Show Notes #603: The Weekender CXXXVI

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Spin the Random Topic Wheel (Segment 1)

  • How do you deal with QRN?

This Weekend in Hedonism (Segment 2)

  • Cheryl's Recipe Corner
  • Bourbon Brown Sugar Cheesecake with Pecan Crust and Butterscotch Bourbon Sauce
  • Description
    • Because of my having Celiac Disease, our food life has changed drastically... and I really needed a great dessert recipe for Thanksgiving.  We both love cheesecake, and I went on the hunt for a recipe of a cheesecake we had in the past.  And this recipe won, hands down. Obviously we went with a pecan crust to avoid all Gluten... but I think it made the perfect crust for the cheesecake!
  • Ingredients (Crust)
    • 3 tablespoons salted butter
    • 2-1/4 cups pecan meal or coarsely ground pecans
    • 3 tablespoons light brown sugar or granulated sugar
  • Ingredients (Filling)
    • 3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
    • 4 large eggs
    • 3 tbsp Bourbon
    • 1 tsp vanilla
    • 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
    • Ingredients (Topping)
    • 16 oz container of sour cream
    • 2 tbsp packed dark brown sugar
    • 1 tsp vanilla
    • 1 tsp Bourbon
  • Ingredients (Sauce)
    • 1-1/2 cups sugar
    • 1/2 cup water
    • 1/2 cup Bourbon
    • 3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter
  • Directions (Crust)
    • Preheat oven to 350F. Microwave the butter in a large microwave safe bowl on HIGH for 35 seconds or until it melts. Stir in the pecans and sugar, stirring until coated with the butter. Press the pecan mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate, using your fingers or the bottom of a measuring cup or drinking glass. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes. Baking the crust helps make the crust firm and not crumble when sliced. Let cool completely. Make your own coarsely ground pecans: Place 2-3/4 cups pecan pieces or halves in a food processor and pulse until pecans are coarsely ground. Be careful not to make pecan butter! To Freeze: Cover the pecan crust in the pie plate with aluminum foil or inside a large resealable plastic bag and freeze up to 3 months. Great for planning ahead for the holidays. Butter can also be melted in a small saucepan on the stovetop on medium-low.
  • Directions (Filling)
    • In a bowl with an electric mixer beat cream cheese until fluffy and add eggs, 1 at a time, beating at low speed until just combined. Beat in bourbon, vanilla, and brown sugar until just combined. Pour filling into crust and put springform pan in a baking pan. Bake cake in middle of oven for 35 minutes. Leaving oven on, transfer cake in springform pan to a rack and let stand 5 minutes. (Center of cake will set as it cools.)
  • Directions (Topping)
    • In a bowl stir together sour cream, brown sugar, and vanilla. Drop spoonfuls of topping around edge of cake and spread gently over center, smoothing evenly. Bake cake in baking pan in middle of oven 10 minutes and cool completely in springform pan on rack. Chill cake, covered, at least 8 hours and up to 4 days. Run a thin knife around inside edge of pan and remove side of pan. Transfer cake to a serving plate and let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.
  • Directions (Sauce)
    • In a dry 3-quart heavy kettle cook sugar over moderately low heat, stirring slowly with a fork (to help sugar melt evenly), until melted and pale golden. Cook caramel, without stirring, swirling kettle, until deep golden. Remove kettle from heat and carefully add water and bourbon down side of kettle (mixture will bubble and steam). Simmer mixture, stirring, until caramel is dissolved. Stir in butter until incorporated and cool sauce to warm. Note: Butterscotch bourbon sauce may be made 1 week ahead and chilled covered. Reheat sauce to warm before serving. Drizzle on cheesecake and place a pecan half on each piece as garnish.
  • Cheryl's Mixed Drink Corner
  • Maple Bourbon Smash
  • Description
    • A drink with tastes tied to autumn in the US.
  • Ingredients
    • 2 ounces bourbon
    • 1 ounce maple syrup
    • 1 ounce lemon juice
    • Lemon twist for garnish
  • Directions
    • In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, pour the bourbon, maple syrup, and lemon juice. Stir the mixture until thoroughly chilled and well combined. Strain the drink into a double old-fashioned glass with a large ice cube. Garnish with a lemon twist for a touch of citrusy aroma. Serve immediately and enjoy the smooth, sweet, and citrusy flavors of this Maple-Bourbon Smash.
  • Russ's Drink Corner
  • Edradour 10 Single Malt Scotch Whisky
  • Description
    • The ten year old Edradour is handmade and one of the last Single Malt Whiskies from a traditional farm distillery still in production today. The methods of production remain virtually unchanged in the last 150 years and are only just capable of commercial quantities. Indeed Edradour Distillery makes as much whisky in a year as most distilleries produce in a week. A rare pleasure for a fortunate few. Aged 100% in Oloroso Sherry casks. Chill filtered at 43% ABV.
  • Details
    • Mashbill: 100% malted barley
    • Region: Highland
    • Proof: 86 (43% ABV)
    • Color: Light amber
    • Nose: Dried fruits, sherry, almonds, butterscotch
    • Taste: Spiced fruit cake, simple syrup, honey, almonds, toffee
    • Finish: Oak, honey, subtle red fruit, hints of baking spices
    • Price: $70 (750ml)
    • Rating: 95
  • Bill's Whatever Corner
  • 2025 Kirkland Signature Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout Vintage Ale
    • (AI Summary) The 2025 Kirkland Signature Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout is a limited-release beer crafted by Deschutes Brewery for Costco, aged for about nine months in bourbon barrels. It features notes of dark chocolate, roasted coffee, vanilla, and bourbon, with a warming finish. The beer has an ABV of around 12% and is considered a smooth, complex sipper, though some reviews suggest the barrel character could be more pronounced. 
    • Flavor profile
      • Aroma: Bourbon, vanilla, dark chocolate, coffee, and oak notes.
      • Taste: Dark chocolate, roasted coffee, and bourbon, with hints of vanilla and toffee. Some reviews note notes of black licorice and tobacco.
      • Finish: A warming, smooth finish with a hint of bitterness and oak tannins. 
    • Technical details
      • Brewery: Deschutes Brewery
      • Aging: Aged in bourbon barrels for approximately nine months.
      • ABV: Approximately 12%
      • Style: Imperial Stout, though some reviews note it may lean more towards a strong ale 

