Tag: feedback

LHS Show Notes #026

Posted on by Russ Woodman

Contributors:

  • Kent, VE4KEH, writes in the forums that the Debian Testing updates have caused him some problems. Richard suggests not using the Testing distribution, while Russ disagrees.
  • Do any of the ham radio digital protocols support full TCP/IP? Can we load a web site via packet radio?
  • Commentsabout Episode #025:
    • Alex, OZ9AEC, says that he'd rather attend an Ubuntu launch party every six months, rather than a Windows party every six years. 🙂 He provided a link to an Ubuntu 9.10 Release Party Map.
    • Jim, N3JIM, defends APRS (Automatic PACKET reporting System), saying it's more than just vehicle tracking.
      www.aprs.org says it's "automatic packet reporting system"
      www.aprs.net says it's "automatic position reporting system"
      Our hosts discuss the apparent usefulness, or lack thereof, of APRS.
  • Richard rants about receiving spam, this time from Twitter.

Announcements:

  • Please donate to the fund to send Linux in the Ham Shack to the Dayton Hamvention in 2010!

Links and Notes:

  • Joe, NE3R, provides this audio segment about minicom, a Linux terminal application for connection to serial port devices. Check out Joe's blog.
  • Audio from Russ at Ohio Linux Fest:
    • Talking to Jim, KB3ORA.
    • Handing out DVDs of the first 22 episodes.
    • Matt, KC8BEW, provided some ham radio gear to use at the booth. Thanks, Matt.
    • Russ visits with Beth Lynn Eicher and Rob Ball, both of OLF, and Doug Vann of Duo Consulting talks to Russ about Drupal.
  • Richard talks about his visit to the Belton HamEXPOin Belton, TX.
  • Donate to the fund to bring Richard and Russ to Dayton Hamvention 2010.
  • Look for new topics in future shows, such as reviews of other Linux distributions such as ARCH Linux, Slackware 13, and OpenSUSE 11.1.
  • Russ talks about getting his amateur radio station back on the air. He put up a new antenna, an AlphaDelta DX-CC trap dipole for 80-10m. He also acquired a Rascal GLX sound card interface, installed fldigi, and made his first digital mode contact with PSK31 on 20m! Yay, Russ!
  • Russ has also discovered IRLP.
  • Paul, from TeenRadioJourney.com, made a donation to the Dayton fund. Thanks, Paul.
  • We're looking for a new logo for Linux in the Ham Shack. Any and all submissions will be considered.

Music:

LHS Episode #028: The Art of Listening

Posted on by Russ Woodman

rx320d_rearIt's the holiday season, and our gift to our listeners is a brand new podcast. During my time at Ohio Linux Fest back in September, several of the participants who visited the Linux in the HAM Shack booth provided topic ideas for the program. I recently dug those topics up and Richard and I will be tackling them over the next few episodes. In Episode #026, the topic we decide to visit is shortwave listening, including hardware and Open Source software for that very purpose. SWL is a way for non-hams to approach the hobby without encountering mic fright, and a way for existing hams and non-hams alike to explore the world of radio frequency communication, whether it be foreign broadcasts, pirate radio, amateur radio or time beacons. With several manufacturers of equipment still in business, SWL is by no means a lost art, and may be an interesting extension to the amateur radio hobby for those who don't currently participate in it.

Several thank yous go out to those who donated to the Dayton Hamvention 2010 fund. With my upcoming matching contributions we'll be about halfway to our goal. Please keep those donations coming, even after we've met our goal, so we can continue to improve our equipment, our hosting and our program. As always, thank you for downloading Linux in the HAM Shack. Please send us your feedback and questions, and please tell everyone you know about us--through word of mouth, blogging, social networking, whatever it takes. Our listenership continues to grow, and we hope that trend continues for years to come.

