AmateurRadio.com

Hello, listeners! We're putting out our latest episode of Linux in the Ham Shack just before Hamvention. We have great topics tonight including hams suing hams, the fight between Oracle and Google, antenna and kit building, mobile operation and so much more. Don't forget that we WILL be at the Dayton Hamvention this year in the East Hall, booth 625. Also, please note that we could still use your help in defraying some of our Hamvention expenses. If you'd like to donate (and maybe pick up some cool LHS swag in the process), please click on our Generosity Campaign link. See you there!

73 de The LHS Crew

Episode #109 Audio (Listen now!):

Introduction:

After a callsign mixup resulting in Russ calling Pete VE2XPW, the show is off to a flying start.

Mini-Topics:

• Antenna Modelers
  • gEDA (EDA = Electronic Design Automation)
  • xnec2c and xnecview

• Manjaro Linux

• Google Launches Stratospheric Internet Balloons
  • http://www.google.com/loon/

• The Linux in the Ham Shack Badger hits the Big Time!
  • http://www.badgerbalm.com/

Main Topic:

• Field Day

Announcements & Feedback:

• Contest Extended to Episode #110
  • To give time for more entries, the contest will be extended.  You can become a subscriber or leave a voice mail at 1-909-LHS-SHOW (547-7469).  For voice mail entries, remember to complete the thought, “I deserve a Beaglebone Black because,” and make sure to leave contact info.  The winner will be announced on Episode #110. Entries must be received by midnight on the day of recording, July 2, 2013.

• E-mail from Gary, KN4AQ, of HamRadioNow.tv

Social Media Roundup:

• Google+
  • Terje H (Added)
  • Pierre M (Added)
  • Peter W (Added)
  • Raymund W (Added)
  • Rene, PD5RS (Posted)

• Status.net
  • To find Russ on any personal Status.net instance (pump.io, identi.ca, etc) use the email [email protected]

Subscribers and Donations:

• Doug (Yearly Subscription)
• Jonas R (Yearly Subscription)

Music:

• “Let This Monkey Go” by Heifervescent from the album Little Egg, courtesy of Jamendo.
• “Open Your Eyes” by Leslie Hunt from the album Your Hair Is on Fire, courtesy of Jamendo.

Hello, dear listener! Welcome to Episode #109 of Linux in the Ham Shack. This episode is being released a bit early because there is time sensitive material included, and we wanted to make sure it was available to everyone before the ARRL Field Day weekend, June 22-23, 2013.

Also included along with our thoughts on Field Day are our thoughts on Electronic Design Automation, Manjaro Linux and some introspection and extrospection on the art of podcasting. We would like to warn everyone in advance that this episode of LHS may include language that some listeners might find objectionable or not suitable for young children. We don't plan on making this a habit, but due to the strong feelings involved and the importance of the topic being discussed, we did not feel censorship was appropriate.

We hope you enjoy this installment and look forward to your continued listenership. Also, don't forget to check out the Contests page for info on how you can still win a Beaglebone Black!

73 de The LHS Guys

Do you Google+ ?

After an initial flurry on interest in Google+ I couldn’t quite decide what it was for. Like many people I keep contact with friends and family on facebook and it servers a purpose, I can’t say I actually like the platform but it does keep me in contact. Google+ is a similar swervice but for a while I couldn’t understand what it was actually for. If nobody I knew was on it then what use is it to me?

Over the past few months a number of different additions have been made to it. There are now communities that seem to be well populated including several for Ham radio.

Again I wasn’t really sure how these things would benefit me, especially as time seems to disappear very quickly at the moment. But yesterday it struck me that you get out what you put in. Not exactly innovative thinking but I posted a question on one community and was pleasantly surprised to see the responses came quickly and they were relevant. Having tested the water I think its time I used it a bit more, not just a personal news service from various blogs and sites now that Google Reader is going to be shut down.

So if you fancy dipping a toe into the various communities I can recommend it. I struggle to actually explain what the service is but as a geek I’ve found it useful in keeping myself up to date with my interests.

