I recently has a case where one of my Austrian customers was using my Data Modes card but couldn’t start FLDIGI. When starting from the desktop, FLDIGI would show no response. When started from the command line, it would fail[…]Click to read more..
Raspberry Pi – Multiple Instances of RTLSDR as a Service
My Raspberry Pi RTL Dongle server cards run the server as a service under systemd. This has several benefits including a better-defined start and the facility to stop/restart a service gracefully. One of my customer recently asked if it was[…]Click to read more..
Windows 10 Backup and Restore
Windows 10 still includes the Backup and Restore facility from Windows 7 but it’s been hidden! Here’s how to find it: In the Windows search box (bottom left of screen) enter: control panel Open the control panel and in the[…]Click to read more..
PiFace on the Raspberry Pi – Problem Solved!
Introduction I recently wasted many hours trying to get the PiFace board to work with Python. I eventually discovered the root cause of the problem, so have documented it here, both for my own reference, and for anyone else who might[…]Click to read more..
Unstable Raspberry Pi – Taming the Power Supply
I frequently get asked to help with, seemingly random, behaviour of the Raspberry Pi. By far the most common cause is the power supply. Whilst the use of a USB socket for the power supply connection is very convenient, it[…]Click to read more..
Raspberry Pi – Update to WSJT-X v2.0.0
Version 2.0.0 of WSJT-X brings several new enhancements but is incompatible with previous versions of WSJT-X. As a result, all users must update to version 2.0.0. The update process shown below can also be used for a new installation. In[…]Click to read more..
Repairing Corrupt System Files in Windows 10
** Updated 3rd Jan 2019 – To add extra DISM commands and recovery options. Windows includes a number of tools to get you out of a fix if your computer starts misbehaving. In this post, I’ll run through the repair[…]Click to read more..
RTL-SDR Server as a service on Raspberry Pi
NB: Updated 21st Aug 2018: Changes to the rtlsdr.service file to add a start-up delay to ensure an IP address has been allocated before starting the server. NB: This post assumes that you have already installed the RTL-SDR server on[…]Click to read more..
Raspberry Pi – Transfer WSJT-X, JS8Call and FLDIGI settings to a new image
Several customers have asked me how they can move their settings and macros from one Pi image to another. This post attempts to simplify the process. To preserve your settings, you just need to copy a few files from the[…]Click to read more..
Raspberry Pi 3+ & Ubuntu Mate – WARNING
Having just wasted time trying to get this going, I’ve discovered that the Ubuntu Mate download on the official Raspberry Pi site doesn’t work on the Pi3B+! This has been known about since March but has not been resolved! The supplied[…]Click to read more..
Raspberry Pi Buster – GPS Dongle as a time source with Chrony & Timedatectl
The latest release of Raspbian Buster for the Pi has replaced the familiar NTP application with a lightweight solution using timedatectl. As a result, many of the online tutorials for adding a GPS USB dongle are out of date. After[…]Click to read more..
Red Pitaya – Buyer Beware
My Red Pitaya failed recently after about 2 years of occasional use. It’s probably a 3.3V power regulator fault but the Red Pitaya team won’t supply component details and don’t have a repair option! So that’s £250 gone and not[…]Click to read more..