Any Radio Hams on mint (SDR)

[nick]

Hi
Am running most available radio ham programs on mint, but I would like to run an interface for the Softrock SDR cards ( the cheap DIY from W&S). Has anybody had any success
Cheers-Nick

[g0lrk]

Not had any luck running any programs on Mint that I want to run, mainly MMSSTV through Wine. Managed to get it transmitting sstv ok but no go on rx for some reason. Don't know why at all been messing around with it for about 12 days now almost all the time. Name here is Kevin qth is Fleetwood nr. Blackpool nwest coast where are you?
Kevin G0LRK

[nick]

Hi Kevin
Glad there are some more hams on Mint

Still have not got SDR running, only use Linux -have not used windows for ten years,

Got Gmfsk working on all modes(all MFSK (MFSK16 and MFSK8) RTTY, THROB (1, 2 and 4 throbs/sec) PSK31 (BPSK and QPSK) PSK63 MT63 Feldhell Hellshreiber CW)
except CW TX, its wonderful for receiving CW. (Am going a bit deaf)

KPSK works (most of the time), not tried QSSTV for TV but works great on Weatherfax around 4Mhz.

Hamlibs work fine for controlling FT847 and TS850, and so does SGcontrol.
Gpredict very good for satellites. Baken for beacons and QRA

Xlog for main logbook, Tlf or Xtlf for contest logging. (Xlog is better)

Xdx or Tlf for dx cluster.

Not sure if you are new to Linux but all these programs are in Synaptic under Amateur Radio (universe) repository along with things for QRSS etc
Theree is also HFterm for Pactor Amtor.

There is a full hamradio CD AFU-Knoppix but it is dated, so I am thinking of remastering a Mint version for Ham Radio, do you think there would be much interest?

Catch you on the air sometime, If you are new to Linux and need help on programs, just shout

Nick - G6WYH Dunmow, Nr Chelmsford, Essex

[g0lrk]

Still got M$ Xp as I run a sstv net around here for our local radio club, tcars, of which at the moment I am the Chairman. we have a very lively net on 2 metre every Thursday with upto 10-12 hams dropping in to send to send and receive piccies. Our club page is tcars.org.uk if you want to have a look at us on the net.
Tried the only sstv program I can find, qsstv, but cannot get that to transmit using the com port and no one I know around here who is an ham to help so that is why I am trying to stick to mmsstv with wine at this side.
Been playing around with Linux on and off for a couple of years but really want to make the jump and dump m$ asap as sick of all the bloatware involved with it. Apologise if typos etc as a "white stick" operator here and it is not really any easier on here or m$ lol.

Sorry about the rant and rave but hope that explains a bit from this side.
Kevin.

[nick]

Hi Kevin

I have never tried SSTV but will have a go this weekend, have you set com port to /dev/ttys0?

Details here:
http://users.telenet.be/on4qz/snapshots ... dex-5.html

Not much on VHF/UHF down here, but I do work SSB on tropo, and sporadic E

Gone to Digi modes a bit as hearing has got very bad after working all contests with headphones for 24 hour stretches for last 5 years, and cannot send CW without hearing sidetone.

Am using CWtype under Wine to send and GMFSK to receive.

Will let you know if I get QSSTV working.

Good Luck-Nick

[g0lrk]

Thanks for the reply re. Qsstv just opened that page link you sent me and going to attempt to set-up the program later and try it out ready for this evenings sstv.
Lets hope I can get it to work OK !!
I tried to set the port to com 1 but not knowing what it is called on linux was really lost so thanks for informing me of it's "name",
Sorry there is not much activity where you are on vhf it is so so up here and there is always some one on some where on the band, and most evenings there is sstv being sent. It gets confusing in my "shack" on a thursday evening as I cannot see well my next door but one neighbour is also a radio ham who is registered blind and he comes in, then a gentleman in a wheelchair. So we push him to the screen to tell us what is coming in then we can comment on the picture after to the station who sent it, sounds crazy and it is, but good fun.
Anyway thanks again and lets see if I can sort it all out here.
Bye from Kevin.

[g0lrk]

Nick,
Tried to set up qsstv and got a few errors don't know if you can untangle them they are as follows when running qsstv from a terminal:-

X Error: BadDevice, invalid or uninitialized input device 169
Major opcode: 147
Minor opcode: 3
Resource id: 0x0
Failed to open device
X Error: BadDevice, invalid or uninitialized input device 169
Major opcode: 147
Minor opcode: 3
Resource id: 0x0
Failed to open device
Segmentation fault (core dumped)


This then causes it to say it cannot find any sound devices yet the sound is working OK in the rest of Mint ?
Any ideas please?
Thanks Kevin

[nick]

Hi Kevin
Just going to post to you, I just tried QSSTV into dummy load, and it transmits fine using G3LIV interface.

Do you get anything after "segmentation fault" or is it a complete crash?

If not a complete crash can you set audio in QSSTV to dev/dsp

The com port is dev/ttyS0 , thats a nought on end.

What a you running Mint Bianca or Cassandra?
dont worry about
X Error: BadDevice, invalid or uninitialized input device 169
Major opcode: 147
Minor opcode: 3
Resource id: 0x0
Failed to open device
X Error: BadDevice, invalid or uninitialized input device 169
Major opcode: 147
Minor opcode: 3
Resource id: 0x0
Failed to open device

The segmentation fault is a problem
Have you tried to restart it?

