Getting Started with KM4ACK Build a Pi

[@tpobrienjr]

Jason, you have a remarkable ability to compose step-by-step instructions. Thanks!

[@jmr]

I love the settings menu the PI foundation added. It makes setup much faster.

[@ammoshortage]

I'll be completely honest, I've had a hard time following your videos for the longest time. I guess I get too distracted, too easily. Now that I can actually work right alongside them, I'm very appreciative of them. My OS is installing as I type this. I'm 6:46 into your video here and I'm very thankful that you took the time to put this together.

[@scottboomshakalaka9593]

OMG thank you sooooo much! I downloaded 73 Linux and it is AMAZING! You put lots of work into this and it shows. I also love the “fun facts”!

[@Truckinman2000]

Great video Jason!!! I was using Hampi until i updated gridtracker last night and it took a dump on me. Installing build a pi as i type. Saw some installation errors with VARA.. we'll see how it works when its done. Love the scripting you have done. That's a true talent!!!

[@KM4ACK]

There are issues with VARA right now but Kelly has a great write up on the forum as to how to get it going. groups.io/g/KM4ACK-Pi/message/12128 Also, BAP has been replaced with 73Linux which runs on a Pi and x86 machines. It can be installed on top of BAP as much of the code for 73Linux was ported from BAP github.com/km4ack/73Linux

[@Truckinman2000]

@@KM4ACK that just blew my mind. I am VERY new at linux and programming.

[@triggertechie]

I am having a ball with Build a Pi and my beloved QRP Labs QDX. Thanks Jason!

[@earlrichardet2102]

Thanks once again for all the work that you do to create these easy Raspberry Pi configurations. I, for one, appreciate all your effort and I will be installing this on my Pi4 promptly. 73 Jason

[@robertgarrett7628]

Thanks Jason. Got back to working with my pi and wanted to get it working with my 705. Your video came at the right time. Works on my pi3 but not pi4. Gives me some more to look into.

[@KM4ACK]

The forum is a great place to seek help if you can't figure out the Pi 4 - groups.io/g/KM4ACK-Pi/topics

[@TomT73]

Thanks Jason. While I couldn't fix the Bullseye performance problem and just built a new Buster OS set up, the rest ran smoothly. I will check with the forum to see if any others had the same 'slows' and know of a fix.

[@KM4ACK]

Just in case you didn't see the discussion on this topic, check out groups.io/g/KM4ACK-Pi/topic/workaround_for_pi_4_lagging/89537796?p=,,,20,0,0,0::recentpostdate/sticky,,,20,2,0,89537796,previd=9223372036854775807,nextid=1646332010818229430&previd=9223372036854775807&nextid=1646332010818229430

[@hammathguy3995]

So. Okay. That was a lot. I do have a few questions from a rank beginner. And I do mean beginner. Assume I can barely spell pi. On a good day. 1) What do you mean by headless operation? 2) What is VNC Viewer? 3) Where did you get the IP address for setting up primary-pi (at the 8:50 mark)? 4) It seems as though you are talking to the pi remotely. How are you connected to it? Those are the questions for now. Maybe more later. By the way, thanks for taking the time to explain all these things. Not everybody is an experienced pi user.

[@KM4ACK]

Headless operation is when we don't have a monitor, keyboard, or mouse connected to the Pi itself. When headless, we use another device (laptop, desktop, tablet) to connect with the Pi over a network. You will find your Pi's ip address in your routers DHCP listing. If you can't find it, you can try using "ssh [e-mail]". VNC viewer is the application installed on another device (laptop, desktop, tablet), that we use to connect with the VNC server running on the Pi. With all of that said, I would recommend beginners not trying headless ops right away. Connect a monitor, mouse, and keyboard to the Pi. Get familiar with it and get it connected to your radio and working correctly. After that, then attempt to use the Pi headless. If you run into an issue, head over to the forum for addition support. groups.io/g/KM4ACK-Pi/topics It is a much better platform than KZbin comments and helps us all learn and grow as a community :-)

[@oldgeekster1]

*Excellent*! Will be sharing this link with my Grandson!👍👍

[@billgarand2136]

Thank you for this updated walk through!

