Linux HAM-HOWTO, Amateur Radio Software List

Linux HAM-HOWTO, Amateur Radio Software List
Terry Dawson, VK2KTJ, [email protected]
v1.6, 8 April 1995

It is hoped that this list will assist Amateur Radio operators in
finding and trying the various amateur radio software that has been
written for, or ported to Linux. It is also hoped that as a conse-
quence of this information being available that more amateur radio
operators will choose Linux as the platform of choice for their exper-
imentation, and that software developers will choose Linux as the
platform for their software development, further expanding the role of
operating systems like Linux in the Amateur Radio field.

1. Introduction.

This list was prompted by comments that had been expressed in the
various Linux newsgroups about the number of amateur radio operators
that were involved with Linux. It seemed to me that I was catching
snippets of information here and there relating to development efforts
taking place, but I never really knew where to locate either the
person responsible for a particular piece of software, or the software
itself. The list is growing as new packages are found.

This list is not limited to non-commercial software in any way.
Taking a serious look at most amateur radio fields shows that most
good developments are those that are designed by individuals and that
commercial entities have taken up and disseminated to the mass market.
I'd like to see the same happen for Linux support for Amateur Radio
software too.

This list was originally called the RADIOLINUX list, but Matt Welsh
suggested that there was no reason why it shouldn't be distributed
with the Linux Documentation Project documents, so it has been renamed
the HAM-HOWTO and will be made available with the rest of the Linux
Documentation. I make no apologies for the name.

1.1. Changes from the previous version

Additions:
Added clx - packet cluster software
Bruce Perens LinuxForHams CDROM
SuperiorMorse - thanks Brian and John
svgafft - Spectrum analyser

Corrections:
Updated SatTrack to version 3.1 - thanks Manfred.
Updated IPIP daemon to Bdale recombined version.

2. Where to obtain new versions of this list.

This list will be periodically posted to the comp.os.linux.announce
newsgroup, and to the HAMS list on niksula.hut.fi.

It is also available from the following World Wide Web sites:

The Linux Documentation Project runs a Web Server and this list
appears there as The HAM-HOWTO (http://sunsite.unc.edu/mdw/HOWTO/HAM-
HOWTO.html).

Dennis Boylan N4ZMZ <[email protected]> makes it available at
the following three locations:

www.com (http://www.com/linux/radio/index.html), www.hboc.com
(http://www.hboc.com/linux/index.html) and www.lan.com
(http://www.lan.com/linux/index.html).

John Gotts N8QDW <[email protected]> makes it available at:
www.engin.umich.edu
(http://www.engin.umich.edu/~jgotts/linuxhamsoft.html).

Alan Hargreaves VK2KVF <[email protected]> makes it available in
Australia at: www.dap.csiro.au (http://www.dap.csiro.au/RadioLinux).

Please let me know if you'd like to make it available somewhere too.
I'd like to see it on some Web Servers that are accessible from radio.

3. Satellite Software.

The following software is for use in experimentation with Satellite
communication.

3.1. MicroSat Ground Station Software

Author
John Melton, G0ORX/N6LYT, [email protected] and Jonathan Naylor
G4KLX, [email protected]

Description
Microsat Ground Station software.

Status
BETA. Version 0.9-Xaw released.

System requirements
Alan Cox's kernel based AX.25 support ver 1.1.12 or better. X-
Windows. The programs make use of the Athena Widgets and look
much better with the 3D libraries.

Detail
This software allows you to use of a KISS tnc to directly
communicate with the Microsat series of satellites. It provides
an Athena Widgets based X-Windows interface, and allows you a
comprehensive range of means of interacting with the satellite.
The software should work with any window manager.

The software provides the following programs:

xpb:
broadcast monitor

xpg:
ftl0 file upload program, message upload program

xtlm:
telemetry display program

downloaded:
downloaded file list viewer

directory:
directory list viewer

message:
message preparation application

viewtext:
uncompressed ASCII text file viewer

viewlog:
display the contents of some log files

xweber:
special program for downloading webersat images

phs:
general purpose PACSAT header stripper

Where and How to obtain it.
John's software is available from:

ftp.ucsd.edu
(ftp://ftp.ucsd.edu/hamradio/packet/tcpip/incoming/microsat-0.9-Xaw.tar.gz)
or ftp.funet.fi
(ftp://ftp.funet.fi/pub/ham/satellite/microsat/microsat-0.9-Xaw.tar.gz).
Please check for new versions.