Segment 3 (Announcements & Feedback)

  • Please Help Support the Show
    • Patreon
    • Paypal
    • Merch
    • Topics
    • YouTube

Segment 4 (New Subscribers, New Supporters & Live Participants)

  • Discord
    • Charlotte
  • Live Chat
    • Steve, KA7HVT
    • Mike, K6GTE
    • Don, KC9ZMY

Show Notes #602: Invasion of the Freedom Snatchers

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Segment 2 (Amateur Radio)

  • Data transmitted via satellite may not be as secure as previously thought

Segment 3 (Open Source)

  • Postmortem of the Xubuntu Download Site Hack

Segment 4 (Linux in the Ham Shack)

Segment 5 (Announcements & Feedback)

  • Please Help Support the Show
    • Patreon
    • Paypal
    • Merch
    • YouTube!

Segment 6 (New Subscribers, New Supporters & Live Participants)

  • Free Patreons
    • Zach Winchester
  • Discord
    • FreqFox
    • N3PPH Bob
    • Tim
    • Williams Smith
    • Gary-KC5CMB
    • Eyros
    • Phil - VK6DEV
  • Bluesky
    • VA3WEB
  • Mailing List
    • Jerry Weiss
  • Live Chat
    • Darren, VK6EK
    • Mike, K6GTE

Show Notes #601: Automated Certificates Deep Dive

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Segment 1 (Deep Dive)

  • RFC 2136 Certificate Management
  • Topics
    • RFC 2136 defines the Domain Name System (DNS) Dynamic Update protocol, which allows authorized clients to remotely update DNS records on a managed server. This protocol is a standardized method for Dynamic DNS (DDNS), enabling things like automatic updates when a client's IP address changes. Many applications, such as BIND and Windows Server DNS, support RFC 2136, and it is frequently used for integrations with systems like DHCP or to automate services like TLS certificate validation with DNS challenges.
    • DNS
    • Configuring dynamic updates
    • Creating an update key with tsig-keygen
    • Including the key in named configuration
    • Allowing key-based zone updates
    • Certbot
    • Packages for rfc2136 support
    • certbot, python3-certbot, python3-certbot-dns-rfc2136
    • Automation (My Solution)
    • git (clone letsencrypt store)
    • Use SSH URI with ssh key authentication
    • Scripts (cron or systemd timer)
    • Replicate certificate store via git on servers that require it
    • Link certificates to store location
    • Restart services periodically (once weekly in my case)
    • Special Cases
    • VMware ESXi
    • Install keys in /etc/ssh/keys-${user}/authorized_keys
    • Script to push certs in ~${user} which pushes to /etc/vmware/ssl/rui.crt and /etc/vmware/ssl/rui.key and runs "/etc/init.d/hostd restart"
    • Proxmox VE
    • Put dns update key from DNS step above on Proxmox VE server in /usr/local/share/nsupdate.key
    • Configure Datacenter->ACME for use with ACME service.
    • Configure ${hostname}->Certificates to use ACME service with nsupdate plugin
    • Proxmox VE will automatically update and restart UI