[@oscarciordia1445]

Thanks!!!! really helpful. Smooth installation as I have ever before on any other suite of this complexity. 73!

[@blomidon]

Good timing. I just got back to using my PI yesterday. I upgraded BIP and started setting FLRIG unsuccessfully and then wondered how to run PAT Winlink . This will really help. VO1OK

[@alanmayhew8015]

Excellent tutorial many thanks Jason.

[@neubert500]

Excellent as usual, This would have saved me a LOT of hair pulling when I first started BOP. Believe I shall follow this when I upgrade to bullseye

[@KM4ACK]

Thank you! I will be adding this to the instruction page on Github as well.

[@dpoulson]

Great video Jason! Thanks for all you do!

[@yv6eda]

Thanks Jason! Much needed video!

[@Tom_2E1FUE]

I like this 👌 might install this on Mini PC I've got Icom 706mk2g so I guess it will work nice work indeed :)

[@KM4ACK]

As of OCT 2022, Build a Pi won't work on the Mini PC, but checkout this playlist instead. kzbin.info/aero/PL1QTYT4Qo9cb9H6X5hZOacDkj02N5yy-S

[@robertambrose2638]

This works great on rpi3b+ but the updated grid tracker and wsjt-x running together locks up system. If I run one or the other independently it works.

[@imagreatguy1250]

"I don't run windows machines" 😎👍

[@TLH290]

Thank you for this video! 73

[@davetempleton9643]

Many Many thanks for this series. I'm new to Ham Radio Pi. so as I follow along, at 11:56 in the video I could not get VNC viewer to work. I needed to update and upgrade my Pi OS. Once I did this all was fine. Then I loaded the script and inadvertently pressed select all while trying to get to the next button. Old Man finger twitch. How do you restart the script? I could not find this information so I reimaged the usb and started over. A bit of downtime, but much easier than mucking up windows.

[@dperv27]

I really enjoy your BaP series!! I'm looking through your code and really appreciate all the hard work you've put in on this project!! Would it be possible to expand the BaP to include NETROM node functionality? Again.. Thanks for all your hard work!!

[@KM4ACK]

It’s already included with LinBPQ.

[@Mr1MOA]

In this configuration, can you use a DigiRig connected to a FT-2980? Great video..............has helped tremendously.

[@KM4ACK]

Yes it will work with the DigiRig. It can be configured for most sound card interfaces including ones built into the radio like the 705.

[@ericg1391]

THANK YOU!!!

[@stewartblackburn7555]

Jason, any chance you can add to the script or do a video on putting D-RATS onto your build-a-pi? It would be greatly appreciated!

[@millbean13]

At the beginning you mention the version of pi OS is for 32 bit and that you were working on the 64 bit but that it wasn’t ready yet. Did that ever get finished? Like can I use the 64 bit for the build I’m gonna do tomorrow?

[@MrSlickPulla]

How would I go about removing build a pi from the terminal?

[@MrRicksho]

hi, i get this error when am trying to start up hamclock. Please advise. " FAILED TO START RESTFUL SERVER ON PORT 8080: BIND(8080) ADDRESS ALREADY IN USE."

[@AndrewNeedham-q2h]

Great video Jason but having followed through, twice now, on reboot at the end of the installation my Pi OS seems to go from 32 bit to 64 bit? I kept checking all the way through the installation using ‘uname -m’ and I cannot seem to find a solution, I need to be on 32 bit for installation of other software.

[@KM4ACK]

If you install the 32bit OS, it will remain 32 bit. The only way I know to get the 64bit OS is to install it to begin with.

[@gayebailey8103]

I am enjoying your video, you make it easy to follow along and understand what is happening. However, I ran into a problem at 16:38 you say that the build-a-pi program starts once the pasted command is run. However, it did not start on my pi. I have a pi 3. It shows in the directory and when I reran the the command it says the directory is there and has files but the program never ran. I know nothing about raspberry pi to figure out how to run the program once it has been loaded on the the pi. Can you help me with this or point me to a helpful video on how I can run the build-a-pi program? Thank you.

