RELEASE_NOTES
=============
If this file looks improperly spaced, choose a fixed width font.
My goal in creating this software collection was to allow the user
to have an easier way to get started with a Linux computer and an
amateur radio. There is still a lot for the user to do! However,
I have complete confidence in your ability to learn what you may
not yet know how to do. After all, you're a licensed amateur
radio operator!
If you are the type of person who can install a tube into your
rig with no further direction, or perhaps a circuit board in your
computer, then this software collection may be for you. However,
if you need to be told to get the screwdriver and remove the screws
first, with pictures and text, you may be disappointed.
This software collection is based on Ubuntu 14.04 LTS and is a remix.
This means that the selection of software packages is not the same
as the standard Ubuntu 14.04. The vast majority of the programs
came directly from the Ubuntu repository. A few programs were
installed either directly from source, or installed as a precompiled
binary. To the best of my knowledge, there is no proprietary
software on this software collection. If you find any proprietary
software, please send me email.
Assumptions:
- computer is old, but not too old (newer computers are OK, too!)
- computer has a bootable DVD drive or can boot a USB thumb drive
- 1GB of memory minimum (more for SDR applications)
- 1GHz processor minimum (more for SDR applications)
- computer has a working network connection (either hard wired
ethernet OR wifi can work)
- 10 GB hard disk - absolute minimum (more is definitely better)
- this software collection does the hard work of geting you started,
and you can continue on your own. It is a starting point, not an
end point.
Explicit non-goals:
- Flash support in the browser (remember: flash is proprietary)
- power management
- one version cannot be used to upgrade a previous version
Goals:
- works as a Live DVD or Live USB thumb drive
- contains installation programs for the hard drive and a USB thumb drive
- a reasonable selection of amateur radio software is present, but users
are expected to configure each program as is required for their unique
situation
- to help both the Linux and amateur radio communities by creating this
software collection
In short, the software collection was built by starting first with the
debootstrap package. The X Window System was installed along with icewm.
A variety of amateur radio applications were then installed. The menu
was customized for amateur radio use. The login screen, boot splash
screen, and the slideshow for the hard disk installation program were
also customized.
This link was extremely helpful in the creation of this software collection:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/LiveCDCustomizationFromScratch
Based on the assumptions above, software was selected for its usefulness
to amateur radio, as well as being considerate of the relatively limited
memory, reduced CPU horsepower, and possibly reduced disk space of an
older computer. Lightweight software need not be primitive in either
function or appearance! I am now using a 10 year old laptop for
testing this software collection, with a 1.8GHz processor and 2 GB
of memory.
The included amateur radio software is shown (if this section does
not look properly lined up, pick a fixed width font):
aa-analyzer.pl - command line program used with RigExpert AA-xxx analyzers
chirp - used to program frequencies into HTs (chirpw)
cqrlog - a full featured QSO logging program
cwwav - command line program to convert text files to CW wav or mp3
direwolf - soundcard TNC for APRS
dream - digital radio mondiale receiver
dump1090 - ADSB reception
earthtrack - used with predict and xplanet to display satellites
ebook2cwgui - convert Ebook files to CW (get free ones at
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/)
freedv - SSB low bit rate digital voice
flamp - NBEMS program for Amateur Multicast Protocol (AMP)
fldigi - digital modes such as PSK31 (NBEMS)
flmsg - companion to fldigi, a simple forms management editor
for standard message formats (NBEMS)
fllog - to provide a common log across networked computers
flnet - a net control logging program by W1HKJ
flrig - rig control
flwkey - modem program for the K1EL Winkeyer series
flwrap - companion to fldigi, file encapsulation / compression
Fl_Moxgen - Moxon Rectangle antenna design program
foxtelem - Fox-1A (AO-85) Satellite Telemetry decoder
gerbv - view Gerber files
glfer - QRSS (slow CW) or DFCW (Dual Frequency CW) modes
GNU Radio - GNU software defined radio
gpredict - satellite tracking
gqrx - software defined radio receiver
grig - rig control software
gsmc - Smith Chart calculator for impedance matching
gspiceui - GUI interface for spice
gwave - analog waveform viewer (e.g. spice output) (broken)
hamlib - radio control library
ibp - HF beacons
kicad - electronic design automation and schematic capture
linamc - packet radio ax.25 mail client
linpac - packet radio ax.25 software
mfc_gpl - Byonics Micro-Fox 15 configuration GUI
owx - Open Wouxun, command line programs for Wouxun HTs
pcb - interactive printed circuit board editor
predict - predict orbits of satellites (used with earthtrack)
pskmail - ARQ communication system optimized for HF
qgrid - Maidenhead grid squares calculator
quisk - software defined radio receiver
qrq - CW callsign practice
qsstv - SSTV (analog AND digital)
qtel - Echolink client
soundmodem - user mode driver for packet radio (useful with xastir)
splat - command line HF propagation prediction
sunclock - track day/night line on Earth
svxlink - Echolink server
TQSL - used with ARRL Logbook of the World
tt3_gpl - Byonics TinyTrak3 Configuration GUI
voacapl - VOACAP for Linux - propagation prediction
wsjt - weak signal communication
wsjt-x - weak signal communication - JT9 and JT65
xastir - APRS mapping
xcwcp - CW code practice
xdx - DX cluster TCP/IP client
xlog - logging program for casual operators
xnec2c - antenna modeling software
xplanet - used by earthtrack and predict to track satellites
xwxapt - display APT images from weather satellites
Other included software (not an exhaustive list):
evince - PDF file reader
icewm - lightweight windowing environment
imagemagick - image manipulation programs (for use with scrot and display)
leafpad - very simple text editor
live-usb-install- program to install software to a USB thumb drive
locate - locate and updatedb to create a database of filenames
lxkeymap - configure keyboard
lxrandr - modify screen resolution
midori - web browser
minicom - serial communcation program
mupdf - PDF file reader
nano - text editor
ntp - sync time with time server
pavucontrol - sound volume controls
pmount - user mount for removable devices
scrot - command line screen capture tool
smartpm - the Smart package manager for software management
ssh - SSH client and server
sylpheed - email tool (for use with flarq)
ubiquity - program to install software to the hard drive
usbmount - automounting of USB devices
wicd - GUI tool for configuring network(s)
wireless-tools - command line tools for wireless networking
xcalc - calculator
xclock - a simple clock
xfe - graphical file manager
xfview - image viewer
xfwrite - text editor
xosview - system monitor
Other tidbits of information (in no particular order):
- Ubiquity hard drive installer
The Ubiquity installer is a pain in the neck to get working!
It is a pain in the neck to keep it working!
The ubuntu-artwork package is required (and I've included it for you).
During a hard drive installation, the Ubiquity slideshow entertains you.
This slideshow was customized for "Andy's Ham Radio Linux" starting with
version 15.1. I hope you enjoy it!
- icewm menu files are in /etc/X11/icewm. Copy them to your ~/.icewm
directory if you wish to modify them.
- To change the clock to display 24-hour UTC time, do the following:
- mkdir ~/.icewm
- cp /usr/share/icewm/preferences ~/.icewm
- Edit ~/.icewm/preferences
- Look for "Clock Time format"
- Uncomment the line
- It should read as follows: TimeFormat="%T %Z"
- Save the file, exit the editor
- Restart icewm: Menu->System->Window Managers->icewm
- The clock should now be displaying 24-hour time with "UTC" afterwards
- If it is not displaying "UTC", try this:
- sudo dpkg-reconfigure tzdata
- Scroll down and choose "None of the above"
- Scroll down and choose "UTC"
- Once the ncurses GUI exits, the UTC settings should be working.
- Try the "date" command to be sure.
- Files installed from source or binary are locate in:
- /usr/local/bin
- A few development packages are distributed which were used
when compiling these programs from source.
