Linux in the Ham Shack

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**Linux in the Ham Shack**

Linux in the Ham Shack Podcast in MP3 Format

Latest Episodes:

LHS Episode #035: Soylent Green is Bad Apples Mar 09, 2010

Show notes

Contributors:

Steve posted a message at the Resonant Frequency forums and asked about the early episodes not being available on iTunes. That was a “feature”, but Richard “fixed” it. Going forward, once we hit 50 episodes, older ones will drop off the feed to iTunes, so you’ll need to go to the web site to get them.
Chris, ZL2CCO, posted a link to the LHS site on his blog. Thanks, Chris!
Via snail mail we received a donation and feedback from Tom, NC0O. He’s been enjoying the podcast and sent a donation to support the Dayton expedition. Thanks, Tom!
Walter, KV6M, writes to clear up a mistake from Episode 31. We incorrectly attributed the penultimate donation to the Dayton fund to Walter, WN3LIF, but it was, in fact, from Walter, KV6M. Sorry, Walter, we’ve corrected the show notes, and thank you for the donation, and correction. We’re sorry for the confusion.
Doug, N6LMX, sends his greetings and wonders what happened to a message he sent some time ago and was never mentioned, so he sent it again. (Richard had been holding it for the other show.) Doug wonders which Linux distribution Richard chose for his old Dell Latitude laptop. Richard chose Crunchbang Linux Lite. Also mentioned, the Midori browser.
Larry, W0AY, writes to express his appreciation for Episode 31. He would like to see Richard get a mute switch for his microphone. Thanks, Larry, and we’re currently soliciting donations for a noise gate for Richard.
LHS got a mention in an anonymous comment in the Linux Journal forums.
Chris, K3DC, mentions LHS in a presentation he prepared, perhaps for a club meeting.
Another LHS mention in an IRC log posted to pastebin.
Jim, N2ENN, writes to offer some information about microphones in response to Bill’s microphone rant in Episode 31, and discusses Linux drivers. Thanks for the information, Jim. We’ll talk more about this in a later episode.
Glynne, KD5VQD, offers his wallet-sized reference card for the phonetic alphabet. Thanks, Glynne. Russ will post it in the Articles section of the Linux in the Ham Shack web site.
Klaatu mentions in his blog that he enjoyed the song “Flash in a Bottle” by Dead Heart Bloom in Episode 30.
Others have commented that they enjoyed the song “Don’t Go” by Tenpenny Joke that was featured in Episode 31.

Announcements:

Southeast Linuxfest v2.0 is set for June 12-13 at the Marriott at Renaissance Park hotel in Spartanburg, SC! Russ is planning on being there, as is Klaatu.
Texas Linux Fest will be Saturday, April 10, 2010 at the Monarch Events Center, Austin, Texas
Logo Contest: The Linux in the Ham Shack logo needs an update, and we’d like a new logo before the 2010 Dayton Hamvention. Please submit your original logo, preferably in .tiff or .svg format, or in a very large .jpg, to Russ and/or Richard. Deadline is March 31, 2010. If selected, you will win $100!
Program Intro Contest: Record your Linux in the Ham Shack introduction and send it along. Record it on your computer and send the sound file, or call 888-455-0305, or 417-429-4069, and record your intro via the phone. All entries will eventually be used, but one winner will be chosen at random and will receive $25. Recordings made via the phone numbers will have two chances to win.
Send your submissions for either contest to Russ k5tux@blacksparrowmedia.com or Richard kb5jbv@blacksparrowmedia.com.
We’ve been having problems with our hosting service. It’s likely that the Black Sparrow Media sites will be moving sometime in the next few months. Check the web site for details as they develop.
Look for Linux in the Ham Shack at the 2010 Dayton Hamvention. We’ll be in the North Hall, booth #265 (NH0265).
Our new donation goal is to raise sufficient money to purchase a noise gate for Richard. Every little bit helps, so please click on the Donate link and send along a dollar or two.

