Amateur radio - ArchWiki

Jump to content

# Amateur radio

From ArchWiki

Related articles

- GNU Radio
- RTL-SDR

Amateur radio enthusiasts (sometimes called ham radio operators or "hams") have been at the forefront of experimentation and development since the earliest days of radio. A wide variety of communication modes are used on a vast range of frequencies that span the electromagnetic spectrum. This page lists software related to amateur radio. Some of it is stand-alone while the various digital communication applications require interfacing to radio hardware and possibly the computer soundcard. Interface hardware can be purchased from vendors or home-built.

Warning International treaties require that users of amateur radio frequencies have a government-issued license. This only affects you if you have a transmitter and an antenna, receiving amateur radio or just downloading amateur radio software is not illegal.

## Getting started

Many of the following programs will need to access a serial port to key the transmitter (eg. `/dev/ttyS0`). This requires that the user to be added to `uucp` user group.

## Hardware

A common interface for various radio hardware is Digirig. Although there are several models, they will all generally present to the operating system via ALSA as a "C-Media Electronics USB Audio Device", with two channels for both audio input and output. Rig control is also provided by the Digirig via the `/dev/ttyUSB0` serial device.

Other devices, such as the ICom IC-705 have built-in soundcard and CAT control. You can directly connect to the transceiver via USB, which should be exposed as USB audio (via Burr-Brown USB Audio) and serial devices (via `/dev/ttyUSB0` and `/dev/ttyUSB1`)

## Software

### Analysis tools

- adif-multitool — CLI validator/converter for ADIF and Cabrillo logs.

  https://github.com/flwyd/adif-multitool || adif-multitoolAUR

- gpredict — Real-time satellite tracking and orbit prediction.

  https://gpredict.oz9aec.net/ || gpredictAUR

- hamsolar — Desktop widget showing current solar-terrestrial indices.

  http://hamsoftware.org/old_index.html || hamsolarAUR

- splat — RF propagation, loss & terrain analysis (20 MHz – 20 GHz).

  https://www.qsl.net/kd2bd/splat.html || splatAUR

- sunclock — Astronomical world-map (day/night, Sun/Moon) useful for grey-line work.

  https://www.spinnaker.de/debian/sunclock.html || sunclockAUR

- xnec2c — GTK+ GUI for the NEC-2 antenna-modelling engine.

  https://www.xnec2c.org/ || xnec2cAUR

### AX.25 & Packet

AX.25 is a data link layer protocol used extensively in packet radio networks. It supports connected operation (eg. keyboard-to-keyboard contacts, access to local bulletin board systems, and DX clusters) as well as connection-less operation (e.g. APRS). The Linux kernel includes native support for AX.25 networking. Please refer to TLDP's Amateur Radio AX.25 HOWTO for more information.

- aprx — Light-weight APRS digipeater / i-gate.

  https://thelifeofkenneth.com/aprx/ || aprxAUR

- ax25-apps — Essential user-land utilities for AX.25 networks.

  https://linux-ax25.in-berlin.de/ || ax25-appsAUR

- ax25-tools — Low-level tools to configure AX.25/NETROM/ROSE interfaces.

  http://www.linux-ax25.org || ax25-toolsAUR

- direwolf — Sound-card software TNC, APRS encoder/decoder, digipeater & i-gate.

  https://github.com/wb2osz/direwolf || direwolfAUR

- libax25 — Run-time library for AX.25, ROSE, NETROM, KISS, 6PACK.

  https://linux-ax25.in-berlin.de/ || libax25AUR

- soundmodem — Multi-platform sound-card packet-radio modem (KISS, AX.25).

  https://web.archive.org/web/20130824024508/http://www.baycom.org/~tom/ham/soundmodem/ || soundmodemAUR

- xastir — Full-featured GUI APRS mapping & messaging client.

  http://www.xastir.org/ || xastirAUR

### Digital voice

- codec2 — Open-source speech codec (450-3200 bit/s) used by FreeDV.

  https://github.com/drowe67/codec2 || codec2

- freedv-gui — FreeDV narrow-band digital voice for HF.

  https://freedv.org/ || freedv-guiAUR

- mumble — Low-latency VoIP client (also usable for HamWAN / DMR bridges).

  https://www.mumble.info/ || mumble

### Digital weak-signal modes

- fldigi — Multi-mode GUI modem (PSK31/63, RTTY, Olivia, MFSK, CW…).

  https://sourceforge.net/p/fldigi/wiki/Home/ || fldigiAUR

- flamp — NBEMS Amateur-Multicast-Protocol client.

  http://www.w1hkj.com/ || flampAUR

- flmsg — Forms manager for NBEMS/ICS traffic.

  http://www.w1hkj.com/ || flmsgAUR

- flrig — CAT / rig-control frontend (works with fldigi).

  http://www.w1hkj.com/flrig-help/ || flrigAUR

- flwrap — File encapsulation/compression utility for fldigi.

  http://www.w1hkj.com/ || flwrapAUR

- js8call — Keyboard-to-keyboard chat built on FT8 protocol.

  https://bitbucket.org/widefido/js8call || js8callAUR

- jtdx — High-performance WSJT-X fork optimised for contest/ DX-pile-ups.

