Tag: dayton

LHS Episode #081: Chicken Licker Bumpy Bumpy

Posted on by Russ Woodman

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

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LHS Show Notes #062

Posted on by Russ Woodman

Introduction:

  • Introductions, chit chat, a bit about the Dayton Hamvention, Texas Linuxfest, and the Belton hamfest.
  • LHS will be at several events this summer:
    • SouthEast LinuxFest (SELF), June 10-12 in Spartanburg, SC. (Yes, I know, by the time you hear this episode, it's come and gone.)
    • Huntsville Hamfest August 20-21 in Huntsville, AL.
    • Ohio Linuxfest September 9-11 in Columbus, OH.
    • Stop by and say hello to Russ and Cheryl!
  • Richard may be attending the Texoma Hamarama October 21-22 in Ardmore, OK.
  • Russ tells us about the sewer failure at Dayton. Only two restrooms in Hara were working Saturday afternoon. Apparently it was fixed by Saturday evening.

Topic: PulseAudio

  • Richard's son is trying to start his own computer repair business and recently he received a call from Misha who wanted him to fix a sound issue on her Sony Vaio, which dual-boots Windows 7 and Ubuntu 11.04. Sound worked fine in Windows, but not in Ubuntu, and she preferred using Ubuntu. After working with the machine for a while, he figured out that PulseAudio was the problem, and replacing it with ALSA fixed it.
  • While researching the problem, Richard discovered PulseAudio problems exist on more than just the Sony Vaio. He also found PulseAudio problems with Ubuntu, Fedora, Open Suse 11 or higher, Arch Linux, Zen, and Sabayon, and with both Gnome and KDE desktops.
  • Two sites in particular were helpful:
  • Russ and Richard discuss Linux audio problems, and the current state of PulseAudio, particularly with WINE. Russ notes that he's had no sound problems under Linux Mint.
  • Russ describes various ways to troubleshoot PulseAudio issues on Linux.
  • In Gnome, right-click on the speaker icon and select sound preferences. From here you can examine the hardware, choose a sound profile, configure your inputs and outputs, and see which applications are using PulseAudio.
  • There are a variety of utilities useful for debugging PulseAudio problems:
    • paman (PulseAudio Manager Utility). Install it with the command "apt-get install paman". It tells you a lot of information about PulseAudio, including "sinks" and "sources". You can also use it to set volume levels with greater control than with the desktop audio manager.
    • paprefs (PulseAudio Preferences Panel) Install it with the command "apt-get install paprefs". Allows you to perform advanced functions such as connecting PulseAudio servers together, send sound from one server to another, create virtual sound devices, etc.
    • pavucontrol (PulseAudio Volume Control) Install it with the command "apt-get install pavucontrol". Allows you to see every application that accesses PulseAudio, set volume levels per channel, and other configuration settings.
    • pavumeter (PulseAudio VU Meter) Install it with the command "apt-get install pavumeter". Creates a VU Meter window that displays your audio levels.
    • padsp, pamon Install with the command "apt-get install pulseaudio-utils". pamon will allow you to capture the bytes of audio data. padsp allows you to pipe the audio from an application that does not normally support PulseAudio, into PulseAudio.
    • Remember, you can use the "man" command for help on any of these commands. For example, in a terminal type "man padsp" for help on the padsp utility.
  • Check out Ted's sound card programs for ham radio. They are all now PulseAudio compatible.

Contact Info:

  • Contact Richard at kb5jbv@gmail.com, Russ at k5tux@lhspodcast.info, or both at the same time at info@lhspodcast.info.
  • 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 417-200-4811, 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 SHOP! 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.

LHS Show Notes #061

Posted on by Russ Woodman

Promo:

Announcements:

  • LHS will be at the Dayton Hamvention, May 20-22, 2011, booth 131 in the North Hall. Russ and Cheryl will be there. Stop and say hello.
  • LHS will also be at the Southeast Linuxfest, June 10-12, 2011, in Spartanburg, SC. Russ will be giving a talk on Saturday, and Russ and Cheryl will be at the LHS booth.

