As far as I understand this, merchant’s price (and location of offered goods) is basis for end-user import cost (GST/VAT) calculation. In short, VAT is otherwise (self-explanatory) included (and tracked) within prices that we “see” here within EU (just my two cents).
@guru, another card is another brand new product so expecting that another VAT will be payed on top isn’t avoidable, I’d guess.
So I had my L5 connected via bluetooth to my Bose bluetooth speaker and my wife happened to call me while connected to it and happy to report that HSP works, and surprisingly was quite good, maybe a couple audio drop outs but nothing too bad. Can’t wait to get the new updates from @dos that will make this even better.
Rereading my message and double checking my calculations I discovered that I made a mistake.
So here is an overview with the right numbers:
2x SparkLAN card (included are the international shipping costs) - $ 58.00 (€ 82.85)
Bank Money Transfer - $ 17.50 (€ 25.00)
Import/Tax (payed to DHL) - $ 20.15 (€ 28.78)
As you can see I wrongly doubled the shipping cost from Purism.
Nevertheless, I still find these costs extremely high.
Since I had to open up the case to fix my volume rocker I snapped a photo of cable you have to move/tuck so you have the range. For anyone nervous it’s not bad. I didn’t have special tools. I just used a couple guitar picks to life the antennas and tweezers to help align them/plug them back in. The hardest part is trying to keep the cables in their cutouts while you close up.
Somehow I must have lifted this little silver bit. It includes a bit that seems to notch into the volume rocker to keep it in place.
2x SparkLAN card - $ 58.00
International shipping - $ 15.00
Money transfer 0 (use your credit card)
Import duties $ 20.15
Total cost for 2 cards: $ 93.15 -> in EUR = 87,67
The difference between what you payed and ~ 90 EUR is due to your s**** bank and your refusal to use a credit card. So your bill is not particularly relevant for other Purism buyers who would use a credit card and a reasonable bank.
Sad to say, you are right. Those rates look atrocious. I mean credit card companies rip you off a little too on the exchange rate (buy/sell spread) and the timing and (at least here) with a foreign transaction fee (3%?) but it probably won’t end up as bad as the quoted price which is using some kind of money transfer.
Obviously no one likes paying the tax but it isn’t really avoidable, no matter what payment method you use, unless you want to travel to the US to collect the goods in person (false economy). 
Bitcoin? Lol.
You are assuming things you know nothing about.
Where did I say that I refuse to use a credit card?
Better think twice before judging people.
I am just judging using the data and wording from your post.
You yourself wrote the following:
Which credit card has a “Bank Money Transfer” fee?
Hence the reasonable assumption that you chose to not use a Credit Card.
Also what is this exchange rate that you use?
17,50 USD is currently 16,50 EUR.
25 EUR is whopping 52% deviation from 16,50 EUR.
I just checked my bank statements looking for a payment to USA in USD.
I found one, where I bought a product from the US costing 119,00 USD and payed 116,53 EUR. And I use a conventional major bank that still has offices around the city. So this is not a calculation out of a low cost online bank.
So there is your own choice of bank and payment methods involved that influences your final bill to a very significant degree. We are not talking here of a couple of EUR or of several percent but of a major share of what you paid is a service fee + exchange rate rip off.
Doesn’t look like it. https://www.sparklan.com/product/wnfb-266axibt-broadcom-wifi6-industrial-sdio-m-2-module/
In the radio section:
Operating Frequency 802.11ax/ac/a/b/g/n ISM Band
2.400GHz~2.4835GHz
5.150GHz~5.850GHz
PSA: For international purchases, always use a credit card that doesn’t charge a foreign transaction fee.
Just realized i didnt have that T-Shaped braket installed on the WWAN modem when i took it out to remove the frame so i could reroute the sparklan antenna cables. I was wondering why there was a screw since it didnt really hold the modem in place. When I dig into it again i will make sure the bracket isnt in lost in the phone loosely and probably use a copper or brass washer to secure the modem.
Hi guys,
when I connect the Lm5 to the car radio and look in pavucontrol I see the message HFP/HSP not available.i think that is why my mic is not working. Audio works via A2DP.
if i have understood correctly, this should actually work with the new card or?
Any ideas?
Are you currently using the Redpine card? From what I heard the driver for Redpine doesn’t support HSP.
When the Bluetooth issues are resolved for the SparkLAN card I think @dos mentioned HSP would be functional on it.
I’m using the new SparcLan, so I was hoping it would work.
Basic HSP should work now on SparkLAN cards with recent updates installed. If HFP/HSP is not available, it means the device does not advertise it. I’d try to connect to that car radio with a GNU/Linux laptop first and see how it works there.
You may also want to try sudo hciconfig hci0 class 0x7e020C to make it advertise as a phone.
With the laptop it runs without any problems.
I only had to set it to headset head unit.
Current Arch Linux with KDE, Pipewire and Wireplumber.
Question I have is why these profiles do not show up in the Librem 5 sound menu?
Because thats profile are newer things, then GNU Pure OS still using old packages. So this nongnu archLinux OS it using newer libs.
