Subject: Linux-Misc Digest #718
From: Digestifier <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked]
Date: Tue, 6 Sep 94 18:13:26 EDT

Linux-Misc Digest #718, Volume #2                 Tue, 6 Sep 94 18:13:26 EDT

Contents:
  Amateur Radio Software for Linux List (Terry Dawson)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Crossposted-To: comp.os.linux.announce
From: [email-masked] (Terry Dawson)
Subject: Amateur Radio Software for Linux List
Reply-To: [email-masked] (Terry Dawson)
Date: Tue, 6 Sep 1994 17:44:53 GMT

  Linux Amateur Radio Software List
  Terry Dawson, VK2KTJ, [email-masked]
  v1.2 04/09/94

  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 is the second release of this list. The list was prompted by
  comments that had been expressed in the various Linus newsgroup 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 quite small
  with only a few entries, but I'm hoping that people will contribute to
  the list as new software becomes available. I feel though that the
  items listed are an excellent base to build on, as they represent the
  various ways in which software can be developed for Linux for use in
  Amateur Radio.

  I'd originally considered limiting the scope of this list to non-
  commercial software only, but have subsequently changed my mind.
  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.

  2.  Contributions/Updates etc.

  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 etc.
        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-masked] or [email-masked]

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

  3.  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 tcpgroup mailing list at ucsd.edu (the
  home of amateur radio tcp/ip discussions), at Club meetings and on-air
  of course.

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

       [email-masked]

  with the line:

       X-Mn-Admin: join HAMS

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

  To join the tcpgroup send mail to:

       [email-masked]

  with the line:
       subscribe tcpgroup

  in the body of the text.

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

  4.  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:

  <[email-masked]> 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-masked]> makes it available at:
  www.engin.umich.edu
  (http://www.engin.umich.edu/~jgotts/linuxhamsoft.html).

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

  <[email-masked]> will be making it available sometime
  shortly.

  Please let me know if you'd like to make it available somewhere too.

  5.  Satellite

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

  5.1.  MicroSat Ground Station Software

     Author
        John Melton, G0ORX/N6LYT, [email-masked]

     Description
        Microsat Ground Station software.

     Status
        ALPHA. Version 0.6 recently released.

     System requirements
        Alan Cox's kernel based AX.25 support ver 1.1.12 or better. X-
        Windows.  OpenLook libraries if you want to compile the source.

     Detail
        This software allows you to use a KISS tnc to directly
        communicate with the Microsat series of satellites. It provides
        an XView 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

        directory
           directory list viewer

        downloaded
           downloaded file list viewer

        viewtext
           uncompressed ASCII text file viewer

        upload
           message upload application

        message
           message preparation application

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

        ftp.ucsd.edu
        (ftp://ftp.ucsd.edu/hamradio/packet/tcpip/incoming/microsat-0.6.tar.gz)
        or ftp.funet.fi
        (ftp://ftp.funet.fi/pub/ham/satellite/microsat/microsat-0.6.tar.gz).
        Please check for new versions.

     Licensing/Copyright etc.
        Unknown. John supplies source and is inviting others to assist
        in developing the software.

     Contributed by:
        John Melton, G0ORX/N6LYT and Alan Cox, GW4PTS

  6.  Shack Automation

  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.

  7.  Packet Radio

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

  7.1.  Kernel Based AX.25 networking.

     Author
        Alan Cox, GW4PTS, [email-masked]

     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 etc.
        Most of the software is Copyleft, 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.

  7.2.  JNOS

     Author
        Brandon Allbery, KF8NH, [email-masked]

     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 etc.
        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

  7.3.  N0ARY Packet BBS for UN*X

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

     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-masked]. For a SunOS version contact [email-masked].
        This code is not packaged for distribution yet since it is not
        past the alpha stage of development.

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

     Contributed by:
        Bob Proulx, kf0uw, [email-masked]

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

     Author
        SM0OHI, [email-masked]

     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 etc.
        Unknown.

     Contributed by:
        SM0OHI

  7.5.  Single floppy disk AX.25 router.

     Author
        Alan Cox, GW4PTS, [email-masked]

     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 etc.
        Unknown/Undecided.

     Contributed by:
        Terry Dawson, VK2KTJ

  7.6.  Wampes

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

  8.  Morse Code

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

  9.  AMTOR

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

  10.  PACTOR

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

  11.  Slow Scan Television

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

  12.  Facsimile

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

  13.  Design and Construction

  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.

  13.1. Software Oscilloscope

     Author
        Jeff Tranter, [email-masked]

     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 etc.
        GNU Public License. Copyleft.

     Contributed by:
        Terry Dawson, VK2KTJ

  13.2. irsim

     Author
        Dmitry Teytelman, [email-masked]

     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 etc.
        Freely Redistributable

     Contributed by:
        Terry Dawson, VK2KTJ

  13.3. Spice

     Author
        University of California, Berkeley, ported by
        [email-masked]

     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 etc.
        Copyright held by University California, Berkeley. Freely
        redistributable.

     Contributed by:
        Terry Dawson, VK2KTJ

  14.  Training/Educational

  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.

  15.  Miscellaneous

  Software that I couldn't put anywhere else.

  15.1. SunClock

     Author
        John Mackin, [email-masked]

     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 etc.
        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

  15.2. Xearth

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

     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 etc.
        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.

--
Send submissions for comp.os.linux.announce to: [email-masked]
Be sure to include Keywords: and a short description of your software.

------------------------------

** FOR YOUR REFERENCE **

The service address, to which questions about the list itself and requests
to be added to or deleted from it should be directed, is:

    Internet: [email-masked]

You can send mail to the entire list (and comp.os.linux.misc) via:

    Internet: [email-masked]

Linux may be obtained via one of these FTP sites:
    nic.funet.fi				pub/OS/Linux
    tsx-11.mit.edu				pub/linux
    sunsite.unc.edu				pub/Linux

End of Linux-Misc Digest
******************************