Licensing/Copyright
GNU Public License. Freely redistributable, No warranty.

Contributed by:
John Melton, G0ORX/N6LYT, Alan Cox, GW4PTS, Jonathon Naylor,
G4KLX

3.2. SatTrack - Satellite tracking program

Name
SatTrack

Author
Manfred Bester, DL5KR, [email protected], (510) 849-9922

Description
Satellite realtime tracking and orbit prediction program with
X11 color graphics.

Status
Version 3.1 has been released.

System requirements
A vt100 terminal and or X11 server. A Maths Coprocessor is
useful but not essential for good performance.

Detail
SatTrack is a satellite tracking program that has been written
in 'C' language on a UNIX workstation. It provides two different
live displays, for single or multiple satellites, and two
different orbit prediction facilities. Cursor controls used in
both live displays are compatible with the VT100 standard, which
allows the program to be run basically from any terminal. An
optional X Window graphics display shows the typical world map
tracking chart. The orbit prediction can be run either
interactively or in a batch mode. In the latter case all
necessary parameters are specified on the command line. The
program uses the NORAD/NASA two-line Keplerian element (TLE)
sets directly.

The current version of SatTrack can track a single satellite
and/or display multiple satellites for a single ground station.
It also can control suitable ground station hardware, like
antennas and radio equipment, and has an autotrack mode in which
it switches automatically between a number of specified
satellites. For calibration purposes tracking of the Sun and the
Moon are also provided. Future releases will provide more
options. SatTrack requires about 5 MB of disk space in the full
distribution with eight different world maps (2 styles, with 4
different sizes each, to fit everyone's screen and taste) and
less than 1.5 MB of memory at run time.

More information can be obtained from the SatTrack WWW Home Page
(http://ssl.berkeley.edu/isi_www/sattrack.html)

Compiling the software under Linux is quite straightforward.
Manfred has designed the Makefile to compile the software
directly under your home directory, this is easy to change.

The steps I took were:

# cd /usr/src
# export HOME=/usr/src
# gzip -dc sattrack.V3.1.tar.gz | tar xvf -
# cd SatTrack/src
# vi Makefile
{Comment SUN4 compile options}
{Uncomment the linux options}
{Select the options you want}
# make

Where and How to obtain it.
SatTrack can be found at: ftp.amsat.org
(ftp://ftp.amsat.org/amsat/software/Linux/sattrack.V3.1.tar.gz)
or ftp.jvnc.net
(ftp://ftp.jvnc.net/priv/kupiec/sattrack/sattrack.V3.1.tar.Z) or
the SatTrack WWW Home Page
(http://ssl.berkeley.edu/isi_www/sattrack-3.1.tar.gz)

Licensing/Copyright
The software is Copyright of Manfred Bester. It can be used
without special permission for non-profit, non-commercial use.
For commercial applications a license from the author is
required.

Contributed by:
Manfred Bester, DL5KR

4. Shack Automation Software.

Software for simplifying tasks in the shack. Examples might include
software for controlling the newer breed of radios, logging programs,
QSL database, or antenna rotation.

5. Packet Radio

Software for use in conjunction with, or for facilitating packet
radio.

5.1. Kernel Based AX.25 networking.

Author
Alan Cox, GW4PTS, [email protected]

Description
Software that allows the Linux Kernel to perform AX.25
networking.

Status
ALPHA. Quite stable though.

System requirements
Linux kernel 1.0 or later.

Detail
Alan's software provides the programmer with a berkeley socket
based interface to the AX.25 protocol. AX.25 sockets can opened
for either connected, or connectionless modes of operation.
Support to allow tcp/ip over AX.25 is provided. The user
applications has been Jonathon G4KLX. The software comes in two
parts, a kernel patch, and the user programs. The user programs
included are:

axadd
to manipulate the AX.25 ARP table.

axattach
to convert a serial device into a KISS device.

axl
an AX.25 listener designed to start a PMS when it receives an
incoming connection. The PMS is still very new.

axsetcall
to change the callsign of a port.

beacon
generated beacon messages every 30 minutes.

call
A linemode AX.25 connection program. Call allows you to make
connections to other AX.25 nodes. It provides file transmit
and receive capabilities, and newer versions allow YAPP
binary file transfers.

listen
a demonstration of how to use intercept AX.25 frames at the
raw packet level. Useful as a building block for packet
tracing for example.