Feedback

  • Dan writes in about a Linux discussion he had at his radio club on March 8, and he mentioned LHS. Dan is also recording his own podcast, "Every Day Linux Use". Good luck with that, Dan, and let us know where to find the podcast when it's released.
  • B.B., KC5PIY, writes about an article in the February 2011 issue of Linux Magazine discussing the OpenHatch project. B.B. shares his thoughts about how OpenHatch may apply to the podcast and amateur radio. Russ and Richard respond. Unfortunately, when this was recorded, the OpenHatch website was down. (From the OpenHatch website: "OpenHatch is an open source community aiming to help newcomers find their way into free software projects.")
  • Rick, K9AO, sent some detailed instructions for building SVXlink, an open source Echolink client, under Linux, and we're including it in it's entirety here. As you may recall from episode 56, Russ had problems with compiling the program.Hi Russ,
    I thought I'd send along the method that I have used to successfully build SVXlink under Mandriva 2010.2 and Ubuntu 10.10. I built the source on Ubuntu 10.10 late last year, so don't have access to that machine at the moment. I built SVXlink from the latest SVN checkout on this Mandriva box, but this method also works fine for the release tarball.

    I don't know if you generally use SVN projects, but I'm thinking that you likely do if you are as interested in helping to shape the development of actively developed projects.

    I create a directory called SVN in my home directory, and then do the SVN checkouts from there. Using the SVN checkout command below will create a subdirectory in the folder that you run it in, and then you can do the install from there. You likely are already familiar with this.

    Here are the specifics:

    --------------------
    Get the source:
    svn co https://svxlink.svn.sourceforge.net/svnroot/svxlink svxlink
    cd to the below directory:
    Build the source branch in /svxlink/trunk/src
    From there:
    make realclean
    make
    su to root
    make install
    --------------------

    If there are any missing deps, these will show up as the compile progresses. As you already know I am sure, you need the devel packages to match the deps to build from source.

    You will see errors, or what looks like errors as the build progresses after a realclean command. But if all of the needed libs and devels are there, the build process will create the necessary configs and then build the app. If you are concerned that the app might not have built correctly, doing another make will have the terminal scroll through the build process rapidly and then complete. If you get that far, do the root install. Then qtel from the terminal will bring up the client.

    There are a number of branches of the source code for SVXlink in development. I recommend the above main trunk first.

    There haven't been any changes in the Qtel client for a while, so if all you are after is the client part of SVXlink there is no advantage to using cutting-edge SVN. There has been quite a bit of development going on in the server part, so experimenting with the SVN and joining the SVXlink devel list might be a good idea.

    Hope that helps, and keep up the good work.

    Rick, K9AO

Contact Info:

  • Contact Richard at kb5jbv@gmail.com, Russ at k5tux@lhspodcast.info, or both at the same time at info@lhspodcast.info.
  • 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 417-200-4811, 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 SHOP! 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.

LHS Show Notes #060

Posted on by Russ Woodman

Promo:

Topic 1: JT65

  • Richard enjoys the digital modes. Recently, he came across a signal he could not immediately identify, and found it was JT65.
  • JT65 is one of the suite of programs in the WSJT package written by Joe, K1JT, and was originally developed for weak signal Earth-Moon-Earth (EME) contacts.
  • It's easier to install than WSPR (Weak Signal Propagation Reporter); simply download, extract, and go.
  • Because the software is designed to achieve a weak signal contact, information is sent repeatedly. If everything is working well, a simple contact will take about 7 minutes.
  • Like WSPR, stations transmit on a two-minute interval, so the computer clock must be accurate.
  • One station will "transmit on the ones" meaning he is transmitting on the odd number minutes. Each transmission is usually about 50 seconds. Then, the other station sends on the even minutes.
  • Typical contacts are callsign, signal report, and location.
  • Signals sound a bit like weather fax, usually a bit above the PSK area on 20m.
  • Richard was able to make 10 contacts in 15 minutes with 5 watts into his G5RV at 30 feet, on the 10m band, no less. He then made 5 contacts in 30 minutes on 15m, one of which was to South America.
  • WSJT and WSPR are both developed by Joe, K1JT, a physicist and amateur radio operator.
  • WSJT and WSPR can be found at https://www.physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/K1JT/index.html.
  • One of the best websites Richard found for learning to use JT65 on HF is "The Complete Bozo's Guide to HF JT65A by Andy, K3UK". It hasn't been updated in a while, but is still a good resource.
  • The manual included with the program is very good, too.
  • Richard recommends using the second set of messages provided in the program, rather than the default set, as the default does not include a signal report.
  • Richard has prepared an "Intro to JT65" video, available at the RF Podcast website.