Nick

[g0lrk]

Nick,
Re-installed Cassandra as it did say that there was a few hiccups and since then qsstv now transmits OK but still cannot get it to RX at all. Tried changing the settings in Control Center sounds for sound capture for all that is showing but all to no avail!
Made a launcher so that there is an icon on the desktop as this is going to be used a lot once it is set-up 100%, assuming that I can get it to work on RX that is ?
Just need to get it to understand the RX side and I will be happy. I am that committed to Linux that I have even given my Camon Lide 500F scanner to a friend in trade for his Epson scanner that SANE tells me is supported 100%. So my days on Micro$oft are definitely numbered.
Kevin

[nick]

Hi Kevin

Glad you are getting somwhere

First
Do you mean nothing shows in window at bottom of QSSTV RX or are you not getting any sound through?

Can you install GMFSK and set up with
sound as dev/dsp in configuration and check the waterfall on for sounds in?

You can go to 14.070 and try PSK with it

What soundcard have you got?

If you have a Soundblaster I might need to tell you the set up

Can you still run MMSSTV through Wine (That would tell me the sound in is working)

I tried last night to decode some SSTV on 20 metres with it but I know nothing about SSTV,

Will have go later this afternoon, band in poor shape at moment.

Nick

[g0lrk]

Nick,
Yes there is no sound showing in the bottom of the RX window, as far as I can tell. It is definitely not receiving at all whatever I try to do with it. I could install GMFSK and go to to the PSK frequency but I have no antenna for HF also I have no connection from the HF rig, Kenwood TS-870, to my pewter, so it wouldn't help at all sorry. There is no sound getting through at all yet the same configuration in M$oft works so there is nothing wrong with the hardware I think. The soundcard is the built in one on board the motherboard which is an Asus M2n32-sli deluxe.
The chip if you need to know that is an AMD 4400 AM2 Dual core and 1 gig of memory. I have not yet installed Wine since re-installing Mint but last time could not also RX on MMSSTV so don't know why if it is something do with the sound input or what?
Many thanks for the help so far Nick.
Kevin.

[nick]

Hi Kevin
I can only find one reference to a sound problem with Linux on your board

The board
http://www.linux-tested.com/results/asus_m2ne.html
has a ADI AD1988B sound chip

This is the reference to the problem
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=301859


""A volume named Analog Mix in Alsa (HDA NVidia) was muted and therefore no input from mic.""

Is anything muted at bottom of volume control? If you open volume control then go to preferences can you check all boxes to bring up more controls? then try sliders/unmuting, on mine I had to bring up capture feedback slider!!

Also have you tried swapping line in for mike in from rig

If all this fails should I leave my telephone number in your mailbox and try to talk through it Sat?

Could probably make it to you on 144Mhz SSB 2 times 15 element yagis and 400W

Let me know how you get on -Nick

[g0lrk]

Hello Nick,
Read some of those pages and some of the links off those pages and somehow now we have sound showing at the bottom of the RX window BUt the darned thing will still not receive !!!
Did as one of the pages said which was open a terminal window and run alsamixer and make sure that the mic is selected, then when that didn't help much did what they call method b which was install the kmix package. For some reason this seemed to allow me to see noise visible in the RX window but as I said it will still not actually receive any sstv.
I am getting piddled off trying to sort it out and cannot think what to do now?
I am attempting to use the recorder program rather than keep annoying other radio hams so much, my logic being if it records using that it should work using qsstv, does that sound correct?
As for contacting me "on air", it is a long way from my qth to yours so if you want to email me with your number, if that is allowed ! I will ring you instead. My email is callsign @hotmail.com. And apologies to admin if this is frowned upon.
Thanks a lot.
Kevin.

[nick]

Hi Kevin

Glad you got the sound working, I tried QSSTV last night, but all I could find was some weak signals on 20m with lots of thunder static

I know nothing about ATV, but will try to learn, I also got MMSSTV (signals in RX Window) working under wine and MixW, I recieved FAX on QSSTV, very good picture of WEEFAX

All the other Linux ham programs TX/RX

Will drop you email alter today to save cluttering up board.

If anybody reading this thread can tell us the trick to decode SSTV using QSSTV a reply would be extremely welcome

Nick

[g0lrk]

Morning Nick,
Yes OK on dropping me an email later no worries will not get chance to read until tomorrow as daughter in local carnival so have to go to that and then out tonight. Fine on getting wine and mmsstv working I have read a few pages and begin to think that I amy have a problem with my version of motherboard and ubuntu/mint as lots of other people having problems with microphone inputs also. Will be very happy to get it sorted as then can use personally mmsstv as I have been using it for a number of years now and very familar with it whilst getting to to grips with qsstv is difficult with it being new.
As you say if anyone reading these messages knows more please jump in if not will await email from you.
Once again thanks indeed.
Kevin

[g0lrk]

Just had half an hour spare and tried again to get qsstv going with no success then thought I would try to get to get MMSSTV the M$oft program going through wine and for some reason that works now 100%. So I don't know why qsstv does not work when that does. Also tried recorder program and that seems to work now after a few odds and sods done to pewter off some pages off the net I found earlier on this morning. Seems weird why it didn't want to play earlier on but probably due to some glitch as far I can tell from the pages read on the net.
Many thanks for all the help given Nick with everything I really appreciate that very much indeed.
From Kevin.
p.s. M$ofts days with me are over as no need to go back on to the other drive for anything now I can see that having another distro installed on it soon.