Re: One last try before I literally shoot my pi 3
God I appreciate your guys input on this topic.?
I have tried and failed many times with this pi 3.?
originally got it to run a hotspot thing and either the hotspot or the pi was bad, I blamed the hotspot got a refund.?
got mad threw it in a corner. ?Now I own a few repeaters and my area is a dead zone with activity so wanted to get it online somehow. The Allstate link method was an idea but that turned into a cluster of massive calamity due to the lack of documentation on how to physically connect the darn thing.?
I have owned a wires x box for years and just today ?26 January 2025 I heard a voice come through the other side. It¡¯s like finding out ghost are real.?
turns out I did it wrong and got a bunch of angry emails but no one said what was wrong.?
I would love to run a laptop but everything I see seems to be based off these cheap little pi devices.
At this point I am seriously biased against them and would rather not use the thing.?
now I am ignorantly to the operating system but what is the vara and buster. I seen the 73 Linux and I watched the video of the guy that claims to have made it and it seems that is pi based also.?
from where I sit it seems like all the stuff to use all star and the like is based on this device that at some point may honestly be nailed to a tree?
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Re: One last try before I literally shoot my pi 3
George,
Thanks for your interest in how I run my Pi's. For an overview of my two main setups, here is an article I wrote about them. This article is about my first Pi setup. My second Pi setup is the same but permanently?built into my Jeep:
To this day they both run on a Pi 3B+ that run on the Buster operating system. More on that later. Also they are not set up to run VARA since the 3B+ doesn't seem to have enough horsepower for it. Also I have not overclocked either of these Pi's.
As you can see in these two builds in particular it's more conducive to use a Pi instead of going to a laptop - just my opinion.
As stated in the article, all of my Pi's run headless and I use VNC with an iPad to run them. One thing I have found when running VNC on a Pi. I set the "picture quality" to LOW on my iPad inside VNC so when it connects to the Pi, there doesn't seem to be as much cpu usage while the Pi is sending the screen to my iPad. Doing this seems to help the performance of the Pi.
As far as operating systems go, Bookworm seems to consume more cpu than Buster which is why these two systems have stayed on Buster.
Sometime after this weekend (its Winter Field Day weekend) I plan on looking into using a Pi5 for these two systems. BTW, I will be using the setup in the article above.
Now concerning VARA, like I said earlier, the two systems discussed I don't run VARA. The one system I run VARA on is a Pi4 / 8 GB that is overclocked to 2.1 gHz. It runs an Icom IC-718 and is a lowband?only setup so I can't comment on the VHF side of VARA.
Yes, VARA is a bit sluggish for me too and obviously using a laptop without VNC would be more robust, but again the two things that helped me the most are the overclocking and the setting of the VNC picture quality to low.
Concerning SD cards, I only use SanDisk ImageMate Pro. There might be better ones, I don't know, but these work for me. I don't use an SSD at all.
Concerning APRS / Pat / Xastir etc. they all work fine for me including?on my Pi Zero. But then that is running Buster - esp. on the Zero.
OK sorry for the long post, I hope I have answered everything George.
73's ? -- Mike WB8ERJ
Packet BBS email: WB8ERJ@WB8ERJ.#NEOH.OH.USA.NOAM
Geeze! What is he up to now?
On Sat, Jan 25, 2025 at 8:02?AM Brian Dale via <bdale.droid= [email protected]> wrote: All my PIs are stock. I run VARA on both the 4GB and 8GB Pi 4 with no problems or hangups. I also use an SDR with them and use OP25 for trunking scanning of our statewide public service network as well .The biggest issue is the choice of OS. I'm a few versions behind current and have tried the different versions as they've come out but I primarily still use Buster. That limits me from some new things but I have no bugs and everything works fine.
Mike:
Very interesting all about your PIs. May you share something about the performance when using VARA HF or FM with your Rpi4?? Something about the disk used to get an aceptable performance (micro SD disk or SSD)? And using YAAC for APRS or any map with GPS?
Anything related to the performance with your RPIs with SDR.
?
In my case I have tried micro SD and SSD and the performance is not acceptable, I have not tried yet to overclock.