Links and Notes:

Callsign lookups: the FCC Universal Licensing System (ULS), and QRZ.com.
Our hosts talk to Klaatu, well-known podcaster and IRC denizen (as notKlaatu). (see The Day the Earth Stood Still). Klaatu is involved with several podcasts, including The Bad Apples, available through Hacker Public Radio, Fedora Reloaded, Linux Cranks, Today in Tech Radio, and others. He can often be found on irc.freenode.net in about any channel with Linux in the title.
Russ and Klaatu talk about using xmodmap to remap keyboard key assignments. Klaatu discussed that in episode 5x04 of The Bad Apples podcast. More info is available in the show notes for that episode. He also has an article describing how you can also remap the Control key to the Caps Lock key.
Soylent Green
THX 1138
Klaatu uses talk.fedoraproject.org to record some of his podcasts.
Sansa Clips
Setting MTP (Media Transfer Protocol) or MSC (Mass Storage Class) on the Sansa Clip (Follow the link in that article for instructions.)
ROCKbox open source firmware for mp3 players.
The Linux Outlaws podcast. (We love Fab! And Dan, too.)
Check out the cool pictures of Unix desktops.

Music:

“Bessie’s Secret” by Heifervescent from the album “Murder in the Garden.”
“Breathing on Another Planet” by No, Really from the album “Rust.”

LHS Episode #034: Orbital Decay Feb 24, 2010

Show notes

Welcome back, Richard!

Contributors:

Linux in the Ham Shack showed up on Podcast Sniper.
Chris, ZL2CCO, mentions LHS on his blog. Thanks, Chris!
Doug, N6LMX, is listening to Episode 31 and recommends the Griffin SmartTalk Headphone Adapter for the iPod Touch. It adds a microphone to your headphones. He bought his at Fry’s. (You can also find it at Amazon for a little less money. Click through our Amazon store and support the Black Sparrow Media podcast empire! -Ed.)

Announcements:

Texas Linux Fest is Saturday, April 10, 2010 at the Monarch Events Center, Austin, Texas.
Southeast Linux Fest is June 12-13, 2010 at the Marriott at Renaissance Park hotel in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
We met our fund-raising goal for attending Dayton Hamvention 2010! The next goal is to raise enough money for a noise gate for Richard.
Richard expresses his appreciation for everyone’s patience and support during the past few weeks.

Links and Notes:

Amateur radio satellite operation.
Doppler shift
Footprint
Linear transponder: a broadbanded repeater that operates over a range of frequencies.
Satellite tracking: there are programs that will help you find when and where a satellite will appear over your location. This page lists several, including some that run on Linux.
You will very likely need an antenna with gain, and probably a means of moving the antenna to match the trajectory of the satellite as it passes by.
SAREX (Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment) has been superceded by ARISS (Amateur Radio on the International Space Station).
Equipment considerations. A VHF/UHF radio with sideband capability is often required, as is a cross-polarized antenna with gain.
More info can be found at the AMSAT site including Keplerian Elements and other tracking tools.
The ARRL publishes several books on satellite operation.

Music:

“Long Way Home” by Kasey Anderson from the album “The Reckoning”
“Amnesia” by Roots of Rebellion from the album “The Looking Glass”

LHS Episode #033: Bill and Ted’s Excellent Episode Feb 11, 2010

Show notes

All of us at Black Sparrow Media wish to express our sincere condolences to Richard on the passing of his mother. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Richard and his family. He won’t be joining us this time, so we’ll carry on with a round table episode.

Contributors:

Ted WA0EIR, in snowy Iowa, Andy aka Integgroll on IRC, and Bill KA9WKA join us for a round table discussion.
Jay writes in about the Linux Journal episode (#029) and the analysis of the Amazon Kindle and DRM issues. Our panel talks about the Kindle , e-readers in general, and DRM issues. Russ mentions how Amazon retracted a couple of George Orwell titles.
Google alert tells us that Linux in the Ham Shack and other amateur radio podcasts are being played over a local repeater by Tony VK7AX for the enjoyment of listeners in SE Australia and Tasmania. Good on ya’, mate!
LHS was mentioned on Joe’s (WN2SYZ) blog. Thanks, Joe!
Dave, KG4GIY, posted another mention of LHS at Linux Journal when we talked about software-defined radios (SDR) in Episode 26. Thanks, Dave! Check out the Linux Journal amateur radio content.
Chris, Twitter ID WOKNSS, tweeted about catching up on back episodes of LHS. Thanks, Chris!
LHS was mentioned at the Low SWR podcast website. Low SWR is an amateur radio podcast produced by Rich KD0BJT and Brady KD0BJS. They’re up to eight episodes already! Good job, guys!
The Axis wrote to us, Mint Cast, and The Linux Link Tech Show to thank us all for content about the Linux program screen. We’re glad you enjoyed it. A possible application might be operating digital modes remotely. (Bonus Show Notes Content: The February 2010 issue of QST has a Short Takes article about the Glentek Radio-to-Ethernet Controller. Glentek has a variety of products to facilitate remote operation of an amateur radio station. -Ed.)