Topic 2: Codec2

  • Bruce, VE9QRP, back in January, suggested we talk about Codec2.
  • From the Codec2 website:
    "Codec2 is an Open Source and patent-free audio codec, currently in alpha testing. It provides good voice rendition at 2550 bits per second, and we expect that its bandwidth will be reduced with continuing development. Its voice quality and latency are an improvement over Speex, when Speex is run at a similarly low bandwidth rate. The original motivation for its development was to provide a completely open codec to replace AMBE+, MELP, and other proprietary codecs for use in Amateur ("Ham") Radio communications. However, the codec is potentially useful for commercial two-way radio, telephony, and other applications."
  • Russ plays some audio samples, and our hosts discuss how this might be used in ham radio applications.
  • The resulting file is in a .wav container and thus can be played by any program that plays .wav files. While the result is adequate for voice, it's not suitable for music.
  • More links:

Feedback:

  • We received donations from Dan W., Matt M., Andrew H., and Paul G. Thank you!
  • LHS will be at the Dayton Hamvention, in the North Hall, booth 131. We hope to see you there!
  • Jim, N2ENN, linked to us on his blog site. Thanks, Jim.
  • The Panhandle ARES group linked to LHS on their website. Thanks, guys.
  • regexorcist of The Daemon and Penguin Oggcast linked to LHS. Thank you.
  • Gary, KE2YK, has syndicated the LHS RSS feed on his eHamStore.net site. Thanks, Gary.
  • Burt, K1OIK, thought the clip art of the foo dog (episode 55) looked like Russ.
  • B.B., sent a long email, which we'll discuss in an upcoming episode.
  • Danny asked about the podcast that Gene has about Apple. That's the Tech Night Owl Live program with Gene Steinberg.
  • Dave, KI6ZHD, just found the LHS podcast website. Dave has written some documentation for various Linux topics and is a recent ham. His distro of choice is CentOS. He has been documenting his adventures at his blog and thought our listeners might be interested. He asked if we talked about TrustedQSL on Linux, and we did in episodes 43 and 46.
  • Leif, KC8RWR, commented about dual-booting a computer with Windows if Linux has already been installed. He suggests using gparted to shrink the Linux partition, creating a Windows partition in the free space, and then installing Windows. Of course, it's best to just use a spare computer or another hard drive. (We talked about all this in episode 56.)
  • Richard points out that version 1.0 of CQRLog has been released.
  • Jim, N2ENN, just installed straight Debianand offers a few hints:
    • Extra repositories: In the system/administration tab, there's a package called software sources. Check them all and click close.
    • Flash vs gnash: don't worry about gnash. Once the nonfree repositories are selected, open the Synaptic package manager and install flashplugin-nonfree, or from a terminal, type "apt-get install flashplugin-nonfree".
    • Regarding codecs: all the codecs are already installed, or should be. If not, again in Synaptic, tick good, bad and ugly plugin modules, along with the base plugin.
  • Russ received this from a radio club: Steve, N1NXU, wrote that he had a Tripp-Lite power supply that needed repair and he asked them for a schematic. They declined to provide one, so he recommends Astron power supplies, as schematics are included. These are available a most of the ham radio stores.
  • John, KF6EFG, attended Indiana LinuxFest and asked Russ for a copy of his presentation from that event. Look for that information on the LHS website in the near future.

Announcements:

  • Some listeners have requested a calendar of upcoming LHS events. So, if you have a calendar program that uses ICS calendar feeds, go to the LHS site and on the right side, look for the 'Follow Us' heading. Click at the third icon that looks like a calendar. Or, to see the information in your browser, click this https://zmx.bcef.info/service/user/info@bcef.info/LHS-Podcast.html.
  • Again, LHS will be at the Dayton Hamvention on May 20-22. We'll be giving away a computer, so drop by the booth and say hello. Please donate at the website to help defray the costs. Thanks.

Contact Info:

  • Contact Richard at kb5jbv@gmail.com, Russ at k5tux@lhspodcast.info, or both at the same time at info@lhspodcast.info.
  • 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 417-200-4811, 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 SHOP! 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.

