For enthusiasts of amateur radio, SVXLink is a valuable tool for creating repeater systems, echolink servers, and more.

However, when configuring SVXLink, users may encounter a frustrating issue with alsactl. Despite its role in storing and restoring sound card settings, alsactl sometimes fails to persist settings across reboots.

But fret not, fellow ham radio aficionados! I have a flavorful workaround that ensures your sound card settings remain intact even after a reboot. Here’s how you can ensure alsactl restores your settings reliably:

echo "@reboot sudo alsactl restore" | sudo tee -a /etc/crontab >/dev/null

Later edit: After some tests, it seems that only restoring settings without supplementary PulseAudio checking does not work properly.

Meanwhile, I found a more complete approach here, which is converted to a single command to help peoples that are newbies on Linux:

echo -e '#!/bin/sh\nrestore_alsa() {\n    while [ -z "$(pidof pulseaudio)" ]; do\n        sleep 1\n    done\n    alsactl restore\n}\nrestore_alsa &' > alsarestore.sh; crontab -l | { cat; echo '@reboot ~/alsarestore.sh 2>/dev/null'; } | crontab -

By running this command, you’re instructing your system to execute alsactl restore automatically every time the system reboots. This ensures that your sound card settings are consistently applied, saving you from the hassle of manually restoring them each time.

Whether you’re setting up a new SVXLink installation or troubleshooting an existing one, incorporating this workaround into your setup can save you time and frustration.

Happy hamming de YO6SAY!