Announcements:

Texas Linux Fest is April 10, 2010 at the Monarch Events Center in Austin, TX. You might find Richard or Russ there, so say Hi!
Donations: We’ve achieved our goal! Walter, KV6M, made a second donation (thanks, Walter!), and the remainder was supplied by Beth Lynn Eicher of the Ohio Linux Fest. Thank-you, Beth Lynn! Look for the Linux in the Ham Shack booth at Dayton Hamvention 2010. (Note: the podcast incorrectly identifies Walter as WN3LIF, another Walter that also contributed.Â We apologize for the confusion. -Ed.)

Links and Notes:

From the chat room, Ronnie K4RJJ, asks what PDAs would work with sound card digital modes. There’s i-PSK31 that will allow you to use PSK31 with your iPhone and radio. It’s also available via the iTunes store. (Note: I mistakenly said the price was $1.99. The actual price is $5.99. Sorry. -Ed.) There is also some documentation on how to wire the headphone plug for the iPhone for connection to your radio.
Ted rants about the use of macros in digital conversations, and the panel discusses.
The panel discusses the appropriate power levels for digital modes. Lower power, say less than 35W, is usually enough. There are devices, such as the PSKMeter, that attaches to your transmitter output and, along with software, will display your signal so you can avoid splatter. PSKScope is another program for the PSKMeter that provides additional functionality, such as automatic audio drive level control, but only in the Windows version. A Linux version of PSKScope is available, but does not have the automatic drive level control. The other device discussed is the IMD Meter, which is a standalone device that displays your IMD while you are transmitting. No computer or software is necessary.
Next, the panel talks about operating via VHF/UHF satellites. (There’s a good introductory article on the AMSAT web site. Randy, K7AGE, has produced several YouTube videos of various amateur radio activities, including this one where he operates AO-51. Another video from the 2007 Dayton Hamvention shows a similar system.
Bill introduces the microHAM USB Interface III. (That’s the Americas website. There is also a site for Europe. The panel discusses the merits of the device.
We then move to a discussion of Linux Mint 8 “Helena”.
Bill rants about Yaesu microphones on their VHF/UHF radios.
Russ talks about some cloud computing applications: Ubuntu One and Dropbox. The panel discusses the relative risks and advantages of using such services.

Music:

“Don’t Go” by TenPenny Joke from the album “Ambush on All Sides”.
“Mirror of Humans” by Amity in Fame from the album “Dinner for One”.

LHS Episode #032: Screen-Doored Submarines Jan 26, 2010

Show notes

Texas Linux Fest promo

Contributors:

Shawn Powers of Linux Journal, and a recent guest on LHS, had a house fire. If you can, please help him out.
Google alert says LHS was mentioned in the Niagara Peninsula Amateur Radio Club (NPARC) forums, but it seems to have disappeared.
There’s been a problem with Russ’ email, k5tux@blacksparrowmedia.com, so please also copy Richard, kb5jbv@blacksparrowmedia.com, on any email until the problem is resolved.
Michael, DL4MGM, advises WSPR users to make sure their transmitters are on frequency, so as to avoid encroaching on the visual QRSS, particularly on 30m. He also suggests using “sudo su” to get a root shell session.
Ted, WA0EIR, writes to express his appreciation for Episode 029, and the plug for his website.
Google Alert tells us that a French website, al-aide.com, reprinted the post about Episode 029.

Announcements:

Texas Linux Fest will be held in Austin, TX on April 10, 2010, at the Monarch Event Center. You might even find a Linux in the Ham Shack host there! Tracy, one of the organizers of the event, is also starting another Linux-related podcast. Keep an eye on his website for the first episode.
We’re nearing our goal of raising $750 for the LHS expedition to the Dayton Hamvention in 2010. Please click on the Donate button and make a donation, as every little bit helps. Thank you!