Where and How to obtain it.
There are a number of different versions of the software. You
must choose the one that suits your version of Linux kernel. The
software is available from: sunacm.swan.ac.uk
(ftp://sunacm.swan.ac.uk/pub/misc/Linux/Radio/)

More detail on where and how to obtain the software is provided
in the plain text version of the NET-2-HOWTO
(ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/docs/howto/NET-2-HOWTO) or if
you have WWW access at: NET-2-HOWTO via WWW
(http://sunsite.unc.edu/mdw/HOWTO/NET-2-HOWTO.html).

Licensing/Copyright
Most of the software is covered by the GNU Public License, some
of the software is Copyright by the Regents of University
California Berkeley, and small portions of the user programs are
Copyright Phil Karn KA9Q, whose copyright allows unrestricted
use by Amateur Radio, Educational Institutions and Commercial
KA9Q OEM license holders.

Contributed by:
Terry Dawson, VK2KTJ.

5.2. JNOS

Author
Brandon Allbery, KF8NH, [email protected]

Description
Brandon ported JNOS to Linux. His port is currently of the 1.09
(aka 1.08df) release of JNOS. Future versions will probably be
based on Doug Crompton's evolution of 1.08df. Brandon suggests
that JNOS for Linux is primarily of interest to people with
existing DOS-based NOS configurations (especially server/switch
configurations) who wish to switch to Linux or to escape the
640K barrier.

Status
The current version is ALPHA.4. Brandon is still tracking down
bugs, as well as evolving new features.

System Requirements.
Any version of Linux along with ncurses 1.8.1 or 1.8.5 (the
latter is preferred). Optionally you will require Linux
networking (at least loopback) and slattach (kernels pre-1.1.13
or post-1.1.20 required for this).

Detail
If you include the Linux networking code in addition to JNOS,
you can link the two by a slip link running over a pty, so that
Linux can provide services to your radio users. In this way you
can easily add servers without having to build them into JNOS
itself. Brandon has supplied the following list of known bugs:

o some servers seem to be causing unexplained exits.

o PPP is reported not to work in ALPHA.4, although it worked in
ALPHA.3.

o BBS forwarding when convers is compiled in but not configured
causes core dumps.

o the finger server is getting bad filenames.

o the bbs W command is case-munging filenames.

Where and How to obtain it.
You can obtain JNOS for Linux ALPHA.4 at: ftp.ucsd.edu
(ftp://ftp.ucsd.edu/hamradio/packet/tcpip/linux/j109lxA4.tgz)
ncurses is available on most Linux ftp sites.

Licensing/Copyright
Brandon's modifications to JNOS are public domain. Most of the
pre-existing NOS code is copyrighted and restricted to non-
commercial use by the various contributors from Phil Karn on.

Contributed by:
Brandon Allbery, KF8NH

5.3. N0ARY Packet BBS for UN*X

Author
Bob Arasmith, N0ARY, ported to Linux (and others) by Bob Proulx,
KF0UW, [email protected]

Description
A packet bbs implemented under UN*X.

Status
ALPHA. Bob is running version ARY-0.9 on both Linux and HP-UX.
The next version from N0ARY which is called 4.0 is in alpha
test/development release. Bob has not been able to bring this
online yet and is still running 0.9+kf0uw mods. Bob has about
half it working with Alan Cox's AX.25 kernel which would be the
desirable combination.

System Requirements.
Linux installation, C Compiler, plus HAM radio TNC hardware.

Detail
This bbs has an excellent packet user interface. It has a
compatible set of commands with the RLI bbs so users will be
familiar with it immediately. It then extends the command set
to be a very nice natural language style interface (e.g "list at
allus about KPC-3"). Many csh style bang commands are supported.
Also included is a mail interface to provide a packet to
internet gateway.

Currently you need to customize the source code for your
installation so you need some C programming proficiency.

Where and How to obtain it.
For a Linux version or for Linux information send mail to
[email protected]. For a SunOS version contact [email protected].
This code is not packaged for distribution yet since it is not
past the alpha stage of development.

Licensing/Copyright
Copyright by Bob Arasmith, N0ARY, but freely redistributable.

