Andy's Ham Radio Linux update

 Hi guys and gals!

Recently, I put AHRL on my grandpa's old laptop. This may replace the Dell Inspiron - I updated it with a new SSD, and it runs much faster! It is less than 10 years old, too. I have also come up with some modifications, tips, and tricks to the pre-existing system to best meet your needs.

Using VLC as a Media Center instead of Parole

In messing around with the included software, I couldn't play anything with the built-in Parole Media Player. It appeared to be missing codecs. To overcome this, I instead opted to install the simple yet versatile VLC Media Player instead. Here's how I did it.

1. Open a new instance of Terminal
2. Type the following command: 

sudo apt remove (or uninstall) parole (If it asks for your password, type it in).

3. It will inform you about free space, how many things the system will remove, etc. Type Y and press enter
4. Press and grab the Parole icon in your dashboard tray and drag it out to the side - it should disappear with a puff - it's gone!

Now, let's install VLC Media Player.

1. Go back to Terminal if you haven't closed out yet or open a new instance
2. Type in the following command: 

sudo apt install vlc

3. Type in your password and push enter
4. After a few seconds, VLC should now be installed!

Additionally, since VLC supports both audio and video, you can remove the Rhythmbox audio player if you desire.

Adding Winlink functionality

I have yet to do this but if anyone has any ideas, feel free to comment below! Currently, Winlink is only supported on Windows. Linux does offer Winlink clients, but I haven't gotten one to work yet.

EDIT (10-19): See here - https://ke0sbx.blogspot.com/2023/10/its-official-winlinkrms-express-is-now.html.

CH34x driver for programming with CHIRP

When I booted up CHIRP and plugged in my Baofeng to try to program it, the software wouldn't recognize it at all! In doing some searching, I found a common problem - Either the CH340 programming cable needs a driver installed or you are not a part of the usermod group. 

To install the driver (the most likely cause), go here: https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/how-to-install-ch340-drivers/linux. I followed these directions step-by-step.

Obtaining dmesg privileges

One issue I've had recently is that I can't use dmesg without assigning myself as the admin user. I'm not sure why, but there is an easy workaround, courtesy of the ham radio Reddit.

When you want to run dmesg, type:

sudo sysctl kernel.dmesg_restrict=0

I'm not sure why but this is a common issue on Linux since dmesg will list the drivers available and their behavior. This is handy for the tip above.

I will update this page as I continue to learn. For now, stay tuned for more blog posts!!!