- See /usr/local/share/doc/Andy_Ham_Radio_Linux/00_SOURCES
- Notes about logging program: cqrlog
Prior to running cqrlog for the first time, be sure to run the
/usr/local/bin/init_cqrlog script, which will populate your
cqrlog configuration for the first time. If in doubt, READ the
script to see what it does and decide for yourself if the operation
is safe.
Once the init_cqrlog script has been run, start cqrlog.
If you see an error about "Exceptions.tab", cancel out of the program
and restart it.
Click "Open Log" in the cqrlog window. Read the Changelog, and then
click "close".
A window should now appear which reads "New QSL
managers database is available...". Click "Yes" to install it.
After that, you should be all set!
The MySQL password is "kb1oiq".
- If the user boots the Live DVD and creates files in the $HOME
directory, they don't seem to be copied to the hard drive
when ubiquity does its installation. I think this is a
feature about which the user needs to know.
- An example configuration files for xwxapt can be found here:
/usr/local/share/xwxapt/xwxaptrc
Copy this file to your ~/xwxapt directory.
- Wireless configuration:
- try WiCD, which by default is shown on the bottom right of
the icewm screen (from /etc/X11/icewm/startup)
- Be sure to go into the WiCD->Preferences menu and set the
Wireless Interface
- Generally, this will be "wlan0" or "eth1" (try ifconfig to
see the interfaces)
- WiCD is accessed via the icon on the taskbar near the clock
- One must remove the network-manager package or wireless will
fail with the error: "Bad Password", or it might not connect,
with no message.
- Try it first to see if this is necessary
- Some wireless hardware is painful to get working with Linux.
It may be necessary to search Google to find out the procedure
for your specific hardware.
- In the System menu, there is an entry for "Hard Drive Install".
This works as expected when booted from the Live DVD. However, once
the software is installed and booted from the hard drive, this menu
option, while still present, does not work, for obvious reasons. In
that case, one might wish to edit the /etc/X11/icewm/menu file to
remove this menu entry.
- Note that the hard wired network MUST be in place prior to attempting
to perform a "Hard Drive Install". If not, it will probably fail at
the point where it tries to install the bootloader, and you will end
up with a hard drive that is not bootable. This WILL NOT work with a
wireless network connection - it MUST be a hard wired network connection.
- In the system menu, there is an entry for "USB Drive Install",
intended for creating a bootable USB thumb drive.
In the program, be sure to select:
- Mode: Distribution
- Install from: CD/DVD drive
- Distribution: Andy Ham Radio Linux
- Version: (generally pick the highest numbered version available)
- Install to: pick your thumb drive
If your "Install to" menu shows no devices, insure that the thumb
drive to which you wish to install the software is MOUNTED first.
This requirement struck me as strange, but it does work. One might
use /media or a subdirectory as the mount point.
Note that this procedure works fine if the source medium is a CD/DVD,
and the destination medium is a mounted partition on a USB thumb drive.
However, if the user has booted a USB thumb drive on a computer which
has no CD/DVD drive, the thumb drive cannot be cloned. :-(
There may be a way to boot from a USB thumb drive and install to
another USB thumb drive. Instead of selecting "Install From CD/DVD",
choose "Internet". Note that this will cause the program to download
a large (1-2 GB) file from Sourceforge and store it somewhere in /tmp.
On some computers, /tmp may not have enough space to store such a
large file (df -h | grep tmp), in which case this procedure will fail.
Yes, it is possible to resize tmpfs but that procedure is beyond the
scope of these RELEASE_NOTES.
For more information about live-usb-install, please consult this
website: http://live.learnfree.eu
- Satellites can be seen over the planet Earth on your root window!
- In the Amateur_Radio->Satellite menu, start the Predict server
- There probably won't be any visible output. That's OK.
- In the Amateur_Radio->Satellite menu, start Earthtrack
- One should see a picture of the Earth on the root window, with
satellites drawn on it, centered at the location of W1AW.
- Customize the home QTH by editing ~/.predict/predict.qth.
