Testing a HamTV Receiver using the Portsdown

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The Portsdown 4 system can be set to transmit a near-HamTV specification signal from a Pluto SDR on boot-up.

Equipment Required

  • Raspberry Pi 4 with 1, 2 or 4 GB of memory. Not any other Raspberry Pi version.
  • A power supply for the Raspberry Pi.
  • A fast MicroSD Card of 8 GB or more capacity. SanDisk Ultra UHS-1 card recommended (the red one).
  • A genuine Analog Devices Pluto SDR with USB lead.
  • A PC for use during the set-up phase, with a MicroSD card reader and a network and internet connection. The PC will need to be loaded with an SSH client such as KiTTY (free download from https://www.fosshub.com/KiTTY.html ) and a web browser.
  • A wired network connection for the Raspberry Pi during setup.

SD Cards.jpg

Setup Activities

  1. Configure the Pluto
  2. Load the operating system on the SD Card
  3. Run the automated build script on the SD Card
  4. Use a web browser to configure the Portsdown software to the correct settings

After these steps, the Pluto will start transmitting a 2 MS DVB-S signal on 2395 MHz every time the system is started up.

Configuring the Pluto

The Pluto needs to have the frequency range extending (even though we are operating inside the designed frequency range), AND it needs special firmware to be loaded.

First install the Pluto Drivers on the PC. Download the .exe from here: https://github.com/analogdevicesinc/plutosdr-m2k-drivers-win/releases Run the .exe and when finished connect the Pluto to the PC by USB.

Once the Pluto has booted (it has an internal Linux processor) open the SSH Client (KiTTY). Connect to the Pluto by SSH at the IP address: 192.168.2.1. Accept the security alert.

login as user: root password: analog

For more details on the connection to Pluto see the article: https://f1atb.fr/sdr-adalm-pluto-setup/

To extend the frequency range, type the commands below: 


fw_setenv attr_name compatible
fw_setenv attr_val “ad9364”

Note that the more recent Revision C (outside label) (marked as Revision D on the PCB) Plutos need an extra environment variable setting for the frequency extension. In addition to the other commands, at the command line of the Pluto enter 

fw_setenv compatible ad9364

You can check that the commands have been entered correctly by typing: 

fw_printenv

At the end of the text produced, you should see something like this: 

attr_name=compatible
attr_val=ad9364
fit_size=1AB13A3
hostname=pluto
ipaddr=192.168.2.1
ipaddr_host=192.168.2.10
netmask=255.255.255.0
xo_correction=40000001
udc_handle_suspend=0
netmask_eth=255.255.255.0
gateway_eth=192.168.0.254

Then type 

reboot

The Pluto will disconnect from the PC and reconnect with the new settings.


The special firmware is F5OEO's "for the brave" Pluto firmware (FIRM2101RC of 5 February 2020). Extract the firmware from this zip file File:FIRM2101RC.zip and follow the instructions on this web page VERY CAREFULLY Analog Devices Firmware Upgrade Instructions.


You can check that you have the correct Firmware loaded from the "Pluto Configuration Menu" (reached from Menu 3). It should report Firmware version v0.31-4-g9ceb-dirty.

Loading the Operating System on the SD Card

Running the Build Script

Configuring for automatic transmission on 2395 MHz

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