Pi-Star Back Up - AllStar Soon

The Pi-Star Dashboard has returned. Here is the current saga with the AllStarNode:

I got the SHARI kit built and the node online. I decided after a little thinking it would be easier to get the SHARI hat running on the alternative SBC I bought. The only pins it requires on the GPIO header are an exact match; power and UART. The MMDVM also only requires UART, but it does use additional lines (pins 38 and 40) on the RPi’s header for firmware update.

The current issue is that despite claiming software compatibility, it doesn’t have any. There’s no easy way I’ve found…yet, of getting it to boot existing Pi images. I don’t think. Let me go jam this thing in the board….

And no. They said it was Raspbian compatible; what they didn’t tell you is they use a custom image.

The alternative is to install ASL via repos on a Debian image. This in itself is easier than trying to build a MMDVM hotspot from scratch. The only downside to that is forums claim the stability of ASL with this thing is poor compared to hamvoip.

Dammit. This is why I’m done with Pi. It’s no more open than any other PC platform and they’re doing a cash grab.

PiStar Delayed

I’ve been delayed in getting the hotspot back online. I don’t DMR a whole lot these days, so its absence isn’t that noticeable.

I also acquired a SHARI PiHat from Don/WA2SWX over the weekend. It’s a RPi hat that contains a USB codec and a small transceiver with the appropriate filtering.

I am, however, not a fan of the Pi right now. I don’t believe them about why they’re still overpriced and out of stock 3 years on. It is now a product that is securely in the hands of scalpers. It will be years, if ever, before consumers will be able to buy them.

Anyway….my attempts to figure out how to make it work outside of Pi world is confusing. In theory its simple, however it uses a GPIO on the codec for PTT.

I can probably figure it out later, but I kind of just to play with it.

I did however buy a $35 Libre SBC that claims to be Pi compatible and PiStar supposedly works on it.

PiStar Offline

The PiStar dashboard is offline. I’m taking it to Dayton.

VQAP Plaque Winners

I got the email this morning from the committee:

I have in fact won a plaque for single-op phone low-power.

Now On Mastodon

I’ve given in and am now on Mastadon.

https://mastodon.hams.social/@nq4t