Tag: debian

Show Notes #079

Posted on by Russ Woodman

Introduction:

  • An absolutely FABulous episode, in which we interview Fab Scherschel from the Linux Outlaws podcast. Fab's de-facto father-in-law is DC5JM!

Announcements:

  • Ronny, K4RJJ, attended the KARC Hamfest over the weekend as the LHS Ambassador. Details, photos and video will be on the web site very soon. Thanks, again, Ronny!
  • Roy, KK4ATD, will be our ambassador at the RARSfest in Raleigh, NC on April 7th. Thanks, Roy!
  • The LHS Web site now has a 'Chat' link which gives you the ability to join the #lhspodcast IRC channel without having a client, straight from the LHS web site.
  • LHS hopes to attend the 2012 Dayton Hamvention. Please donate to the cause to help make that happen!
  • A recent iOS update broke the Black Sparrow Media app for iPhones, but that will get fixed, soon. Look for new podcasts in the future. Visit blacksparrowmedia.net/join if you'd like to add your podcast to the Black Sparrow Media network.

Interview:

  • Russ and Richard interview Fabian "Fab" Scherschel, co-host of the Linux Outlaws podcast.
  • Fab transitioned from Windows to Ubuntu in 2007. The biggest issue was games, but he bought a PlayStation 3 to satisfy that requirement. Minecraft runs well on Linux.
  • Fab's primary motivation for Linux Outlaws was to practice his English.
  • Our hosts then discuss Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Canonical and Debian.
  • We then talk about software patents from a UK and German perspective.
  • Fab is switching his servers from CentOS to Debian, primarily because there is no upgrade from one major release of CentOS to another. He also likes to try different distributions so as to maintain impartiality.
  • Fab asks how Linux in the Ham Shack began.
  • You can contact Fab via Google Plus.

Feedback:

  • LinuxCanuck asks for help accessing links and RSS feeds from the website. Everything seems to be working on this end.
  • Phil, AK4RQ, recommends the book 'The C Programming Language' by Kernighan and Ritchie, originally published by Prentice Hall in 1978. Thanks, Phil.

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 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:

  • "Vertigo" by Obsidian Shell from their album Evershade, courtesy of Jamendo.
  • "Faces Nameless" by Reform the Resistance from their album And It Begins... courtesy of Jamendo.

LHS Episode #079: Absolutely FABulous

Posted on by Russ Woodman

Welcome everyone to a very special episode of Linux in the Ham Shack. This week we had the immense pleasure of talking with Fabian "Fab" Scherschel of the Linux Outlaws podcast fame. We tried not to let our man crushes get in the way of the podcast and I think we succeeded for the most part. Fab is a very gracious guest and we had a fantastic time recording the show. When my (K5TUX) Audacity crashed, it was also Fab who came to the rescue and resurrected the show with his backup audio recording. So for lots of reasons, we are indebted to him. We do have to warn you though, our discussion ranges from Debian to software patent issues to pollution in northern New Jersey. It's a fun journey, but it's not exactly via the shortest path. Thanks again, Fab. It was a blast.

73 de The LHS Guys

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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 #059

Posted on by Russ Woodman

Introduction:

  • Apologies for the delays in releasing new episodes.
  • This episode is an interview with Jonathan Nadeau of Frostbite Systems and a user of the Linux screen-reading program, Orca.

Interview:

  • Orca is a screen reading program integrated with the Gnome desktop. It's available for most Linux distributions.
  • Russ and Jonathan discuss how a sight-impaired individual might install Linux. There are a couple of Linux distributions that have screen-reader support during the installation: Talking Arch Linux and Vinux.
  • Speakup is another accessibility tool, but one that speaks the command line.
  • Vinux is an Ubuntu-based Linux distribution with Orca built-in, allowing a sight-impaired individual to install it from the CD. Vinux is the distribtion Frostbite Systems normally installs for it's sight-impaired customers.
  • Slackware has a Speakup kernel, and more distributions are including the Speakup module as well. Several distributions can be installed using Speakup. Some instructions are available at the Speakup site.
  • Russ mentioned the Quick Learning Techies Show (QLTS) that also occasionally discusses accessibility issues.
  • Jonathan discusses the pros and cons of Vinux, as well as his concerns about it being Ubuntu-based.
  • Richard asks Jonathan for more details about how Vinux talks a new user through the install.
  • If the application is GTK-based, it will likely work with Orca; if it's QT-based, it probably won't work with Orca.
  • Ted's software (WA0EIR), including PSK31LX, works via ssh, so the programs are controllable from the command line and would work with the Speakup module.
  • Meanwhile, Russ attempts to install Orca during the show.
  • Jonathan mentions another podcast he does, This Week in Fedora, and says there is an amateur radio Fedora spin. (I could not find a link to a specific spin of Fedora for amateur radio, but there is a Special Interest Group. -Ed.)
  • Frostbite Systems sells desktops and laptops with Linux pre-installed. Customers can choose from Debian, Fedora, Linux Mint, OpenSuse, Ubuntu and Vinux. A portion of each sale is donated back to the distribution chosen.
  • Russ asks Jonathan about the hardware he uses in Frostbite systems. All of the laptops/notebooks have all-Intel hardware, while some desktops have nVidia video cards. All are completely Linux-compatible.
  • Russ then examines the specifications of some of the Frostbite computers.
  • Jonathan also produces several podcasts through Frostbite Media:
    • Frostcast: interviews with project leaders of various GNU/Linux and Free/Open Source projects.
    • This week in Fedora: interviews with people involved with the Fedora project.
    • This week in Debian: interviews with people within the Debian community.
    • Orcacast is on hiatus, but should resume in the not too distant future.

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.

Outtakes: