YSF Reflector: Complete Installation on a VPS

🛰️ Complete installation of a YSFReflector on an Infomaniak VPS: this guide will help you install and configure your own System Fusion (C4FM) reflector hosted in Switzerland, with a web dashboard, HTTPS and official registration on DVRef. Compatible with Debian 11/12 and Ubuntu 22.04/24.04.

📡 What is a YSF reflector?

A YSF reflector (Yaesu System Fusion) is a server that connects several amateur radio stations using Yaesu's C4FM digital mode over the Internet. It acts as a central meeting point where all connected users can talk together, creating worldwide “rooms” for conversation.

🎯 How it works: When a radio amateur transmits on a radio connected to the reflector, the signal is instantly passed on to all the other connected users, allowing group QSOs on a worldwide scale.

Why pYSFReflector?

This tutorial uses pYSFReflector, developed by IU5JAE. It is a modern Python version that replaces G4KLX's older C++ version.

🐍 Modern Python

No need to compile C++, direct and simple installation

✅ Compatible

Works with Pi-Star, WPSD and all YSF radios

🔄 Maintained

Regular updates and active bug fixing

💪 Stable

Better connection handling, fewer crashes

🇨🇭 Why Infomaniak?

Infomaniak is a leading Swiss hosting provider, particularly well suited to hosting an amateur radio reflector:

🇨🇭 Swiss hosting

Optimal data protection

🌱 100% renewable

Certified eco-friendly data centres

⚡ High performance

NVMe SSD infrastructure

💰 Affordable

From CHF 7/month

📋 Prerequisites

Minimum VPS configuration

1 vCPU
1 GB RAM
10 GB SSD
System: Debian 12 or Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (recommended)

Information to have ready

📝 Before you start, have to hand:

Reflector name: 16 characters maximum (e.g. "HB9 SUISSE")
Description: 14 characters maximum (e.g. "Reflecteur CH")
Your e-mail: for DVRef and Let's Encrypt registration
Your callsign: a valid amateur radio callsign
Domain name: optional but recommended for HTTPS

🚀 Step-by-step installation

1. Preparing the server

Connect to your Infomaniak VPS over SSH:

ssh utilisateur@votre-ip-vps

Update the system:

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade -y

Install the basic tools:

sudo apt install -y git curl wget nano ufw

Create the working directory:

cd ~
mkdir ysf-install
cd ysf-install

2. Installing Python and dependencies

Install Python 3:

sudo apt install -y python3 python3-pip python3-venv

Check the installation:

python3 --version

💡 Expected version: Python 3.9 or later (usually 3.11 on Debian 12 / Ubuntu 24.04)

Installing the Python libraries

⚠️ Common problem: "externally-managed-environment"

If you get this error with pip, use one of the 3 methods below.

Method 1: Using the system packages (RECOMMENDED)

sudo apt install -y python3-aprslib python3-tinydb

For the "threaded" library, which is not in the repositories:

sudo pip3 install threaded --break-system-packages

🚨 CRITICAL WARNING: The dashes

Make sure you use TWO HYPHENS -- (short dashes) and NOT a single long dash (en dash). If you copy and paste from a PDF or Word document, check this! A long dash will make the command fail.

Method 2: Full installation with pip

If python3-tinydb is not available:

sudo pip3 install aprslib --break-system-packages
sudo pip3 install tinydb --break-system-packages
sudo pip3 install threaded --break-system-packages

Method 3: Permanent pip configuration

sudo mkdir -p /root/.config/pip
sudo nano /root/.config/pip/pip.conf

Add these lines to the file:

[global]
break-system-packages = true

Save with Ctrl+O, Enter, then exit with Ctrl+X.

You can now install without the flag:

sudo pip3 install aprslib tinydb threaded

Check that the libraries are installed:

pip3 list | grep -E "aprslib|tinydb|threaded"

3. Installing pYSFReflector

Download pYSFReflector from GitHub:

cd ~/ysf-install
git clone https://github.com/iu5jae/pYSFReflector.git

Create the necessary directories:

sudo mkdir -p /opt/ysfreflector
sudo mkdir -p /var/log/ysfreflector
sudo mkdir -p /usr/local/etc

Copy the files:

cd pYSFReflector
sudo cp YSFReflector /opt/ysfreflector/
sudo cp YSFReflector.ini /opt/ysfreflector/
sudo chmod +x /opt/ysfreflector/YSFReflector

Create the deny.db file:

sudo touch /usr/local/etc/deny.db
sudo chmod 644 /usr/local/etc/deny.db

⚠️ Critical file: Without this deny.db file, pYSFReflector throws an error at startup. This file contains the list of blocked users (empty to begin with).

Set the log permissions:

sudo chown -R $USER:$USER /var/log/ysfreflector

4. Configuring YSFReflector

Edit the main configuration file:

sudo nano /opt/ysfreflector/YSFReflector.ini

💡 nano shortcuts:

Ctrl+O then Enter: Save
Ctrl+X: Exit
Ctrl+W: Search

Edit the [General] section:

[General]
Id=00000
Name=HB9 SUISSE
Description=Reflecteur CH

💡 Explanations:

Id=00000: Leave it at zero for now. You will change it after registering on DVRef
Name: 16 characters maximum (including spaces)
Description: 14 characters maximum

Check the [Network] section:

[Network]
Port=42000

⚠️ Standard YSF port: Port 42000/UDP is the standard port for YSF. Do not change it unless absolutely necessary, as this could cause compatibility problems.