[@kleinbiker1]

I exited out of that window on accident and did the same as you trying to run the command line again and got the same result. I'm stuck in the same way you are. :/

[@kevinshumaker3753]

You can run several commands: cd ~ sudo rm -rf pi-build ls -la This should show the pi-build folder missing, and you should be able to run the command from the github again.

[@MrRicksho]

hi Jason, i recently found your video with using the pi with the 891 radio. i am about to do a new pi for emcomm use, and plan to use your Build a pi. i have noticed that in that video, you have Vara Hf. is this a part of the build or does it come with Pat winlink, or does it have to be installed seperately. your help would be greatly appreciated.

[@KM4ACK]

As of September 2023, there are issues with the install script for VARA. I don't maintain that script so I can't give an estimate on when it will be resolved. It's more complicated on the Pi due to the ARM processor. Just one of the reasons I have gravitated toward the inexpensive x86 machines lately. kzbin.info/www/bejne/pYS8qYaAn7qVeq8

[@MrRicksho]

@@KM4ACK so if i do the build as my main unit for emmcom, and using Pat Winlink, what is the preferred method for connection via HF? Is it ardorp?

[@paulhastings3109]

Do you have a pdf of what to do my the numbers. The OS is wins 11. Wish it was easier. Thank you KQ4CD Paul

[@ralphmills7322]

I could not install Raspberry Pi Imager into my HP laptop running Linux Mint 20.2 (Xfce 64bit) The DEB file downloads but when using GDebi Package Installer the following message is displayed "Error: Dependency is not satisfiable: libgcc-s1 (>=3.3.1)" I didn't find libgcc-s1 in the repository. I will try to load a Raspbian Image manually (ugh) instead.

[@WHNorthcote]

Trying to get this working in terminal. Keeps saying permission denied after I input my call on Bullseye OS 32 bit. Any idea what may be causing this after I use the git clone command?

[@bruceweight7319]

H i Jason thanks for what you are doing. I have been playing around with my pi for over a year now and had it all up and running with a lot of the apps you have put in build a pi. The problem is everything was going fine till Bullseye came along! I have a Raspberry Pi 4B and it worked very fast and good on the old buster but I have yet to get it to work for me; let alone run your stuff! So the problem isn't what you have put together. Where the big problem is it is running horribly slow even when you type the password in and running the browser is a real wreck and KZbin a complete disaster it is so slow. The pi runs real slow like I mean real slow. if you type something in the search bar you have to sit back and have lunch before it catches up. Do you have any ideas? I have installed several of the versions of the software including the 64 bit and no soap it is pretty much the same problem. I lowered the resolution and that helped but not that much; I think I tried the bottom 3 or four resolution settings. The cost of these things has skyrocketed and mine was a gift and it has been so much fun to play with. All the software is getting out of date and there is nothing I can do. Anyway I am asking because you may have someone else who has had the same problem and you have found an answer. My Pi 4b just seems to idle along with pretty much everything I have thrown at it while running Buster. I even have watched KZbin videos and it actually does quite well. Anyway any help or ideas would be much appreciated.

[@bruceweight7319]

One thing I forgot to mention it is the 4 gig model.

[@AndyAAzeroAM]

Thanks for your videos! Quick question. Will Build a pi work well with 64 bit Pi's now?

[@KM4ACK]

Yes

[@AndyAAzeroAM]

@@KM4ACK so basically can follow instructions in this video? Thanks again appreciate all you do!

[@ericg1391]

Well so much for step by step. How do I get into my pi using putty? Is there a free option for VNC?

[@KM4ACK]

There is a free VNC option - www.realvnc.com/en/connect/download/viewer/

[@SherwoodR631]

I want to take the rasp pi mobile; and installed the hotspot tools. When I enable to hotspot on the PI it takes over the wlan0 interface - which is what I expect. I can connect to the access point via my phone. But, when i try and use vncviewer from my phone to connect to the rasp pi it can't open the connection. Basically, when I am in the field, I won't have internet but I will need to access the PI to start the services that I want to use.... eg: connecting to bluetooth and the mobilinkd. I figured I could simply connect via vnc.

