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Current Feature Articles   Nov 20 The Amateur Radio Crossword Puzzler   Nov 20 Adventure in the Arctic: VO2A Expedition to Labrador   Nov 20 Surfin': More Radio Piracy on the High Seas   Nov 16 Youth@HamRadio.Fun: Fall Magic   Nov 13 Surfin': The Real Pirate Radio   Nov 06 Surfin': Homebrewing Today   Nov 05 DX the Hard Way   Nov 02 ARRL In Action: What Have We Been Up to Lately?   Nov 01 It Seems to Us: It Doesn't Just Happen   Oct 30 Surfin': Mapping Up ARRL Products: Space/Satellites (More) The ARRL Image Communications Handbook -- Use Amateur Radio to see and talk with other hams! Enjoy the imaging modes: NBTV, ATV, SSTV and WEFAX. Radio Nature -- Now Shipping! -- The reception and study of naturally originating radio signals. Amateur Radio Astronomy -- Explore the contributions of radio amateurs, and how to make and set up equipment to study the signals coming from space. The ARRL Satellite Handbook -- First Edition. Explore, track and operate ham radio satellites! Nova for Windows -- A popular Windows-based satellite tracking program, used by thousands of hams. Realistic maps show satellite positions, ground tracks, orbital paths, and star background.

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This week, we visit a Web site that allows you to try Linux hamming without making a big commitment.

The AI9NL - Harv's Hamshack Hack Web site offers a taste of ham radio computing under the Linux operating system.

AI9NL - Harv's Hamshack Hack is a Web site that will help you get your feet wet with Linux. Harv has put together a CD containing a complete Linux operating system (OS) with a collection of Amateur Radio programs. The CD also includes non-ham radio software to accomplish other tasks like Web browsing, e-mailing, news reading, writing, and arithmetic.

You download a file from the Web site, burn the image of the file to a CD, and then reboot your computer with the CD. Your computer will boot up with the Linux OS and you will be able to use a variety of tools and applications for hamming, as well as non-hamming.

Warning! The file that you download is 558 million bytes, so it is not something you want to download with a dial-up modem. DSL or broader bandwidth downloading is recommended. If that is not an option, you can obtain the CD by mail for $4.99.

Once you have Linux up and running, you will have access to 45 ham radio programs that do everything from A (APRS) to not quite Z (Xlog is as close as you can get to Z). There are a variety of on-the-air applications for a variety of modes and off-the-air applications for calculating, record keeping, etc.

The Web site has hints, tricks, "Harv's Notes," a FAQ, etc. to help you install and use Harv's Hamshack Hack. When you are finished using the "Hack," you log-off and reboot your computer with the operating system you were previously using (with no harm done to your computer).

Until next week, keep on surfin'.

Editor' note: Over the years, Stan Horzepa, WA1LOU, has used a variety of operating systems, some good and some bad. To discuss AtariDOS, CP/M, TRSDOS, DOSPLUS, and other dinOSaurs, e-mail Stan.

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