Linuxing with Mint

My low power Laptop Dell D420 was running W7 and wspr 2.21 for 2 years 24*7

Then i switched it off for some time, the accu pack died

Never did reboot W7 again so need to install new OS

I prefer W10 but that will need a faster system

Ubuntu was not stable it lost WLAN randomly

Good moment to give Linux Mint a try

And Mint is nice and stable firefox  had some issues not recovering and cloning tabs maybe i'l try google. Ubuntu also had issues with crashing pages in firefox after reboot

I have never seen this with IE or Chrome in W7 or W10

Everything else works  easier in Mint !

Except the choice off apps

Installed WSJT-x 1.9.1   the latest Mint version atm

Then the first linux-struggle was to get CAT connected to the IC706

relative easy once you know how it goes..

CAT  Hamlibs install  I downloaded and unzipped HAMLIB 3.2

followed the install instructions

Then if you do it right the screen will scroll for 5minutes at least with the most interesting cryptic text lines telling you in micro seconds about it's doings..

 

next thing is USB-serial Comport add

I use only US232  ftdi chipset USB-serial the only usable in W7 W10.

Followed with success  instructions on next page

https://blog.mypapit.net/2008/05/how-to-use-usb-serial-port-converter-in-ubuntu.html

linux mint does detect the USB device instantly on plugin but keeps it  silent.

Basically 3 "dos"-box ..commands are involved

dmesg to see the latest system messages including connected USB devices
lsusb    shows USB devices
sudo modprobe   this is the weirdest typical linux nerd command..

You have to ask about detect ports yourself:  terminal in root type dmesg

to show what USB device is detected by MINT

the weird part below now is possible not needed ?
you need to manual couple the USB serial device just found to a tty port
strangest thing for a Windows user ( a normal human.... hihi) .
also you can and do not have to specify a tty port
modprobe does know the USB device is a USB -serial interface ??   And then a normal Windows user thinks why does Linux need your help for this???

okay it should be done like below:
notice vendor and product nr  if given!

Numeric values need 0x prefix ? ( of course everyone know that it indicates the following represents  hexadecimal code...)

lsusb shows USB info

sudo modprobe usbserial vendor=0x4348 product=0x5523  ( example)

modify vendor and product to the values dmesg found

The USB port should now be attached to tty0  ...

but i also seen that the USB serial device was connected automatic to a system chosen tty number

Now the port should be available for Wsjt-x

always sudo has to be used before you can do anything important in linux

I wonder, is there any use for commands not being super user except the sudo command itself?
okay sudo needs the su password that is save.

 After this the IC706 was online and working stable  WSJT-x 1.9.1

And Mint works very nice and stable over many day's. A few reboots needed in week's...
not as stable as W10 but reasonable...

 The audio level setting are uncomplicated in MINT.

success!!

passed the  MINT / Linux primary school , time for a beer..

ready for more..  like Installing  a contest logger 

there seems only one taste , TLF ? later is fouynd there is CQRLOG for linux too

It's functionality looks good and targeted for serious contesting work.

A simple small entry box like N1MM has is enough so the 24x80 box is no restriction.

the TLF install  instructions are typical type Linux 

cd 

./configure
make

make install

development for TLF is still going on like N1MM  has almost daily updates

did download and unzip tlf-1.3.0

   before  also tried  TLF and  tlf-master but i could not install these

 started the terminal in root

and typed cd tlf-1.3.0

./configure

then i got error messages in the script saying missing

commands and curses (..) library missing 

install this missing library

sudo apt-get install libncurses-dev

the best way is to google for missing parts

 glib-2.0 missing?? need fix

then  run ./configure again

in the end i got it installed i think?

no message that the install was done correct on incorrect

also no word about how to start TLF?

typed tlf    then  another

sudo command was shown,  needed to really! install tlf

But where is the executable in the target folder only

it is not shown in home library

the DOS-TOOL BOX is always needed

tlf weird "warning" the program is going to use

25x80 bytes! that much! oww only a few GB left..

I think weird after all the install procedures 

why this message? 

should i say "N", scared that  the PC can't handle that?

 if i had only a few kB memory as in the old days's

but then why running a log program if you have not even

 25x80 byte's to spare?

( sorry some invisible thrash slipped in the html) 

than flashhhh

 TLF works in DOS-BOX size only?

Anyway a lot of work and time is spend to develop tlf

thanks developers 

 No call-sign or other settings entry forced or config seen

i have to study help to find how to configure

in linux terms just type something and it works..

 i try to update/ install compile assemble whatever...

a newer version tlf-1.1.5

but GLIB-2.0 is blocking the upload crazy stuff

 all those versions in libraries and commands

What would they say if in W10 a target compile would be needed

for an update of ... explorer 

Al PC's  would be compiling all day.. 

i thought linux was so much better.

There is a good but outdated help page 

TLF has many features 

But it can not use my CVI interface i use with N1MM and WSJT

TLF needs a 2nd separate port to control the 2 outputs RTS T/R and DTR keying

Now TLF CAT port forces RTS high and DTR low both unused.

RTS does switch the IC706 or K3 in TX mode.

Single comport use for CAT T/R CW keying would be a wish full feature.