- Clean it up by the Earthtrack (cleanup) menu.
- Restore your background by Menu->Settings->Themes->Default.
- If this fails (and it fails the very first time),
select the Earthtrack (cleanup) menu, which kills all of the
predict and earthtrack processes, and start again.
- Look at the HACKS file for specific hacks and customizations.
Look also in /root/bin for any scripts that may perform these hacks.
- Sound: what a painful experience! As of the version 11 CD,
pulseaudio and ALSA have been installed. For older programs
one might need to edit the /etc/X11/icewm/* files appropriately
to adjust the menu entries for these programs to preface the
executable name with "padsp". This also works on the command
line: e.g. padsp xcwcp. Many (most, all?) have already been done.
- One might try: audacious /usr/share/sounds/alsa/Rear_Center.wav &
- Be sure to unmute the sound in Menu->Utilities->Sound->PAvucontrol
- Virtual Box OSE:
- Sound
- I have it working with PulseAudio on the host and ICH AC97 as the
sound device.
- When one logs into the Live DVD (or USB thumb drive) for the first
time, sound may not work (it doesn't for me). Test: "aplay -l".
- If no soundcards are found, try this:
- sudo /root/bin/fix_sound_live_cd (adds user ubuntu to group audio)
- log out
- log back in
- "aplay -l" should now show the soundcard
- This will need to be done each time the Live medium is booted.
- First boot after hard drive installation
- add your user to the group netdev (adduser <user> netdev)
- add your user to the group audio (adduser <user> audio)
- reboot
- Sound now has a fighting chance of working: aplay -l
- the error message from wicd should have gone away
- Have fun!!!
- VOACAP for Linux
- Version 15 update: I think this program is broken. :-(
- It tries to grab a file from the internet, that is no longer present.
- Version 16 update: I believe I have fixed this program!
- midori - web browser
- if you can't see the box for entering the URL, make the window
bigger until you see it
- Problems with certificates
- create ~/.xinitrc with these three (3) lines
#!/bin/sh
export `gnome-keyring-daemon --start`
exec /usr/bin/icewm-session
- chmod u+x ~/.xinitrc
- ln -s ~/.xinitrc ~/.xsession
- restart the X server (logging out is not sufficient)
- Debugging boot related issues
- When the boot screen appears, it hides all mesages from the startup scripts
- Press the Esc key to see those messages
- Debug as appropriate based on these messages
- direwolf
- KB1OIQ prefers: direwolf -t 0 (to disable all colors and
blinking text)
- Prior to running for the first time:
cp /usr/local/src/direwolf-1.0/direwolf.conf ~
- xfe
- added file associations for xnec2c (.nec), xlog (.xlog), and
GNU Radio Companion (.grc)
- Try this: Menu->Amateur Radio->Antenna->Xnec2c Examples
- Double click on one of the *.nec files and xnec2c will start
- Try this: Menu->Amateur Radio->SDR->grc examples
- Double click on the uhd subdirectory
- Double click on any *.grc file, and GNU Radio Companion
will start and a flow graph will be visible
- pskmail_server (first included in version 17)
- I suspect that the user will need to do the following:
- sudo -i
- cd /usr/local/src/pskmail_server
- ./libinstall.sh
- ./install.sh
- further tweaks may be needed - send me email if you find the right recipe
- foxtelem
- Create a directory where you'd like to store the program data.
- Start the foxtelem program.
- Be sure to select "Custom" when run the first time.
- Don't pick "Simple". Just don't.
- Point foxtelem at the directory where you'd like to store the program data.
- Then, foxtelem will work OK.
- If this isn't done correctly, there will be all sorts of error boxes
and the program will not run. You may have to kill it. To recover
from that case: rm -fr ~/.FoxTelem
and start over.
- I cannot possibly support all of the programs in this software
collection. If you require assistance, please search the internet,
and I'm sure you'll find the answer.
I hope you have a lot of fun with this software collection!
73 de Andy KB1OIQ
April 2016