Segment 2 (Announcements & Feedback)

  • Comment on Episode #597 from Mike, KG4VDK
    • Hey crew! Congrats on your 600th episode! I am very thankful you took the time to try out arcOS, and talk about it in depth in episode #597!  While listening to the episode, I won't lie, I was trying to telepathically (and retroactively) send an "RTFM" hint to help get over some of the hurdles that seemed to pop up. 🙂 Since Bill mentioned it a few times in #597, and again in #598, I'd like to address the topic of icons: arcOS is designed to be a tool used by different types of operators. Some of those operators may be brand new to amateur radio, Linux, or both. The simplified icon set for amateur radio software serves two purposes. First, the icons present a more coherent visual experience. Even within a family of applications (like FL-digi/amp/msg or the VARA modems), many of the factory icons are less than helpful in identifying the represented application. Beyond that issue, some of the included applications just don't have icons (ARDOP, Paracon, Pat). When trying to decide how to handle these two scenarios, I chose simplicity and legibility. If a user finds the supplied icons offensive, they can easily change them to something that suits their taste us[ing] a user module. I'll attach a few screenshots that show the differences, as well as a user module that sets the icons to "factory" (README included in the archive). Feel free to reach out with any other feedback you may have, especially if you stick with it for a while. 73 de KG4VDK, Mike.
  • Please Help Support the Show
    • Patreon
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Segment 3 (New Subscribers, New Supporters & Live Participants)

  • Free Patreons
    • T
  • Discord
    • N3VMM
    • neif
    • RavenHollow
    • Wrench
    • Phil n2edx
    • Doug - KC5VKG
    • Bob - KA9MDP
    • John KB1EJQ
  • Mastodon
    • @WC3B
    • @ricodehond
    • @z3ro_burn
    • @jeromyokc

Show Notes #599: The Weekender CXXXV

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Spin the Random Topic Wheel (Segment 1)

  • IPAs: Eden or the 7th Circle of Hell

This Weekend in Hedonism (Segment 2)

  • Cheryl's Recipe Corner
  • Atomic Buffalo Turds
  • Description
    • Russ and I love stuffed Jalapenos, and I stumbled across this recipe browsing the web.  When I mentioned the ingredients to Russ, he protested... thinking that this was going too far outside the proverbial box for his liking.  Even though he balked at the idea, I decided to go ahead and buy the ingredients and served them a few nights ago.  He admitted they were really good and he'd definitely enjoy them again. While I did follow the recipe according to how it was written, next time I am going to tweak it... using some raspberry jam in the filling, which we love mixed into our cream cheese mixture, giving it more of a sweet and salty mix. For those that have a smoker, this recipe includes the info on smoking them or baking them in the oven.
  • Ingredients (BBQ Rub)
    • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
    • 2 tablespoon smoked paprika
    • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
    • 2 teaspoons onion powder
    • 2 teaspoons lemon pepper
    • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
    • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • Ingredients (Jalapeno Filling)
    • 8 large jalapeno peppers
    • 8 ounces cream cheese
    • 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
    • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
    • 1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
    • 1/4 teaspoon salt
    • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
    • 16 cocktail sausages (lil smokies)
    • 8 slices bacon cut in half
    • Barbecue rub sprinkle on
  • Directions
    • Cut whole peppers in half lengthwise (may want to wear gloves). Use a spoon to scoop out any seeds and the ribs. In a medium bowl mix together the softened cream cheese, cheddar cheese, paprika, chipotle powder, salt and pepper. Fill the jalapeño halves with a generous portion of the cream cheese mixture. Place a cocktail sausage on top of the cream cheese (lately, the jalapenos offered at my local grocery store have been huge, so it has allowed me to place 2 sausages in the jalapeno, end-to-end). Wrap each pepper in half slice of bacon, if you need to you can secure the bacon in place with a toothpick. Sprinkle with barbecue rub. Smoke the jalapeños in the smoker that is set to 225° F and cook for 2-3 hours until bacon is brown.
  • Notes
    • How to Make Buffalo Turds in the Oven: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Follow all of the instructions to prepare the bacon wrapped jalapeños. Put the peppers on the baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes until bacon is crispy and browned. Serve hot. Tips and Variations: Thin bacon. Use regular bacon for best results instead of thick cut bacon. To add a little sweetness to the cream cheese, add a few spoons of raspberry jam. More spicy: Add some of the jalapeño seeds back in with the cream cheese and cheese mixture. Extra spicy: Are you feeling risky? If you want to make these jalapeños REALLY spicy, leave all of the seeds and ribs inside of them. Or use a spicier pepper like a habanero. Different flavor: Use cayenne pepper or chili pepper instead of the chipotle chile powder. It will add a hint of spice and a different flavor from the chipotle. Double recipe: Easily double the recipe to how every many you can fit in your smoker.
  • Cheryl's Mixed Drink Corner
  • Jalapeno Margarita
  • Description
    • For those that like a bit of spice and love Margaritas, this is the drink for you.  Definitely consider rimming your glass in the Tajin!
  • Ingredients
    • 1/4 jalapeno pepper, sliced, plus more slices for garnish
    • 1 ounce blanco tequila
    • 1 ounce orange liqueur, like Cointreau, Grand Marnier, or triple sec
    • 1 ounce fresh lime juice, plus a lime wedge for the glass rim
    • 1/2 ounce agave nectar, simple syrup, or freshly squeezed orange juice, plus more to taste
    • Ice
    • Tajin or kosher salt, optional, for the glass rim
  • Directions
    • Prep the rim of the glass (optional): Rub the lime wedge around the rim of a rocks glass. Fill a small plate with Tajin or kosher salt. Dip the glass into the Tajin or salt to coat the rim. Fill with ice. Muddle the jalapeño in a cocktail shaker. Add the tequila, orange liqueur, lime juice, and agave nectar and fill the cocktail shaker with ice. Cover and shake until chilled. Strain into the prepared glass. Garnish with jalapeno slices and serve.
  • Russ's Drink Corner
  • Jeptha Creed Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon
  • Description
    • Our family motto from ancient Scotland is "Ne Oublie" which loosely translates to "Don't forget where you come from." Jeptha Creed is the embodiment off the maxim as we honor our family, state and local heritage. We honor traditions at Jeptha Creed - but we put our mark on them, too. For this mash bill, we've combined our bloody butcher corn, grown right here on our famly farm, with malted barley and an ample helping of malted rye to create a spicy bourbon with a smooth finish. Distilled and aged until it's just right, this bottled-in-bond Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey is a bold take on an old favorite.
  • Details
    • Mashbill: 75% bloody butcher corn, 20% malted rye, 5% malted barley
    • Region: Shelbyville, Kentucky
    • Proof: 100 (50% ABV)
    • Color: Caramel brulee
    • Nose: Sweet orange creme brulee, followed by bold baking spices, and dried cranberries, faint hints of lack licorice
    • Taste: Light caramel, vanilla, cinnamon, corn flakes and lemongrass with undertones of sweet oak
    • Finish: Long caramel and butter finish with hints of ginger and cinnamon, dries with a hint of butterscotch
    • Price: $55 (750ml)
    • Rating: 90
  • Bill's Whatever Corner
  • Reef Donkey APA - Tampa Bay Brewing Company
    • 5.5 % ABV
    • 35ish IBU

