OGN Latest not installing!

[rhine]

After I have manually selected the OS from the boot menu and said that it's ok to write over the disk, then the install runs to completion and I can see ./PilotAware-OGN.config.sh ready to run.

[Ian Melville]

I don't think that is how it should work. You should not need to choose an OS.

I have a Pi3B+ to upgrade my station on the shelf, will try a new build to see if I have the same issues. Then I can remove the LAN cable that trains across the bedroom floor

[Admin]

The install is ‘unattended’, you should not have to do anything until the login prompt
Thx
Lee

[rhine]

Thanks Lee, yes was expecting the unattended install, but the behaviour was as I described in my case - had to pick the OS, and confirm a disk overwrite. After that all completed OK so I am up and running. Maybe just for the benefit of others, can you Ian Melville let us know how you get on? It could well be a user error on my part. Thanks

[exfirepro]

Hi again Richard / Lee / Ian,

Sorry for the delay getting back to you Richard. I did plan to do the test install onto a Pi3B+ yesterday as promised, but was kept busy dealing with other problems, so re-planned to do it today (Saturday), but her indoors had other ideas, so I just got back to it a couple of hours ago.

I first downloaded a fresh copy of the OGN-latest (20201118) software and copied it onto a newly (and correctly) formatted microSD card. I then inserted the card into a brand new Raspberry Pi 3B+, with a spare Bridge.

I attached a monitor, then powered up the unit from a charged battery pack, but all I get is the red power LED (solid red), a brief flicker from the two red & green LEDs on the antenna end of the Bridge and after about 30 seconds the rainbow splash screen appears on the monitor, then everything freezes. I'm not even seeing a single flicker from the green 'Drive LED', so suspect a problem with the card or data download/transfer.

Having left the unit for at least 15 minutes, with no change whatsoever, I then tried powering down and removing and reseating the microSD card and rebooting again - but with exactly the same results. Certainly not what I was expecting from your earlier reports Richard.

I next tried a completely fresh software download (same 20201118 version) and put it onto a new card, but with exactly the same results.

Next, I tried an earlier software version (20200921) downloaded on a previous occasion and loaded onto yet another fully reformatted and resized card. Unfortunately I got exactly the same result, with no visible Drive LED activity and the process again simply freezing at the rainbow screen.

It's getting far too late to think clearly tonight, so I am going to leave it 'til the morning and have another think about what is going on.

Regards

Peter

[Ian Melville]

I first downloaded a fresh copy of the OGN-latest (20201118) software and copied it onto a newly (and correctly) formatted microSD card. I then inserted the card into a brand new Raspberry Pi 3B+, with a spare Bridge.

I attached a monitor, then powered up the unit from a charged battery pack, but all I get is the red power LED (solid red), a brief flicker from the two red & green LEDs on the antenna end of the Bridge and after about 30 seconds the rainbow splash screen appears on the monitor, then everything freezes. I'm not even seeing a single flicker from the green 'Drive LED', so suspect a problem with the card or data download/transfer.

Exactly the same for me last night. New everything except the bridge and known good PSU. I do get a regular tick from the TXL LED on the Bridge antenna end.

[Ian Melville]

Wondering if the Raspberry Pi 3B+ has been "upgraded" and now isn't compatible?

[Ian Melville]

I have just moved the bridge and the same SD card to an old Pi 3B and that is unpacking fine. That was until I knocked the power lead out :-(
o it looks as if the image is not compatible with the Pi 3B+ ?

[exfirepro]

Morning Ian,

I confirmed in one of my earlier posts that the latest software definitely runs fine on a Pi 3B as I tried it just a few days ago as a WiFi setup test for one of my stations.

In the light of both our experiences, I am beginning to question how Richard has managed to get it running on a Pi 3B+. I have a second 3B+ here, so am going to try again this morning with a completely new card. I will let you know how it goes shortly.

In the meantime, Richard, if you read this, can you please confirm you have definitely used a Pi 3B+ (with the chrome metal cases on the CPUs) not a 3B (with the black ones).

Peter

[exfirepro]

OK,

I have just set up another brand-new Raspberry Pi 3B+, with a different spare Bridge. 20201118 software downloaded and copied onto a brand new (blank and correctly formatted) microSD card and this time powered up using a (known good) 3 Amp mains PSU instead of the battery pack.

It boots to the rainbow screen, still with no indication whatsoever on the Drive LED of any activity, solid red power LED, but this time I am getting a regular (approx once every 2 seconds) flashing green on the antenna end of the Bridge. Other than that the unit again remains frozen at the rainbow screen.

I have left it running for well over an hour and absolutely nothing has changed.

I therefore have to conclude that - despite Richards comments above - the current software DOESN't run on the Pi 3B+ - at least not without some sort of 'technical tinkering', which makes me wonder what Richard has actually done to get his to run?