Check the [Log] section:

[Log]
FilePath=/var/log/ysfreflector
FileRoot=YSFReflector
FileLevel=1
DisplayLevel=1
FileRotate=1

Save the file: Ctrl+O, Enter, Ctrl+X

5. Installing the web dashboard

For Ubuntu 24.04 / Debian 12:

sudo apt install -y apache2 php libapache2-mod-php php-mbstring php-xml php-curl

For Ubuntu 22.04 / Debian 11:

sudo apt install -y apache2 php libapache2-mod-php php8.1-mbstring php8.1-xml php8.1-curl

Enable and start Apache:

sudo systemctl enable apache2
sudo systemctl start apache2

Download the dashboard:

cd ~/ysf-install
git clone https://github.com/dg9vh/YSFReflector-Dashboard.git

Install the dashboard:

sudo rm -rf /var/www/html/*
sudo cp -R YSFReflector-Dashboard/* /var/www/html/
sudo rm -f /var/www/html/index.html

Create the configuration file:

sudo mkdir -p /var/www/html/config
sudo nano /var/www/html/config/config.php

Copy this content (adapt the URL to your setup):

<?php
// Paths (WITHOUT trailing slash)
define("LOGPATH", "/var/log/ysfreflector");
define("LOGPREFIX", "YSFReflector");
define("INIPATH", "/opt/ysfreflector");
define("INIFILENAME", "YSFReflector.ini");
define("REFL_PATH", "/opt/ysfreflector");

// Compatibility with older versions
define("YSFREFLECTORLOGPATH", "/var/log/ysfreflector");
define("YSFREFLECTORLOGPREFIX", "YSFReflector");
define("YSFREFLECTORINIPATH", "/opt/ysfreflector");
define("YSFREFLECTORINIFILENAME", "YSFReflector.ini");
define("YSFREFLECTORPATH", "/opt/ysfreflector");

// Display settings
define("REFRESHAFTER", "10");
define("LOGO", "");
define("URL", "http://votre-domaine.com");
define("LOCALE", "fr_CH.utf8");
define("TIMEZONE", "Europe/Zurich");

// Features
define("SHOWSYSINFO", "1");
define("SHOWNETINFO", "1");
define("ENABLEXTDLOOKUP", "1");
define("QRZAPIKEY", "");
define("SHOWLH", "1");
define("LHLINES", "20");
define("DMRIDDATPATH", ".");
define("ENABLEYSFGATEWAY", "0");
?>

Save and set the permissions:

sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html/
sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www/html/
sudo chmod 644 /var/www/html/config/config.php
sudo systemctl restart apache2

6. Configuring the firewall (CRITICAL)

🚨 CRUCIAL: TWO firewalls to configure

There are TWO firewalls that you must configure:

UFW firewall: on your Linux server
Infomaniak firewall: in the web control panel

If you only configure one of them, the dashboard will NOT be reachable from the Internet!

Part 1: UFW firewall (on the server)

🚨 WARNING: Allow SSH FIRST!

Allow SSH BEFORE enabling UFW, otherwise you will be locked out and unable to access your server!

sudo ufw allow 22/tcp
sudo ufw allow 42000/udp
sudo ufw allow 80/tcp
sudo ufw allow 443/tcp
sudo ufw enable
sudo ufw status verbose

💡 Ports explained:

22/tcp: SSH - Remote access to the server (CRITICAL)
42000/udp: YSFReflector - System Fusion radio traffic
80/tcp: HTTP - Web dashboard
443/tcp: HTTPS - Secure dashboard

Part 2: Infomaniak firewall (web panel)

Log in to manager.infomaniak.com
Go to Cloud & Servers → Public Cloud
Select your VPS
Click Firewall in the side menu
Add these 4 rules:
- Port 22/TCP - Protocol TCP - Source: Anywhere - Action: Allow
- Port 42000/UDP - Protocol UDP - Source: Anywhere - Action: Allow
- Port 80/TCP - Protocol TCP - Source: Anywhere - Action: Allow
- Port 443/TCP - Protocol TCP - Source: Anywhere - Action: Allow
Save the changes

7. Configuring the systemd service

Create the service file:

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/ysfreflector.service

Copy this content:

[Unit]
Description=YSFReflector Service
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=root
WorkingDirectory=/opt/ysfreflector
ExecStart=/usr/bin/python3 /opt/ysfreflector/YSFReflector /opt/ysfreflector/YSFReflector.ini
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=10

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Save, then enable and start the service:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable ysfreflector.service
sudo systemctl start ysfreflector.service
sudo systemctl status ysfreflector.service

✅ Service active: You should see active (running) in green. If so, your reflector is working!

