[Elecraft] new computer advice suggestions for using with a K3

[Bill Frantz]

Please allow me to hijack this thread to ask about low power 
draw computers for use with the K3.

Last field day I set up our club's digital station with a K3/10, 
SignaLink USB, and a MacBook Pro. The combination worked very 
well, but the MacBook Pro, connected through the Apple power 
adapter and a Radio Shack inverter drew 3 to 4 times as much 
power as all the rest of the system. I used the Elecraft USB 
<--> RS232 cable for rig control.

So I am looking for a computer that runs on 12 volts and draws a 
minimum amount of current. It should be low noise and all those 
other good things as well. My OS preferences are in order: MacOS 
-- because I know it, flavors of Linux -- so I won't have to 
configure a Windows system and deal with Microsoft's license 
verification, and finally Windows.

On the MacBook Pro I was running cocoaModem and RUMped. I expect 
on other OSes I will run fldigi and a contest logger to be names later.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Cheers - Bill, AE6JV

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