Links and Notes:

There has been a lot of ham radio involvement in the relief efforts in Haiti, through such groups as the Texas Baptist Men and SATERN. Russ points us to this YouTube video containing a contact with HH2JR, demonstrating the effectiveness of ham radio in emergency communications.
Richard talks about using Linux scripts to automate D-RATS transmissions (auto-QSTs). This script downloads weather information and formats it for sending through D-RATS. #!/bin/bash

Change directory

cd /home/richard/drats/current_conditions

Remove the old downloaded weather file

rm KHQZ.TXT

Download the current weather file from NOAA

wget -q ftp://tgftp.nws.noaa.gov/data/observations/metar/decoded/KHQZ.TXT

Remove the old formatted file

rm current.txt

Strip last line of text of the NOAA file, using sed

This sed command strips out everything between “Mesquite” and “Pressure”

sed ‘/Mesquite,/,/Pressure / !d’ KHQZ.TXT > khqz1.txt

Add a blank line to the new file

echo -e " " » current.txt

Copy Mesquite Weather conditions to new file

cat khqz1.txt » current.txt

Done!

A cron job then periodically sends out the contents of current.txt
For more information on using the BASH shell and scripting, see:
Learning the BASH Shell from O’Reilly Media. (Shameless plug: You can buy the O’Reilly book through the blacksparrowmedia Amazon store)
Advanced BASH Scripting Guide
Russ discusses the Linux “screen” command.
bash (Bourne Again Shell) is one command shell program. There’s also csh, tcsh, korn, and others.
psk31lx is a PSK31 program for a terminal session.
If you have a Linux distribution with the Amateur Radio repository, such as Debian, Ubuntu, or Linux Mint, psk31lx should be available there. You can then install it with the Synaptic package manager, or with the command apt-get install psk31lx
More about screen:
A Guide to GNU Screen
How do I Use Multiple Screens on One Terminal over ssh session?
Linux Screen Tutorial and How To
Power Sessions with Screen
GNU Screen
screen switches and command keys
Visit us on the IRC channel #lhspodcast at irc.freenode.net or call the voice message line at 888-455-0305, or +1 417 429 4069.

Music:

“Flash in a Bottle” by Dead Heart Bloom from the album “In Chains.”
“Things Happen Fast” by Fuzzy Logic.

LHS Episode #031: Linux Journal Invasion Jan 12, 2010

Show notes

Contributors:

Last episode we talked about WSPR. Eddie Bennett, G3ZJO, wrote an article about running WSPR under Linux, and that article is available on the LHS website. He has several other blog pages, too.
Don, WS4E, wrote that he recently acquired an iPhone and was interested to see that there is a Ustream app for it, but the app only plays pre-approved streams. He wonders if the LHS and RF podcasts will be available on Ustream. Russ did contact them, and LHS is now available on the Ustream iPhone application.
We received a pingback from Ben, VK5JFK, to the article on the LHS website, Linux Mint 7 - Refreshing
Paul, KC9QYB, of teenradiojourney.com, writes about a problem he was having with a file server. They recently upgraded it to the latest version of Ubuntu server, on a separate partition. He wonders how he can recover the data from the other drives and partitions. Russ answers. Essentially:
Identify the “old” drive device name. You can search through the results of the dmesg command to see which devices are detected at boot. Let’s assume your old data is on drive /dev/hda1.
Create a directory in the /mnt directory on your new drive (or partition) to serve as the mount point. We’ll call it root: mkdir /mnt/root
Mount the old drive: mount /dev/hda1 /mnt/root
Now you can copy or move files from the old drive at /mnt/root to the new drive.
Similarly, you can create other directories in /mnt for other partitions, such as /var, /usr, /home, or whatever you might need.
A Twitter mention from timls about listening to the podcast.

Announcements:

We received a donation from Bill, NF9D, to help send Linux in the Ham Shack to the Dayton Hamvention in 2010. Thanks, Bill!

Links and Notes:

