[Elecraft] OT K3/KX3 and Raspberry Pi

[Nate Bargmann]

* On 2014 29 Dec 23:21 -0600, James Bennett wrote:
> Just wondering if any folks on this reflector have been using the
> Raspberry Pi (RPI) computer with their rigs or any other ham-related
> "stuff"?

Mine is collecting my weather data and uploading it to Weather
Underground.

> I got one for my Jr op (6 yrs old) several months ago and he has only
> used it occasionally. I'd like to integrate it into my ham shack where
> it "might" get more use. Right now my K3 and KX3 are tethered to an
> iMac which works quite well. Not looking to replace the iMac - just
> thinking about the RPI in the shack.

Fldigi *may* run on it particularly if the Pi is overclocked to 900 MHz
or so (a utility is included to do just that).  I overclocked mine some
time ago with no ill effects.  For daily use I would suggest an external
hard drive as the SD sticks have a limited lifetime if used as a regular
file system.

If you're running Raspbian and choose to use Hamlib, it would probably
be better to build Hamlib from source using one of the daily snapshots
than the version provided by Raspbian as many fixes for the K3 have been
applied since then:

http://n0nb.users.sourceforge.net

If you need assistance compiling Hamlib, feel free to email me privately.

In my opinion, the Pi is almost too limited to be a daily desktop
computer.  It is attractive for its size and price and offers a system
capable of running a full Linux based system.  Other devices such as the
Beagle Bone Black (I don't have one) may be a better choice for a
desktop.  For a dedicated device running a few tasks the Pi is a good
choice.

73, Nate

-- 

"The optimist proclaims that we live in the best of all
possible worlds.  The pessimist fears this is true."

Ham radio, Linux, bikes, and more: http://www.n0nb.us