Portsdown 2020

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As new capabilities are developed, the Portsdown evolves through major changes to take advantages of updates to the operating system and features. Older versions cease to be updated, but unlike "Windows" they don't stop working. Just tighten the screws in the lid, don't connect them to the internet and keep putting them on the air!

Portsdown 2020

Portsdown 2020 is based on the RPi Buster operating system. There is no routine software update available from Portsdown 2019, which was based on the older Stretch operating system, but you can build (or buy from the BATC shop) a new SD Card and simply fit it in place of the old card to get the new features.

Features

The new features in Portsdown 2020 are:

  • H264 DVB-S and DVB-S2 transmissions from the LimeSDR Mini using F4IHX's custom DVB Firmware.
  • High symbol rate DVB-S transmissions (up to 6 MS) from the LimeSDR Mini using F4IHX's custom DVB Firmware.
  • DVB-S and DVB-S2 transmissions from the LimeSDR USB Portsdown 2020 LimeSDR USB
  • Support for the C920 WebCam
  • The ability to suppress the calibration spike at the beginning of LimeSDR transmissions.

The following legacy features have been tested and work well:

  • DVB-S Transmissions using a BATC Filter-modulator board
  • Streaming to the BATC streaming server
  • Composite video output
  • Receive capability with a MiniTiouner (to be upgraded in software 2020043000 Portsdown 2020 Receive Enhancements

The following features have not yet been tested and may not work:

  • DVB-S and DVB-S2 transmissions from the LimeSDR Mini using the stock firmware
  • DVB-S and DVB-S2 transmissions from the LimeMET Micro
  • DVB-S transmissions using DATV Expresss or the DTX-1

The following features DO NOT WORK, or will not be supported

  • The FreqShow spectrum viewer

You can find the latest information on the tested capabilities of Portsdown 2020 here: Portsdown 2020 Buster Software.

Hardware build

The Portsdown 2020 uses the same hardware as the Portsdown 2019 - see this wiki page for more details.

20200215 Portsdown 2020 Block.jpg 

Note the Raspberry PI4 GPIO connections are different from the RPi 3 and this means band switching is available on different pins on the Portsdown 2020 - see https://wiki.batc.org.uk/Portsdown_4_GPIO_Connections and https://forum.batc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?t=7011&p=25317#p25317

More Information

A "Getting Started with Portsdown 2020" guide is being written here: Portsdown_2020_Getting_Started_Guide

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