AmateurRadio.com

Introduction:

• No music this time; just one hour jam-packed with LHS goodness!

Announcements:

• Remember to sign up for the following LHS services:
  • The LHS SubReddit
  • The LHS Mailing List
  • The LHS Mobile app. Follow our updates via the mobile applications available for iPod, iPhone, iPad and Android devices.
  • Be an LHS Ambassador! Please join our Ambassador program. The event calendar has expanded quite a bit and we need your help. These events are now world-wide, so we could use some help outside the US as well as all over the country from California to Maine.
• YFKtest: Yes, there really does seem to be a problem. It’s been confirmed by John, EI7IG, that the program does not log contacts for the ARRL Field Day contest. Other contests work fine. Russ plans on emailing the developer, DJ1YFK, with these observations.
• From the “Yes, It’s an Antenna” File: Multi-band HF dipole made from horse fencing.
• Pulling a Lunduke: Holding Source Code Hostage. Our hosts discuss this blog post by Tom Nardi about Bryan Lunduke’s recent move to open source his software. Bryan is one of the hosts of The Linux Action Show.

Topics:

• Software Defined Radio (SDR)
  • A common topic Russ encountered at Dayton was about the available Linux options for software defined radios.
  • GNU Radio Project
    • Version 3.6.0 released in early May, 2012.
    • Version 3.2.2 is in the Debian Sid repository.
    • The latest version can be retrieved with git. (Install git with the command “apt-get install git”.) To download the software, issue the command “git clone git://gnuradio.org/gnuradio”.
    • Build instructions are available for most of the major Linux distributions.
  • SDR Hardware
    • Ettus USRP series works with the GNU Radio Project software. There are various models ranging in price from $700 to $2000, depending on the frequency range and options. Various modules allow receive and/or transmit on bands from 30kHz to 5.9GHz. Unfortunately, power output appears to be just 50-200mW, depending on the bands provided by the transmitter daughter board chosen.
    • Funcube Dongle costs £128 (~$200) and is a receiver only. The Funcube Dongle is a “radio receiver designed to allow anyone to try their hand at reception of satellites like FUNcube”. It covers 51.5MHz – 1.7GHz, less the region from 1.1GHz to 1.2GHz.
    • Perseus SDR costs $1000 and is also receive-only. It receives 10kHz to 40MHz.
    • SoftRock SDR is a kit available in various models from $20 to $90. Most are receive-only, but the Ensemble is a 1W HF transceiver. Some models are unavailable at the moment. The SoftRock RXTX Ensemble Transceiver Kit will allow you to build a 1W transceiver for one of the following bands or band groups: 160m, 80m/40m, 30m/20m/17m, or 15m/12m/10m.
    • RTL-SDR Devices range in price from $20 to $200 and are receive-only. More on the RTL-SDR project in an upcoming episode.

Feedback:

• Stewart, VA3PID, wrote to say that Russ was the first person, possibly ever, to correctly place his Scottish accent at Hamvention. He also remarked (in reference to a discussion in episode 71) that Chirp has come a long way; it can now program his Yaesu FT-857D!
• Jonas recently re-discovered LHS and expressed his appreciation for the show. Thanks, Jonas!
• Stefano, IZ3NVR/KD2BGM, asks for more help getting so2sdr built on his Linux machine. Russ suggests installing the compiler with “apt-get install g++ build-essential”, installing Qt and several other packages as described in Episode 83, then try building the so2sdr program again.
• Lastly, David Dominicki left a mostly unintelligible comment in response to Episode 78. Um, thanks… we think.

Contact Info:

• Contact Richard at [email protected], Russ at [email protected], or both at the same time at [email protected].
• Listen to the live stream every other Tuesday at 8:00pm Central time. Check the LHS web site for dates.
• Leave us a voice mail at 1-909-LHS-SHOW (1-909-547-7469), or record an introduction to the podcast.
• Sign up for the LHS mailing list.
• Sign up for the MAGNetcon mailing list.
• LHS merchandise is available at the Merch link on Web site. Check out the Badgerwear or buy one of the other LHS-branded items at PrintFection.com/lhs or Cafe Press. Thanks!
• Thanks to Dave from Gamma Leonis for the theme music.

Music:

• None.

Welcome to the 83rdest episode of Linux in the Ham Shack. Freshly back from the Dayton Hamvention, Russ jumps in by telling everyone his experience at the show this year. The short version: It was great! From there, things move on to a question of FCC rules, at least in the mind of one ham.

One of the topics that kept repeating at Hamvention was: What is a good contest logger for Linux? Up until recently, it was hard to think of one. The ncurses-based application yfktest is out there, but thanks to IZ3NVR, our hosts discuss a new option. Tune in to find out what. There’s also some feedback, occasional rambling and hardcore lunacy. Everything you’ve come to expect from an episode of LHS.

73 de The LHS Guys

Welcome to the latest installment of Linux in the Ham Shack. It’s almost time for Hamvention 2012! We hope that we’ll be able to see our listeners and friends at the Hara Arena in Dayton, Ohio from May 18th through the 20th. With your donations, the thermometer at left has almost exploded. If you can spare a dollar or two, we’ll be at our goal in no time.

