Goodbye Raspberry Pi

Hello Operators. First of all thanks for watching. Second, If you would really like a deeper dive into this topic, check out the episode notes for this video. All the related information with images and videos in a one place. 73 Julian oh8stn Episode notes: : oh8stn.org/blog/2021/11/03/microsoft-surface-or-ra…

Great video. I am a new ham about three months old in ham years and it has taken me a long time to find a video like this that helps me understand how to set up a station. I don’t want to be tied to a home station. Thank you!

Great thought and effort go into the development of your kit. All along the process you have steadily improved, simplified and made your setup field rugged. It is a pleasure to watch you work through this process. I suspect that one day you will have it all in the form of a wristwatch. FB 73

You hit the nail on the head. We need apps like wsjt-x and others developed for mobile operating systems. As an amateur like you who highly values reduced station complexity, increased station reliability/performance and flexibility, I’d be willing to put my money where my mouth is. Let’s get these developers paid and keep advancing our hobby.

I am very interested in picking up a Surface Go 2. I was before Julian created any videos on them. 🤪 This video says it all - clearly and concisely. All very valid points - all delivered with substantive support. I use Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and Linux. For me, it is and always has been about using what runs the applications I need and what makes me the most effective/efficient with the task at hand. The biggest challenge here is people that wrote off Microsoft years ago and don’t give things another chance. Microsoft has become one of the worlds leading security companies (laugh if you want) and are focused on ensuring interoperability with non-Windows based systems. Windows 10 may not be ideal due to Microsoft’s upgrade strategy, but it’s an excellent operating system. I just switched from Windows 10 to Windows 11 and am VERY impressed with the changes. The ability to take my 705 and a Windows tablet (with antenna and battery/solar) and nothing else - man that’s just KILLER! Thanks for another awesome video Julian! You’re amazing!

Thank you, I have been wandering for months what features or capabilities should be considered when using a laptop or similar for HF comms out in the field.. I am also learning a lot from you responses to other comments. Thank you for your honest evaluations irrespective of the much work and time you have invested in some of the setups.

I am glad you made this video. I have had this argument that a raspberry setup is too fiddly to be practical. Especially when trying to minimize the amount of gear you carry into the field.

Thanks Julian, you helped me decide a few weeks ago on the new GO3 for my emergency and portable Ops. It’s working out well although there are a few minor issues I need to sort out for smoother field deployments.

Julian, I am a student of your teachings here on YouTube. Your videos are very informative and well done in regard to editing and content. I have the 705 and a Surface Pro 5 and the configuration doesn’t get any simpler, especially when using the wireless capabilities of the radio. While it’s true that this setup requires the purchase of Icom’s RSBA1 v2 software, the trade-off is not needing to purchase the extra hardware and cabling that is required for the Pi. The RSBA1 software also allows me to remotely control my other Icom radios, so for me it was a good investment. On another note, I live in Iowa and Seth at PowerFilm has some great things to say about you. 👍

Since I've been a Ham for abt 54 years, I may be past the point where I want to play with my Raspberry Pi 3 B V1.2 any longer. I used to do packet radio before I got interested in satellite coms. I kinda dropped out of Ham Radio when I got a job (MITLL) that was almost exactly like my Ham Radio hobby! Since I've retired from the lab about 10 years ago, my Ham operating has been mostly using 70cm to chat with my wife(Ham) while she's out in her Kayak. I've always been interested in Weak Signal Portable, so when I saw the QDX kit and watched a presentation on JS8Call, I knew it was time to get back into Hamming. Your video has sold me on the idea of using a Laptop with the QDX transceiver. Besides the tiny rig & laptop, all I'll need is a USB cable, good Battery, smaller antenna tuner & some antenna wire. :) Plus maybe some kind of GPS dongle, if the PC doesn't have GPS. Can the hot-spot on a cell phone provide the time to a laptop? :) Seems like it might..

Thanks Julian. Simple is the key for off grid and emergency comms, and just like I skipped the slide rule and duck-and-cover, I'm happy I skipped the Raspberry Pi. If it ever rises to the top, I'd like to see you review digital modes for 144MHz VHF at some point, whether it be text, scanned forms or photographs as this subject is coming up in our county RACES meetings. HF is not always reliable for near-field digital comms whether it be solar flare, antenna orientation, NVIS refusing to cooperate or ground wave blockage...all of which I've witnessed in our extremely hilly and gorge-cut local terrain.