Contributed by:
Bob Proulx, kf0uw, [email protected]

5.4. MBL/RLI message to NNTP and email converter.

Author
SM0OHI, [email protected]

Description
Software that will convert incoming MBL/RLI messages into either
NNTP or RFC-822 formatted mail messages.

Status
Development, not yet released.

System requirements
Unknown.

Detail
This software would be ideally suited to those who want to
establish a mail and news gateway between conventional tcp/ip
networks and the amateur radio mail network.

Where and How to obtain it.
Not yet availale.

Licensing/Copyright
Unknown.

Contributed by:
SM0OHI

5.5. Packet Cluster Node software

Author
Franta Bendl, DJ0ZY, and Bernhard ("Ben") Buettner, DL6RAI,
[email protected]

Description
A PacketCluster like system running on Linux.

Status
Released in March 1995.

System Requirements
Linux Kernel version 1.1.50 or greater with Alan Cox's AX.25
version 025 driver, TCP/IP networking, SysV IPC. Also needs Perl
and KISS TNC hardware on serial device.

Detail
PacketCluster nodes have been available for about six years. The
original software was written by Dick Newell, AK1A, and is
running under DOS. clx is a system which clones a PacketCluster
node. To the outside user commands and features are mostly
identical, remote PacketCluster nodes, which can be networked,
don't see the difference between a generic PacketCluster node
and clx. So it fits well into an established network of
PacketCluster nodes.

clx is not a user application, it is network node software. As
such it is not of much use for the individual amateur. SysOPs of
PacketCluster nodes with some experience on both PacketCluster
and Linux will find this application interesting.

Here are some of the features of CLX:

o It is fully compatible with the internal PCxx protocol and from
a users' point of view. It allows multitasking and different
priorities for different things.

o The software detects looping DX spots without generating endless
messages. clx filters out such duplicate information. We have
implemented a concept which allows us to connect the network at
multiple points, which would formerly have been called a
"Cluster Loop". clx knows of so-called "active" and "passive"
links. The outcome is that more DX information is seen by clx.

o An interface to call your external programs (even dialog
programs).

o clx uses modern programming concepts like shared memory for
common data, lex & yacc to implement command language, shared
libraries to keep binaries small (this is still on our wish
list), remote procedure calls for inter process communication.
It is strictly modularized with its own dedicated process for
every major task.

o Comprises the following modules:

con_ctl
interfaces AX.25 kernel code and provides a socket for local
users.

rcv_ctl
manages receive spooling.

snd_ctl
manages transmit spooling.

rm_disp
receive message dispatcher, forwards messages to other
processes.

usr_req
user database requests, forks a process for every database
task to make it run in the background. The background process
later sends the results directly to send_ctl.

mb_ctl
mailbox control. The mailbox keeps messages in a file system,
header information is stored in the database.

usr_ctl
user administration (logins, logouts, logbook).

usc_mng
manages external user commands and command extensions.

iu_com
inter user communication (talk, conference).

send_ctl
transmit spooling, handling priorities.

icl_com
inter node communication (processing and generating PCxx
messages).

clx_ctl
system administration, installing shared memory pages.

int_com
manages internal program communications.

o The following is the only application program which can be run
on the console:

loc_usr
allows console operator(s) to log in like a normal user.

Future enhance planned are:
o A console monitor to watch ongoing activities

o Speed optimization

o An internal clx protocol

o An additional command shell for experienced users

Where and How to obtain it:
You can obtain clx from ftp.uni-erlangen.de (ftp://ftp.uni-
erlangen.de/pub/public/pc-freeware/hamradio/packet/packclus/clx)

Licensing/Copyright
clx is available for non-commercial use, but the authors want to
keep track of who is using their product, so before you can
actually use the software you have to ask for an encrypted
callsign string to be placed in the configuration file. You must
send mail to <[email protected]> to organise this.

Contributed by:
Bernhard ("Ben") Buettner, DL6RAI

5.6. Single floppy disk AX.25 router.

Author
Alan Cox, GW4PTS, [email protected]

Description
A single floppy disk version of linux with enough software to
allow a PC to act as an AX.25/IP router.

Status
Development, not yet released.

System requirements.
As for any Linux system a 386SX class PC or better.

Detail
No detail yet.

Where and How to obtain it.
Not yet available.

Licensing/Copyright
Unknown/Undecided.