TLF needs to be started in the right folder

that is before one starts f.i. CQWW 

Folders must be prepared like /cqwwCW2018/rules 

in ../cqwwCW2018/logcfg.dat having the correct settings for the contest

call and the rules type must be set to cqww

the rules file cqww mut be copied to ../cqwwCW2018/rules/cqww

the rules files for each supported contest are pre installed

...user/local/share/tlf/ 

tlf will load the logcfg.dat present in the folder where it is started in

and use the rules cqww for this contest

if the logcfg.dat has the line: RULES=cqww

that in short

so the logcfg.dat must contain al settings including user setting

I got a lot help from the TLF comunity

especially thanking Ervin HA2OS he was remote with Teamviewer

installing and updating lots really lots of dependencies.

I was impressed by the amount of extra programs and libraries 

needed for TLF ..

Main obstacle now is the special interface with 2 comports needed

WINKEYER USB i have one pratical unused..

cwdaemon should also be able to use winkeyer

but I read about cwdaemon there are a lot troubles with it

I found my K1EL USB keyer back connected USB and instantly it was detected

Thats the very positive thing of Mint / Linux for USB devices 

No pain like in Windows with USB 

the site of OK2CQR

download unpack and to my surprise no  install ./configuring

and other linux tools needed

Server say is connected keyer is on

and that is all i see , as soon as the server is running 

W-K USB is silenced. There is no help telling what to 

expect or even how to start this server.

As a windows user

 i just clicked on the icon that looks like it is a program

and that seems sudden okay, Dosbox not needed! 

That something as banal as clicking with a mouse works in Linux..

in the logcfg.dat i un-commented  the keyer setting's

#################################
#                               #

#                               #
#  KEYERPORT                    #
#################################

#################################
#
NETKEYER
NETKEYERPORT=6789
NETKEYERHOST=127.0.0.1
#

#                               #
#                               #
#  KEYERPARAMETERS              #

#---weight (-5 ... 5 ms)
#################################
#---speed (6 ... 60 wpm)
CWSPEED=30
WEIGHT=1

CWTONE=800
#---cq delay (in 0,5 s)
CQDELAY=10
#---txdelay (ms)
TXDELAY=2

#---sidetone (200...800, 0 = mute)

 there is also CQLOG  but installing will be  a specialist job..

The Linux world is an interesting play garden for nerds but not really the place to find instantly working software You have to speak a bit linux language  ls cd ./configure   apt get  ,... Of course you know that  Mint is "debian"  enough to install the correct software You need to install mySQL / libraries extra? yes or no?   automatically know that...  and you  must like looooonggg  comandlines  all existing books ever written can simply be one long line of text easy to read for linux users

nice one..

yes it needs to install mySQL server   and how about client, 

I did not find any specific information about installing mysql  for use with CQRLOG

after some searching : 

https://www.computerbeginnersguides.com/blog/2017/08/02/install-and-configure-mysql-server-5-7-on-linux-mint-18-2/

sudo apt-get install mysql-server-5.7

then the outher nerdic  message box below came up

woow  one of the better of its category ...how should a first time user know what it means?

 

 

Apparently you should click on cqrlog-apparmr-fix

to fix your apparmor, i did not even know i had one!

never heard of apparmor before all my computing live i am 66 now 

i did that , but no surprise, 

A new start  cqrlog   error still no access to mysql 

i checked the mysql version

jaap@jaap-Latitude-D420 ~ $ mysql -V

mysql  Ver 14.14 Distrib 5.7.23, for Linux (i686) using  EditLine wrapper

jaap@jaap-Latitude-D420 ~ $

so it is installed but cqrlog can't use it

possible because it needs a root password or no password

the chances that all software parts of linux and mysql  work okay are very low   

always some things are missing or wrong installed

it is a puzzle in linux even more than in Windows

cqrlog assumes an already correct installed mysql server?

I did expect a zero install  like in n1mm  that installs all needed dependencies ..

Or at least some word about installing 

jaap@jaap-Latitude-D420 ~ $ cqrlog
**** DEBUG LEVEL 0 ****
**** CHANGE WITH --debug=1 PARAMETER ****
FATAL ERROR: Can not get MySQL client library version version!
Setting to default version (5.1)
IniFile:/home/jaap/.config/cqrlog/cqrlog.cfg
LocalIniFile:/home/jaap/.config/cqrlog/local.cfg
mysqld: [ERROR] Could not open required defaults file: /home/jaap/.config/cqrlog/database/mysql.cnf
mysqld: [ERROR] Fatal error in defaults handling. Program aborted!

i know what a fatal error is now  since i had an accident with working on my roof trying to

inspect damage by Marters i felt and broke my left foot, that's a fatal error

This specific problems I should log-in  to CQRLOG site,  I tried but making an account failed.

So i leave it  fttb  and hope for a future solution to have a working logger in MInt

WSJT-x works okay under MINT

FT8  and other digi QSO's are saved in wsjtx_log.adi but you have to click on log QSO
check     prompt me to log QSO

Menu SAVE is  normally set to none ,save all means saving the received audio in waf format 

 it can be helpfull to set it on but be careful it take's 2.6MB each receiving period, or more depending on the audio quality setting

once i had it on in WSPR mode years ago and the system memory became critical after a week or so.

 "C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files\WSPR\save" 

To find this file is not easy. It is hidden very deep in the Windows system 
The location  on my disk:  
 "C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files\WSPR\ALL_WSPR.TXT" 

it is easier using File menu Open log directory