Leap into action and nominate your favorite open source software

CQRLog has been great for me. Convenient logging, runs on my Debian laptop, sync with hosted QSL services.

 

YT8CN? Isn't it FT8CN? Software author BG7YOZ。

 

Has anyone nominated Andy's Ham Linux? The entire OS is devoted to Ham Radio.

 

Just give every one of them an award.

That's what I would do...

It's nice of them to contribute their skills for the benefit of the amateur radio community, and I appreciate the work all of them do.

 

Ok, not sure how to nominate, from such a big choice in many categories, but here's a first stab at it.
These are my OS Linux current picks from what I currently use:

Logging: CQRLOG https://www.cqrlog.com/ with its SQL interface.
Remote operation for Icom: WFVIEW https://wfview.org/
Digital Modes: FLDIGI http://www.w1hkj.com/
FT8 and Joe Taylor modes: WSJT-X https://wsjt.sourceforge.io/
SSTV: QSSTV https://www.qsl.net/on4qz/qsstv/manual/index.html
Antenna model: EZNEC Pro+ v. 7.0 https://eznec.com/ (run with Wine)
or the related gui Xnec2c https://www.xnec2c.org/
Open source OS: Arch Linux. https://archlinux.org for the tinkerer,
Linux Mint https://www.linuxmint.com/ for the beginner.
Spreadsheet: LibreOffice Calc
DB: MariaDB
ADIF utility: Adif Master (run with Wine.)

73, John KX4QC
https://NoEyeDeer.org

 

I used to like this, but couldn't find it recently. A check on Distrowatch this evening, http://distrowatch.org/ comes up empty.

Linux Mint, Ubuntu, Debian include many maintained ham packages, and Ach Linux has the huge if unwieldy AUR collection, https://archlinux.org/ with many ham items to choose.

Arch is fun, blistering fast, but you need to be comfortable compiling from source, and Mint (Cinnamon) seems a good bet for the beginner who wants most current Linux ham stuff included?

73, John KX4QC
https://NoEyeDeer.org

 

Mint isnt as easy as you said. For beginners? Maybe in the start, but when the first problems occure, its over with the friendship. It depends most on hardware which is made only for Microsoft Windows and its costly driver rights for manufacturers. So the hardware is cheap, but only useable for Windows users. How about your hardware?

So always an eye on the drivers before a new device is planned, when using a free Linux or an OS system change is on mind. Next often Blacklisting of modules is necessary, too. The management of the access rights in the system can drive beginners into madness. Multimedia packets like The Good, The Bad, The Ugly are not for beginners.

And HAM-Radio devices with different interfaces are no fun, too. In summary the system is a good one, but it got its different problems which are sometimes not to solve. But the community of Minties is always good for to explain the different problems.

 

Each to their own, though Mint continues to be popular here with beginners, and largely without driver issues, the included ones working well for ham radio.
Such driver issues issues as are, seem to center round less usual SDRs based on less usual chipsets, though we find most are supported through GNU / soapy / osmo . (We have not yet had a beginner who has needed to understand the innards of module id, insertion, removal and listing.) We wish you well with Windows and commend a try of a live distro of Mint Cinnamon. Yes, we run Win too, XP through 11.

So sorry you find ham radio devices no fun with Linux. They are mostly built-in, rather than add-on extras. There seems to be little problem nowadays with hamlib 4.5 supporting just about every rig https://github.com/Hamlib/Hamlib/wiki/Supported-Radios made over the last 20 years, including the built-in sound cards and those with ethernet / WiFi connectivity, and PXE boot for remote startup. (IR control, anyone?) Standards compliant hardware is generally supported, though a manufacturer can always specify a proprietary interface for a device to lock in users to commercial support. Both work, though we prefer open standards. I guess we're cheap!

Linux "access rights" or Permissions follow standard Unix practice with every file, folder and device having an owner who belongs to a group, and permissions for read write and execute. So when software is removed, the system never complains that such-and-such file cannot be removed because it cannot be determined if the file is still in use. (Quite the welcome mat for malware?) Again, we find that beginners find this predictability welcome, and the absence of a Registry, disk defragmentation and malware additional benefits.

The communication at the rig, CAT, PTT, audio, PXE looks almost the same whatever the controlling OS, so we try not to get too excited about which OS people feel comfortable with. Whatever it is, it works better when we understand it?

73, John KX4QC
CompTIA Linux+ certified.
https://NoEyeDeer.org

 

Maybe add FREEDV https://freedv.org Good but not so many users yet. Maybe the future of phone? Cheaper than VARA...

73, John KX4QC
https://NoEyeDeer.org

 

Somehow the link to the award's website got lost. Here it is: https://arsaward.com/

 

He won already! Yes, excellent work there.

 

Ok, a second nomination for hamlib and rigctl?

 

This is what has kept me from fully embracing Linux. I've been messing with it since it was still distributed on floppy disks, always looking for alternatives to Windows. (3.1 primarily, MS-DOS in a clown suit!) Time and time again, I've installed it on various systems, but eventually go back to Windows when my Linux box blows up and I have no idea how to fix it. Last time, I used Mint on my primary laptop for about six months, but eventually it broke down as well. I really admire and like the platform, I just don't have the desire to become a UNIX expert in order to maintain it. For those with the knowledge, power to them. For me, I only used it for "appliance" purposes now, such as Hamclock, Pi-Hole DMR server, digital hotspots and Allstar.

Thankfully Windows 11 is very stable for me these days, although I wish it would stop randomly changing my audio settings!

 

I did contact Yaesu and Dell... they both tell me that they have no free offerings for ham radio operators.

Mike, WA9PIE

 

I like free. I have had linux as my primary OS for many years now, and enjoy ham radio logging, digital, phone SSTV and more with it. Yes, I look after it and keep it running, but with plenty of online help when I need.
Yes, I could use a commercial solution for all of this, paying someone else to look after it all.
Being retired, I like to keep my money, and now I have a little left over for QST!

73, John KX4QC
https://NoEyeDeer.org