Thinking further and reading back over Richard's earlier posts, he says he was 'asked to choose which OS he wanted to install - from a choice of 1'. In over 5 years of installing and setting up probably running into hundreds of PilotAware and OGN installations, the only time I have ever seen this selection option was when installing standard Raspbian software. I have NEVER come across this OS Selection option with any PilotAware or OGN-R installation.

Richard also makes reference to 'not honouring 'recovery.cmdline' and it's `uninstaller quiet ramdisk_size=32768 root=/dev/ram0 init=/init vt.cur_default=1 elevator=deadline silentinstall`, which indicates an obvious degree of knowledge and makes me wonder whether he has been 'tinkering' with the software in some way, or has somehow installed his copy of the OGN-R software onto a card which already has Raspbian on it (though trying to get that to work is definitely above my pay grade).

Richard, would you care to enlighten us...

Any thoughts Lee?

Regards

Peter

[exfirepro]

Hi All,

For the avoidance of doubt (for anyone else reading this subsequently). I have just spoken with Lee, who has confirmed that the OGN-R software WON’T currently run on a Pi 3B+ without intervention (which has not been approved and if not done correctly could make the unit unreliable).

Lee did do the ‘tweaks’ to the standard PilotAware software when Raspberry Pi first introduced the 3B+ - to allow us to test it for potential PilotAware use, which we have done extensively - but use of the Pi 3B+ in PilotAware is currently ’not recommended’ due to a significantly higher current draw than when using the 3B.

The necessary ‘tweaks’ haven’t yet been incorporated into the OGN-R software, so our advice is to stick to the Pi2B, or if you want / need to set up your ATOM station with WiFi rather than Ethernet access, or simply to upgrade when fitting a replacement board, stick to a Pi 3B (not 3B+).

Regards

Peter

[rhine]

Many thanks all for your efforts over the weekend. ATOM station now installed, so I will check again that it is indeed a 3B+ when I am next at the very waterlogged field. Understand the 'support' statement, but just to say, that if you get past the 'what OS?' and 'format the disk?' questions, then the install does complete. After this I just ran 'config' from a ssh pi@ognpaw session and all is good with the world.

For others that follow, please be cognisant of the support statement from Lee and friends.

Seasons greetings to you all! Richard

[exfirepro]

Hi Richard,

Thanks for the feedback. Out of interest, would you mind saying which station we are talking about please.

Best Regards

Peter

[rhine]

Sure - it's MossEdgeF - need to change this to PWxxx. Richard

[exfirepro]

Richard,

Post edited after speaking to Eric (PWPoulton) who just phoned me to say he was very pleased to see MossEdge back on the air today, but confused about the ‘Renaming’ (see below).

Your station is now showing as MossEdgeF for the FLARM side and PWMossEdg for the PilotAware side (it only allows a maximum of 7 characters after the ‘PW’).

When you set your station up, the station name you enter is for the OGN side (a maximum 9 letters under OGN rules) and the PAW software automatically prefixes this with ‘PW’ for the PilotAware side, but truncates the end of the OGN name if you have set it to over 7 characters to maintain the 9 character maximum limit overall.

It seems that when you set up your configuration after changing your Raspbery Pi at the weekend, you (inadvertently - or perhaps deliberately) changed the name of the OGN side from its previous Mossedg (7 characters) to  MossEdgeF (9 characters). This has been automatically truncated for the PW side to PWMossEdg, which is the same as it was before except for the capital 'E', but as your OGN receiver was previously named Mossedg (7 characters with a lower case 'e'), the OGN Network now sees 'MossEdgeF' as a 'new' station, and your range data collated under the previous 'Mossedg' name is now completely disconnected from whatever will be received by the OGN side of your station from now on under the 'new' name (OGNRange is currently showing zero OGN coverage for MossEdgeF). This isn't in itself a problem, but if you want to maintain the historical record as part of your ongoing coverage, you would need to reconfigure your station to its original name.

If you want to do this, log back into your raspberry Pi (pi + whatever you changed the password to), then once logged in simply type ‘config’ at the prompt and hit [Enter]. Your config will restart automatically (you don’t now need to do the ‘cd rtlsdr-ogn’ bit or the full ‘./PilotAware-OGN.config.sh’ anymore).

When you come to the question ‘Do you want to change the station name - currently ‘MossEdgeF’ say yes ‘y’ then re-enter the name in the original format Mossedg . You shouldn’t need to change anything else so you can just say no ‘n’ to the other questions. The GSM Scan should then rerun automatically and the station will restart, with the names for both sides of the station back as they were previously.

If you changed the name deliberately, you can of course just leave it as it is and let the range records start again with the new names. But in either case DO NOT try to manually add the 'PW' - or your station name will change to 'PWPWMossE'.

I have sent you my phone number via the Message Board in case you aren’t sure exactly what I mean, or experience any problems.

Regards

Peter
p.s. see Postscript on next page.