M0IAX

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Microsoft Surface Go 2

Posted: 27 Feb 2021 12:11 AM PST
https://m0iax.com/2021/02/27/microsoft-surface-go-2/



Like many of us I have been using portable computing solutions for most of
my portable radio operations. Being a big fan of digital modes means I have
to have a computer at the heart of my radio station.




You probably know that I have used the Raspberry Pi in the past and it is a
great single board computer is ultra portable and has low power
requirements, the drawback is that you need a display for it many of us use
an apple or android tablet which isnt a real problem as they have their own
battery and generally have great battery life, more than enough for a good
portable radio session with enough power left to post on social media on
the way home, but wouldnt a device the same size as an iPad but with a full
desktop operating system be a great idea?




As a professional software developer I have a few laptops available that I
can use but the problem with these is the weight and the high replacement
value and that the battery life is nowhere near that of an iPad or android
tablet. Im always on the lookout for a good all in one portable computer to
use in the field so Ive had my eye on the Surface Go since it was released.
I took what many youtubers were saying about its performance with a pinch
of salt, most of us dont want a portable computer to edit a 4K video on or
run photoshop to import all the pictures from our latest trip etc.




No, we need the computer to simultaneously decode a bunch of JS8 messages,
or if we really have nothing better to do with our time, a whole load of
FT4/8 by comparison to other uses for a computer that doesnt take much
processing power. So I had already decided I was going to get one when I
was chatting to my buddy Julian OH8STN and discovered that he had bought
the Surface Go 2 with the Pentium CPU and he was very happy with its
performance. So I decided that I would just need to get the entry level and
most importantly the cheapest model available.




So I bought the top of the range M3 CPU model with the 128GB SSD, I later
found out that it also had a sim card slot for an LTE internet connection.
In my defence I was really going to buy the chepest model but I found the
M3 one used and the price was the same as I would have paid for a new base
model, so money wasnt wasted. But I do have a habit of over-specifying
everything so at least Im consistent with my other purchases



Surface Go 2 Compact and lightweight




The Surface Go 2 has a 10.5 inch touch screen is small and light and claims
to have a 10 hour battery life, I usually find that in normal use we never
see the full battery life but its a good indication that I can use it for a
decent amount time when out portable, and as its not a power hungry high
performance laptop I will be able to recharge it a few times using the same
batteries I take to power my radio equipment, I bought a power adapter that
plugs into a standard 12volt socket so I can also charge it when in the car.



Car charger for the Surface Go 2



Charging the Surface Go 2 with my LiFoo4 power pack and the car charger




if you read the website blurb you will find that its 64% faster than the
original Surface Go, what does that mean to us? do we even care? no, no we
dont. We want to know if it will run our Amateur Radio software dont we.
Will it? Yes. Yes it will, with ease and on all models. Ive loaded the
following on to mine.




JS8Call, Ham Radio Deluxe, FLRIG, FLDIGI, Winlink Express, Vara HF Modem,
Icom RSBA1, Icom Remote Utility and finally WSJT-X.




I have tried JS8Call with FLRIG and Ham Radio Deluxe for rig control and
all work as expected. JS8Call decodes all the signals I see on the
waterfall instantly as I expect and the Surface Go 2 does not get hot which
indicates that its not working too hard.




The screen is bright and easily viewable in daylight, but as you expect the
screen is very reflective so you need a bit of shade in bright sunlight in
order to view it properly.



Backlit Keyboard, surprisingly good considering the compact size




The keyboard (bought separately from the Go 2) works very well and there is
good travel on the keys to give you some tactile feedback when typing. The
backlit keyboard is easy to view at night for those that cant remember
where all the keys are



Integrated kick stand is handy




The Surface Go 2 has a build in kickstand that adjusts to multiple angles
so you can adjust to the best view even if you dont have a level surface to
put it on.




The Surface Go 2 is small and light enough (approx 500grams or just over
1lb) it fits perfectly in my Icom LC-192 backpack. Its ultra portable so is
a perfect match for my Icom IC-705 but will obvously work just as well with
any radio, note that has only one USB C port so you will need an adapter to
connect to a radio via USB. but whos doing that these days? thats just sooo
last year




Im being very picky about what is going into my portable radio station this
year, and the Surface Go 2 is the perfect fit for portable digital ops so
its found a place in the LC-192 backpack.



Icom IC-705, Surface Go 2 and LC-192 Backpack




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