LHS Episode #095: I Has the Dumb

Richard called this one of our best efforts to date, which means there must be some kind of worthwhile contained buried in all the tomfoolery somewhere. If you can find it, you'll be that much wiser for whatever it is we discussed. Silliness aside, we discuss some proposed FCC rule changes for the amateur radio community, the difference between hard and soft (symbolic) linking for our Linux segment, and answer questions and receive praise from several members of our audience. On the whole it turned out to be a pretty good episode, and we sure had a lot of fun doing it. Thanks to all our listeners for your support and for keeping us motivated to bring you ever more episodes of Linux in the Ham Shack.

73 de The LHS Guys

Show Notes #093

Introduction:

  • Richard is looking forward to winter in Texas... all three days of it.

Announcements:

  • Subscribers to LHS now have access to the Etherpad, or via the Etherpad link in the Content area of the LHS website.
  • Black Sparrow Media now has a Twitter feed at BSM_Network.
  • Richard rants: Ubuntu has added a nag screen to the download page requesting a donation.
  • Linux Distributions for Ham Radio:
  • Jeff Hodsdon published a list of influential ham radio operators, and neither Richard nor Russ are on that list! For shame!

Topics:

Feedback:

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:

Show Notes #090

Introduction:

  • Join us this episode as our intrepid hosts, Richard and Russ (mad posstcatter!), interview John Hays of NorthWest Digital Radio.

Topics:

  • Interview with John Hays (K7VE) from NorthWest Digital Radio.
  • John has been a licensed amateur radio operator for 40 years. His wife and all of his children are hams, too!
  • A couple years ago John gave a presentation at TAPR, and discussed his wish for a reasonably priced radio for digital communications with just a few connections: antenna, power and Ethernet.
  • Bryan Hoyer (now K7UDR) approached John and volunteered to build one. Their collaboration (with Basil Gunn) resulted in NorthWest Digital Radio.
  • Their first product will be the UDR56K-4 Universal Digital Radio, planned for availability in early 2013.
  • John goes on to discuss the features of their digital radio and some of the design decisions the company made.
  • Specifications (subject to change, of course):
    • 25W 70cm Transceiver
    • 4800 to 56Kbps
    • FSK, GMSK, 4FSK
    • Open Source Linux Platform -- a full Linux-based web server is built-in. It uses the Debian kernel, running on an ARM processor (faster than a Raspberry Pi).
    • Web Interface over Ethernet
    • 4 USB Host Ports
  • Applications:
  • The radio can be completely controlled through the web interface or the command line.
  • John talks about other potential applications for their radio platform.
  • Keep an eye on the website for more information and to sign up for email announcements.
  • You may also be interested in John's blog.

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.

LHS Episode #090: Purple Hays

Here we are at Episode #090, just 10 away from the century mark. Things have been rolling along fairly smoothly, and except for Russ being deathly ill for the last eight days, there's not even a lot to complain about. In this episode, we have yet another interview. This time it's with John Hays, K7VE, of Northwest Digital Radio. These guys are producing an entirely new purpose-built radio platform called the UDR56K. This technology promises to be a great advance in the amateur radio arena as well as in the computing arena. It's a bit of kit that's going to find a use in almost every radio amateur's shack. If you want to find out why, please sit down and take a listen to this episode of LHS. We promise you will not be disappointed.

73 de The LHS Guys

Show Notes #089

Introduction:

  • The 10th Annual Ohio LinuxFest will be held September 28-30, 2012, at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in downtown Columbus, Ohio.
  • Another riveting episode even though Richard has been attempting unassisted human flight. (We're all worried about the consequences should he succeed.)
  • Our special guest tonight is Rob Hawkins from the mintCast.

Announcements:

  • If you're a subscriber to LHS, you can access the Etherpad, download episodes without music, and you'll soon have the option of episodes in .flac format.
  • Remember the Black Sparrow Media app for iPhones, iPads and Android devices. It's free! With it, you can listen to all of the podcasts in the Black Sparrow Media group.
  • Please consider donating to the podcast! Click the Donate link.
  • Check out the KF8GR Linux Ham Home Page. Even though it hasn't been updated in several years, much of the information is still relevant.
  • Richards suggests a Linux/Amateur Radio "best on the web" award. Your web site should have at least one page devoted to Linux or Linux and Ham Radio. Send your nominations to info@lhspodcast.info. If accepted, the LHS hosts will provide an award graphic for your website, and a link to your site from LHS.
  • Richard also found this TechNewsWorld article "Why Ham Radio Is Still Handy".

Topics:

  • Interview with Rob Hawkins of the mintCast podcast.
  • Rob describes his move from Ontario, Canada to Houston, TX, and drops this bombshell: "Texas is nothing like Ontario!" Rob is an engineer by training. His first computer encounter was an IBM 370 mainframe and Fortran at the University of Waterloo, Ontario. His first personal computer was a Radio Shack Color Computer and his first Linux exposure was with Slackware and several dozen floppy disks. He's been using Linux Mint since version 8.
  • Rob goes on to describe how he came to the mintCast.
  • Our hosts and Rob then move on to various technology topics:
    • The current state of Linux Mint.
    • UEFI - Unified Extensible Firmware Interface.
    • Software patents.
    • Windows 8 and possible opportunities for Linux.

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:

  • "The Napalm Theory" by Ophyra, from the album Post Mortem, courtesy of Jamendo.
  • "Velvet Embracer" by Diablo Swing Orchestra, from the album The Butcher's Ballroom, courtesy of Jamendo.