In this episode, our trusty [sic] hosts talk with an Ambassdor. Richard’s interview with Ronny is so good it would make Anderson Cooper–well, throw up probably. They also discuss Linux topics like Mint-based distributions and irssi, an IRC chat client, as well as ham radio topics from HSMM to Winlink to contest loggers. The guys respond to a bunch of listener feedback and talk about some new features of the show.

A quick heads up: The interview audio is a little rough with some weird background anomaly. It won’t drive you mad, just make you wonder what was going on on Ronny’s side of the line. We suspect dinner and a seance.

73 de The LHS Guys

Introduction:

• Richard says life has been good, lately, except for Linux Mint, but we’ll get into that in a moment. Announcements and feedback are at the end of the show.

Topics:

• Linux Mint Sux!!! (At least, for Richard.)
  • Richard’s never-ending quest for a Linux distro that works for him. In the past few days, he’s tried various Debian-based distributions:
    • Linux Mint 12, with Gnome 3, MATE, and Cinnamon, but he didn’t like any of them. Too few configuration options for the desktop and gtkpod didn’t work, and that was a deal-breaker.
    • Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE): one of the CPU cores wasn’t running; fixed that, installed software and updates, but gtkpod didn’t work there, either.
    • Crunchbang Linux: too minimalist and too much configuration.
    • XFCE on LMDE was close. Richard replaced the Thunar file manager with Nautilus.
    • Xubuntu which is Ubuntu with XFCE. It looked good, was configurable, but lacked a few features.
    • Kubuntu, which is Ubuntu with KDE. He tried installing it from the live CD, which took 25 minutes to complete. After the reboot, it generated all sorts of hard drive errors. While it’s possible that the hard drive did fail, but Richard blames Kubuntu for causing the problem.
• Russ discusses OpenMediaVault, an open network attached storage solution.
  • It’s an alternative to FreeNAS.
  • Debian-based with a simple install process, while FreeNAS is based on FreeBSD.
  • Supports many features of FreeNAS, including CIFS/Samba, NFS, FTP, SSH, BitTorrent (via plugin), TFTP, and DAAP (via plugin).
  • Russ tried it in a virtual machine, and it installed easily. Once installed, all configuration occurs through the web browser.
  • While it’s perhaps not as mature as FreeNAS, it’s also a newer project, so it’s likely to improve. At the moment, Russ prefers FreeNAS, especially v0.7, but OpenMediaVault may very well catch up and surpass FreeNAS.
• Linux Contesting Software revisited. We covered a few in Episode 70, and here are a couple more.
  • Bill, W9YA, one of the maintainers of YFKtest, contacted Richard to inform him that YFKtest has had a major facelift, as well as adding a few features and fixing some bugs. It’s available as v 0.0.10 from the subversion repository. Russ downloaded the compiled version. He picked a contest, filename for the log, entered his call sign, mode, and some other information, but he had trouble entering a contact.
  • Minos Contest Logging Software is a contest logging suite for VHF and UHF Amateur Radio Contests. The current version is 1.5.4, and is available as a download or via the Subversion repository. It’s a Windows application, and there are directions on the Web site for running the application using WINE. If only they’d simply re-release with Linux-native code. Russ tried it and it does run quite well under WINE. It’s an open source project under the BSD license.
• Allstar Link Node Update: Russ now has an Allstar Link node number assigned, 28357. Allstar Link offers several packages: Limey Linux, ACID CentOS or Pickle Linux (for the BeagleBoard). Russ has been trying to get the ACiD version running on his LMDE machine so he can use it with his existing Asterisk installation. Meanwhile, Russ has his Echolink station working, node 54711.

Feedback:

• We received a voice comment from Ed, KB4VWA, who’s having trouble with some MFJ TNCs he recently bought at the Dalton, GA hamfest. Richard responds, though he’s had the least experience with MFJ TNCs. There are several possibilities: wrong on-air baud rate, bad connection, wrong dip switch settings, or poor or filtered audio into the TNC. Try using the jack on the back of the radio for the audio. Maybe the radio is not exactly on frequency?

Announcements:

• The OGG and MP3 feeds for the LHS Music and LHS Up All Night audio streams from the LHS web site have new links, so check your settings. The live streaming feed is mp3, so it works everywhere.
• The wAVEgUIDES podcast joins the Black Sparrow Media network! Visit blacksparrowmedia.net/join/ if you’d like to add your podcast to the Black Sparrow Media network.
• Episode renumbering: Ever since naming episodes 18a and 19a, it’s been bugging Russ, so they were renumbered to eliminate the letter suffixes.
• LHS hopes to attend the 2012 Dayton Hamvention in May. Please donate to the cause to help make that happen!

