Bootstrapping a new OGN Station with Rob's help.

Shopping list:
  1. $65 Antenna Amazon link (NOTE: Do not use the antenna cable it comes with)
  2. $80 Raspberry Pi PiShop link
  3. $20 Power supply PiShop link
  4. $15 High Endurance uSD card PiShop link
  5. $10 Case PiShop link
  6. $20 Pigtail Amazon link
  7. $60 SDR Amazon link
  8. $25 Powered USB Cable Amazon link
  9. $20 Weatherproof housing Amazon link
  10. $40 Webcam (optional) Amazon link
  11. If getting the optional webcam, then you should get an additional powered USB cable and weatherproof housing for placing it somewhere.
  12. Assorted nuts, bolts, tapes, zip ties and caulking for your specific antenna mounting. Plan to seal up the weatherproof housing with silicone/caulk.

If your station will need cell network connectivity instead of ethernet or WiFi, then I recommend the Inseego M2000B unit. This will run from USB power, and work with any Canadian SIM card. For the cheapest SIM card, find a volunteer with a Rogers, Telus or Bell plan that allows sharing their monthly data allotment with a $10 "Tablet" or "IoT" SIM card.

If your station will run from a 12V glider battery instead of from grid power, the recommended 12V to USB transformer is the Palumma 24W/4.8A Dual USB Car Charger. If you want solar instead, then you're on your own to find the best 2.4A USB power supply for the Pi.

Steps for after physical installation:
  1. Find a Windows or Linux computer for the initial setup steps.
  2. Download the SD Card Image: ognskel-2024-07-19.img.xz
  3. Windows: Download and unzip the usbimager program: https://gitlab.com/bztsrc/usbimager
  4. Place the 32GB MicroSD card in a card reader and use the usbimager program to write the image to the card, or use native Linux tools.
  5. NOTE: If you proceed further at home for testing, you'll have to start over again at the installation location.
  6. Edit the ognskel.txt file on the SD card to add your WiFi network name and password, save it.
  7. Place the SD card in the Pi and boot it up
  8. Wait a minimum of 20 minutes before proceeding. Have a beverage.
  9. If it is successful, you'll see the setup diagnostics page appear at https://cloud.sosaglidingclub.com/ognskel/ognskel/ognskel.log.
  10. If it is unsuccessful, get the ognskel.log file from the SD card to send me.
  11. To try again with another WiFi network, delete the ognskel.log from the SD card and edit the ognskel.txt with a different available WiFi network name and password.
Once you are successful in getting a diagnostics page: