diff --git a/MAC/Deployment/data/StaticMetaData/createFiles b/MAC/Deployment/data/StaticMetaData/createFiles
index 30718a9b0b21a27b6f8bf378abe4960f860ea9d9..65f8e576efa2e9deaa04cd7b0bd6b2dd6a866cbd 100755
--- a/MAC/Deployment/data/StaticMetaData/createFiles
+++ b/MAC/Deployment/data/StaticMetaData/createFiles
@@ -39,13 +39,13 @@ def findIPNumber(stationName):
     In case the station is not known, it will return -1.
     """
     
-    localStationName = Popen("hostname -s",shell=True, stdout=PIPE).stdout.readlines()[0].strip()[0:5].lower()
+    localStationName = Popen("hostname -s",shell=True, stdout=PIPE).stdout.readlines()[0].strip()[0:5].lower().decode("UTF-8")
     if (localStationName == stationName):
         command = "hostname -i"
         output = Popen(command,shell=True, stdout=PIPE).stdout
         stdout = output.readlines()
         outline = stdout[0].strip()
-        outwords = outline.split()
+        outwords = outline.split().decode("UTF-8")
         if (len(outwords) != 1):
             return "-1"
         else:
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ def findIPNumber(stationName):
         output = Popen(command,shell=True, stdout=PIPE).stdout
         stdout = output.readlines()
         outline = stdout[0].strip()
-        outwords = outline.split()
+        outwords = outline.split().decode("UTF-8")
         if (len(outwords) < 2):
             print("Could not find IP for station, assuming 10.150.1.1")
             return "10.150.1.1"
@@ -870,7 +870,7 @@ if __name__ == "__main__":
 
     if (sys.argv[1] == "localhost" or sys.argv[1] == "test"):
         # Find out stationname from command 'hostname -s'
-        stationName = Popen("hostname -s",shell=True, stdout=PIPE).stdout.readlines()[0].strip()[0:5].lower()
+        stationName = Popen("hostname -s",shell=True, stdout=PIPE).stdout.readlines()[0].strip()[0:5].lower().decode("UTF-8")
         if (len(stationName) > 0) :
             if (os.path.exists("/opt/lofar/etc")):
                 resultDir = "/opt/lofar/etc"