Contributed by:
Terry Dawson, VK2KTJ

5.7. TNT.

Author
Mark Wahl, DL4YBG, DL4YBG @ DB0BLO.#.DEU.EU, [email protected]

Description
A Hostmode terminal program for TNC's that support the WA8DED
hostmode protocol.

Status
Version 0.8 is reportedly stable.
System requirements
TNC supporting WA8DED hostmode protocol, serial line.

Detail
TNT is a full featured hostmode terminal program. Compiling it
on Linux is as difficult as untarring the source and typing
`make'. It provides both a `dumb' terminal and X11 version. It
comes with some comprehensive documentation which describes its
features in some detail. Its main features are:

Multiple sessions:
TNT supports multiple packet radio connections on virtual
screens that you can switch between. Each session window
provides split screen (seperate transmit and receive text)
operation with a status line. Commands can be entered in
either a command session, or in any terminal session using a
command key. Each of the virtual screens can be larger than
the physical screen and can be scrolled around.

Data capture, file transfer and logging:
A number of options are available for logging received text
to files. You can log transmit, receive or both to a log
file. You can overwrite or append received data to existing
files. You can use the `autobin' protocol to transmit or
receive binary files.

Remote Shell operation:
You can provide a shell to remote users so that they can
access other programs on your computer. You can also run a
program and direct its input/output to a channel so that
users can use it.

Redirection of devices to a channel:
TNT allows you to redirect input/output from a channel to a
device, a modem for example.

Umlaut conversion:
TNT provides umlaut conversion if necessary.

Remote mode:
Remote users can issue command themselves if allowed to do
so.

Socket mode:
You can configure tnt so that it opens a socket for users to
telnet to that allows them operation just as you have from
the console. This is useful where your linux machine is on an
ethernet and you want other terminal on the net to have use
of your radio.

Where and How to obtain it.
The software is available by anonymous ftp from: ftp.funet.fi
(ftp://ftp.funet.fi/pub/ham/unix/packet/tntsrc08.tgz). This site
is mirrored at a number of places so you will probably find it
at other places as well.

Licensing/Copyright
GNU Public License. Freely redistributable, no warranty.

Contributed by:
Steffen Weinreich, DL5ZBG.

5.8. IPIP encapsulation daemon.

Name
Mike Westerhof's IPIP encapsulation daemon.

Author
Mike Westerhof KA9WSB (original code), then Bdale Garbee N3EUA
(port to BSD), then Ron Atkinson N8FOW and John Paul Morrison
(port to Linux), then Bdale rolled it all back together again.

Description
A daemon that will allow you to use your linux machine as an
IPIP encapsulating gateway.

Status
Ron is running this code himself, and the other version have
been run quite successfully.

System requirements
KISS TNC, any version of Linux supporting RAW sockets.

Detail
If you've ever used an internet gateway from your amateur packet
radio you have probably been connected by an encapsulation
gateway of some descpription. Most run KA9Q's NOS and DOS, but
others run Unix and this daemon. It allows you to encapsulate IP
within IP, so that you can 'tunnel' IP connections over the
Internet. The software allows you to connect a KISS TNC to your
linux machine and to have all datagrams received on it carried
across the Internet to a similar gateway. Bdale has installation
instructions in the package.

Where and How to obtain it.
This software is available from the col.hp.com
(ftp:///col.hp.com/hamradio/packet/etc/ipip/ipip.tar.gz) ftp
site.

Licensing/Copyright etc.
Freely distributable, though Bdale asks that if you use the code
and like it you might send him a QSL card or a postcard.

Contributed by:
Ron Atkinson, N8FOW, and Bdale Garbee, N3EUA

5.9. AXIP encapsulation daemon.

Name
Mike Westerhof's AXIP encapsulation daemon.

Author
Mike Westerhof KA9WSB, ported to Linux by Ron Atkinson N8FOW.

Description
A daemon that will allow you to use your linux machine as an
AXIP encapsul ating gateway.

Status
Not properly tested, but assumed to work ok.

System requirements
KISS TNC, any version of Linux supporting RAW sockets.

Detail
This daemon is the partner to the IPIP encapsulation daemon. It
allows you to encapsulate AX.25 frames in IP to carry them
across the Internet. This is useful for linking AX.25 networks
in remote areas. Ron has supplied a Makefile for linux, and with
it the software compiled without errors on my system running a
recent version kernel. Ron has also written some README files
which give you the detail necessary to compile the system and
the original documentation describes how to configure it.

