Hi Everybody,
Several people have asked me, "how do I get started?", so I thought I'd answer
it here. Please note that I am neither a Windoze nor a Mac person, so these
instructions will be very Linux centric.
These instructions have been updated for version 25a.
0) You shouldn't need this information, but if you get stuck, the default account
is "xubuntu" and the password is blank/empty/there_is_no_password.
1) Download the ISO file from Sourceforge. It will be named something like this:
andy_<version>.iso
2) Verify that the download is not corrupt. Please don't skip this step!
a) On a Linux system, run this command: md5sum andy_<ver>.iso
b) Compare that value to the value shown on Sourceforge
c) Follow these detailed instructions to find the known good value
https://sourceforge.net/p/kb1oiq-andysham/discussion/1789007/thread/9e4b0279bf/
d) Please don't omit this check. Many strange problems have been
shown to be caused by a corrupt download. If you report a problem,
this will be the first question I ask of you.
3) An optional step is to use VirtualBox and boot the ISO file.
After logging in, it should be fully functional.
4) Create a bootable USB thumb drive, containing the data from the ISO file.
I have verified that these tools work properly:
* usb-creator-gtk
* balena-etcher
Please note taht MultiBootUSB versions 9.2.0 and 9.3.0 seem NOT TO WORK
for some reason.
Note that there have been issues with some software that doesn't properly
create a bootable USB thumb drive.
You will need a USB thumb drive that is at least 8GB in size.
5) Put the USB thumb drive into the computer that you wish to use
for ham radio.
6) Boot that computer, and make sure it really boots the correct device. You'll
know if you did it correctly because it will say "Andy's Ham Radio Linux" on
the boot splash screen. You may have to go into the BIOS of your computer to get the
correct device to boot.
7a) When prompted, you may choose "Try Xubuntu" or "Install Xubuntu".
If you select "Try Xubuntu", follow the following instructions,
otherwise jump to instruction #8.
7b) When booting the live medium, the user will automatically be logged into the
default account
7c) The user should now see a Tux penguin background and the xfce4 windowing environment.
7d) At the top left corner of the screen is a small blue icon. Click it to get the
menu. Note the entry entitled "Andy_Ham_Radio_Linux". All of the ham radio
software is accessible from that menu or one of its submenus. The same programs
MAY be accessible from other menus (e.g. Hamradio).
7e) Now, play with the software!
7f) Eventually, you'll want to install the software to your hard drive.
Double click the "Install Xubuntu 22.04.0" icon on the left of the screen to
start the installation procedure.
7g) Proceed to instruction #9.
8) From instruction 7a, choose "Install Xubuntu".
8a) Be sure that you have the network enabled and that it is working! The installation
might not succeed if the network is inaccessible.
9) The installation procedure will ask for a "Normal" or "Minimal" installation.
This has no effect on the ham radio programs.
10) Installation type: Choose that which is appropriate for your computer and hard
drive. If possible, choose "Erase disk and Install Xubuntu", but be VERY SURE
that you've backed up any desired data before taking this step.
11) After the installation succeeds, reboot the computer, ensuring that the hard
drive is booted.
12) The graphical login prompt will appear. It should say "Other".
12a) Login using "xubuntu" (without the quotes) as the username, and hit enter.
12b) There is no password, and that prompt should have gone away when you hit
enter after typing "xubuntu".
12c) Click on "Log In"
12d) You should be logged in! If you see a big Tux Penguin on the background,
you've succeeded.
13) To fix your user account, follow these instructions.
13a) Right click on the Xfce background and select "Open Terminal Here"
13b) Type these commands in the terminal window:
sudo -i
cd /root/bin
./fix_account
(answer the questions for the account you wish to create)
exit
13c) Close the terminal window
13d) Logout and log back in using your newly created account.
Find the blue circle in the top left corner of the desktop, and click it.
Click the one-zero button at the bottom right of that menu.
Click "Logout"
13e) Log in using the username/password that you just created.
If you've done everything correctly, your username should appear in the
graphical login box. Type the password and hit enter, or click "Log In".
13f) You should now be logged in.
13g) If that worked, delete the xubuntu account:
sudo deluser xubuntu
sudo rm -fr /home/xubuntu
13h) You're done!
Please read the documentation contained in the Andy Ham Radio Linux -> Documentation menu.
Please note that I cannot possibly support every program in this software
collection. Please search the internet if you have problems of that nature.
Have a lot of fun, and 73!
Andy
KB1OIQ
May 2023
