Author Topic: LW Orange/ TA Vox deafness (Read 1666 times)

Simaril · « **on:** February 02, 2007, 12:31:42 PM »

Skuzzy:

We've emailed off and on about this problem for a very long time, and I've explored a wide variety of possible causes for my limited "TA/Orange vox deafness" over those months. The best we've been able to say is that the problem doesn't come from the AH server, and it isn't dependent on the individual account or computer; and that it resolves when I use a different ISP.

It's now apparent that the problem IS NOT limited to my ISP alone, since Airspro has the EXACT same problem, affecting ONLY vox reception ONLY in those two arenas.

We are up against a wall, though. It seems that somewhere along the line, either the transmissions themselves are being blocked, or some identifying tag is being stripped off from the vox transmissions. Whatever actually is causing the problem, it can't be addressed without some guidance from the people at HTC who know exactly what your proprietary systems do in order to link the FE data to the server.

And that's the core of the problem. I can't even hint at what area the ISP should look, without having some idea of what to look for. And on your side, if there are specific proprietary methods you guys use, I can understand why you'd be tight lipped about them.

It's absolutely clear that this is a non-random, explainable problem. For the people it affects: It ALWAYS happens in those arenas. It's LIMITED to only received vox, and nothing else; and it NEVER happens in any other setting. Logically, the answer must be in something common to TA and Orange's vox transmissions to the affected users, and in the details of those users' ISP technology.

As a non-techie, I can't go any farther. So what can we do? The deafness makes it hard for me to give or get training, since I can't just drop in to the TA and be effective. I just want to be able to hear local and ESPECIALLY squad vox in those arenas. By now my squaddies know about the problem, but at first some guys thought I had issues of another sort because I would "ignore" their attempts to talk to me. Who knows how many times that's happened with non-squaddies...

And who knows how many others have the problem and haven't said anything in here. Please help us out!

airspro · « **Reply #1 on:** February 02, 2007, 02:55:03 PM »

I would bet there is more than just me and you having this problem .

Simaril · « **Reply #2 on:** February 05, 2007, 11:03:24 AM »

Is this thing on?

llama · « **Reply #3 on:** February 05, 2007, 12:39:05 PM »

Well, I'm not experiencing this problem, but i remember suggesting moving your PC to another ISP's connection in order to test the following:

That different arenas use different TCP/IP ports for VOX, and that your ISP is blocking/malforming whatever is coming in the specific port that is used for VOX for that one (or two) arena(s).

I never heard the results of the test, or an admission that different ports are being used. I think this is interesting.

Now then.

The next thing I would do is download and install TDIMon, a freeware app from someone now employed at Microsoft. Download it at: http://www.sysinternals.com/Utilities/TdiMon.html

Run it, and then run AH, and try to use VOX. Then alt-tab to see the TDIMon window. It should show all TCP/IP comminications, including ports, IP addresses, and the processs communicating on it. Save the output to a file.

Then move your PC to another ISP again and repeat this test. Save the results to a file.

If there are any new lines on the second test, then THAT's the VOX port.

Otherwise, you could also just list all the ports that are coming from the same IP address (or range) and report that to the ISP, since at least one of those is VOX.

Honestly, I'm a little surprised that Skuzzy hasn't just said what the ports are to make your life easier - this sort of information is hardly a trade secret...

Anyway, I hope this helps. Let us know what happens.

-Warr

Simaril · « **Reply #4 on:** February 05, 2007, 01:01:21 PM »

I'm seriously doubting that its a port issue.

First, from what I understand, the same ports are used for incoming and outgoing vox -- so if it were a port porblem, both kinds of vox should be abnormal, but they NEVER are. Second, Skuzzy has elsewhere said that vox ports are randomly assigned at logon, in a range between 2000-6000 -- which would make my symptomns incompatable with a blocked port problem conceptually, since these probelms are ALWAYS in the same arenas, and NEVER anyrhing but received vox.

Also, using a command line DOS-like box command, my ISP tech people could show what ports were active. And --

1. Ports were registering as active on my computer, regardless of what arena I was in.
2. There were the same number of ports active in every arena (so none were invisible and blocked.)
3. On at least one occasion, the exact same port ended up being used by a blocked arena (the TA), and then was again selected as the active port in a normally functioning one when I logged in subsequently. In other words, the exact same port functioned fine in LW Blue but was not delivering vox in the TA.

It has to be something other than a port problem, it seems to me...

Now, I'm no tech wizard. Just doesn't seem logoically possible with the data available.

Skuzzy · « **Reply #5 on:** February 05, 2007, 03:35:47 PM »

The TA's voice server is located on port 4000.

Start Aces High II, then connect to the TA.
Minimize Aces High II
Open a command box (Start->Run->Command)
Type "netstat -an"
Look in the left column for "UDP". The see if there is a corresponding line with 0.0.0.0:4000 in it. That means you have a connection to the voice server. The IP address is null, due to it being UDP, which is stateless.

If that line is missing, then, you are not connecting to the voice server, for whatever reason.

Simaril · « **Reply #6 on:** February 05, 2007, 04:04:11 PM »

Thanks Skuzzy! Will try as soon as I can tonite.

airspro · « **Reply #7 on:** February 05, 2007, 04:10:13 PM »

I did that , it shows that I am connected . I got a screenshot when I did it . Here it is .

I tryed my name in V channel also , nope doesn't work in Training today either , then alt tabed to do the command .

Skuzzy · « **Reply #8 on:** February 05, 2007, 04:17:17 PM »

You have a local UDP connection to port 4008. What is that?

airspro · « **Reply #9 on:** February 05, 2007, 04:26:04 PM »

Donno for sure . I "did" have MSN messenger on , I got another pic with it shut off . My avast! is on in both pics .

airspro · « **Reply #10 on:** February 05, 2007, 04:33:19 PM »

I got yet another pic with avast! shut off too . Nothing running on this pic but AH2 in the Training MA .

I did check vox again in Training before I alt tabed and with my name in the V box it didn't work .

Skuzzy · « **Reply #11 on:** February 05, 2007, 04:37:55 PM »

Do me a favor and close down anything that may be running. You have some rather bizarre listeners running on TCP ports and you have way too many local and stateless UDP connections.

My computer's netstat has 10 TCP entries, and 7 UDP entries.

airspro · « **Reply #12 on:** February 05, 2007, 04:53:32 PM »

I shut off everything I could , had 20 processes left running when I took this last screen shot .

I am on wireless two way to a grain leg up town , then wire to my ISP . I have had it for 2 years now , works pretty good most all times .

As you can well guess this is getting a bit over my head now now .

Simaril · « **Reply #13 on:** February 05, 2007, 09:47:48 PM »

OK, ran the test...I also am showing a null connection to 4000.

My list has almost 40 entries -- I'm too embarrassed to post it, and my usual pic hosting site has been infested with a trojan. I'll try to clean things up, but what is the next step in figuring out the problem? It looks like we both have connections to the voice server (which logically had to be true anyway since OUR outgoing vox could be heard by others)...

Skuzzy · « **Reply #14 on:** February 06, 2007, 06:36:20 AM »

Just for giggles, have either of you toggled the "Use Wave In" option of the game for voice?

I am trying to figure out how in the world you guys are getting so many open connections on your computers. Particularly the UDP stuff. Because UDP is stateless, any application setting on a port can eat the UDP on an inbound port.

For everyone's edification, here is my netstat. This is Windows XP Pro, at the desktop, with file and printer sharing enabled. I removed the name of my home computer for my own protection.