It’s an open secret that many amateur radio enthusiasts would like to run some kind of Linux operating system in their shack. Everyone has their own reasons. Some find modern Linux desktop environments aesthetically superior to regular Windows and Mac interfaces, while others have discovered that amateur radio enthusiasts who enjoy tinkering with radios appreciate the simplicity of managing software on a Linux workstation. Of course, displaying Linux in your shack may also earn you some extra brownie points!
Andy’s Ham Radio Linux Operating SystemStewart has created a remastered Xubuntu-based Linux distribution specifically designed for amateur radio enthusiasts. It comes pre-installed with required software such as Fldigi, NBEMS, Gpredict, xcwcp, qrq, XLog, cqrlog, flrig, grig, xnec2c, fl_moxgen, aa-analyzer, owx, VOACAP, glfer, Xastir, gqrx, SDRangel, GNU Radio Companion, quisk, direwolf, FreeDV, wsjt-x, js8call, Micro-Fox 15 Config, TinyTrak3 configuration program, and much more.
I understand that some may argue that Xfce does not look very appealing and is an old-school Linux distribution. If you are into advanced Linux desktop customization and enjoy playing with KDE and Gnome extensions, then this distribution may not be suitable for you. It is aimed at entry-level Linux users who do not want to go through the hassle of package installations and are unsure which packages are the right ones for them.
KB1OIQ – Andy’s Ham Radio Linux can save you a lot of time if you’re interested in creating a full-blown Linux workstation for your ham shack. Xubuntu, which is an official respin from Canonical, is a very stable spin.
This is a light weight desktop environment with Xfce environment.
Recommended minimums: 2GHz CPU, 4GB memory, and 15 GB of disk space (after the installation is complete).
Download from Sourgeforge: https://sourceforge.net/projects/kb1oiq-andysham/
https://sourceforge.net/projects/kb1oiq-andysham/files/latest/download
Installation Instructions: https://sourceforge.net/projects/kb1oiq-andysham/files/v25/