Where and How to obtain it.
This software is available in the sunsite.unc.edu ham apps
directory
(ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/apps/ham/ax25ip.tar.gz).

Licensing/Copyright etc.
Freely distributable so long as the original copyright notice is
not removed.

Contributed by:
Ron Atkinson, N8FOW

5.10. Ping-Pong Convers Server

Name
Fred Baumgartens Convers Server for Linux.

Author
Fred Baumgarten, DC6IQ, <[email protected]>

Description
This is a version of the convers server that allows multiple
users to simultaneously chat with each other in a round-table
style conversation. It is compatible with the NOS convers
servers, but provides extra facilities such as saving/restoring
of Personal Text and Chanel Topics.

Status
In use of a number of popular convers servers, appears very
stable.

System requirements.
Linux, GNU make, C compiler.

Detail.
Complete installation instructions are included in the INSTALL
file that is included in the distribution.

Where and How to obtain it.
A distribution of this software is available in the
sunsite.unc.edu ham apps directory
(ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/apps/ham/convers-941122.tar.gz).
The home of the software is at insu1.etec.uni-karlsruhe.de ftp
server (ftp://insu1.etec.uni-
karlsruhe.de/pub/hamradio/convers/convers)

Licensing/Copright etc.
Presumably copyright Fred Baumgarten (not specifically stated),
but some portions appear to be free for non-commercial use and
copying provided the copyright notices stay intact.

Contributed by:
Terry Dawson, VK2KTJ

5.11. Wampes

A port of Wampes to Linux. Could someone send me details of the
latest wampes release please ?

6. Morse Code

Software for use in conjunction with, or for facilitating Morse
communication.

6.1. GW4PTS Morse trainer.

Author
Alan Cox, GW4PTS, [email protected]

Description
A Morse Code trainer that uses the PC internal speaker

Status
stable, works quite well, unfinished.

System requirements
Linux, any version

Detail
Alan wrote this small program in only an hour. It is quite neat,
and allows you to play morse at a range of speeds and
frequencies through the PC internal speaker. You can specify the
text to be played either from the command line, from a file, or
the program is capable of generating random character groups. As
it stands you must invoke the program from a Linux Virtual
Console, as it relies on certain kernel calls to produce the
sound, and these don't work as easily from an XTerm. As it
sounds each character it lists the character in verbal form (Di,
Dit, Dah etc.) to the screen. Alan is hoping that someone will
take the code and enhance it with the features he has listed in
the comments at the head of the source file.

Where and How to obtain it.
I've had a large number of responses from people seeking this
code, so I've obtained Alan's permission to make it available.
You can obtain it from sunsite.unc.edu
(ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/apps/ham/GW4PTS.morse.tar.gz).

Copyright/Licensing
GNU Public License 2, freely redistributable, no warranty.

Contributed by:
Terry Dawson, VK2KTJ, [email protected]

6.2. morse (aka superiormorse)

Author
Joe Dellinger, Hawaii Institute of Geophysics, University of
Hawaii at Manoa, [email protected], [email protected],
[email protected]

Description
A morse-code practice program for UNIX workstations.

Status
Quite stable

System Requirements
Currently supports X11, Sun4, HP, Indigo, and Linux

Detail
Lots of features and options. Includes a utility for generating
random content QSOs, similar to those used in the FCC exams.

Where and How to obtain it:
morse can be obtained from: sepftp.standford.edu
(ftp://sepftp.stanford.edu/pub/UNIX_utils/morse/morse.tar.gz).

Licensing/Copyright
Freely Redistributable

Contributed by:
Brian Suggs, AC6GV, and John Gotts, [email protected]

7. AMTOR Software.

Software for use in conjunction with, or for facilitating AMTOR.

8. PACTOR Software.

Software for use in conjunction with, or for facilitating PACTOR.

9. Slow Scan Television Software.

Software for use in conjunction with, or for facilitating Slow Scan
Television.

10. Facsimile Software.

Software for use in conjunction with, or for facilitating Facsimile.

11. Design and Construction Software.

Software to assist in the design and construction of amateur radio
related things. Antenna, Circuit Board, Filter, and QSL card design
packages are all good candidates for this section.

11.1. Software Oscilloscope

Author
Jeff Tranter, [email protected]

Description
Scope is a simple software emulation of an oscilloscope. It
graphically displays voltage as a function of time.