73 de Russ, K5TUX

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LHS Show Notes #023

Posted on by Russ Woodman

Contributors:

  • Jeff has switched to Linux Mint. He asks about iPod syncing programs. He has tried Banshee and Amarok, and is not impressed. He'd like to use iTunes, perhaps under Wine. Russ suggests trying Songbird, if it supports your device. Check their wiki page to see if your device is supported.
  • Tweet from M0GLG regarding Echolink under Wine. He says it works with no real issues other than configuring the sound devices. He hasn't managed to get it to work with USB devices, yet.
  • Comment on the website about episode 20 from Matt, KC8BEW. He is looking forward to seeing Russ at Ohio Linux Fest.
  • Look for Richard at the upcoming Belton, TX hamfest.
  • LHS was mentioned on Jonathan Hardy's blog KIX-online in the August 30 post.
  • John, EI7IG, posted a message in the forums providing a link to information on compiling XASTIR from source, and mentions the Linux RMS Gateway software for accessing Winlink 2000 networks. He also says the Windows Winlink 2000 client, Airmail, works fine under Wine.
  • Clay, K6AEP, writes that he has an Eee PC 1000he and 702, and says you can use applications on the smaller screens. In eeebuntu 3.0, hold down the Alt key and you can move the screen around to see the rest of it. Crossover 8 has allowed him to avoid using Windows except for a couple of programs, such as Echolink. It seems to install fine, but mic audio doesn't work. He's tried SUSE 10 and 11, CentOS 4 and 5, Slackware 12.2, Ubuntu, Mint, Extreme Ubuntu, and Debian, and a variety of computers. He likes Ultimate Edition Linux 2.3, based on Ubuntu 9.04, even better than Mint 7.
  • Gary, M0TXD, comments that he has just installed Ubuntu on his hamshack computer with four serial ports, but can't get them to open. Russ suggests that it's a permissions problem on the devices.

Announcements:

  • Russ was invited by Klaatu of Linux Cranks to join their fourth roundtable discussion. The topic is the most common Linux applications on the desktop. Look for it on Hacker Public Radio (.mp3 file).
  • Linux in the Ham Shack has become an official sponsor of Linux Mint.
  • lhsinfo.org now has streaming audio links.
  • Check out Ohio Linux Fest. Russ will be there. Will you?
  • Question from the chatroom: How do I change from Ubuntu to Linux Mint? 1) Download the .iso and install it, but that will likely overwrite everything on your machine. 2) Get the sources.list file from a Mint installation (if you are on Ubuntu 9.04 already and want Mint 7) and update the repositories, then do an apt-get dist-upgrade. Russ tried that, and it worked pretty well, but there were a couple of package conflicts that had to be handled manually. The safest and easiest is to just install from the .iso, especially if you already have your /home directories in a separate partition. No matter how you do it, you should backup your system first.

Interview:

Music:

  • "Give In Give Out" by Plunkett from the album "Plunkett"
  • "Dale" by Mutandina from the album "Mutandina"

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LHS Episode #027: Where Are My Meds?

Posted on by Russ Woodman

haarpWe have topped 40,000 downloads! Thanks go out to all of our listeners and live webcast attendees for making Linux in the HAM Shack as popular as it is. Give yourselves a huge round of applause. We're also well on our way to our donation goal of $750 so we can buy booth space and Internet access at the Dayton Hamvention in Dayton, Ohio, in May of 2010. Thank you for all of your donations. Please keep them coming as you're able to send them in!

In this episode, we address listener feedback and comments, and then in a burst of inspiration invite listeners from the chat room to come onto the program for a lively and very fun roundtable discussion. Topics were varied, from portable antenna design, to life without Red Bull; from the HAARP VLF array in Alaska to D-STAR, PACTOR and other digital ham radio communication modes. And since I was on meds and Richard was off his, things got a little crazy towards the end.

We hope you enjoy this episode of Linux in the HAM Shack. Please leave us comments or questions on the web site or via voice mail at 888-455-0305. And send your best wishes to Bill, KA9WKA, who has taken on the responsibility of getting LHS's show notes out in a timely fashion. Thanks, Bill. You're a lifesaver!

73 de Russ, K5TUX

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