I changes Linux distributions like I change blog templates. I’m always looking for something new. I’m currently trying Zenwalk linux. It is my first Slackware distro. and I am having a lot of fun with it. It is a clean, simple distribution without a lot of bells and whistles. The developers are using the KISS principle which I appreciate. I’ve had to install a few packages that do not come with the distro., but that’s not much of a problem. It’s just a something that you have to deal with. I think I even like this better than Ubuntu, and I would not be afraid of sitting a Linux newbie in front of it, especially if they just want internet, email, and chat. The XFCE interface is one of my favorites. It is simple, sleek, fast, and it will remind you of Windows. It even comes with Java 1.5 preinstalled, so that’s one less worry. There are three software packages that I can not live without, and I’ve had some trouble finding them, but they are here or at LinuxPackages.net. They are amaroK, Lyx, and Scribus. Amarok is my iTunes, Scribus is my Microsoft Publisher/Adobe Illustrator, and Lyx is a program that will make any written piece of tripe look like a professional publisher put it together. It is a godsend for writing college papers. I will eventually go back to Ubuntu, but I want to stay here for a bit. Maybe until the next Ubuntu version comes out. The problem with Slackware packages is something called Dependency hell. This is something that I have seen little of in Ubuntu. Dependancy Hell is not a problem for the novice who is content with a few pieces of software that work well, but for the Linux adventurer, it can drive you insane.

I’ve always sort of compared the Linux community to the Ham Radio community of a previous generation.  I can say this both as a dedicated Linux user and as a ham.  The Linux community is as diverse as any.  There are going to jerks and snobs.  There are going to be people who demand that everyone compiles everything from source or use an archaic distribution, and there are those who are happy just installing everything from a Knoppix CD.  The people and the support are there, and since we are living in an online world, it doesn’t really matter a whole lot where the help physically comes from.  Quite frankly, I’ve come to embrace the Linux community more than any other online, because there are so many of newbies who want to learn and who want to help each other out.  Open Source is a new frontier, and many of us just want to help each other out.

So far, my journey to increase my knowledge of electronics has been going pretty slowly. Thanks to Pete Millett’s Technical Books Online site, I have learn a lot about the basics of electronics, and I am beginning to really see how oscillators work. This is something that isn’t really explained in most resources that are online or otherwise.

To those who put electronics tutorials and the like online: Why must you assume that the reader is either a math whiz or already intimately understands the workings of electronics. You don’t explain how things work without tons of math, you assume that we just need to know that they work. Maybe I’m dumb, but I learn best by being able to picture what is going on and then applying math to it. The ARRL Handbook is guilty of this as well! The only books that really take time to explain most of this stuff is the older books and books like “Now you’re talking!”

I have a pretty good vocabulary. I really do. I read a lot and watch movies that tend to be a bit higher on the intellectual scale than Dumb and Dumber (though I do love that movie). I’m also pretty tech savvy. I know how Windows and Linux works, and OSX to a lesser extent. I know how to do a lot of stuff with computers. I’m a geek. I study operating systems and software like a anthropologist studies an amazonian culture. I’m also not afraid to experiment and that leads to more “unofficial” knowledge and that makes me even more technically inclined.

I’m a Linux user. Like you, I started with Mandrake. It was an early version (5.1) and it was very rough and unpolished. I gave it up quickly. Later on, I bought Mandrake 8.1 and was re-introduced to the magic of Linux. Mandrake 8.1 could actually do stuff. It’s package manager (urpmi) actually worked and was easy to understand. Though, I have to point out that Linux packages (RPM and DEB) are a totally different paradigm compared to installing software on Windows or OSX.

I have decided, with the help of my wife, to return to school and pursue a degree in electronics. I will be adding links here soon to resources that I find online to help prepare me for this task.  I hope to have my Extra class license before I start classes this fall.  I also hope to bone up on math, programming, and logic before then also.  Whatever resources I find, I will post here.

I got a really good deal on a iMac 500mhz computer for my birthday. What would normally cost $150-200 on ebay cost me $50 because the guy didn’t know what he had. I wanted a computer that I could just do my work on and know that it is stable enough to not crash everytime I turned around. My reason for leaving Linux is 2-fold. 1. Serena’s PC crashed and I gave her mine and install WinXP on it for her. 2. I like to tinker with Linux too much, and so I end up breaking it a little too often. Don’t get me wrong, Linux is a fine and stable OS, but I like to play a little too much.

MFJ has an antenna that is marketed towards apartment dwellers called the MFJ-1622. Barker and Williamson have a similar product called the AP-10B. Both of these products look good, but the price is mighty high. They run from $89 for the AP-10B to 99 for the MFJ-1622. The other problem is that, at least according to eham.net, the set up leaves a lot of be desired, and the performance can be lackluster. If we don’t have $100 to spend on an antenna, what are the other options? It seems to me that these antennas are made of three main components. 1. a whip 2. a loading coil and 3. a counterpoise. I am wondering if something could be made akin to a hamstick dipole. In case you are not aware, a hamstick is a whip antenna that is attached to a long loading coil that is usually used for mobile operation. The hamstick dipole is two dipoles connected with a metal plate that can be clamped to a support pole. Hamsticks have two main problems. First, they are narrowband antennas. In other words, they have to be retuned regularly to keep swr low and they require a counterpoise like a car body. The dipole configuration effectively doubles the available bandwidth and it solves the problem of the counterpoise. But this creates one more problem. Who wants a 20’ dipole in their apartment? Not to mention RF burns on family members who accidentally touch it. If you notice one thing about the advertised apartment antennas, then have a length of wire to take care of the counterpoise. Why not do the same with a single hamstick? Clamp it to a patio rail or sturdy piece of furniture, stick one end out of a window or on a patio and leave a curled up piece of insulated wire at the base for the counterpoise. One more thing, if you are in a really touchy complex and you try this, I would get some hobby paint and paint it black. Most HF activity is best at night and a black antenna would be much harder to see. Pass along any ideas that you might have. Links: MFJ-1622 http://www.mfjenterprises.com/products.php?prodid=MFJ-1622 eHam Review http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/2035 Cost $99.95 B&W AP-10B http://www.bwantennas.com/ama/ap10b.ama.htm eHam Review http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/667 Cost $89.00

Last January, I passed the General Class written test with flying colors. I also failed the CW test miserably. In June, I failed it again, and I have one month to take it one last time or else I have to retake the written class test over again. I’m not looking forward to that at all. So, I’m putting my nose to the grindstone and I will pass the test next time.

Last Friday and Saturday, I volunteered with an organization called the Kramden Institute to refurbish PC’s for underprivledged children in Durham, NC. Here is the website of the Geekathon, including one of my wife and me.