Status
ALPHA. First release.

System requirements
Sound card with input capability supported by the kernel sound
driver. SVGALIB is used to do the display work.
Detail
Scope uses the /dev/dsp device to take audio in from the
soundcard and displays it on the screen in a manner similar to
an oscilloscope. Jeff claims Scope was written more for
amusement value than for any serious purpose.

Where and How to obtain it.
You can obtain source, makefile and man page for Scope from:
sunsite.unc.edu
(ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/apps/circuits/scope-0.1.tar.gz)

Licensing/Copyright
GNU Public License, Freely redistributable, No warranty.

Contributed by:
Terry Dawson, VK2KTJ

11.2. irsim

Author
Dmitry Teytelman, [email protected]

Description
An event-driven logic-level simulator for MOS circuits

Status
Version 8.6, production.

System Requirements
X-Windows.

Detail
irsim is an X11 based simulator for MOS circuits. It has two
simulation modes, either switch where each transistor is
modelled as a voltage controlled switch, or linear where each
transistor is modelled as a resistor in series with a voltage
controlled switch, and each node has a capacitance.

Where and How to obtain it.
You can obtain irsim from: sunsite.unc.edu
(ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/apps/circuits/irsim.tar.z).

Licensing/Copyright
Freely Redistributable

Contributed by:
Terry Dawson, VK2KTJ

11.3. Spice

Author
University of California, Berkeley, ported by
[email protected]

Description
Spice is an analog circuit emulator.

Status
Stable release. Last fortran version produced.

System requirements
Unknown.
Detail
Spice allows you to design and test circuits in a computer
modelled environment to see how they will behave without having
to touch a soldering iron, or solder.

Where and How to obtain it.
You can obtain version 2g6 of Spice from: sunsite.unc.edu
(ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/apps/circuits/spice2g6.tar.z)

Licensing/Copyright
Copyright held by University California, Berkeley. Freely
redistributable.

Contributed by:
Terry Dawson, VK2KTJ

11.4. svgafft - Spectrum analyser

Author
Andrew Veliath, [email protected]

Description
svgafft is a spectrum analyser for Linux.

Status
Alpha software, but usable.

System requirements
Linux supported sound card, svgalib, a 486DX33 or better.

Detail
svgafft uses the /dev/dsp device and currently supports 16-bit
and 8-bit sample resolution on supported Linux soundcards. It's
display is something akin to a high-end spectrum analyzer with
falling peaks.

Where and How to obtain it:
Look for svgafft-0.2.tar.gz on sunsite.unc.edu

Licensing/Copyright
Unknown, check any README supplied.

Contributed by:
Terry Dawson, VK2KTJ.

12. Training/Educational Software.

Software to assist in education or training for amateur radio. Morse
Code tutorials, technical examination database, Computer Based
Training software, and the like are listed here.

13. Miscellaneous Software.

Software that didn't neatly fit into any other category.

13.1. Linux for HAMS CD-ROM

Author
Bruce Perens, [email protected]

Description
A complete linux distribution on CDROM specifically designed for
Amateur Radio operators.

Status
Not yet available.

System requirements.
Linux compatible hardware, some software will obviously require
specialised hardware to operate. No additional software should
be required.

Detail
A complete Linux distribution specifically catering for Amateur
Radio operators. It will include a fully featured Linux
installationplus a range of amateur radio specific software such
as those listed in this document. Bruce has detail and updated
status report available at the LinuxForHams WWW page
(http://www.rahul.net/perens/LinuxForHams).

Where and how to obtain it:
It isn't yet available, details will be made available when it
is released.

Licensing/Copyright
Unknown.

Contributed by:
Bruce Perens, [email protected]

13.2. SunClock

Author
John Mackin, [email protected]

Description
A clock that will show you instantly what parts of the globe are
exposed by sunlight and what parts aren't.

Status
Released.

System requirements.
X-Windows.

Detail
sunclock is another of those desktop gadgets that most people
think look nice but really don't have a lot of use for. I use
sunclock to obtain an at-a-glance indication of the time
anywhere in the world. In its iconic form it sits in a small
Mercator projection. When maximised it produces the same image
but obviously larger with slightly more detail. It also
displays the date, local time and UTC. sunclock actually
calculates mathematically what parts of globe are sunlit and
which aren't, it seems quite accurate, so long as you assume the
earth has no atmosphere.