Segment 3 (Announcements & Feedback)

  • Please Help Support the Show
    • Patreon
    • Paypal
    • Merch
    • Topics
    • YouTube

Segment 4 (New Subscribers, New Supporters & Live Participants)

  • Free Patreons
    • KI4MRC
  • Mastodon
    • @mizudako
    • @k3fnb
    • @barilla
  • Bluesky
    • @urgeles
    • @johest
    • @jehanne3
  • Discord
    • Magus Zeal
    • Alan
    • WA3WOM
  • Live Chat
    • Steve, KJ5T
    • Kodiak
    • Mike, K6GTE

Show Notes #598: Fake Ham Radio

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Segment 2 (Amateur Radio)

  • Ed Hare, W1RFI, Long time ARRL Lab Engineer, Passes Away

Segment 3 (Open Source)

  • Realistic Radio Communication Simulator for Flight Simulators

Segment 4 (Linux in the Ham Shack)

Segment 5 (Announcements & Feedback)

  • Mastodon comment on Episode #595 from @bgarfoot
    • It was a great episode.  Very curious about the Skyroof project - I'll have to look more into it.
  • Mastodon ping from @bgarfoot
    • @kb6nu Really, you can't go wrong with any Debian-based distribution.  Linux Mint is generally the easiest to learn (and what I run), but any of them will work. Also, paging @lhspodcast. [Dan's original comment: I'm thinking of converting my #hamradio computer to #Linux, now that W10 is no longer being supported. Do any of you have a #Linux computer powering your ham station? If so, what distro and what, if any, logging software are you using?]
  • Please Help Support the Show
    • Patreon
    • Paypal
    • Merch
    • YouTube!

Segment 6 (New Subscribers, New Supporters & Live Participants)

  • Mastodon
    • @pwelch
    • @kementari
    • @namonaki
  • Discord
    • Oliver
    • Steve D
    • N1YKT
    • Rune
    • kg4vdk
  • Bluesky
    • Catrina
  • Live Chat
    • Steve, KJ5T
    • Don, KB2YSI
    • Mike, K6GTE
    • Corey, KR4EMG