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I have all in RPI 4B 8Gb: Fldig, Pat Winlink, Vara, YAAC, SDR Plus, I want all in one for HF, APRS 2M.? But very frustrating to use pat and Vara slow moving for typing, or interacting.
?
Near to get it to simple tasks for may RPI 3, and 4 an go to a laptop with Linux. But I have to say I like lean working in everything and take at the most everything compress and all in one or two.
?
Best
George / HP1GDS?
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Re: One last try before I literally shoot my pi 3
All my PIs are stock. I run VARA on both the 4GB and 8GB Pi 4 with no problems or hangups. I also use an SDR with them and use OP25 for trunking scanning of our statewide public service network as well .The biggest issue is the choice of OS. I'm a few versions behind current and have tried the different versions as they've come out but I primarily still use Buster. That limits me from some new things but I have no bugs and everything works fine.
Mike:
Very interesting all about your PIs. May you share something about the performance when using VARA HF or FM with your Rpi4?? Something about the disk used to get an aceptable performance (micro SD disk or SSD)? And using YAAC for APRS or any map with GPS?
Anything related to the performance with your RPIs with SDR.
?
In my case I have tried micro SD and SSD and the performance is not acceptable, I have not tried yet to overclock.
?
I have all in RPI 4B 8Gb: Fldig, Pat Winlink, Vara, YAAC, SDR Plus, I want all in one for HF, APRS 2M.? But very frustrating to use pat and Vara slow moving for typing, or interacting.
?
Near to get it to simple tasks for may RPI 3, and 4 an go to a laptop with Linux. But I have to say I like lean working in everything and take at the most everything compress and all in one or two.
?
Best
George / HP1GDS?
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Re: One last try before I literally shoot my pi 3
Mike:
Very interesting all about your PIs. May you share something about the performance when using VARA HF or FM with your Rpi4?? Something about the disk used to get an aceptable performance (micro SD disk or SSD)? And using YAAC for APRS or any map with GPS?
Anything related to the performance with your RPIs with SDR.
?
In my case I have tried micro SD and SSD and the performance is not acceptable, I have not tried yet to overclock.
?
I have all in RPI 4B 8Gb: Fldig, Pat Winlink, Vara, YAAC, SDR Plus, I want all in one for HF, APRS 2M.? But very frustrating to use pat and Vara slow moving for typing, or interacting.
?
Near to get it to simple tasks for may RPI 3, and 4 an go to a laptop with Linux. But I have to say I like lean working in everything and take at the most everything compress and all in one or two.
?
Best
George / HP1GDS?
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I¡¯m getting same issue on ArchLinux. Alsamixer says no capture. I¡¯m receiving audio and rigctl works fine.?
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-WA6L
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Re: One last try before I literally shoot my pi 3
Just like Brian Dale, I too have several pi's (honestly I have lost count - somewhere between 6 and 10) running mostly on 3B+ pi's. They all run fine connected to my wifi and without wifi.
I have run hundreds of POTA activations?without the internet and it just works. Yes, there are a few "gotchas" with the new 73Linux?and it runs slower with Bookworm, but it still goes. I do have one Pi4 that runs VARA - I have to overclock it to 2.1 gHz (8GB ram and a fan.. ) to make it somewhat functional, but it does work.
My digi here at the QTH is just a Pi Zero 2W running Buster. It runs 24/7/365 with or without the internet. For the record, it won't be upgraded to bookworm. Not enough horsepower for bookworm.
For my various setups, I will be sticking with the Pi's for quite a while and won't be going to a laptop anytime?soon.?
One thing I have found though, because I run headless / VNC. You must run RealVNC.
Otherwise you get some strange security message and won't be
? ? able to connect.
Just my 2 cents.. ? -- Mike WB8ERJ
Packet BBS email: WB8ERJ@WB8ERJ.#NEOH.OH.USA.NOAM
Geeze! What is he up to now?
On Fri, Jan 24, 2025 at 8:38?AM lee_humphrey65 via <lee_humphrey= [email protected]> wrote:
Same here gave up using an old laptop now
Lee
Sent from
I have a 7 PIs including 2 Pi Zeros and 5 PI 4s. I've done 200+ POTA activations with a Pi, most with no Internet connection and no problem. Two of my PIs have been running continously for years now. There was a bit of a learning curve when
first starting out but after that it was smooth sailing.
