This is part of the Blockstream Satellite Kit setup guide.
In order to receive the Blockstream Satellite data broadcast, you will need to install the blocksat-cli utility to generate config files for our custom Bitcoin node software. The utility also interfaces with the satellite receiver in order to process the Bitcoin data received.
On your Linux computer, you'll need to use the terminal and command line—don’t worry, using the command line is not too difficult. To enter a command, copy and paste each line as shown below and press enter.
Note: The commands in our Blockstream Satellite Kit setup guide are provided for the Ubuntu distribution of Linux only. If you are using another distribution, you will need to modify the commands accordingly.
1.
Fire up your Linux computer and open the Terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T).
2.
Install pip3.
sudo apt-get install python3-pip
3.
Install the Blockstream Satellite Utility (blocksat-cli).
sudo pip3 install blocksat-cli
4.
Start the configuration process using blocksat-cli.
blocksat-cli cfg
5.
The utility will then collect the information on your setup so that it can automatically build the configuration file. You will need to specify things like:
- The type of receiver you are using (Base Station: Base Station; Basic Kit: TBS5927; Pro Kit: Novra S400).
- The type and size of your antenna.
- The name of the networking device on your computer that your receiver is connected to.
6.
After answering all of the questions, the utility will save the appropriate configuration file to your computer. This will be used by blocksat-cli to automate other configurations in the future.
7.
Install the required software dependencies.
blocksat-cli deps install
Next Steps
Depending on the kit you are using, you can proceed to:
- Base Station: Configure the Base Station
- Basic Kit: Configure your Basic Kit receiver
- Pro Kit: Configure your Pro Kit receiver