nanoVNA-Saver: unsuccessful installation attempts...

[last updated: 2024-03-22]
nanoVNA-Saver: Installation
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This page is a record of several failed attempts at installing nanovna-saver.
See link above for procedure that worked.
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• Trial #1:
  • Not sure when I recorded this, perhaps 2021.
     As I recall I installed it onto the tower (which is now defunct).
    ...
  • Instructions recorded then:
    • Download:
      Get most current firmware version: (link to:) github
      Select/download desired version (for me, linux 0.5.3)
    • Extract downloaded zip file.
      Set permissions to executable.
    • Execute by double-click executable file in file manager.

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• Trial #2:
  • However:
    Trial #1 instructions did not work 2024-03-15.
    Tried these instructions Instead ...
  • from: https://www.rfquests.com/NanoVNA-Saver-Setup
    • Clone the repository:
      $ git clone git@github.com:NanoVNA-Saver/nanovna-saver.git
      However...
      this didn't work either, giving public key error.
      searching found these sites for troubleshooting...
      https://docs.github.com/en/authentication/troubleshooting-ssh/error-perm...
      https://stackoverflow.com/questions/2643502/git-how-to-solve-permission-...

      ... But rather than do all that, I just manually downloaded and unzipped...
      However, in retrospect, since manual load didn't work either, I maybe should have persisted with the public key thing...

    • ... instructions from above link continue ...
      Create and activate a Python 3 virtual environment:
      $ cd [to folder where unzipped files located...]
      $ python3 -m venv venv
      error fixed by:
      $ apt install python3.10-venv

      $ source venv/bin/activate

    • Install the dependencies:
      $ pip install -r requirements.txt
    • Launch the application:
      $ python nanovna-saver.py ... [or python3 on my system?]
      However this failed with a page of error messages for both "python" and "python3"
      nanoVNA-Saver load errors

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• Trial #3:
  • from forum: https://groups.io/g/nanovna-users/message/31257
    searched for nanovna-saver install linux
    there does not seem to be a separate group for -saver...
  • thought sure I'd tried this before, but this time it executed without error:
    $ git clone https://github.com/NanoVNA-Saver/nanovna-saver

    This created the directory: /home/jay/nanovna-saver

  • Inside this directory there is nanovna-saver.py
    which already has execution permission set.
    executing with:
    $ cd /home/jay/nanovna-saver
    $ python3 nanovna-saver.py
    gave errors:
    failed - "import NanoVNASaver.__main__"
    and: "No module named 'PyQt6' "
  • Further instructions from forum post:
    Check the error messages (missing modules) and install them,
    e.g. these are essential:
    $ sudo apt install python3-numpy python3-scipy
  • attempted:
    $ sudo apt install PyQt6
    and $ sudo apt install python3-pyqt6
    Both failed for:
    "Unable to locate package PyQt6"
  • Tried: $ pip3 install pyqt6
    failed for no pip installed.
    installed pip with $ sudo apt install python3-pip
    then install pyqt6 worked, however gave this warning:
    WARNING: The scripts pylupdate6 and pyuic6 are installed in '/home/jay/.local/bin' which is not on PATH.
    Consider adding this directory to PATH or, if you prefer to suppress this warning, use --no-warn-script-location.
  • $ python3 nanovna-saver.py
    errors:
    File "/home/jay/nanovna-saver/nanovna-saver.py", line 32, in
    import NanoVNASaver.__main__
    File "/home/jay/nanovna-saver/src/NanoVNASaver/__main__.py", line 33, in
    from NanoVNASaver.About import version, INFO
    File "/home/jay/nanovna-saver/src/NanoVNASaver/About.py", line 20, in
    from setuptools_scm import get_version
    ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'setuptools_scm'
  • $ sudo apt install python3-numpy python3-scipy
    successful, no errors
  • $ python3 nanovna-saver.py
    same errors
  • add /.local/bin to PATH ...
    $ export PATH="/[dir to add]:$PATH"
    $ export PATH="/home/jay/.local/bin :$PATH"
    and that has seemed to work (verified with $ echo $PATH) "permanently" ie. persists after reboot,
    even though online instructions suggest it would only be temporary,
    and I would need to edit .bashrc to make it permanent...
  • ... then:
    $ sudo apt-get install python3-setuptools
    but got same error...
  • ... then did:
    $ pip3 install setuptools-scm
    and that fixed the setuptools not found error, but there's still several lines about version not found...
    • more surfing found this maybe relevant if incomprehensible link:
      https://github.com/pypa/setuptools_scm/issues/536
    • another, perhaps relevant link:
      https://groups.io/g/nanovna-users/topic/99354271?p=%2C%2C%2C20%2C0%2C0%2...
  • ... also did:
    $ pip install pyserial ... successful
    FINALLY - $ python3 nanovna-saver.py executed and opened the nanovna-saver screen !!!

    
    ... now to get the hardware connected ...

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