Where and How to obtain it.
I haven't seen any precompiled sunclock binaries for Linux
about, so check your nearest archie server. sunclock compiled
straight out of the box for me.

Licensing/Copyright
Public Domain and may be freely copied as long as the notices at
the top of sunclock.c remain intact.

Contributed by:
Terry Dawson, VK2KTJ

13.3. Xearth

Author
Kirk Lauritz Johnson, [email protected], modified by Dimitris
Evmorfopoulos, [email protected].

Description
A rotating earth for X-windows root window. It has real life
shading, and options for geostatic view, and non geostatic view.
A prettier and more modern version of sunclock but requires a
bit more processing power.

Status
released, stable.

System requirements.
X-Windows.

Detail
xearth is much like sunclock except that it draws a view of the
earth onto your root map in blue and green, as the earth would
be viewed from space. You have a number of options in
determining the behaviour of the view. You can either have it so
that the same part of the earth is displayed, and the sun
rotates, so you'll have varying light and shadow on the display,
or you can have it shown as if you were travelling with the sun,
so the whole of the globe is visible, and the earth rotates.
You can specify the latitude/longtitude that will be the centre
of the display. xearth is also capable of producing gif and ppm
graphics output, so you can generate custom graphics of the
globe. When run as your root map, you can adjust the interval
of time between updates. On my 486sx25 you notice a small
degradation in performance when it is recalculating, but it's
not annoying.

Where and How to obtain it.
A precompiled xearth binary is available from: sunsite.unc.edu,
or the source can be obtained from just about any X11/contrib
directory. Try export.lcs.mit.edu if you can't find it
elsewhere.

Licensing/Copyright
Copyright (C) 1989, 1990, 1993 by Kirk Lauritz Johnson. The
copyright notice included states that xearth is freely
redistributable so long as the copyright notice is left intact,
and be included in documentation.

Contributed by:
Alan Cox, GW4PTS.

14. How to contribute or update an entry.

I'd like for this list to be as complete and up-to-date as possible.
So I'm keen to hear about any developments or products that I don't
already know about, or that the entry is obselete or outdated for.

What I'd like as a minimum set of requirement would be something like
the following:
Name
The name of the software in question.

Author
Who wrote, or ported the software. An email address, or some
other means of contacting them is also essential.

Description
A single line description of what the software does.

Status
An indication of the software's status. Is it still in testing?
Is it a production release? Is it still in the design stage?

System requirements
What does the software require to run? Does it require X-
Windows? Does it need a soundcard? Does it need a certain
version of kernel? Does it need other software to support it?

Detail
I'm not keen on including a large amount of detail on each piece
of software as this would consume a lot of time reading and
trying to keep up to date. So instead what I'd like to list is
what makes this software unique, anything special about it.
Perhaps its most outstanding features, that sort of thing.

Where and How to obtain it.
If the software is freely distributable then ftp details would
be great. If it is commercial software then the name of the
company distributing the software, and an address or telephone
number. If it is available only by some other means, say mail
order, then details on where and how to obtain it.

Licensing/Copyright
Is the software Copyleft? Copyright? Shareware? Public Domain?
Restricted in use in any way?

Don't worry if you don't know all of these details, just send me what
you do know and I'll list what I can. I'd rather have an incomplete
listing than no listing at all.

Please mail any contributions to:

[email protected] or [email protected]

I'd list a packet radio address too but I'm still not properly
operational again yet after moving house.

15. Discussion relating to Amateur Radio and Linux.

There are various places that discussion relating to Amateur Radio and
Linux take place. They take place in the comp.os.linux.* newsgroups,
they also take place on the HAMS list on niksula.hut.fi. Other places
where they are held include the tcp-group mailing list at ucsd.edu
(the home of amateur radio tcp/ip discussions), and I believe there is
an `IRC' channel that sometimes is used to discuss them as well.

To join the Linux HAMS channel on the mail list server, send mail to:

[email protected]

with the line:

X-Mn-Admin: join HAMS

at the top of the message body (not the subject line).

To join the tcp-group send mail to:

[email protected]

with the line:

subscribe tcp-group

in the body of the text.

Note: Please remember that the tcp-group is primarily for discussion
of the use of advanced protocols, of which tcp/ip is one, in Amateur
Radio. Linux specific questions should not ordinarily go there.