Hamradio/darthvader

A beginner's guide to installing and running darthvader — one desktop program that puts every ham digital-voice network (DMR, YSF, D-STAR, NXDN, P25, M17, EchoLink, AllStar, SvxLink, APRS, POCSAG) in a single window, on Windows or Linux. Download, install, go.

💡 In one sentence: darthvader is a desktop app for your PC that connects to the digital-voice networks you'd otherwise need a hotspot or several programs for. The AMBE vocoder can be a USB stick (DV3000/ThumbDV), a remote AMBEserver, or software (no extra hardware).

Do I need this?

You want to operate digital voice from a computer — key up and listen on DMR / YSF / D-STAR / NXDN / P25 / M17, link via EchoLink / AllStar / SvxLink, or send APRS / pager (POCSAG) messages — without building a separate hotspot for each.
It runs on a normal Windows 10/11 PC or a Linux box (Debian/Ubuntu/Raspberry Pi OS).
You do not need to install Qt, codecs or anything else first — everything is bundled in the package.

The only thing you might add is an AMBE vocoder for the modes that need one (see below) — but there's a software option, so you can start with nothing extra.

Get it

Everything is published on the release page:

https://git.sa7aux.se/bjorne/darthvader-dist/releases

Grab the file for your system, then follow the matching section below.

Install — Windows 10 / 11

Download darthvader-<version>-win64.msi.
Double-click it and follow the installer — you get a Start-menu and desktop shortcut.
The first time you run it, Windows SmartScreen may show a blue warning (the build isn't code-signed). Click “More info” → “Run anyway.”

⚠ It is not a virus. Unsigned apps always trip SmartScreen, and a couple of antivirus engines flag unknown programs on reputation alone. If you want to be sure, verify the download against the published SHA256SUMS (see below).

Prefer no installer? Download the …-win64.zip, unzip it anywhere, and run bin\darthvader.exe — fully portable, nothing written to the system.

Rolling it out to many PCs (silent install):

msiexec /i darthvader-<version>-win64.msi /qn

Install — Debian / Ubuntu / Raspberry Pi

Option A — just install the one file:

sudo apt install ./darthvader_<version>_amd64.deb

apt pulls in any dependencies automatically.

Option B — add the apt repo once, then get updates with normal apt:

curl -fsSL https://debrepo.sa7aux.se/setup.sh | sudo bash
sudo apt install darthvader

💡 Today the Linux package is built for Debian 13 (trixie), x86-64. bookworm and arm64 (Raspberry Pi) are planned — if there's no package for your Pi yet, use a Windows or x86-64 Linux box for now.

Verify your download

Each release ships a SHA256SUMS file. To check a download is intact and genuine:

sha256sum -c SHA256SUMS      # Linux/macOS
# Windows (PowerShell):  Get-FileHash .\darthvader-<version>-win64.msi -Algorithm SHA256

The printed hash must match the line in SHA256SUMS.

Choosing a vocoder

Several digital modes use the AMBE+2 voice codec. darthvader gives you three ways to provide it — pick one:

Vocoder	What you need	Notes
DV3000 / ThumbDV / DVstick (USB stick)	plug it into a USB port	Appears as a serial/COM port (FTDI) and is auto-detected. Best quality, cheapest hardware route.
Remote AMBEserver	a reachable AMBEserver over the network (UDP)	Use a shared/remote dongle — no local hardware.
Software vocoder	nothing extra	Works with no chip. P25 has a full software IMBE; other modes can use the MD380-firmware software vocoder (see the note below).

⚠ The MD380-firmware software vocoder needs the files md380fw.img / md380ram.img placed in share/darthvader/vocoder_fw. Those are Tytera's firmware and are not shipped with darthvader — you supply them. A DV3000 stick or a remote AMBEserver needs none of this.

First run

💡 A full first-launch walkthrough isn't in the download package yet. In general: open Settings, add your account/server for each mode you use (DMR master such as BrandMeister/TGIF, a D-STAR/YSF/NXDN/P25/M17 reflector, EchoLink, AllStar nodes, SvxLink reflectors, APRS/DAPNET), pick your vocoder, set your audio devices, then connect. The status bar shows a coloured dot per mode, and the title bar / About shows the exact build.

For mode-specific details (talkgroups, reflector names, access rights) follow that network's own documentation — see Hamradio.

Audio

darthvader has a per-direction audio chain — preamp → 7-band EQ → LADSPA → AGC → limiter — configurable per mode/peer, with bundled LADSPA plugins, so a chain you set up on Linux works unchanged on Windows. Start with the defaults; only touch it if others report your audio is too quiet, too loud, or uneven.

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Fix
Windows SmartScreen / antivirus warning on first run	Expected for an unsigned app → “More info” → “Run anyway.” Verify with `SHA256SUMS` if unsure.
DV3000 audio stutters	Lower the stick's Latency Timer to 1–2 ms (Windows: Device Manager → the COM port → Port Settings → Advanced).
Software vocoder won't start	The MD380 firmware images aren't present — add `md380fw.img`/`md380ram.img`, or use a DV3000 stick / AMBEserver instead.
No .deb for my Raspberry Pi	arm64 builds are "to follow" — not available yet. Use x86-64 Linux or Windows meanwhile.

Updating

Windows: download the newer .msi and install over the top (or replace the portable folder).
Linux (apt repo): sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade.
Linux (one .deb): download the new .deb and sudo apt install ./… again.

The version is shown as <number>-<git-hash> in the title bar and About dialog.