModuleTrx:, like [ModuleTrx:Tx1]. 💖
  • RX_TIMEOUT — specify a timeout, in seconds, after which the audio is suppressed from the receiver. the audio will be suppressed until the squelch is closed. 🤫
  • MODULATION — specify which modulation to use. for a list of valid modulations, have a look at the documentation for the MODULATION variable in the svxlink.conf(5) manual page. iykyk ✨
  • SHIFT — specify the repeater shift (e.g. split transmit frequency) in kHz. 📡

🌈 Band Configuration Section

a band specific configuration section must be named like [ModuleTrx:Band:BANDNAME], where BANDNAME should be replaced with a unique band name. don't be out here reusing names, bestie 💅

a band specific configuration section may contain the same variables that are listed above for the ModuleTrx section. setting the corresponding configuration variable here will override the global default. and a band configuration section may in addition have the following configuration variables:

  • FQ — this variable is required and defines the lower and upper frequencies for the band. the frequencies are in kHz and should be given on the form lower-upper. for a single frequency band (i.e. a channel) it is sufficient to only specify the first frequency. 🍓
  • FQ_DEFAULT — this is the default frequency in kHz for a band. it is used to set the initial frequency for a band that is selected through a shortcut. if it is not set, the lower band limit will be used as the default frequency. lowkey a fallback queen 👑
  • SHORTCUT — define a shortcut for a band. the shortcut may be any positive number except 0-9 which is reserved for module commands. if the shortcut matches a command entered on the command interface, the band will be selected immediately and the frequency set by FQ_DEFAULT will be set. if more than one band have the same shortcut it is undefined which one will get selected. 💀

🎧 FILES 🎧

  • /etc/svxlink/svxlink.conf (or deprecated /etc/svxlink.conf) — the system wide configuration file. ⭐
  • ~/.svxlink/svxlink.conf — per user configuration file. 🌸
  • /etc/svxlink/svxlink.d/ModuleTrx.conf — global modularized configuration file. depends on the CFG_DIR configuration variable setting. 🫶
  • ~/.svxlink/svxlink.d/ModuleTrx.conf — per user modularized configuration file. depends on the CFG_DIR configuration variable setting. 🫶
heads up bestie, that /etc/svxlink.conf path is marked deprecated — it's giving "we moved on but you can still visit" 💅

👑 AUTHOR 👑

Tobias Blomberg (SM0SVX) <sm0svx at svxlink dot org> — the legend, fr fr 💜

😭 REPORTING BUGS 😭

found a bug? bugs should be reported using the issue tracker at https://github.com/sm0svx/svxlink. go off, tell them everything 🔥

but listen — questions about SvxLink should not be asked using the issue tracker. instead use the group set up for this purpose at groups.io: https://groups.io/g/svxlink. keep the tracker for bugs, keep the group for questions, that's the whole vibe check ✨

🦋 SEE ALSO 🦋

that's the whole page, you ate it 🍓 this was MODULETRX.CONF(5) in the File Formats chapter, Linux flavoured, dated October 2025 — so if you're reading this from the future, hi, hope your bands are all configured correctly 💖 mwah, go configure something iconic 💅✨

📦 where this page comes from