LHS Episode #046: The TuxTel Conglomerate

Episode #044 of Linux in the Ham Shack makes its debut, and even on time. We're still trying to catch up on a little bit of a backlog so this episode is mostly feedback from listeners. We touch on a variety of topics including packet radio, the AX.25 kernel driver for TNCs, the importance of Linux and Open Source, Android and emerging Linux markets, and much, much more.

Thanks for taking the time to download us and being an ever-faithful listener. We would be nothing without you and we want to let you know that we appreciate each and every pair of ears that hears us every fortnight. Don't forget to send us your feedback, whether it be as a comment on the Web site, a voice mail submitted via our toll-free hot-line or an e-mail to one or both of us. Also, please don't forget about making donations or buying some of our LHS merchandise if you have the wherewithal to do so. Enjoy our current offering and we'll be back live in a week for more rowdy fun.

73 de The LHS Guys

LHS Show Notes #044

Announcements:

  • Richard is at his father's place due to problems with his Suddenlink connection at home.
  • Ohio LinuxFest 2010 is on the horizon. Russ hopes to be a speaker this year. It will be held September 10-12, 2010 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, OH.
  • Mid-America GNU/Linux Networkers Conference (MAGNet Con). Russ and Cheryl are organizing this event, which is tentatively scheduled to be held May 6-7, 2011, at the St. Louis Union Station Marriott in St. Louis, MO.
    They're looking for speakers, sponsors, organizers, and attendees. If you're interested or can help, please visit the web site.

Donations:

  • Please consider making a donation to Linux in the Ham Shack to help defray the costs of producing the show, attending shows, file hosting, etc. There's a convenient Donate link on the web site, and you can use a credit card or PayPal.
  • You can also support the show by purchasing LHS merchandise at cafepress.com/lhspodcast or printfection.com/lhs.
  • Thank you!

Feature:

  • Russ discusses his trip to Southeast Linuxfest June 11-13, 2010.
  • Russ gave a talk on Open Source and Amateur Radio. The talk was recorded and will be available at some point.
  • Thanks to everyone involved for their efforts in organizing SELF:

    Foundation Officers

    • President: David Yates
    • Vice President: David Nalley
    • Treasurer: John Yeary
    • Secretary: Mike Major

    Board Members

    • Speaker Coordinator: Jeremy Sands
    • Community Coordinator: Amber Graner
    • Volunteer Coordinator: Jas Eckard
  • Field Day, 2010, was held June 26-27. Russ and Richard discuss the event and how it combines an emergency preparedness exercise and a contest.
  • Russ used to attend Field Day in Maine with the Aroostook Amateur Radio Association (K1FS).
    This year, he visited the Nixa Amateur Radio Club (operating as N0A) and the
    Southwest Missouri Amateur Radio Club sites.
  • One suggestion: make your Field Day sites wheelchair accessible!
  • Send us your Field Day stories!

Feedback:

  • Don, WS4E, sent us a picture of him standing outside the Red Hat Summit in Boston wearing his LHS T-shirt. Thanks, Don!
  • Jan, PA9QV, linked to us in his blog, Varying Frequencies. Thanks, Jan!
  • Eldon, WA0UWH, also linked to us on his blog. Thanks, Eldon!
  • Dave, M0DCM, in the UK writes that he enjoyed Episode 40, and comments about Fldigi, xdx, gpredict, and wsjt.  He uses Xastir, too. He wonders if there is an HD SSTV application for Linux.  His club has asked him to find a good Linux alternative to WinPack. Richard discusses. These could be topics for future shows.(Ed. note: Jean-Paul, F6FBB, has written a packet BBS application for Windows and Linux.)

Contact Info:

  • Contact Richard at kb5jbv@gmail.com, Russ at k5tux@lhspodcast.info, or both at the same time at info@lhspodcast.info.
  • Leave us a voice mail at 888-455-0305 or 417-200-4811, or record an introduction to the podcast.
  • Sign up for the LHS mailing list.
  • Send hate mail to Bill at ka9wka@lhspodcast.info. 🙂
  • Thanks to Dave from Gamma Leonis for the theme music and promo.

