On Jan 6, 2025, at 01:42, Shirley Dulcey KE1L <mark@...> wrote:
That Zero 2 W might be fine now, but will it be enough in five or ten years Seriously? "Five or ten years"? As I said earlier, the question is the interface between the RPi and the zBitx, is it purely though the 2x20 GPIO header pins? If yes, then clearly any RPi with the same 2x20 GPIO interface could control the board, but the physical connection may not be as simple as with an RPi Zero board - for example, a short IDC cable might be needed to physically connect the two boards (RPi 4, 5 or other and zBitx). Ken, N2VIP
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Re: I need to regain control of the Raduino in my uBITX V6.1
Back to Evan-
When I wrote about the ‘BFO page’ I was thinking of the particular BFO page in the ?BITX, I hadn’t gotten as far as viewing the video from Ashar again.? I understood your point after watching that again.
Thanks for your help Evan, you’ve put me back on track and I now remember much more of what was happening earlier.
I found today that the BFO was way off at 11.964, hence the shriek! It is now roughly set at 11955.
And previously I had been trying to line up the receiver to a 10MHz source but with each correction I entered the error was moving away by an unrelated amount, but it had to be put aside in an unresolved condition, and it was ‘forgotten’ in the aftermath.
The receiver has now been brought into calibration against the BBC World service on 10.790MHz +/-500Hz at the moment, which I am satisfied with for now. I’ll now dig out the AGC modules and see which will fit the best. As the snow conditions put me off a longish drive yesterday, I didn’t get hold of a freq. counter, yet. So I have no measured values to announce.
I used the BBC World Service transmission on 10790kHz, plus the RMW on 9996 and WWV on 10000, and these all agreed within the +/- 500Hz
I set the BFO by ear first and then checked with the ‘Its ham Radio’ routine.? This was a challenge in my laptop as the PC’s internal audio levelling kept backing off the gain, so that the green spectrograph plot only just showed around the lower side of the box!
I have a modikum of control again.
?
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I wondered why something like the orange pi wasn’t used instead of the raspberry pi. ?Nearly the same foot print, same price, ?and more memory. ?But backwards compatibility with the sbitx and board reliability will be major factors. ?This is still after all a radio that is expected to be hacked on and tinkered with. ?I had concerns about ram but it looks like zram compression is a viable option on the zero at the expense of processor usage which we may have a bit in excess of on a zero 2 with its quad cores. ?The price point of this radio makes it perfect to hack on. So there is bound to be a lot of discussion on what you can tinker with even before it comes out! ?
?
The advantage that the Raspberry Pi has over any other embedded solution is the extensive software and community support.
There is absolutely no support for the Orange Pi apart from via Armbian.
The Orange Pi support for Wifi on their lower end boards is particuarly bad.
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Re: Power for zBitx via USB-C
Hi Ken,
One of the Farhan intention was that this rig can be powered from a power bank.
Raj
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On 06/01/2025 2:41 AM, Ken N2VIP via groups.io wrote: I wonder if something like this could be used to power the zBitx from a home USB-C PD adapter or powerbank, the cable can supply 3 amps of current at 9 volts (based on Mfg claims)...
Ken, N2VIP
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Re: Zbitx - setting the time
On Sun, Jan 5, 2025 at 04:56 PM, David T-- VE3TOS wrote:
Pretty sure this is the application I saw mentioned before.?
?
Source?
https://github.com/PublicNTP/time-server-app
David,
does the recommended application work for you?
I tried it, first an application similar to a larger play store was installed, then I looked for the ntp-time-server here.
After I enabled the installation, it turned out to be an outdated application that wouldn't even start.
If you recommend it, try it first.
--
Gyula HA3HZ
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Re: Power for zBitx via USB-C
It all depends on how capable your USB-PD power brick is. These cables are just USB sinks that ask for the?specified voltages; it's up to the power supply to be able to deliver them. A 27W USB charger, for example, will certainly supply 9V at 3A, but might or might not be able to supply voltages higher than 9V at all.
I wonder if something like this could be used to power the zBitx from a home USB-C PD adapter or powerbank, the cable can supply 3 amps of current at 9 volts (based on Mfg claims)...
?
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People are thinking about possible future needs for a more powerful CPU and/or more RAM. Future digital modes or improvements in the DSP algorithms might require more resources. People might want to experiment with changes to the front panel that would show more information. Simultaneous?reception of more than one signal within the passband of the crystal filter is another possibility. We might see a large-scale movement toward digital voice on HF. That Zero 2 W might be fine now, but will it be enough in five or ten years, or will the radio's features feel unnecessarily dated because of a lack of resources? Being able to upgrade the processor in the future could allow it to keep up with changes in ham radio.