I am quite impressed with the SURFACE GO 2. Does all of the digital modes very well connectedto my IC-7100, but what really makes it stand out is its ability to charge effectively with a USB-C PD charger with as little as 7.5 watts. Yes that means you can effectively charge from the cigarette lighter! I was able to ditch the very lossy inverter that was was consuming more than 100 watts to make AC power to then be converted back to 20v DC. This is a game changer when operating on solar power!

Thanks, Julian, this is excellent. I own several Pi's and they're fine for what they are, but I really prefer an all-in-one computer for field work for the reasons you mention: simplicity, reliability and performance. I was gifted a GPD Pocket 2 mini laptop and it works extremely well for my needs in the field with my Xiego G90. The Surface Go 2 is surprisingly affordable, and if my current solution fails, I'll consider the Surface as an alternative.

I used 2 Raspberry Pi 4B for portable ham radio but finally I bought the Surface Pro7 because of your sharing information. Hi Hi !

I had researched the surface go 2 because I had seen you use it. I have owned other surface devices before, but this one is really great for on the go use. I was able to purchase/finance it on AT&T and get it with LTE coverage. Now that I am not editing on the road, I was able to get something other than an i7. Thanks for the great videos! KN4SHQ 73.

Awesome, timely video! I took a very old laptop up into Northern Maine with my Yaseu FT-991a to run some portable ops, mostly Winlink emails home to family with our camping adventures. The battery is toast in that old laptop and it quickly drained my LiFePO4, solar could barely keep up. I was thinking that I needed to get a newer laptop and my brother recommended buying the Surface Book Pro. The first version would be cheaper as people started clammering Surface Book Pro 3 or the used 2's that would inevitably hit the market. I found an i7 with 16 GB of RAM, and am excited by the battery capacity - both the screen and its keyboard base have a battery and it lasts a full day of basic data entry and web browsing. I, too, can't knock the Pi. I help maintain several GBPQ32 packet nodes running on 3B+'s. I thought about using a Pi Zero as a smart radio interface, but you're right about power and accessories. And I want to be able to document and demonstrate how to access data modes and packet radio nodes for our less-technically savvy operators in our local clubs. Windows and a sound modem connected to a sound interface is absolutely the simplest way to go.

I use the original Surface GO when operating portable and it has been outstanding. It takes up very little room and sits neatly inside the lid of my hard case.

I look at the Raspberry Pi as a swiss army knife. Can you slice cheese with a swiss army knife? Yes, of course, but if that's all you wanted to do, a $4.00 kmart kitchen knife would to a better job. However the kmart knife won't be able to saw, open bottles and cans, file metal, etc... let alone fold away into your pocket or a small survival kit. I love the Pi because of its flexible nature, price, size, and the extensive support eco-system that surrounds it. If you want to run digital modes in the field, you're probably better off with a second hand laptop, like an old lenovo, where the display, battery and keyboard are all packaged together. Pi will always have a place in my shack, though for more specialised applications, particularly those that run in headless mode.

Hi Julian, thanks for another useful comparison of equipment. I go with you a long time and I have also done some experiments with RasPi's. The cablemess as well as the non-compatibility with VARA made me switch over to a WIN10 2_in_1 convertible together with my IC-705. Actual an old Acer 10" does the job for nearly a year. Only 2 gb ram and 1,1GHz clock - it works, but sometimes its a pain. Both can be field charged by a 5V= USB or a USB-C PD charger from a LiFePo4 or a solar panel. Maybe a Surface Go 2 will be the successor. But protected by an UAG case and a non-glossy screen protector. 73

Excellent video, Julian. Thank you. I went through some of the same thought process recently, and decided on an Android system. I’m going to run WOAD for Winlink to start, and figure out the rest later. But between the cost and weight, I thought this was the best combo for my situation. I haven’t tested it out yet as I’m still collecting parts (the last package should be delivered in a couple of weeks), but I’m pretty sure I can get everything working satisfactorily for my situation. Thanks again.