[@KM4ACK]

VNC will work as you describe. After connecting to the hotspot from your phone/tablet, open VNC and connect to 10.10.10.10. Then use your Pi username/password to log in. If you still have issues, jump over to the forum and post the question there. It's easier to provide tech support on the forum and it becomes searchable. groups.io/g/KM4ACK-Pi/topics

[@TheRanger53]

Is there a patch out for the wine install failing when trying to install vara on the raspberry pi 4?

[@KM4ACK]

There's a website off line as of March 2023 that holds a critical piece of data for the install. KI7POL who maintains the VARA install script is aware of the issue. groups.io/g/KM4ACK-Pi/message/10509

[@mtngr1]

I had to switch displays. Now I can see bullseye. The other display works fine with buster. What could be the reason?

[@KM4ACK]

Interesting. I haven't run into that before but I run the vast majority of mine headless

[@mtngr1]

@@KM4ACK I will try it again but I tried it so many times....lol..right now I was wondering howI should uninstall gps because I cant get it to work so I want to try and install it manually. I am using the gps you recommend that works good on my pi4 buster and Linux mint without having to be near a window. When installing BAP, we dont have to install the GPS right?

[@clubderadiove2cva153]

Thank you for this video, but if we want to change the call sign at the top right, how do we do it? 73's Luc

[@KM4ACK]

In the pi menu under preferences, click "conky-prefs".

[@MrRicksho]

as of today september 1 2023, can i do Build a Pi using the 64 bit OS? or is there a new video for 2023?

[@KM4ACK]

Yes. It works with 64 bit Pi OS.

[@davidrothman187]

Hi Jason Following your Build a Pi and running 73 Linux Getting this error .. should I be concerned ? (yad:15413): Gdk-CRITICAL **: 20:46:59.046: gdk_x11_window_get_xid: assertion 'GDK_IS_X11_WINDOW (window)' failed The script seems to be running ok ... should I fix or ignore? setup Pi 4b 2g 64G Memory card lastest 64bit Linux bookworm 73 Linux RealVNC Thanks N3SRZ Dave Rothman

[@KM4ACK]

No. It’s a YAD error that can be ignored

[@davidrothman187]

@KM4ACK Thanks. Will this script work on a pi 5. I set one with an m2 ssd as the boot drive.

[@RobEichhorn]

I have a Pi that I built about 2-3 years ago using your utility. If I rerun your latest code from Github will it install all the updates and retain all my settings for the various applications? For e.g. FlRig, WSJT-X, etc. etc.

[@KM4ACK]

I recommend starting with a fresh build. There have been a LOT of changes to the Pi OS and BAP over the last 2 years.

[@Frisky0563]

Hi everyone, what do you use your Raspberry Pi for in ham radio? I currently don't do digital modes. I'm just looking for ideas. I mainly do portable HF phone. Thank you 73's

[@KM4ACK]

The Raspberry Pi can be used for digital modes and logging in ham radio. There are also SDR applications and other tools/applications that do things like satellite prediction or show you which repeaters are nearby.

[@leecwilkin]

Hi. Is there any way to either put build-a-pi onto a pi-star raspberry pi or the other way round? At the minute I'm having to run 2 raspberry pi's Many thanks M7LCW

[@KM4ACK]

There may be but I am not familiar enough with pi-star to advise.

[@RMJ01]

For security reasons I changed the default username to something other than PI. However, the git clone command from GITHUB will not run without the username as PI. I suppose I have two options edit your script or rename my username back to PI?

[@KM4ACK]

Patrons are currently beta testing the next version of Build a Pi. www.patreon.com/posts/goodbye-pi-user-65055827 The next release *will not* require the user name to be "pi". The beta version will be release in the forum in the next couple of weeks groups.io/g/KM4ACK-Pi/topics After testing there is complete, it will be pushed out as stable code.

[@RMJ01]

@@KM4ACK Thanks for the response. I'll just sit tight until its in stable release.

[@charlierumsfeld6626]

Where did you get your gps unit?

[@KM4ACK]

You can pick them up from Amazon. amzn.to/3FqomOA amzn.to/3XW7h5Y The latter being the better of the two. (affiliate link)

[@ronaldmills1687]

I just redid my RPI following this setup and my WSJTX no longer works. Seems that the Burr Brown audio codecs are not there. They were on Buster, but now that I've rebuilt with Bullseye, they are not in the drop down menu for audio codecs. Any thoughts?