Useful commands

sudo systemctl status ysfreflector.service: Show the status
sudo systemctl restart ysfreflector.service: Restart
sudo journalctl -u ysfreflector.service -f: Live logs

Testing the dashboard

Open your browser and go to: http://votre-ip-vps/

You should see the dashboard with your reflector's information!

📝 Registering on DVRef

⚠️ Important: Registration is now done ONLY on DVRef.com. The old YSFReflector.de registry has not been maintained since June 2024.

Registration procedure

Go to https://dvref.com/ysf/new
Fill in the form:
- Name: Name of your reflector (e.g. "HB9 SUISSE")
- Description: Short description
- Country: Country code (CH, FR, BE, etc.)
- FQDN/IP: Your IP or domain name
- Port: 42000
- Email: Your e-mail address
- Callsign: Your amateur radio callsign
Submit the form
You will receive a confirmation e-mail
Click the link in the e-mail to activate
Note your 5-digit ID (e.g. 12345)

Updating the configuration

Edit the configuration file:

sudo nano /opt/ysfreflector/YSFReflector.ini

Change the Id line:

[General]
Id=12345
Name=HB9 SUISSE
Description=Reflecteur CH

Replace 12345 with your actual ID. Save and restart:

sudo systemctl restart ysfreflector.service

⏱️ Propagation delay: Your reflector will appear in the Pi-Star and WPSD lists within 24 to 48 hours. This is normal, DNS propagation takes time.

🔒 HTTPS configuration with Let's Encrypt

⚠️ Domain name required: For HTTPS, you need a domain name pointing to your VPS. A plain IP address is not enough.

Installing Certbot

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y certbot python3-certbot-apache

Obtaining the SSL certificate

sudo certbot --apache -d ysf.votredomaine.com

Replace ysf.votredomaine.com with your real domain name. Answer the questions:

Email: Enter your e-mail
Terms of Service: Type Y
Share email: Y or N (optional)
Redirect HTTP to HTTPS: Choose 2 to redirect automatically

Checking

sudo certbot certificates

Updating the dashboard

sudo nano /var/www/html/config/config.php

Change the URL line:

define("URL", "https://ysf.votredomaine.com");

Save and restart Apache:

sudo systemctl restart apache2

Test: https://ysf.votredomaine.com - You should see a green padlock in the address bar!

🔒 HTTPS enabled: Your dashboard is now secure. The certificate will renew itself every 60 days through Certbot's automatic cron job.

🎨 Customising the dashboard

Adding a logo

Upload your logo (PNG, 200x200px recommended):

scp logo.png utilisateur@votre-ip:/home/utilisateur/
ssh utilisateur@votre-ip
sudo mv ~/logo.png /var/www/html/logo.png
sudo chown www-data:www-data /var/www/html/logo.png

Enable it in the configuration:

sudo nano /var/www/html/config/config.php

define("LOGO", "logo.png");

Changing the name and description

sudo nano /opt/ysfreflector/YSFReflector.ini

[General]
Id=12345
Name=MY YSF REFLECTOR
Description=My description

Restart the reflector:

sudo systemctl restart ysfreflector.service

🔧 Maintenance

Recommended monthly maintenance

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade -y
sudo apt autoremove -y

Checking disk space

df -h

Cleaning up old logs

sudo find /var/log/ysfreflector/ -name "*.log" -mtime +30 -delete

Backing up the configuration

mkdir -p ~/backups
sudo cp /opt/ysfreflector/YSFReflector.ini ~/backups/YSFReflector.ini.$(date +%Y%m%d)
sudo cp /var/www/html/config/config.php ~/backups/config.php.$(date +%Y%m%d)

🔧 Troubleshooting

Problem 1: Dashboard shows a blank page

sudo tail -50 /var/log/apache2/error.log
sudo systemctl status ysfreflector.service
ls -la /var/log/ysfreflector/

Problem 2: Service won't start

sudo journalctl -u ysfreflector.service -n 100

If you get the error "deny.db not found":

sudo touch /usr/local/etc/deny.db
sudo chmod 644 /usr/local/etc/deny.db
sudo systemctl restart ysfreflector.service

Problem 3: Dashboard not reachable

Check both firewalls:

sudo ufw status | grep 80
sudo systemctl status apache2

Also check in the Infomaniak panel that ports 80 and 443 are open.

Problem 4: Not visible in Pi-Star

Checklist:

✓ Registered on DVRef.com?
✓ Confirmation e-mail activated?
✓ ID updated in YSFReflector.ini?
✓ Port 42000/UDP open (UFW + Infomaniak)?
✓ ysfreflector service running?
✓ Waited at least 24-48 h?

🎯 Conclusion

🎉 Congratulations!

Your YSF reflector is now up and running on your Infomaniak VPS. You have a professional server with a web dashboard, secure HTTPS and official registration on DVRef.

✅ YSF reflector

pYSFReflector installed and configured

✅ Web dashboard

Interface available 24/7

✅ Security

HTTPS and two-layer firewall

✅ Registered

Visible in Pi-Star/WPSD

Useful resources

🤝 Our partners

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Installing a Yaesu System Fusion (YSF) Reflector