It's not unprecedented. The Elecraft K2 got a processor upgrade partway through its life; version 2 firmware replaced the original 16F primary microcontroller with an 18F part; pin compatible, but with a larger instruction set and more RAM and flash storage. (The K2 main microcontroller, as well as the other microcontrollers in the rig, use flash memory but cannot be re-flashed by the customer; you have to pull out the microcontroller and replace it with one with a newer version of the firmware.) PC-based SDRs get a hardware upgrade by replacing the PC that is used as part of the radio with a more powerful one, and for some owners it was pretty much necessary because the newer SmartSDR software uses more resources than their original PowerSDR application did. (Others don't have a choice; some early Flex models are not supported by SmartSDR, and the newer direct sampling models are not supported by PowerSDR.)
The RPi Zero 2W will be in production into the year 2030.
?
Farhan has never expressed doubts about the RPi Zero 2W and its ability to control the zBitx, and I defer to him. If I was to have any concerns about the design, it would be the reliance on microSD cards, but that can easily be mitigated with easy access to the microSD card slot (couple of screws to access the slot?) and a practice of taking periodic backups.
Ken, N2VIP On Jan 5, 2025, at 12:02, Shirley Dulcey KE1L <mark@...> wrote:
Orange Pi models seem to come and go rapidly. Raspberry Pi commits to long term availability and software support, making their boards a safer choice for embedding.
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Re: zBitx installed softwares
I just want to add two quotes from this thread of a groups.io devoted to JS8Call:
QUOTE
Yes, JS8 is not the QSO king, but the messaging and relay features cannot be beat.?
I generally leave mine running 24/7 and sometimes switching bands at night, but with it running and I’m not sitting there leaves my system open to somebody messaging me or using me as a relay. These are the features of JS8 that are unique, and I constantly try to tell people to exploit them. This has led to me making some friends and if we don’t have a keyboard to keyboard QSO, we can at least send messages between each other that can be retrieved at our convenience.?
Kevin, K3VIN
UNQUOTE
QUOTE
I've had many great QSOs on JS8. I'm not sure why a station running persistent would mean there isn't a future for JS8Call. I often text my friends who may not be right at their phones, but if I don't get an immediate reply I've never thought that means cell phones are dead or going away.?
Last couple nights, propagation has been terrible. I bet when things get back to normal you'll find a fair number of people who want to have conversations.?
Drew
UNQUOTE
I have created a @SOUTH WEST PACIFIC group in JS8Call and one VK2.. OM had his station running continuously even unattended to relay a possible message from to a female relative in Massachussets by plain email and relay back her answer to me by JS8. A wonderful mode! Obviouslay relaying a message to this group means that any member would relay it to the final destinatory.
73 - Pierre - FK8IH
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An Orange Pi-02W is a cool upgrade in the zBITX.?
Software adaption could be a challenge?
de VU2UPX?
Acknowledging that there are no stated plans for a newer model of RPi Zero, prospectively named RPi Zero 3, it is a safe assumption that were such a board be announced it would have the same form-factor and similar/same pin outs and connections, and if that is indeed what is released it could conceivably be swapped into the zBitx.
The real question is, in my opinion, does the RPi Zero 2W *only* connect to the 2x20 (40 pin) GPIO header, because that would mean any RPi with a 2x20 header could be used with the zBitx board.
It is interesting to see the posts here about the possibility of upgrading/swapping the RPi in a device that has not been released yet. The latest thread (this one) is now questioning upgrades for the unreleased zBitx with a future RPi Zero model that also is not only not released but not even being discussed as a future product!
(Opinion: Any updated RPi Zero would likely have either the RPi 4 or 5 CPU, and probably a bit more RAM, but that more recent CPU might need a cooling solution, either a heat sink or something active, and that might interfere with the initial, as yet not finalized, zBitx design.)
The RPi Zero 2W has the same processor chip as an RPi 3B+, albeit with half the memory. Farhan has said that the supplied/planned software suite works fine in the 512 Meg of RAM. Ken, N2VIP ? ?
I know we are all on pins and needles waiting on more photos/details . But was wonder the PiZero 2w, I assume it's not hardwired
into the zbitx and that in the future should there be a PiZero 3 that we would be able to swap that out??
?
Thanks
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Power for zBitx via USB-C
I wonder if something like this could be used to power the zBitx from a home USB-C PD adapter or powerbank, the cable can supply 3 amps of current at 9 volts (based on Mfg claims)...
?
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Re: Zbitx - setting the time
You did see one,
?