On Fri, Jan 24, 2025, 07:45 Jacob Lindsey ( KN4YAV ) and Kayla Lindsey ( KO4DEG ) via
<jmlredtail= [email protected]> wrote:
A while ago i used BaP to get a pi up and running. Took a long time to learn and operate as i was new to it. Then, finally, once it functioned fine at home, i went on a quick 18 mile overnight backpack. Set up the radio, antenna, pi, tablet vnc, and got
a security issue that wouldnt let the tablet connect for operation.
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Got home, fixed that. A couple months later i went on another. Vnc had issues.
?
Thought i fixed that. Went on another and the vnc wouldnt work without wifi.
?
After ~2 years of trying with the pi, i got an FZ-M1 mark 2 tablet. Downloaded the appropriate programs, got the right cabling, plugged it all up, and it worked immediately. Went on some field tests and it worked. Went backpacking, it worked.
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Im not saying these dont work for alot of people. I am saying that a pi has never been reliable, for me, in the field. Ever. And i followed instructions on builds to a T.
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Just someone elses perspective.
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Re: One last try before I literally shoot my pi 3
Same here gave up using an old laptop now
Lee
Sent from
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
I have a 7 PIs including 2 Pi Zeros and 5 PI 4s. I've done 200+ POTA activations with a Pi, most with no Internet connection and no problem. Two of my PIs have been running continously for years now. There was a bit of a learning curve when
first starting out but after that it was smooth sailing.
On Fri, Jan 24, 2025, 07:45 Jacob Lindsey ( KN4YAV ) and Kayla Lindsey ( KO4DEG ) via
<jmlredtail= [email protected]> wrote:
A while ago i used BaP to get a pi up and running. Took a long time to learn and operate as i was new to it. Then, finally, once it functioned fine at home, i went on a quick 18 mile overnight backpack. Set up the radio, antenna, pi, tablet vnc, and got
a security issue that wouldnt let the tablet connect for operation.
?
Got home, fixed that. A couple months later i went on another. Vnc had issues.
?
Thought i fixed that. Went on another and the vnc wouldnt work without wifi.
?
After ~2 years of trying with the pi, i got an FZ-M1 mark 2 tablet. Downloaded the appropriate programs, got the right cabling, plugged it all up, and it worked immediately. Went on some field tests and it worked. Went backpacking, it worked.
?
Im not saying these dont work for alot of people. I am saying that a pi has never been reliable, for me, in the field. Ever. And i followed instructions on builds to a T.
?
Just someone elses perspective.
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Re: One last try before I literally shoot my pi 3
I have a 7 PIs including 2 Pi Zeros and 5 PI 4s. I've done 200+ POTA activations with a Pi, most with no Internet connection and no problem. Two of my PIs have been running continously for years now. There was a bit of a learning curve when first starting out but after that it was smooth sailing. On Fri, Jan 24, 2025, 07:45 Jacob Lindsey ( KN4YAV ) and Kayla Lindsey ( KO4DEG ) via <jmlredtail= [email protected]> wrote:
A while ago i used BaP to get a pi up and running. Took a long time to learn and operate as i was new to it. Then, finally, once it functioned fine at home, i went on a quick 18 mile overnight backpack. Set up the radio, antenna, pi, tablet vnc, and got a security issue that wouldnt let the tablet connect for operation.
?
Got home, fixed that. A couple months later i went on another. Vnc had issues.
?
Thought i fixed that. Went on another and the vnc wouldnt work without wifi.
?
After ~2 years of trying with the pi, i got an FZ-M1 mark 2 tablet. Downloaded the appropriate programs, got the right cabling, plugged it all up, and it worked immediately. Went on some field tests and it worked. Went backpacking, it worked.
?
Im not saying these dont work for alot of people. I am saying that a pi has never been reliable, for me, in the field. Ever. And i followed instructions on builds to a T.
?
Just someone elses perspective.
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Re: One last try before I literally shoot my pi 3
A while ago i used BaP to get a pi up and running. Took a long time to learn and operate as i was new to it. Then, finally, once it functioned fine at home, i went on a quick 18 mile overnight backpack. Set up the radio, antenna, pi, tablet vnc, and got a security issue that wouldnt let the tablet connect for operation.
