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 18.04 LTS and is a remix.
This means that the selection of software packages is not the same
as the standard Ubuntu 18.04. 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 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)
- 15 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
- thoroughly tested in Virtualbox OSE
- 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. The included amateur radio software is shown (if this section does
not look properly lined up, pick a fixed width font):
AlarmeJT - companion program to wsjt-x
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/)
flamp - NBEMS program for Amateur Multicast Protocol (AMP)
flcluster - access DX cluster nodes
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
freedv - SSB low bit rate digital voice
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
klog - logging program
linpac - packet radio ax.25 software
mfc_gpl - Byonics Micro-Fox 15 configuration GUI
MSHV - FT8 and other digital modes, similar to wsjt-x
owx - Open Wouxun, command line programs for Wouxun HTs
pcb-gtk - 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 - propagation prediction - link to online data
wordsworth - learn CW a "wordsworth" at a time
wsjt-x - weak signal communication - JT9,JT65,FT8
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
xwefax - display Wefax and Radiofax images
xwxapt - display APT images from weather satellites
Other included software (not an exhaustive list):
evince - PDF file reader
firefox - web browser
icewm - lightweight window manager
imagemagick - image manipulation programs (for use with scrot and display)
leafpad - very simple text editor
locate - locate and updatedb to create a database of filenames
lxkeymap - configure keyboard
lxrandr - modify screen resolution
minicom - serial communcation program
nano - text editor
ntp - sync time with time server
pavucontrol - sound volume controls
pmount - user mount for removable devices
ristretto - image viewer
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
xfimage - 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
- 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), or these new "enps0*" names.
- 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.
- Satellites can be seen over the planet Earth on your root window!
- The very first time, type "predict" in an xterm and set it up.
- 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.
The list may not be complete.
- 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
- UPDATE: on AHRL version 22, this no longer seems to be a problem.
- VirtualBox 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
- I have substituted VOACAP Online, which brings up the browser on the
appropriate web page.
- 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
- Dire Wolf
- KB1OIQ prefers: direwolf -t 0 (to disable all colors and
blinking text)
- Prior to running for the first time:
cp /usr/local/share/doc/direwolf/examples/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
- USB memory sticks and SYNC/NOSYNC
- often, the write access to a USB memory stick seems to be very SLOOOOOWWWWWWW......
- to speed it up, I modified /etc/usbmount/usbmount.conf to mount the device "nosync"
- BE SURE to properly umount the device:
- sync
- pumount
- NEVER just pull out the USB memory stick!
- 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.
- xdx
- The menus do not appear as expected in the 2.7.0 version. This is a know issue.
- Move the mouse and click it in the empty space where the menus should be.
- The drop down menus will appear when you click in the magic place.
- After installing to the hard drive, one might wish to delete the
"ubuntu" account. As root: userdel ubuntu
- 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
December 2019