Music:

  • "Paper King" by Noxious from the album "Revilutia", courtesy of garageband.com.
  • "Enslaved by Pain" by Severed Fifth (Jono Bacon), from the album "Denied by Reign".

LHS Show Notes #022

Contributors:

  • Email exchange with Herve, of Shackbox Linux.  If you found it useful, please consider donating something to the project.
  • Voice comment from Rodney (aka R0dzilla) KJ4OHH: he asks for more information on Echolink and Echolinux. Our hosts respond with CQiNet and QTel.
  • Rod, KJ4OHH, postsin the forum:  If you install a 32-bit program under 64-bit Linux Mint 7, then install a 32-bit application, getlibs may not find the 32-bit libraries, so you have to get them from the Ubuntu repository:
    $sudo getlibs --distro Ubuntu --release jaunty nameof32bitprogram

    And congratulations to Rodney on getting his license!

  • VK5HZ in IRC says Echolink does work in Wine, at least for him.
  • Joe, NE3R, runs packet and uses an old TNC with firmware from the 1980s.  He runs XASTIR with an MFJ TNC and minicom.
  • Ken, WA3FKG, posts in the forum:  Acer says if you replace windows with Linux on one of their machines, you've voided the warranty.
  • Tony Malloy re-Tweeted on identi.ca when Episode 019a came out.  Thanks, Tony.
  • Damon, NN7B, asks "Which packet program do you use for Linux?"  It's probably easier to use a TNC in KISS mode, rather than trying to do software packet.
  • David, KF5BCM, wants a noise gate on Richard. 🙂 He says hears Richard breathing loudly on Episode 15.  (Make a donation and maybe that will help fund the equipment.)
  • turtles7, in the forums, suggested a topic for a future show: mobile installation hints. He recently installed a mobile in a minivan, and still has high SWR.

Interview:

  • Interview with Beth Lynn Eicher of the Ohio Linux Fest.
  • Beth Lynn talks about the training opportunities at OLF, exhibitors, and the history of OLF.

From the chat room:

  • Why don't we do shows on Linux basics? We did. Check out the older episodes. If there's something we haven't covered, let us know.
  • What is a "Crank"? See Linux Cranks.  (ogg format, explicit)
  • How to play .ogg files in iTunes.
  • KJ4OHH just bought a 8GB Sansa Fuze for $39. Refurbished Sansa Clips are often available at buy.com and newegg.com for good prices, too. They play OGG files natively.
  • Check out Shackbox Linux, too.

Music:

  • "Out of It" by Brad Sucks from the album "Out of It".
  • "Fallen from Grace" by Shawn Harris from the album "Temptation".

LHS Episode #013

We come to Episode #013 of Linux in the HAM Shack. This one is not for the faint of heart or the triskadecaphobic. Our last couple of episodes have generated a lot of feedback so we spend the first and last segments of the show talking about everyone who sent us comments and answering questions wherever possible. In the middle, we manage to squeeze in some information ham radio and Linux information about getting your radios connecting to your computer for rig control, testing with grig and integrating logging and rig access with fldigi.

We'd like to thank the multitudes we had in the chat room for the live broadcast of Episode #013. It was our best turnout yet with more than 25 participants from all over the world. We'd like to encourage everyone to jump in on the next broadcast, which will be on May 13th at 0100Z. The LHS release schedule is being pushed back a week because I will be out of town at a conference during the first week of May. Thanks again to all our downloaders and everyone who takes the time to send us feedback and questions. There would be no podcast without you.

Note: We had several audio problems attempting to record this episode due to erratic network connectivity. Everything is cleaned up and organized nicely except for one brief audio dropout that could not be recovered. You'll know it when you hear it.

73 de Russ (K5TUX)