?
Got home, fixed that. A couple months later i went on another. Vnc had issues.
?
Thought i fixed that. Went on another and the vnc wouldnt work without wifi.
?
After ~2 years of trying with the pi, i got an FZ-M1 mark 2 tablet. Downloaded the appropriate programs, got the right cabling, plugged it all up, and it worked immediately. Went on some field tests and it worked. Went backpacking, it worked.
?
Im not saying these dont work for alot of people. I am saying that a pi has never been reliable, for me, in the field. Ever. And i followed instructions on builds to a T.
?
Just someone elses perspective.
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Re: Pat Winlink Pat Menu Pat Catalog City WX no longer working
On Thu, Jan 23, 2025 at 07:00 PM, Dominic OE7DRT wrote:
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Dominic: Thanks for the reminder of the LIST request.
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Karl: I created an for this. I have zero control over what is in the actual Winlink catalog. Pat Menu catalog requests are merely shortcuts to the actual Winlink catalog features. The best work around would be to use GPS weather in Pat Menu.
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73, de KM4ACK
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Re: Pat Winlink Pat Menu Pat Catalog City WX no longer working
Hi Karl, Karl S via groups.io <ksfound@...> wrote: How do I refresh the catalog?? recieved the following from a wx report inquiry... It looks like that your "zone" has been removed from that winlink catalogue. You can fetch a new list by sending a winlink mail to INQUIRY, use the subject REQUEST and write the body of the mail LIST #v+ From: OE7DRT Subject: REQUEST To: INQUIRY LIST #v- Give the system some time to fulfill your request, then fetch your mails, where a response from SERVICE should be in (will be big ~1200 lines). In the column of INQUIRY_ID you find the requests that you can send. -dominic Inquiry Alert Re: FPUS62.KRAH
Date: 2025-01-23T14:33:00-05:00
From: SERVICE
To: K4GMV
Unable to complete Inquiry: [FPUS62.KRAH] at 2025/01/23 19:33 The
probable reason was:
Unknown Inquiry ID -- [FPUS62.KRAH].
Please refresh the catalog if it hasn't been accomplished recently.
This will remove old, discontinued, and broken entries and add any new
ones.
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How would I refresh the catalog? On both rpi and x86 installations?
Thank you for your recommendation(s)
73 Karl
K4GMV -- They must often change, who would be constant in happiness or wisdom. - Confucius
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Re: Pat Winlink Pat Menu Pat Catalog City WX no longer working
FYI Catalog Manager is Kevin N7BO ?khedgepe ?at ?
Ken N7BO looks after the Winlink Catalog. Pat Winlink pulls that data down from the cloud. I would post on the Pat user group to see if it's one of Martin script. Just my 00.02 worth.
73 Don Poaps
New Westminster, BC
VA7DGP DATA VA7QU ? VOICE Winlink:?va7dgp@...
Subject://wl2k ? ? ? ? ?
ALLSTAR ?530780
Hamshack Hotline5971
Mid-Island Phone Mesh 2210 2232
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
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Re: Pat Winlink Pat Menu Pat Catalog City WX no longer working
Additionally,
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I am going to guess that the link at NOAA has changed.
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I looked at the weather.txt file in patmenu2, but I did not see in that file, the actual full url to the NOAA site, or how the city *code* is then appended to that URL.? ?And, surfing a bit at NOAA, it looks like those old locations/links are not available anymore?
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So,
does anyone know to where the links for the NOAA text based forecasts have been moved?
Where in the patmenu configuration would I edit/specify the new url location?
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Finally,
FLDIGI can, by a configuration wx option, specify from where to pull decoded METAR wx summaries for particular 4 letter airport names.? This is very handy for those whose hoe or portable operation is significantly near an airport.? If I can substitute that same url (that FLDIGI uses) for the older PAT weather Inquiry url, then I could retrieve and send out those decoded METAR reports -- but again, I do not know where or how to locate and edit that PAT MENU configuration fully.
