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[Found] Cheap Laptop for Ham Radio Project
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James W
 


Member Since: 27 Mar 2008
Location: Riyadh, KSA
Posts: 3079

Saudi Arabia 
[Wanted] Cheap Laptop for Ham Radio Project

Looks like I'm proceeding with a new ham radio project for which I need a cheap but serviceable laptop. Will consider a compact desktop possibly too if you have one. I need these minimum specs:

• OS Microsoft® Windows® 8.1 / 10
• Processor Clock Frequency: 2.0 GHz or faster
• HDD: 1 GB or more of available space
• RAM: 2 GB or more
• Display resolution: 1366 x 768 16-bit high color or higher (32-bit true color is recommended)
• USB port: USB 2.0 (Full-speed USB)
• LAN port:100BASE-TX/1000BASE-T or Wi-Fi: IEEE 802.11 b or higher
• Speaker/earphone and Mic sockets
• Wi-fi built in

Anyone got anything they would like to shift on? Looking for something as cheap as possible as it's only to drive a bit of radio kit, not do anything else on, so price is key.

TIA Thumbs Up D4 XS, gone, much loved, never forgotten
2018 FFRR SDV8 Autobiography - Gone to someone with less sense and more time to enjoy it Very Happy
2016 Toyota Hilux Invincible - Liberating experience  
Post #21512863rd Jun 2020 2:02 pm
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Luapno
 


Member Since: 27 Sep 2013
Location: Birmingham
Posts: 874

United Kingdom 

Have you thought of a Rasberry PI ?

I have used one to run Octoprint on my 3d printer and I am very impressed

Found this doing a quick search https://dl1gkk.com/setup-raspberry-pi-for-ham-radio/
Don't know anything about HAM radio so don't know if its what you are looking for.

You can pick up a top spec PI kit off amazon for around £80 When you are dead, you do not know you are dead. All of the pain is felt by others. The same thing happens when you are stupid.  
Post #21512963rd Jun 2020 2:52 pm
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RSW
 


Member Since: 24 Aug 2012
Location: Devon
Posts: 155

United Kingdom 2013 Discovery 4 3.0 SDV6 HSE Auto Orkney GreyDiscovery 4

Does it have to be Windows as I don't think you will get very far with 2GB ram

I would say something like this but it need a power supply and Windows ontop and you give no idea what sort of price is key
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lenovo-E50-70-1...Swwxxe17EM

also pushing it as it only has 4GB ram  
Post #21513033rd Jun 2020 3:02 pm
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joness7
 


Member Since: 09 Feb 2006
Location: West London
Posts: 233

United Kingdom 

I do. I have an HP ProBook 455 G2 you can buy off me.

4Gb RAM
500Gb HD
Windows 10 Pro
AMD A8 processor
15" screen
It is missing the > sign keycap, though the key works.

£100 inc P&P?

Let me know how much you want to spend? I might have other things....

Steve J 2018 1.5Ti Skoda Octavia - dull as f&ck
2019 D5 SdV6 SE Anniversary - black/black - good riddance!!
2010 D4 TDV6 HSE - Nara Bronze with black - now gone!!
2006 D3 TDV6 HSE - Buckingham Blue with Alpaca - now gone!!
BMW R1200GS - also blue, also gone!!
Honda CRF1000L Africa Twin DCT - Dakar colours
Husqvarna Svartpilen 401 - the Black Arrow  
Post #21513183rd Jun 2020 3:47 pm
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James W
 


Member Since: 27 Mar 2008
Location: Riyadh, KSA
Posts: 3079

Saudi Arabia 

Cheers chaps

Raspberry Pi is defo a good option for lots of similar projects but this particular bit of kit needs windows for its bespoke software - I assumed Raspberry Pi is unix only?

Steve - will drop you a PM later Thumbs Up - as far below £100 as possible would be good as it's only to experiment with something. All my old tech in the house are either macbooks (1 white, 1 black, 1 pro Laughing ) that are too old to load Windows 8 or 10 onto, or tablets.

Appreciate it will be slow, but it will only be running one bit of software - nothing else, and will be left running most of the time, so startup time isn't too much of an issue, neither is disk speed.

Cheers all Thumbs Up D4 XS, gone, much loved, never forgotten
2018 FFRR SDV8 Autobiography - Gone to someone with less sense and more time to enjoy it Very Happy
2016 Toyota Hilux Invincible - Liberating experience  
Post #21513263rd Jun 2020 4:10 pm
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SteveKK
 


Member Since: 11 Apr 2019
Location: North Herefordshire
Posts: 287

Ukraine 2010 Discovery 4 3.0 SDV6 HSE Auto Buckingham BlueDiscovery 4

If you are just testing, could you not do that with a virtualized instance of Windows on existing hardware? It might be a pain to expose the correct hardware to the Windows instance, but could be worth the effort?

Regards,
Steve  
Post #21514194th Jun 2020 5:53 am
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James W
 


Member Since: 27 Mar 2008
Location: Riyadh, KSA
Posts: 3079

Saudi Arabia 

Thanks Steve, good idea but it just would probably not work due to how the software creates virtual com ports.

All very kindly sorted now via other Steve above 👍

Thanks all! D4 XS, gone, much loved, never forgotten
2018 FFRR SDV8 Autobiography - Gone to someone with less sense and more time to enjoy it Very Happy
2016 Toyota Hilux Invincible - Liberating experience  
Post #21520767th Jun 2020 8:57 am
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