LHS Show Notes #058

Posted on by Russ Woodman

Introduction:

Announcements:

Feedback:

  • Ilan Rabinovitch writes to tell us about the Southern California Linux Expo (SCALE 9X), February 25-27, 2011.
    Thanks, Ilan. Sorry we couldn't include this earlier.
  • Kevin, KB9RLW, writes in response to Episode 51 that he agrees that Linux is a good fit for the amateur radio community for several reasons: added flexibility, security, and more choices. Even Windows 7 is still vulnerable and he points to a recent Sophos test. He keeps a WindowsXP virtual machine, in VirtualBox for those Windows applications he must run, though WINE usually works fine. He's also a fan of The GIMP, OpenOffice, Inkscape, and Scribus. Good points, Kevin, thanks.
  • Dave, KA6YQ, points us to instructions for running the DX Lab suite in Linux, which, unfortunately, just says that you can run their software in a Windows XP virtual machine, which isn't the same as running it on Linux.
  • Rick, K9AO, tells us of a native Linux EchoLink client SvxLink. Russ uses the Windows EchoLink program under WINE, but checked out the program. He tried building it from source, because he's running Debian instead of Fedora, using the posted instructions, without success, but he'll keep trying.
  • Joseph C. sent a donation to the LHS Dayton Hamvention fund. Thank you very much, Joseph!
  • Jonathan Nadeau of Frostbite Systems says that if you want to install the extra codecs in Debian, you must first add the multimedia repository to your sources list file (/etc/apt/sources.list). Add the repo, then install the codecs you want. Linux Mint Debian does much of this by default.
    Richard spent most of a day trying to uninstall Gnash and install Flash... without success. And it's true that IceWeasel and IceDove are the same as Firefox and Thunderbird, but they are one release back. Richard prefers running the current versions.
  • Russ tells us that by adding the following line to your /etc/app/sources.list file 
    deb https://www.debian-multimedia.org testing main non-free

    and then doing an apt-get update, you'll be able to install the non-free codecs.

  • Russ and Richard then talk about removing Gnash: 
    dpkg --remove --force-all gnash
  • Russ recommends GhostBSD if you'd like to play with BSD.
  • John, EI7IG, writes that Episode 53 was a "cracker" and that he's a fan of fldigi, too. He also tells us of APRSISCE32, an APRS client for Windows written by Lynn, KJ4ERJ. John has been running IPV6 in the shack and points us to this article by Geoff Huston. Thanks, John.
  • Larry Bushey and Tom Chaudoir of the Going Linux podcast send their regards.
  • Russ gives an impromptu review of the Linux Reality podcast by Chess Griffin.
  • LHS is a sponsor of the upcoming Indiana LinuxFest, and Lord D. sent his appreciation.
  • Mogens, OZ1AKN, asks for help on a couple of topics.Question: Is it possible to automatically start a program under WINE?
    Russ responds with:To make a program under WINE start at boot, look at /etc/rc.d/skeleton for a sample. Copy the skeleton file to the name of the WINE app you want to start, then edit it to start whatever you want to start, such as /usr/bin/wine/echolink.If you want a program to start when the X session starts, click:
    menu -> system -> preferences -> statup applications -> Add a startup app
    In the dialog, give it a name and add the command: /usr/bin/wine <application path>

    Question: How do you reinstall Windows in a dual-boot setup?

    Russ responds with:

    It's easier to install Windows first, then Linux, as the Linux boot loader will automatically detect Windows and include it in the boot menu. If you install Linux first, then Windows, Windows will overwrite the Linux boot loader.

    Otherwise, if you're trying to repair a dual-boot system, try booting with a system rescue CD to repair GRUB.

    Google "linux boot ntldr " to find instructions to tell the Windows NTLDR to also boot Linux.

  • Tom H. sent a donation to the Dayton Hamvention fund. Thanks, Tom!
  • Frazer writes that the LHS Facebook fanpage seems to be geoblocked in Canada. (Russ has fixed the problem. Thanks, Frazer.)
  • Jim, KG9EQ, discovered the podcast while searching for QSSTV and wrote to share his appreciation for the website. Thanks, Jim.
  • B.B. in the chat room asked if Jerry Taylor has resumed the Practical Amateur Radio podcast. (Richard's comments were recorded before Jerry resumed recording episodes.)
  • Paul, KC9QYB, has resumed his Teen Radio Journey podcast.
  • Brady and Rich recently released another episode of the Low SWR podcast.
  • Finally, a note to the ICQ Podcast: We encourage Colin to talk more!

Contact Info:

  • Contact Richard at kb5jbv@gmail.com, Russ at k5tux@lhspodcast.info, or both at the same time at info@lhspodcast.info.
  • 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 417-200-4811, 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 SHOP! 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.