Interview with David Lane, KG4GIY, and Shawn Powers of Linux Journal. Shawn is the Associate Editor and David is a contributing author, blogger, member of the Reader Advisory Board, and amateur radio operator. The January, 2010 issue of Linux Journal is devoted to amateur radio topics.
The very first issue of Linux Journal is available online, and also contained an article about ham radio.
David’s blog post about ereaders.
David is also the Emergency Coordinator and RACES officer for Prince William Cty, VA. David discusses the use of Linux in emergency communications.
Mentioned in the chat room: David Freese, W1HKJ, the author of fldigi, also has NBEMS, Narrow Band Emergency Messaging System, for Linux.
The group discusses how packet radio networks operate.
This leads to a discussion of what, if any, types of encryption are allowed in amateur radio transmissions.
Linux Journal has their “virtual ham shack” at https://www.linuxjournal.com/ham/, which includes a forum. David has recently started a thread there about software-defined radios.
The panel discusses what appears to be an increase in ham radio software for the Linux community.
Russ asks the panel their opinion about the new evil empire, Google, and specifically Google Wave and Google Voice.
What about Google DNS? https://code.google.com/speed/public-dns/ (The panel mentions “Cricket’s book”, which is DNS and BIND, by Paul Albitz and Cricket Liu, published by O’Reilly.)
With Oracle’s purchase of Sun, what will happen to MySQL?
Look for David at the Linux Journal chatroom on freenode IRC, in the #linuxjournal channel.
Check out the Linux Journal store, too.

Music:

“Let’s Get It Started” by Oh No Not Stereo from the album “003”
“Miss America” by Beyond 7 from the album “Revelations Per Minute”

LHS Episode #030: Whispers and Warnings Dec 29, 2009

Show notes

Contributors:

Walter, WN3LIF, writes to express his appreciation for the podcast. He has successfully interfaced his FT-450 to his Linux Mint system.
Terry, KV6M, alerted Richard to a link spam entry in the forums at blacksparrowmedia.com.
Bob, VE3SRE, recently found the podcast, and has been a user of GNU/Linux for many years. He’s found a good contest logging program, but neglected to mention which one. Let us know, Bob!
Paul, KC9QYB, of teenradiojourney.com, Kent, VE4KEH, and Bill, KA9WKA, join the roundtable discussion this episode.

Announcements:

Check out Russ on Hacker Public Radio! In episode 0494, Klaatu interviews Russ at Ohio Linux Fest.
Another generous donation came from Jim, W9GNG. Thanks very much, Jim! LHS is well on the way to their goal for sending Richard and Russ to the Dayton Hamvention 2010! If you’d like to donate, click on the Donate button at the Linux in the Ham Shack website.

Links and Notes:

The ARRL has an article about Senate Bill 1755 being passed in the Senate and now moves to the House of Representatives for consideration. A roundtable discussion ensues.
Kent, VE4KEH, joins the roundtable to discuss WSPR (Weak Signal Propagation Reporter), written by Joe Taylor, K1JT. See also the WSPRnet page for recent observations.
When you install the .deb package, it may not create a desktop icon. The program installs, by default, into the /WSPR directory. So, you may need to run it by doing the following in a terminal window: $ cd /WSPR $ ./wspr
Of course, you’ll also need a soundcard interface to your radio. Once running, you should go to the Setup -> Station parameters menu option and enter your callsign, grid square, transmit power, and set your audio device and rig control preferences.
It can even be used on the experimental 600m band, if you have a license to operate there. On July 28, 2009, the FCC granted the ARRL a modified license for WD2XSH. This modified license allows the experiment to operate with 45 stations across the continental USA, Alaska, and Hawaii. So, unless you’re one of the stations specifically authorized to operate on 600m, you should only provide reception reports, and not transmit on that band.
One final note about WSPR: you must have your computer clock set very accurately. The easiest way is to set up an NTP client on your computer to synchronize your computer clock to one of the network time protocol servers. Here is an article on setting up a Ubuntu client, which should also work for Linux Mint. Or…
If you RIGHT CLICK on your desktop clock and select “set date / time”, there may be an option to automatically set the time. You can select the ntp.ubuntu.com server so you don’t overload the public servers.
Paul recently built a Pixie II QRP CW transceiver kit.
Bill Meara, M0HBr/CU2JL/N2CQR, of the SolderSmoke podcast is also a fan and practitioner of WSPR.
Bill, KB3CVA, has a telnet BBS online at https://phantombbs.net.
Russ discusses a gizmodo article about Microsoft patenting the sudo command. It’s not likely that the patent is enforceable. Don’t Panic. 🙂 Articles on ars technica and Information Week have a more realistic slant on the issue.
Tip: to eliminate having to enter your password each time you use the sudo command:
First, edit the /etc/sudoers file using the visudo utility. It is considered insecure to tweak the /etc/sudoers file manually.

$ sudo visudo /etc/sudoers

Uncomment this line by removing the # character: # %sudo ALL=NOPASSWD: ALL
So it now looks like this: %sudo ALL=NOPASSWD: ALL

and save the file.