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Any help is greatly appreciated.? Thank you,
73 Karl? K4GMV
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Re: Vara HF pat-winlink connect keeps getting rejected immediately
Well, I followed the instructions and it all went exactly as shown on the video, but when I bring up the VARA HF and VARA FM they are still on the old version.? From what I can tell I have have run into a situation where the install tried to write to a folder that is read-only on the old Windows partition.?
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Don't worry about this for my sake, I'm fine using Winlink on a PC and maybe I'll try and get this going on a Pi.? What I've been using here is an old PC that is setup to boot up on Win7 or Ubuntu.? I haven't used the Win7 for a decade, all I use is the Ubuntu.
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Anyway, I like what you're doing with this and I'll check back in from time to time.
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73
Jim W0JPO
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Pat Winlink Pat Menu Pat Catalog City WX no longer working
How do I refresh the catalog?? recieved the following from a wx report inquiry...
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Unable to complete Inquiry: [FPUS62.KRAH] at 2025/01/23 19:33 The probable reason was:
Unknown Inquiry ID -- [FPUS62.KRAH].
Please refresh the catalog if it hasn't been accomplished recently. This will remove old, discontinued, and broken entries and add any new ones.
?
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?
How would I refresh the catalog? On both rpi and x86 installations?
?
Thank you for your recommendation(s)
?
73 Karl
K4GMV
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Re: One last try before I literally shoot my pi 3
I can't tell from the description how the Pi3 is connected to the radio.? There has to be something in between that converts from the Pi3's digital I/O into the radio's audio.? Plus handle PTT.
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That function is usually performed by a soundcard (e.g., Signalink).? It could also be a TNC device, but that would be limited to a single digital mode (e.g., Packet).
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Which soundcard do you have?? How are the devices connected?
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Re: One last try before I literally shoot my pi 3
Consider a 12 gauge to get the job done spectacularly.
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Seriously, I have five Pi's of various generations, most of which are running 24/7 doing some yeoman job or two.? Only one is connected to a transceiver; that's with a known-good USB-to-serial cable and Signalink for a NBEMS go kit.? It's in a case with a small, built-in video screen and used with a mini USB keyboard, so provides a bit more user interface than the little box alone.
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The Pi3 is definitely at the lower end of what we expect in capabilities nowadays, but I wonder from your description if some of the hardware is kaput.? The things can definitely be fiddly on the software side - certainly beyond reason for some prospective users.??
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Your uses are different, but I might put a Pi3 to work as an APRS station or slap an SDR dongle in and use it as a receiver or lightweight spectrum analyzer.? Or dedicate it to some network security or home automation task.? The several Pi's that I have running 24/7 are really just appliances and reliable at their assigned tasks.
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Consider using a mini PC instead of a Pi if you're looking for a small computer that's a bit more friendly.? I started leaning that way during the panicdemic when Pi's became unobtanium.? You can get a lot bang for the buck with them, including Windows pre-installed if you have to swing that way.? They run standard Linux distributions well, though, and are more like a regular PC than is a Pi.? And, of course, a laptop is an option as is discussed well on this forum thanks to our founder and hero, Jason, KM4ACK.
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?73,
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? Dan
? N7SHM
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Re: One last try before I literally shoot my pi 3
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I'm going to try ubuntu this weekend. Hope this helps.
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One last try before I literally shoot my pi 3
So for years I have owned this useless little box. I have watched the videos and have tried multiple times to get this to work with a radio. Any radio. Do anything other then waste my rime and develop and anger issue that will make a therapist rich.?
at this time I simply want to connect my fr8900 to the po and run some kind of irlp program to put activity on my repeater. Tried ham voip. Installed it and then nothing happens. No screen to go anywhere to go online no connections. Dead.?
tried all star thing and my repeater can¡¯t do that due to a very specific controller I am using.?
so what else can this useless little box do other than waste time.?
I had the original pi os a long time and then support went away for it. So what can I do with this to allow me to connect to a radioto use the pi3?
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Re: Vara HF pat-winlink connect keeps getting rejected immediately
Update to the latest version of Vara https://youtu.be/zxEeJZctKaE
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73, de KM4ACK
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Brian Dale
Jacob Lindsey ( KN4YAV ) and Kayla Lindsey ( KO4DEG )
km4ack
Dominic OE7DRT
Don Poaps