Joel
N6ALT
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Re: Zbitx - setting the time
Is there an onboard Real Time Clock?
I thought I saw one on the schematic.?
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Re: zBitx orders are closed
No waiting list has been established, the best you can do is "watch this space"
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On Jan 5, 2025, at 14:37, kc5kwz via groups.io <jrbritton@...> wrote:
? How can I get on the list for the next batch?
?
Wait till February?
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Re: zBitx orders are closed
How can I get on the list for the next batch?
?
Wait till February?
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The RPi Zero 2W will be in production into the year 2030.
?
Farhan has never expressed doubts about the RPi Zero 2W and its ability to control the zBitx, and I defer to him. If I was to have any concerns about the design, it would be the reliance on microSD cards, but that can easily be mitigated with easy access to the microSD card slot (couple of screws to access the slot?) and a practice of taking periodic backups.
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On Jan 5, 2025, at 12:02, Shirley Dulcey KE1L <mark@...> wrote:
Orange Pi models seem to come and go rapidly. Raspberry Pi commits to long term availability and software support, making their boards a safer choice for embedding.
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Orange Pi models seem to come and go rapidly. Raspberry Pi commits to long term availability and software support, making their boards a safer choice for embedding.
On Sun, Jan 5, 2025, 11:41?AM Ryan Wesolowski via <cosmo1stgen= [email protected]> wrote: I wondered why something like the orange pi wasn’t used instead of the raspberry pi.? Nearly the same foot print, same price, ?and more memory.? But backwards compatibility with the sbitx and board reliability will be major factors.? This is still after all a radio that is expected to be hacked on and tinkered with.? I had concerns about ram but it looks like zram compression is a viable option on the zero at the expense of processor usage which we may have a bit in excess of on a zero 2 with its quad cores.? The price point of this radio makes it perfect to hack on. So there is bound to be a lot of discussion on what you can tinker with even before it comes out! ?
?
Ryan
kk6dzb
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I wondered why something like the orange pi wasn’t used instead of the raspberry pi. ?Nearly the same foot print, same price, ?and more memory. ?But backwards compatibility with the sbitx and board reliability will be major factors. ?This is still after all a radio that is expected to be hacked on and tinkered with. ?I had concerns about ram but it looks like zram compression is a viable option on the zero at the expense of processor usage which we may have a bit in excess of on a zero 2 with its quad cores. ?The price point of this radio makes it perfect to hack on. So there is bound to be a lot of discussion on what you can tinker with even before it comes out! ?
?
Ryan
kk6dzb
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Re: Zbitx - setting the time
Pretty sure this is the application I saw mentioned before.?
?
Source?
https://github.com/PublicNTP/time-server-app
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Re: Zbitx - setting the time
?
There was a Android Phone app that would act like a NTP server that you could connect too, it would use the GPS on the phone to time sync. You would than connect the zbitx to the phone acting as the ntp server.?
I would have to see if I can find that app again.?
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The other option is using a Raspberry pi with a GPS module and it would act like the NTP time server as well.?
This is a example of such a project, I'm sure there are simpler ways.?
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Maybe even a USB GPS module to a laptop and use Windows/Linux software to make the Laptop act like a NTP server as well.?
?
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In the end the andriod phone would likely be the easiest , just need to find the correct software, it was a while ago I saw a post about it.?
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Re: Zbitx - setting the time
There are lots of ways to add a $15 dongle and pick up satellite time. You can then manually update or use the software to automatically update.
We took a raspberry pie 2, and turned it into a time server using a satellite dongle. We run NTP on it. (that’s not the exact name I don’t think but it’s the process.)
You don’t need anything that fancy, there are a zillion systems that will read the dongle.
Even with the stupidest, it will be accurate to within one second. If you do a little more digging, that will be accurate too within a few tens of milliseconds.
Gordon.?
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On Jan 5, 2025, at 10:26, Ken N2VIP via groups.io <ken@...> wrote:
? The underlying wonderfulness of the zBitx is it uses nearly the exact same software as the uBitx, so I would imagine a simple console session into the zBitx and issuing a 'date' command would allow you to update the clock.
Speculation, but based on previous public statements it should that easy. Ken, N2VIP On Jan 5, 2025, at 10:11, wa6ara via groups.io <wa6ara@...> wrote:
? I envision using the zbitx in my off the grid cabin, no cell, no internet, no power. While I can set the time at home, after a month or so I am sure it may drift off enough to require corr4ction. Is there a way to manually set the internal clock? In the past I have found I can set the laptop time off grid accurate enuf for ft8
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Raj vu2zap
HA3HZ
Shirley Dulcey KE1L
Joel Caulkins/N6ALT