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This guide will walk you through preparing a Raspberry Pi to work with the WSPR Hat Kit.

You will need the following items:

• A Raspberry Pi (see below)
  
• A Power Supply suitable for your Pi
  
• A MicroSD Card
  
• A MicroSD Card Reader
  
• A PC (Windows/Mac/Linux) to prepare the MicroSD Card
  
• Your Wifi network name and password

We recommend the use of a Pi Zero w, Pi Zero 2w, Pi 3, or Pi 4 due to having built-in Wifi. The Pi 5 uses a different layout on it's 40-pin GPIO connector and is not currently supported.

The MicroSD card you use for this project will be completely erased during the process. Please make sure that it does not contain any data you wish to keep.

1. Download and install the Raspberry Pi Imager from https://www.raspberrypi.com/software/. If your computer type is not highlighted in the blue button, use the blue link that matches your system under the black box, as in the picture to the right.

2. Insert the MicroSD card into your card reader and connect it to your computer, and open the Raspberry Pi Imager application.

3. Click the 'CHOOSE DEVICE' button on the left, and choose the option that matches your model of Raspberry Pi.

4. Click the 'CHOOSE OS' button in the centre, scroll down (if needed) and click on Raspberry Pi OS (other), then Raspberry Pi OS Lite (32-bit) as in the picture to the right.

5. Click the 'CHOOSE STORAGE' button, and select your MicroSD Card from the list. Be careful to choose the option that matches your MicroSD card. Common card sizes are 8Gb, 16Gb, 32Gb, or 64Gb.

6. Click the 'NEXT' button that appears in the lower right corner to continue. When asked if you would like to apply OS customisation settings, click 'EDIT SETTINGS'. In the dialog that follows you will need to set the hostname, choose your username and password, and add your wifi network details. Passwords will be obscured as you type each character.

If you wish to use a Pi connected via an ethernet cable, leave the section 'Configure wireless LAN' unticked and unfilled, but make sure your Pi has a wired connection available when it's running.

7. Switch to the 'Services' tab, and tick the 'Enable SSH' checkbox. Once you have added the details click 'SAVE' and then click 'YES'.

8. You will be asked to confirm that you want to erase all information on the MicroSD card. This is your last chance to stop the process. If you are sure that you want to proceed, click 'YES'. Depending on your system, you may be asked for your password, or to confirm the writing of the card.

After completing step 8, the Imager application will write and verify the card. This may take a while. When prompted, you can remove the MicroSD card and close the Imager application.

In this section you will connect to your Pi via a command line, ensure the operating system is updated, and install the wsprrypi software that will control the hat. In the steps that follow wsprrypi is used as the network name for the Pi, and assumes that you have just completed preparing the MicroSD Card.

1. Insert the MicroSD Card to your Pi, and connect the power supply. Do not insert or remove the card while the Pi is powered. You do not need to attach the completed hat yet.

2. The Pi will run through it's first startup, and ensures that the full MicroSD card is available for use. This process will take a few minutes, and the Pi will restart itself.

The screenshots in this section will show a Linux-based system, however the typed commands shown will be identical for all users.

3. Open your Command Prompt(Windows)/Terminal (MacOS)/Konsole or gterm(Linux) and type ssh jonathan@wsprrypi, replacing 'jonathan' with the username you chose in the previous section, and press the enter/return key.

4. As this is your first time connecting to the pi, you will be prompted if you are sure you wish to connect. Type 'y' or 'yes' and press enter to proceed. You will not be asked this in the future.

5. Before installing the wsprrypi software, you should make sure the system is up-to-date. To check for updates type sudo apt update and press the return key. Once you are returned to the prompt, type sudo apt upgrade -y to upgrade the pi operating system. Downloading and installing the updates may take a few minutes.

5a. If you receive a prompt like the picture to the right, you should press Y or I and accept the changes.

6. Once you are returned to the prompt, restart the pi using the command sudo systemctl reboot.

7. Reconnect to the pi as in step 3, with ssh jonathan@wsprrypi

wsprrypi is set up by a small script that configures and installs some additional support software before downloading, compiling, and installing wsprrypi itself, with the compiling taking up to 50 minutes if a Pi 1 has been used. The script should complete in around 15 minutes on a Pi 3 or Pi Zero 2, so do not panic if it seems to freeze part-way through. During the installation, you may wish to have a visit the Wsprry Pi website at https://wsprry-pi.readthedocs.io/en/latest/index.html

8. After reconnecting to the Pi, at the prompt, type curl -fsSL installwspr.aa0nt.net | sudo bash and press the enter/return key to start the wsprrypi installation. You will be prompted to confirm the system timezone. Check and press Y/N as appropriate, followed by the enter key.

9. Once the installation has completed it will ask you to press a key to continue. You should press the enter/return key, as it appears to be the only key that works.

10. After being returned to the prompt, type sudo reboot or sudo systemctl reboot to restart the Pi.

11. Visit http://wsprrypi/wsprrypi in your browser to access the configuration page.