Thursday, April 15, 2010

Ham Shack Computer - Linux Install

A couple of weeks ago I received a computer from Wayne VA6AWR so that I could use it in the ham shack, for digital communications on 2m FM Packet.  I was interested in using Linux for this project and so I set about to install it on this computer.  Since this is an older computer a Celeron 900Mhz with 300 some megabytes of RAM I needed a lightweight OS.  In discussion with a friend he suggested to use Xubuntu as it is ideal for that application.

I downloaded Xubuntu 9.10 on my other computer burned the LiveCD and put it in the computer.  The first time it booted off of the disk into loader prompt, so I decided to check the memory.  There was a few bad sectors, so I went back into Windows and did a scan disk and corrected that.  When I went back to reboot the computer it would no longer recognize the CD and would boot to Windows.  I tried to use a USB key but the bios would not recognize it to boot off of. 

From here I went with AFU Knoppix 6.04 as this was a ham build and had the software that I was looking for preloaded.  I found that this was a little bit sluggish on this machine so I downloaded the Xubunut 8.04 LiveCD and installed that onto the computer.  Being that I am not a Linux guy I am learning as I go.  I had a programming class on a linux machine 5 years ago and I was very capable with DOS, but I do not know any of the terminal codes so that I can install the program that I want to us, which is FLDigi.

So here I am googling how to install this program,  I am starting to see a pattern now of how things are done.

./configure
make
make install

Hopefully I shall have it done tonight so that I can test it on the air tomorrow.

Ben
VA6KAZ

No comments:

Post a Comment