[@KM4ACK]

Try running "arecord -l" and make sure the Pi is seeing your sound card. If not, unplug the sound card and then reconnect. If it still isn't seeing it, head over to the forum and we will help you sort it out. groups.io/g/KM4ACK-Pi/topics

[@ronaldmills1687]

@@KM4ACK sound card is listed, and FLRIG looks to be working. I"ll post in the forum.

[@JhKnife-OZ4HJ-Jimmi]

Hi Thanks for making this fantastic script. I am trying to use my iPhone as a hotspot. But it doesn’t seem to right. The Pi is logged on the hotspot but it can’t get the internet connection. So the vnc ant browser doesn’t work. Can you show how you make your mobil setup work…. (it works ok on my home Wi-Fi…). #73 Jimmi - OZ4HJ

[@KM4ACK]

If you connected the Pi to your phone's hotspot, you are going to have to figure out what IP address the phone assigned the Pi. You might be able to use the hostname instead of the IP address by typing "hostname.local" and substituting "hostname" with the actual hostname of your Pi into VNC where you typically put the IP addr. I prefer to do it the other way around where I put the Pi in hotspot mode and then connect my phone to the Pi. In this case, the Pi's IP address is 10.10.10.10 every time so it makes it easy to remember. The downside to this approach is you don't have internet on the Pi. For more help, please visit the forum groups.io/g/KM4ACK-Pi/topics

[@M7BCN]

Has anyone managed to get Build a Pi to run on the Raspberry Pi5?

[@KM4ACK]

73Linux will run on the pi 5. Check my GitHub.

[@JimHoward]

What usb gps do you use?

[@BentConrod]

Check out the link in the description.

[@alallan7584]

Will Build a Pi work on a pi Zero 2.0W ?

[@KM4ACK]

Yes. There are guys running it on the Pi Zero 2

[@privittdata8009]

Yes, I run my x6100 with a Pi zero 2 and it is working pretty well. I chose the zero for its lower amperage requirement.

[@paulhastings3109]

Have no idea about raspberry pie. What it is. Been off the air for 20 plus and totally lost.

[@KM4ACK]

The Raspberry Pi is a single board computer that using Linux for the operating system. We utilize it for digital modes like APRS, Winlink (email), FT8, and JS8Call.

[@paulhastings3109]

@@KM4ACK thank you I don't have Linux and no idea about or how to start. I do enjoy your content 73 KQ4CD

[@KM4ACK]

@@paulhastings3109 Linux is an open source project that you can download free of charge. www.raspberrypi.org/ You will need a raspberry pi to get started but as of this moment, they are hard to find in stock. If you can get your hands on one, this page will help you getting all of the ham radio related things installed on the Pi. github.com/km4ack/pi-build You can use your Windows machine as well for all of this but I don't do tutorials for the Windows OS. There are a lot of KZbin videos for Window's users.

[@paulhastings3109]

@@KM4ACK thank you make be I can take one of my laptops. Still clueless. Just have to have a open mind

[@emailuser3869]

@KM4ACK 73's and thanks for the hard work on the video and the installer. W6MGV-2

[@Andy2e0ree]

Sorry Jason I got your name wrong in the comment

[@KM4ACK]

No worries :-)

[@no5x937]

I've successfully installed and configured this build-a-pi version. Can I do an update and upgrade before installing additional software on my RPi4?

[@KM4ACK]

Yes.

[@no5x937]

It appears that VNC Viewer has to be downloaded and installed on your Windows 10 computer that SSH's into the RPi. Is that correct? Is there a preferred link for VNC download?

[@KM4ACK]

This is what I typically use - www.realvnc.com/en/connect/download/viewer/

[@RajaramSrinivasan59]

Will Build a Pi run smoothly in a Raspberry Pi 3B+ that had 1GB Ram only? Thanks for your really awesome videos OM! De VU2RJV Handle Raj. 73

[@KM4ACK]

Will it run? Probably. Will it run smoothly? Probably not.