Microsoft Surface Pro running Linux and the Xiegu GNR1

Making a Microsoft device run Linux:

The refurbished Microsoft Surface Pro 4 arrived on Friday sans the power supply. I was fortunate enough to be able to borrow one from work to fire it up. 

I started Windows, then went about resizing the partition to around half so I could attempt a Linux install. 

Everything that I'd read suggested that Ubuntu should work with secure boot on. It however simply wouldn't boot from the USB stick while it was on. Once it was off, it installed and off I went.

I'd been following a GitHub page for a Linux Surface compatibility suite - a kernel module and other drivers to make everything work, so I expected to be making use of this. 

So far, I haven't bothered. The only things not working after the installation are the cameras (which are apparently a work in progress for the drivers) and the touch screen which I don't care that much about - simply because I'm a typing oriented person so going between a keyboard and screen is of limited value. 

I might attempt to do something about it at some point, but no rush. 

Within another hour I had the whole thing setup the way I want, complete with working VPN connection home. Which is good. If I get bored while I'm in Bathurst, I'll remotely send FT8 1000km away. Suits me. 

 

Meeting other HAMs:
I've been meaning to catch up with some local HAMs for nearly 2 years and the world has done its level best to get in the way - lock downs, kids, you name it. 

Yesterday the local club was running the BBQ at Bunnings and Colin VK3NCC had let me know that he'd be there, so I figured that I should take a few minutes to pop over for a quick chat. 

I'd fired up my smoker a bit before 11am.  Fresh gas bottle anticipating a fair cook time (that ended around 6pm).

I anticipated getting the pork shoulder in, then popping down the road. As soon as I attempted to walk away, the gas went out. It was quite windy and our yard is to the south and fairly exposed. I lit it again, walked off and decided I'd give it some time. Just as I decided I'd get out the door again, it went out again.

I re-lit it, then found some bricks to stack up around the bottom of the smoker to see if I could cut the wind down from getting to the element. It went out 3 times while I was doing that. I should point out that it is a smoker at the start of a cook - so this was spewing out smoke while I'm trying to do this. 

Finally I got it going again, went back in the house in time for the XYL and my son to return from a little shopping spree - my son having stocked up on new toys purchased with a gift voucher he was given a month ago for his birthday. An hour quickly vanished as he showed me his toys, wanted ties cut to open them, then proceeded to get cranky with an over priced transformer that was a little too fiddly for him. 

Once he was busily playing, I decided to try again to leave the house. Literally opening the front door in time for the temperature probe alarm to go off again. Back outside, start it again.  Back away slowly trying to not cause any disturbance to the air pressure. I wait a few minutes, watching the app on my phone show me that the temperature was going up again. 

Finally, I bolt out the door, jump in the car and go. By now it's a little after 1pm. It's only taken me 2 hours to get out the door. 

A couple of minute drive later and I'm there. In time for the BBQ to be out of gas and Colin busy working with Bunnings staff to get it re-fired. I meet Colin and a few other chaps and have a quick chat before leaving him to return to his cooking duties, heading home and returning to my own. 

The Xiegu GNR1:

Later in the afternoon, while waiting for my pork shoulder to finish and having just demolished a plate of beef ribs that seemed to feel a little overdone, I somehow discovered the Xiegu GNR1 - a DSP noise reduction unit on eBay. I think I saw it only because I had a HF radio search on eBay open from the night before and just happened to notice the word Xiegu. 

I decided to do some digging - finding a video from Waters and Stanton:

 

I've seen a few of their videos before - and this one seemed particularly interesting. I may have skipped through some of his fiddling with the IC-7300 jumping to the part where he starts using the GNR1....

It seems interesting. 

I decided there and then to purchase one, having sold some junk on eBay, I decided that I could treat myself. 

It seems that this might be useful for me. I find listening to the radio difficult at times - my typically high noise floor adds a lot of challenges and my tinnitus doesn't really appreciate me turning up the volume in hope of trying to understand speech through so much static. It's worth a shot. 

In completely unrelated news:
I'm polishing up to attempt the Cisco CyberOps Associate exam. It's really an entry level certification that is below my post graduate qualifications in Cyber Security, but it does have a significantly higher practical component to its content so I'm keen to have a crack at that. Besides, it's time for a refresher and to start trying to get myself focused again. If nothing else, I'm about 1/5th of the way through it within the first week and I haven't learned anything yet. At some point I'll reach my "cliff" - which is where it'll jump from stuff that I'm skimming over to hitting stuff that I have no idea about and will be completely lost. It'll be in there somewhere. 

There be dragons; it's my danger point in learning where I go from complete bordem in covering stuff that I already know to hitting something that makes absolutely no sense, that seems to be completely abstract but upon which just enough importance will be placed upon that getting my head around it will be a "make or break" situation. 

Usually this happens when someone breaks out the equations. If I didn't have a problem with this, my radio wouldn't be set to 10w.