🌐 Universal Communication Bridge with Live Web Interface
RARSMS is a modern universal communication bridge that seamlessly connects amateur radio (APRS) with Discord and features a comprehensive web interface. Built with intelligent protocol adaptation and real-time monitoring, it provides live APRS packet viewing, role-based administration, configuration management, and comprehensive testing infrastructure for reliable 24/7 amateur radio operations.
✨ Key Features
🔄 Universal Message Interchange
Send one message to multiple protocols automatically with smart adaptation that fits each protocol's capabilities and character limits while preserving critical information.
🔐 RARSMS Prefix Filtering
Only routes APRS messages intended for the system - messages addressed to RARSMS or starting with "RARSMS" from authorized callsigns.
🧠 Intelligent Protocol Adaptation
Messages automatically adapt to each protocol's limitations - APRS (67 chars) gets concise text, Discord gets rich embeds with maps and formatting.
🔌 Protocol Abstraction Layer
Extensible architecture with BaseProtocol interface makes adding new communication platforms simple without disrupting existing functionality.
📍 Geographic Integration
Position packets from APRS automatically generate interactive map links in Discord with technical details and timestamps.
🐳 Containerized Deployment
Runs reliably in Docker with graceful error handling - continues operating even with partial protocol configuration.
🚫 Message Deduplication
Intelligent duplicate filtering prevents the same APRS message from appearing multiple times due to network retransmissions. Configurable timeout window.
🔗 QRZ.com Integration
Callsigns in Discord are clickable links to QRZ.com profiles, making it easy to look up operator information with suppressed link previews for clean display.
🌐 Live Web Interface
Real-time APRS packet viewer with WebSocket updates, message search, statistics dashboard, and role-based administration panel for complete system management.
👥 Role-based Authentication
Secure admin authentication with user roles, callsign management, system configuration, and comprehensive testing infrastructure accessible via web interface.
📊 Real-time Analytics
Live statistics tracking message counts, protocol distribution, today's activity, and system health with beautiful visual dashboards and charts.
🧪 Comprehensive Testing
Complete frontend and backend test suites with 16+ unit tests, automated infrastructure validation, and quality assurance for production reliability.
🛠 Technical Architecture
RARSMS is built with modern, reliable technologies designed for 24/7 amateur radio operations:
🐍 Python + AsyncIO
High-performance async runtime
📡 APRS-IS Telnet
Direct connection to amateur radio network
🤖 Discord Bot
Bidirectional real-time messaging
🔄 Protocol Abstraction
Universal message interchange
🐳 Docker
Containerized deployment
📝 YAML Configuration
Flexible routing rules
💾 PocketBase Database
Real-time database with WebSockets
🌐 Modern Web Interface
Responsive admin dashboard
🧪 Testing Infrastructure
Frontend & backend test suites
🔧 Configuration Highlights
Message Deduplication
deduplication_timeout: 300 # seconds (5 minutes default)
# Recommended: 120-600 seconds depending on network conditions
Configurable via config.yaml or DEDUPLICATION_TIMEOUT environment variable
🚀 Current Status
✅ Implemented Features
- ✅ APRS-IS telnet connection with proper SSID handling
- ✅ Bidirectional Discord bot communication with QRZ.com integration
- ✅ Universal message interchange format
- ✅ RARSMS prefix filtering
- ✅ Intelligent message deduplication (configurable timeout)
- ✅ Protocol abstraction layer
- ✅ Intelligent message adaptation
- ✅ Callsign authorization whitelist
- ✅ Clean Discord message formatting with clickable callsigns
- ✅ Docker containerization with zero-configuration deployment
- ✅ Graceful error handling and automatic reconnection
- ✅ APRS message format compliance
- ✅ Live Web Interface with real-time APRS packet viewing
- ✅ PocketBase Database with WebSocket real-time updates
- ✅ Role-based Authentication with admin/user roles
- ✅ Configuration Management via web forms (APRS, Discord, filtering)
- ✅ Statistics Dashboard with protocol analytics and message counts
- ✅ Message Search with full-text filtering capabilities
- ✅ Callsign Management with CRUD operations via web interface
- ✅ Comprehensive Testing - 16+ frontend unit tests + backend test suite
- ✅ Automated Setup with random admin password generation
🔄 Active Development
- 🔄 Enhanced position packet handling with map integration
- 🔄 Message threading and conversation tracking
- 🔄 Advanced analytics and reporting features
📋 Future Roadmap
- ⏳ TARPN Network protocol integration
- ⏳ Winlink gateway support
- ⏳ Mobile-responsive progressive web app
- ⏳ Multi-protocol message routing
- ⏳ Advanced filtering and automation rules
- ⏳ Integration with other amateur radio software
📋 How It Works
- Deploy with Docker using zero-configuration setup:
docker compose up --build - Access the web interface at
http://localhost:8090/for live APRS monitoring - Login as admin using generated credentials to manage callsigns and configuration
- Send a message to RARSMS via APRS from your authorized callsign
- Watch messages appear instantly in both the web interface and Discord channel
- Club members respond using Discord's reply feature to create threaded conversations
- Monitor activity through the statistics dashboard with real-time analytics
- Search message history and manage system configuration via the web interface
💬 Discord Message Format
Messages appear in Discord with a clean, readable format designed for maximum clarity:
📻 Visual Indicator
Radio emoji draws attention to new APRS activity in the channel.
🔗 Clickable Callsigns
Callsigns link directly to QRZ.com profiles for instant operator lookup.
🧹 Clean Content
Technical metadata and debug information automatically filtered out.
⏰ Timestamp First
Logical flow: when → who → what → how to reply for easy scanning.