Contact Info:

• Contact Richard at [email protected], Russ at [email protected], or both at the same time at [email protected].
• Listen to the live stream every other Tuesday at 8:00pm Central time. Check the LHS web site for dates.
• Leave us a voice mail at 1-909-LHS-SHOW (1-909-547-7469), or record an introduction to the podcast.
• Sign up for the LHS mailing list.
• Sign up for the MAGNetcon mailing list.
• LHS merchandise is available at the Merch link on Web site. Check out the Badgerwear or buy one of the other LHS-branded items at PrintFection.com/lhs or Cafe Press. Thanks!
• Thanks to Dave from Gamma Leonis for the theme music.

Music:

• “Requiem For A Fish” by The Freak Fandango Orchestra from their album Tales Of A Dead Fish, courtesy of Jamendo.
• “Boats (Swept Away)” by I Am Not Left Handed, from their album Time To Leave, courtesy of Jamendo.

In this episode of Linux in the Ham Shack, our intrepid hosts put aside idle banter, childish meandering and silly stories in favor of true content, both ham radio and Linux related. All right, that doesn’t happen even a little bit. Instead, Richard has a lot of fun telling you all the trouble he has with Linux Mint Debian Edition, all the while mentioning a bunch of other operating systems he’s tried recently including Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Crunchbang among others–letting you know what’s wrong with all of them.

Then there’s some discussion of svxlink, an Echolink client and server application for native Linux environments, Allstar Link, Open Media Vault, contest loggers and a whole bunch of other stuff besides. Ahh, perhaps there is some content here after all. Hope everyone enjoys this episode and can perhaps contribute a dollar or two towards the Hamvention fund. It’s coming up soon and we hope to see you all there.

73 de The LHS Guys

Promo:

• The 2nd Annual Northeast GNU/Linuxfest will be held March 17, 2012 in Worcester, MA.

Introduction:

• Welcome to another installment of Linux in the Ham Shack.
• After the holidays, consider attending a Skywarn training class so you’ll be prepared for the next storm season.

Topics:

• Contesting software for Linux
  • Ian, KM4IK, wrote that he’s now using Ubuntu 11.04 in his ham shack, but wants suggestions for a native Linux contest logging program. Good question, Ian, and we have a few suggestions. However, as neither Russ nor Richard are contesters, these may or may not be suitable for you.
  • JL Logger is a Java application that supports all of the major contests.
  • YFKlog and YFKtest are curses-based programs that run in a terminal session. YFKtest uses the hamlib libraries for rig control.
  • TLF also runs in a terminal session and uses hamlib for rig control.
  • KB is still in development. It runs in the Gnome window manager. Radio control for the Yaesu FT-1000 only.
  • Fldigi has a built-in logger, and will also work with CQRLog.
  • N1MM Logger has been reported to work under Wine. Others have had problems.
  • Russ tried installing N1MM under Wine, and while the installer ran fine, N1MM didn’t run properly when launched. Apparently, you must have the ALSA libraries installed. Note that the N1MM website warns that you should perform the Full Install, then install the latest update. Do not run the Full Install without first installing the update. Russ also tried the JL Logger, but it crashed. After realizing that it requires that the Java Development Kit, he installed that, but it still crashed. Look for an update in a future episode.
• VLC media player
  • Richard was having an issue with the VLC plugin for Firefox 7.0.1; the LHS music stream would play one song then stop. The VLC Media Player should work.
  • Our hosts briefly digress into a discussion of the DEFCON system; DEFCON 1 is the most serious, while 5 is the least. Hollywood often gets it wrong.

Feedback:

• Burt, K1OIK: please contact us about recent emails we’ve received from you. It may be that your email account may have been compromised.
• Leif, KC8RWR, wrote us regarding the discussion of EchoLink clients in episode 66. He tried QTEL and it worked fine. Thanks, Leif. (Also look at SvxLink.)
• Tom, KA2D, who is on the committee for Ham Radio University in New York, asks if there are any LHS Ambassadors in the Long Island, NY area. No, Tom, so you’re it!
• Andy, KC2ZWR, of the Suffolk County Radio Club, will also be at Ham Radio University on January 8, 2012, and offers his services as ambassador for that event.
• Tony, K7ISS, wrote to say he was happy that Richard had a good time at the Texoma Hamarama. Richard blogged about his visit to the event.
• Mike S., sent a VERY generous donation to the podcast. Thank you, Mike!
• The second annual Indiana Linuxfest will be April 13-15, 2012 at the Wyndham Indianapolis West Hotel. Russ is planning to be there, and so should you.

Contact Info:

• Contact Richard at [email protected], Russ at [email protected], or both at the same time at [email protected].
• Listen to the live stream every other Tuesday at 8:00pm Central time. Check the LHS web site for dates.
• Leave us a voice mail at 1-909-LHS-SHOW (1-909-547-7469), or record an introduction to the podcast.
• Sign up for the LHS mailing list.
• Sign up for the MAGNetcon mailing list.
• LHS merchandise is available at the Merch link on Web site. Check out the Badgerwear or buy one of the other LHS-branded items at PrintFection.com/lhs or Cafe Press. Thanks!
• Thanks to Dave from Gamma Leonis for the theme music.

Music:

• To be added.