How to Build WSJT-X from Source Raspberry Pi Bullseye

WSJT is a free and open-source powerful application that is used for weak-signal radio communication between amateur radio operators. Usually, you will require a single sideband receiver and a computer with a sound card to operate this program. On Windows OS, its installation is pretty straightforward using the .exe file, but on Raspberry Pi, it requires few efforts to build it from the Raspberry Pi’s source.

This article will guide you on how to build WSJT-X 2.5.4 from the source Raspberry Pi Bullseye.

Building WSJT from source Raspberry Pi Bullseye

The WSJT-X 2.5.4 building from the form source Raspberry Pi requires the following steps.

Step 1: Updating the Packages List

First ensure your Raspberry Pi’s packages are up to date and for this reason the following command will be used.

$ sudo apt update
$ sudo apt upgrade

Step 2: Install Required Libraries and Dependencies

In this step, you will require to install some libraries and dependencies which are necessary to build WSJT-X on Raspberry Pi.

First, use the following command to install the media library on Raspberry Pi.

$ sudo apt install -y qtmultimedia5-dev libqt5serialport5-dev

Then, use the following command to install some libraries.

$ sudo apt install -y qttools5-dev qttools5-dev-tools

Next, run the following command to install required plugins and multi-media libraries.

$ sudo apt install -y libqt5multimedia5-plugins

Next, install the set of libraries using the below-given command.

$ sudo apt install -y libboost-all-dev libfftw3-dev

Also, run the following command to install libusb library as well.

$ sudo apt install -y libreadline-dev libusb-1.0-0-dev

Further, execute the following command to install a portaudio library for audio back and recording.

$ sudo apt install -y libudev-dev portaudio19-dev cmake

You will also require to install the Fortran library using the following command.

$ sudo apt install -y libgfortran5

Step 3: Setup Folder Structure

Now in this step, you will require to create a directory with the name “build” and then enter the directory using the following commands.

$ cd ~
$ mkdir build
$ cd build

Step 4: Download WSJT-X 2.5.4

Go to the browser and download the “WSJT-X 2.5.4” from the website. Copy the file and then paste it into the “build” directory.

Step 5: Building the WSJT-X file

Go back to the terminal and in the “build” directory extract the WSJT-X tgz file using the tar command.

$ tar xzf wsjtx-2.5.4.tgz

Step 6: Building WSJT-X file

Now in the final step, you will need to create another directory with the name “build” and enter the directory.

$ mkdir build
$ cd build

Then use the following command to prepare building the packages.

$ cmake -DWSJT_SKIP_MANPAGES=ON -DWSJT_GENERATE_DOCS=OFF ../wsjtx-2.5.4

Then use the following command to execute the package building process that will install WSJT-X 2.5.4 from source Raspberry Pi.

$ sudo cmake --build . --target install

After completing the installation, execute the “wsjtx” command to run the application on your Raspberry Pi.

At this time, WSJT-X 2.5.4 is successfully running on Raspberry Pi.

Conclusion

WSJT-X is an excellent application used for radio communication where the signal strength is too low. It includes different features for the users, helping them enhance their communication performance. The above guide provides you step by step instructions to successfully install the latest WSJT-X 2.5.4 from source Raspberry Pi to kick start the radio projects.