Finally, add your user name to the sudo group. For example, to add user russ to the sudo group: sudo usermod -a -G sudo russ
Log out and in, and enjoy sudo without the password prompts.
Of course, if you just want to avoid repeatedly typing your password for a session, you can issue the command: sudo bash -

which will give you a bash terminal session as root, and you can then issue several commands as root without the need for typing sudo at all.

Debate in the chat room about cell phones and emergency communications. Richard talks about the cell phone problems during hurricane Katrina. Most cell phone systems are designed to support about 20% of their subscribers at any given time. When an emergency occurs, the cell phone networks are quickly overloaded.

Music:

“Inside Joke” by Little Thom from the album “Bottomfeeders”
“A Little Bit of Riddim” by Michael Franti and Spearhead from the album “All Rebel Rockers”

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

LHS Episode #029: Evil Empires Dec 17, 2009

Show notes

Recorded on December 8th, the anniversary of the assassination of John Lennon.

Contributors:

Matt, KC8BEW, tells us about a new Linux forum at Linux Journal for amateur radio topics.Â The January, 2010 issue of Linux Journal has several amateur radio related articles.Â AddÂ https://www.linuxjournal.com/ham to your bookmarks.Â Look for an interview with a couple folks from Linux Journal on the episode to be recorded on January 5, 2010.Â And thanks to Kent, VE4KEH, for the plug in the forum over there.
Kent, VE4KEH, sent in an audio segment, to be included later in this episode.Â If you’d like to submit an audio segment, please send it in .ogg or .mp3 format, if possible.
Another message from Kent suggests a topic for a future show about installing distros from live .iso files to a flash drive with persistence.Â (Check out the Pen Drive Linux site.)
Rich, KD0BJT, and his son Brady, KD0BJS, have started their own podcast, called Low SWR.
A WordPress blog by Gary, KE2YK, references an article by Martin, AA6E, about Linux and amateur radio.
The Fresh Ubuntu podcast website has linked to the LHS website.Â They’re also on Freenode IRC at #freshubuntu.
The Bluff County DX Association of LaCrosse, WI linked to the LHS website.Â Thanks!
Ben, VK5JFK, left a comment on Bill’s review of Linux Mint 7 asking if Xastir runs under Linux Mint.Â Yes, it does, and I’ve posted an article on the website about it.
Ed, KC5NT, writes to say he enjoys the podcast and is 100% Linux in the ham shack.Â He describes his radio activities and made a donation to the fund to send LHS to Dayton in 2010.Â Thanks, Ed!
Jason, NT7S, has a link to LHS in his blog, Ripples in the Ether.
Richard sent some feedback to the Going Linux podcast and got mentioned in episode 86.
The technet.147120.com blog also linked to LHS. They hold an on-air technical net in the Orlando, FL area on Wednesday nights on the 147.120 repeater (103.5 Hz PL).

Announcements:

Donations: We received donations from: Ed KC5NT, Bill KA9WKA, Doug N6LMX, John EI7IG, and Walter WN3LIF.Â Thank you all for your very generous donations.Â It looks like we’re well on the way to sending Russ and Richard to Dayton in 2010.
Thanks, again, to Dave and John of Gamma Leonis for the theme music for the show.Â www.gammaleonis.com

Links and Notes:

Kent, VE4KEH, supplied an audio report about the Ontario GNU/Linux Fest.
Russ reviews Ubuntu 9.10 netbook remix.
Russ rants about the Evil Empire – no, the other one.Â Google.Â Specifically, Google DNS.
For more information about configuring BIND, see the International Systems Consortium.
Richard reports on his D-RATS project running on a Dell Latitude CPt.Â It was running Xubuntu Linux, but he moved toÂ CrunchBang Linux, and it’s working much better.
KB3CVA has a telnet BBS online at www.phantombbs.net.Â Check it out.

Music:

“Fade Your Heat” by Val Davis from the album “Immortal”
“Didn’t I?” by Shane Jackman from the album “Equilibrium”

LHS Episode #028: The Art of Listening Dec 02, 2009

Show notes

Contributors:

Russ recommends the movie Carnival of Souls.
Wish Russ a Happy Birthday on December 5th!
Jos invites everyone to attend Camp KDE 2010 in San Diego, CA on January 15-22, 2010.