There’s an interesting discussion ongoing on some of the amateur radio blogs (including this one) about how an analysis of the number of searches in Google using the term “ham radio” is trending. No doubt about it, if you simply look at the graph, it shows the hobby I love so much–and that I fully credit for getting me into a career in media–is trending more and more southward:

This could mean a number of things:

— People are getting their info about ham radio in other ways besides searching for that specific term on Google.
— They are searching for info on the hobby using other keywords, such as “amateur radio.”
— Nowadays, people search initially for information on a subject and then, if they find what they seek, they bookmark it/make it a favorite and don’t search anymore on Google.
— As we have gotten more sophisticated in how we use the search engines–often merely using the address bar in our browsers to type in odd terms that more closely match what we are seeking–the big, all-inclusive search terms are not used so often.
— Interest really is declining.

You know what my heart tells me. Licensing backs me up in that belief. We have more licensed amateurs in the country now than ever before in the 100-year history of the hobby. My sense is that the hobby is vibrant and growing, and, before you slap on me me that “rose-colored glasses” brand, be aware that I am pretty good at looking at things such as reliable research data realistically.

On the other hand, I still believe it behooves those of us active in the hobby, those who want to see it continue to grow, expand, and become even more exciting and diverse, to be evangelistic about it. We have to do what we can to recruit potential hams into our little “cult of the airwaves.”

That was one reason I wrote the book RIDING THE SHORTWAVES: EXPLORING THE MAGIC OF AMATEUR RADIO. I want people to understand that the hobby can be much more than sitting in a basement sending Morse code or trying futilely to hit repeaters with a handheld and a rubber-ducky antenna. As with most technology, our avocation has dramatically changed, and for the better. It offers so much to younger people who have grown up with cable, satellites, computers, and smart phones. True, those folks might think amateur radio is still what their weird uncle used to do in his back room with all that spittin’ and sparkin’ radio junk. We need to make them more aware of what the hobby is these days. And make sure they know that it absolutely can lead to a career in a technical field, including computers, communications, engineering, meteorology, media and more.

We won’t panic about that trend line. We will continue to do what we should be able to do best: COMMUNICATE!

Don Keith N4KC
www.n4kc.com
www.donkeith.com

So Google has announced that it is buying Motorola Mobility, a spin off of the original Motorola. The main focus of the company is mobile handsets. But with a little extra work, could Google maybe diverse even more into ham radio? Chances are, they wouldn’t, but let’s take a trip to “Fantasy Land” and see what it could be.

Photo Courtesy of Wikipedia/Coolcaesar

So, Google decides to move into Ham Radio. Motorola has already been building commercial radios for years. Some of them can be re-tuned for the ham bands. So let’s say they design and build a small “Smart HT”. Using Android, they could offer a ton of great features on it. Maybe like a Software Defined Radio  type of device, with DSP filtering, along with standards like CTCSS. APRS built in and maybe even a D-Star alternative codec, but still have backwards compatibility with the current. Why not Bluetooth and WiFi for Echolink? Use apps to increase functionality? Can it be done? Would you want something like that? How would it look and work? Or am I basically describing an iPod Touch or Google Android Phone?

This is all speculation of course, but could Google build a “Smart HT”? What would be the next generation of HT’s be like? I wouldn’t mind hearing what you would like to see in these “Smart HTs” should they ever be built. It almost fuels the imagination huh? Let me know what you think in the comments.

73.

Rich also writes a Tech blog and posts stories every Tuesday and Thursday on Q103, The Rock of Albany’s website, as well as Amateur Radio stories every Monday thru Friday here on AmiZed Studios.

Linux in the HAM Shack has arrived in 2010! It's hard to believe that 2009 is over already. We've have so much fun putting together the podcast for everyone, the time has literally flown by. Soon it will be time for the snow to melt, the world to turn green once again, and for LHS to travel to Dayton, OH for the 2010 Hamvention in May. We're so ready we can almost taste it.

In this episode, we had the honor of interviewing two prominent figures from Linux Journal magazine. David Lane, KG4GIY, is the magazine's eminent blogger and ham radio advocate. He is a large part of the reason the January 2010 issue of LJ is all about amateur radio. Shawn Powers is the magazine's associate editor, which gives him the dubious honor of being a guest on our show. He's the go-to guy when the editor, publisher and just about everyone else needs something done. We have to say we were greatly honored to have the LJ folks join us, and we sure hope we haven't scared them off so they'll come back and talk with us in the future.

Hope everyone is having a fantastic 2010 so far, and thanks for downloading LHS in the new year. And if you have a couple of dollars leftover from holiday binging, please drop us a donation as the deadline for acquiring a booth in Dayton is coming up fast. And remember, we appreciate our listeners, each and every one. Thank you!

73 de Russ and Richard