I’d like to set up a Digipeater/iGate at home because they are very sparse around here. I’m having trouble tracking down a good solution partly because I want to use a spare Linux NUC rather than a Pi. Anyone have a good reference or 3?

I upgraded from Linux Mint 21.3 to 22 today. It was definitely not fun.

It completely broke my WeeWx installation. I didn’t see anything in the release notes indicating the previous approach to installing python apps was now forbidden. Not knowing anything about the newer virtual env approach this took a long time to sort out. I checked the release notes just now and still see no mention of this.

In other news the update obliterated my SMB config file. At least that was a fairly quick fix.

Prusa approved my conversion of Prusameters for a free filament spool. And fortunately they had several varieties in stock I wanted along with a nozzle and t-shirt. Order placed!

Yeah, I like getting 3D printing goodies.

My new car has a 11.6” screen with CarPlay and oh my it is heaven on wheels mastodon.social/@macrumors/112

I finished setting up your new hotspot for DMR using WPSD. It is running fine so I created a case to hold the Pi 4 and Aursinc radio hat. The Pi 4 is overkill but it is all I have on hand. I'm reluctant to give more business to the Pi foundation but I may end up buying a Zero 2 W.

printables.com/model/960021-ra

This morning I built a hotspot for DMR and based it off of the WPSD software from W0CHP’s site (w0chp.radio/wpsd/). Easy to install and setup.

Next step is to design a case to hold the spare Pi 4 I used with the Aursinc radio hat. I’ll need to model in a small “window” on top for the display and hole for the antenna. I’m going to hack the Autodesk Fusion design P.Tech generously posted (printables.com/model/124995-ra).

In a first for my little corner of mastodon I had to unfollow someone today for propagating a post with religious hatred. And no CW of course. 🤷‍♂️

As if yesterday’s overheated and rocky hike wasn’t enough weekend torture I put together an Ikea storage cabinet today. Apparently I like punishing myself.

We went on a hike in a wildlife refuge this morning. We started about 9:30am and thought we were beating the heat which was about 75F. This was our first hike where we weren’t properly prepared. Temps went into the 80s immediately, it was humid, and there was no shade. And the trail info we had neglected to say the 2nd half was a very hilly road hike (no side trail) which was even hotter than scrambling over the rocks.

Lessons learned and we have a tale to tell on ourselves.

I guess with the US election coming closer I shouldn’t be surprised but I’ve had to unfollow a number of people this week because they posted and reposted political content. Not something I need to see.

I strongly support use of CW (Content Warning) on such posts.

How come nobody told me???

Just discovered there is a newer FOSS software package that replaces the venerable, but aged, Pi-Star software for digital voice modes (hotspots, mmdvm). Not sure how I missed knowing of this. It looks great and has a solid reputation. I just ordered a radio module to use with a spare Pi so I will build it out and give it a try next week.

The WPSD Project - W0CHP.radio w0chp.radio/wpsd/

In my cruise through online evening news the results of several Olympic events I intended to watch tonight were revealed. Not good for their viewership numbers. 🤷🏼‍♂️📺

Sleep annoyance

The past few days something is causing my nasal passages to close up while I’m sleeping so my sleep quality is crap. Air quality is fine and pollen counts overall are low. But ragweed is rated “high” so I guess I’ll blame that. So far no good solutions for night time. Afrin is the last resort but the rebound effect is far too real.

My social media’s all about the poop these days. But here's another kind…

In this case my wife suggested a holder for our dog poop cleanup bags which made a quick fun project. My MK4 handles flex, TPU-like, filament like a champ so I decided to use flex for the cap material to get a snug fit with a nice feel and texture. We keep this at the exit through the back door.

https://www.printables.com/model/952199-po

I finally took the plunge and bought my first DMR radio. In my case I went with a Baofeng on sale during Amazon Prime. I didn’t even boot it up out of the box and instead immediately flashed the open source OpenGD77 firmware. I’ve heard great things about it and my first impression is very positive.

github.com/open-ham/OpenGD77

As the day winds down we have remained completely unaffected by the Cloudstrike error. I’d never have known it happened if not for the news. Until next time.

In the final exciting episode of fixing my fridge door:
❌ Thin socket

❌ Crescent wrench

❌ Opened ended wrench

✅ 30 minutes of careful work using a tiny Dremel router tip to remove plastic around the head

I try to avoid using a destructive method but this time I saw no alternative. At least it is job done.

My attempt to repair our fridge door was foiled.

The gold-colored screw on the left is inset into a plastic piece with insufficient gap to allow my socket to go around the head. I tried forcing it a bit but had to give that up for fear of breaking it. I also tried using pliers but although I could get a grip I could not turn it.

Any suggestions for what I could use to get this off? They obviously screwed it on at the factory so there has to be a solution. Help greatly appreciated!

I’ve owned a couple of Prusa 3D printers and I’m a big fan of the printers and company. I almost never post a referral thingy but I’m making an exception for their MK4 promotion running until July 16th. Use this link (prusa3d.com/product/original-p) to get the assembled Mk4 with 100 extra Prusameters toward a free filament spool in addition to an additional 1 year of warranty and free shipping. It’s a good deal IMO. And yes I would get a few Prusamenters as well if it is your first Prusa.

I’m in desperate need of decompression thereby justifying 🍷 🍷

Lovely sky as I headed out to exercise.

A small metal piece on the bottom of our 2 year old fridge door broke off. It’s job is to keep the door from opening too far so it’s critical. After a bunch of deep searching I found the part number and even found a shop that had it in stock. Feeling like a boss just getting this far. Installing the part will involve taking the door off. Hopefully I’ll still feel like a boos when I try the repair next week.

RADIUS was pretty crappy in the best of situations. That it is still in heavy use is rather mind-blowing.

New Blast-RADIUS attack breaks 30-year-old protocol used in networks everywhere | Ars Technica arstechnica.com/security/2024/

A year ago I built the QDX Digital Transceiver (qrp-labs.com/qdx.html) from a kit. It was a bit challenging since I never built this kind of analog device before but it worked and I ran it for FT8 occasionally and WSPR mode constantly. Eventually the power output dropped and rather than diagnose it I put it in retirement. Today I head they have a QMX+ 160-6m, 5W multi-mode transceiver kit which looks and sounds quite cool. Looking forward to building it!⚡️

We’re going to have 7 extra people joining our house of 5 = 12 hot bodies in a heat wave. Please bless our air conditioner. 😝

The daughter of my wife’s oldest sister is one of them. The sister died in childbirth and the father took the child away. We never met her or even knew her name and location until finding her online last year. She is coming with 3 of her family who we also haven’t met. We’re all a bit nervous about the visit so 🤞🏼.