Announcements:

Donations from Paul KC9QYB, Joel, and Walter. Thank you! (And congratulations to Paul on getting his Technicians license!)
A Google alert says the LHS website showed up in linuxzine.com, probably because of our sponsorship of Linux Mint.
You can leave feedback via our toll-free telephone line at 888-455-0305.

Links and Notes:

Richard talks about using an old Dell Latitude laptop for mobile operations. After many trials and tribulations and resetting the BIOS, he managed to install Xubuntu, and has D-RATS installed.
Russ installed Ubuntu 9.10 on a machine. He tried 64-bit Linux Mint 7, but it failed.
Richard wanted to run DSL or Puppy on the Latitude. DSL booted, but he couldn’t get the network card to work.
From the chatroom, N3JIM asks what virtualization software Russ is using. Currently, VMWare Server 2.02, but it doesn’t play nice with newer kernels. So, Russ is planning on moving to Sun’s VirtualBox.
Matt points out that Ubuntu will remove Gimp from the default installation beginning with Ubuntu 10.04.
Short Wave Listening, a topic suggested to Russ at Ohio Linux Fest.
Receivers: Ten-Tec RX-320D, a PC-controlled, shortwave receiver. Ten-Tec supplies Windows software, but there is aLinux program, too.
An article describing the receiver and it’s application.
Other radios are available from Yaesu, Icom, Kenwood, and C. Crane.
Russ talks about the Radio Shack DX-440 shortwave receiver he used (aka Sangean 803A).
Digital Radio Mondiale
Time Synchronization Stations - you can syncrhonize your PC clock to a national standard: WWV, CHU.
Software: MultiMode 5.9.2 (for Mac OSX), fldigi, Radio Explorer.
Things to hear: Numbers stations, Letter stations.
Antennas: very similar to what you would need for a transceiver. Random wires and tuned dipoles, will work, too. Look for a receiver that has an external antenna jack.
Where to listen: Amateur radio bands, international broadcast bands.
QSO Radio Show can be heard Tuesdays from 05:00PM to 07:00PM ET, 2100 to 2300 UTC at 7415KHz (WBCQ radio).
Coast to Coast AM
Check Amazon for antennas, receivers, and SWL-related books. (Remember to use our Amazon link for your purchases.)
Passport to World Band Radio (Also available at Amazon).
KO4RB asks if we’ve had any specific experience with an active antenna for shortwave listening.

Music:

“Say Hey (I Love You)” by Michael Franti & Spearhead from the album “All Rebel Rockers”
“The Only Life” by Justin Roth from the album “Shine”

LHS Episode #027: Where Are My Meds? Nov 18, 2009

Show notes

Contributors:

Russ visited a Ham Radio Outlet in Virginia and bought a new Yaesu FT-7900R for his truck.
Richard bought a Kenwood TS-50, some wire and antennas at the Belton hamfest, but hasn’t installed them yet.
John, EI7IG, says you don’t need AX.25 support in the kernel to run XASTIR, since you’re running the TNC in KISS mode. He also says that APRS is useful for emcomm events, disseminating local weather information, and passing short text messages.
Tim, KI6BGE, recommends Resonant Frequency, Linux in the Ham Shack, and SolderSmoke in his October 29 blog entry.

Announcements:

We received a donation from Paul during the last episode, and now Alex made a sizable donation. Thanks, Alex!

Links and Notes:

Roundtable discussion with Kent VE4KEH, Paul from TeenRadioJourney, Matt KC8BEW, and Jim N3JIM.
Jim runs Mac OS X and FreeBSD.
Matt runs OpenSUSE, Ubuntu, Windows XP, and Linux Mint.
Paul runs Windows XP and Ubuntu.
Kent was running Debian, but now runs CrunchBang and Linux Mint.
Topics include running packet, buying TNCs at hamfests, digital modes, fldigi, remote control operation of radios, EchoLink, IRLP, CW, 6 meters, repeaters, the HAARP project, 2m Slim Jim antenna, J-Poles, handy talks, and Richard loses his mind.

Music:

“Company of Fools” by Great Big Sea from the album “Fortune’s Favour”

LHS Episode #026: Junk in the Trunk Nov 10, 2009

Show notes

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.
FlexRadio was there.
Sidewinders on Two radio club.
Henry Allen, K5BUG, was offering his Texas Bugcatcher Antennas.
Richard met Dr. David Woolweaver, K5RAV, the ARRL West Gulf Division Director.
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.