Prepare the microSD card

1. Assemble your Pi and case, but don't plug the SDR dongle(s) in or connect it to power.

2. Insert the microSD card in your PC or Mac, using an adapter if required.

3. Download and install the Raspberry Pi Imager (Windows/Mac/Linux). This guide is based on v1.7.4 of the Raspberry Pi Imager for Windows.

4. Launch Raspberry Pi Imager.

5. Click the CHOOSE OS button.

6. Select Raspberry Pi OS (other), then Raspberry Pi OS Lite (32-bit).

7. Click the CHOOSE STORAGE button.

8. Select whatever item is identifying the microSD card you inserted. Double-check that the storage size shown in the list closely matches your microSD card. If your microSD card is not listed or not selectable, do not proceed! Be very careful not to select storage being used by your computer.

9. Click the ⚙️ icon (settings).

10. Click the Set hostname checkbox and then set the hostname to "carputer" (don't type the quotation marks).

11. Click the Enable SSH checkbox, then, under Set username and password, set the Username to "pi" and the Password to "carputer" (or whatever you want and can remember).

12. Click the Configure wireless LAN checkbox and set the SSID and Password for your home wi-fi network.

13. Change the Wireless LAN country to "US" (if not in US, select your country).

14. Click the SAVE button.

15. Click the WRITE button.

16. If you're sure you selected your microSD card as the storage to write to, click the YES button to confirm. You may be prompted for your computer password to complete this action.

17. Wait for the write to finish, click the CONTINUE button, and then quit the Raspberry Pi Imager.

18. Remove the microSD card from your computer and insert it into your Pi with the gold contacts facing up.