PiPat

I was looking forward to using PiGate on my TNC-Pi rig as a Winlink client, but the pre-built disk images don’t work with my hardware (Raspberry Pi 3B+). The integrator/maintainer of PiGate, Mark Griffith KD0QYN, told me that building a new image is getting harder because Raspbian has moved to PHP7, and SquirrelMail is incompatible and is not likely to be updated.

Instead, I set about setting up something similar with Pat and setting up the Pi in Wi-Fi AP mode. There are only a couple of Winlink RMSs on VHF in my area, and none that I can reach from my house on my current equipment, so I’ve been driving to a nearby hill with good line-of-sight. I can power the Pi with a USB battery, connect my phone or laptop to the Wi-Fi AP, and go to town with the Pat web application! I call it PiPat.