  https://github.com/jtdx-project/jtdx || jtdxAUR

- jtdx-improved — Enhanced JTDX by DG2YCB (two GUI layouts).

  https://sourceforge.net/projects/jtdx-improved/ || jtdx-improvedAUR jtdx-improved-jtdxguiAUR

- linpsk — Console PSK31/63/125 and RTTY terminal.

  http://sourceforge.net/projects/linpsk/ || linpskAUR

- wsjtx — Weak-signal suite (FT8, JT65, WSPR, JT9…).

  https://wsjt.sourceforge.io/wsjtx.html || wsjtxAUR

- wsjtx-improved — WSJT-X fork with extra DX/contest features (3 layouts).

  https://sourceforge.net/projects/wsjt-x-improved/ || wsjtx-improvedAUR wsjtx-improved-alAUR wsjtx-improved-widescreenAUR

- xpsk31 — GTK+ PSK31 transceiver with waterfall.

  https://www.qsl.net/5b4az/pkg/psk31/xpsk31/xpsk31.html || xpsk31AUR

### Logging

- cqrlog — Advanced logger with MySQL/Firebird, HamLib, ADIF, LoTW/e-QSL.

  https://www.cqrlog.com/ || cqrlog-binAUR

- fdlog — Multi-node Field-Day logger.

  http://www.fdlog.info || fdlogAUR

- hamrs-appimage — Portable logger for POTA, Field-Day, etc.

  https://hamrs.app/ || hamrs-appimageAUR

- klog — Multi-platform Qt logger.

  https://github.com/ea4k/klog || klogAUR

- pyqso — Light-weight Python/GTK ADIF logger.

  https://github.com/ctjacobs/pyqso || pyqsoAUR

- QLog — Amateur Radio logging application based on the Qt framework and uses SQLite as database backend.

  https://github.com/foldynl/QLog || qlog-gitAUR

- tlf — Console contest logger (CQWW, WPX…).

  https://tlf.github.io/ || tlfAUR

- trustedqsl — Sign & upload QSOs to ARRL LoTW.

  https://www.arrl.org/tqsl || trustedqslAUR

- xlog — General-purpose GTK logger.

  https://www.nongnu.org/xlog/ || xlogAUR

- yfklog — Console logbook with LoTW & QRZ support.

  https://fkurz.net/ham/yfklog.html || yfklogAUR

- yfktest — Console contest helper (Cabrillo export).

  https://fkurz.net/ham/yfktest.html || yfktestAUR

### Morse / CW training

- aldo — Morse tutor with random chars & speed tests.

  http://aldo.nongnu.org/ || aldoAUR

- cutecw — Qt6 Koch-method CW trainer.

  — || cutecwAUR

- cwirc — X-Chat/HexChat plug-in to send/receive CW over IRC.

  https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/CWirc || cwircAUR

- ebook2cw — Convert plain-text to Morse MP3/OGG.

  https://fkurz.net/ham/ebook2cw.html || ebook2cwAUR

- gtkmmorse — GTK+ Morse tutor (Koch & Classic modes).

  http://gtkmmorse.nongnu.org/ || gtkmmorseAUR

- kochmorse — Qt5 Koch-method Morse tutor.

  https://github.com/hmatuschek/kochmorse || kochmorseAUR

- qrq — High-speed (60-300 WPM) CW trainer.

  https://fkurz.net/ham/qrq.html || qrqAUR

- unixcw — Suite of CLI CW tools (cw, cwgen, cwcp, xcwcp).

  http://unixcw.sourceforge.net || unixcwAUR

### Programming / rig control

- chirp-next — Cross-platform radio memory programmer.

  https://chirpmyradio.com/projects/chirp/wiki/Home || chirp-nextAUR

- flrig — CAT & rig-control GUI (works with fldigi).

  http://www.w1hkj.com/flrig-help/ || flrigAUR

- grig — Simple GTK rig-control front-end based on Hamlib.

  http://groundstation.sourceforge.net/grig/ || grigAUR

- hamlib — Runtime library for rig control (used by most apps).

  https://hamlib.github.io || hamlib

- linrad — High-performance SDR receiver & analysis tool.

  https://www.sm5bsz.com/linuxdsp/linrad.htm || linradAUR

- owx — CLI programmer for Wouxun HT series.

  http://owx.chmurka.net || owxAUR

- quisk — SDR transceiver GUI by N2ADR.

  http://james.ahlstrom.name/quisk/ || quiskAUR

- qdmr — GUI application for configuring and programming cheap DMR radios.

  https://github.com/hmatuschek/qdmr || qdmrAUR

### SSTV / imaging

- qsstv — Slow-scan TV (SSTV) transmit/receive using sound-card.

  https://github.com/ON4QZ/QSSTV || qsstvAUR

### VoIP / linking

- qtel — Qt GUI for EchoLink VoIP.

  https://github.com/sm0svx/svxlink || qtelAUR

- svxlink — Advanced EchoLink server + repeater controller.

  https://github.com/sm0svx/svxlink || svxlinkAUR

### Misc utilities

- cty — ARRL Country-files (entities/prefixes) for contest software.

  https://www.country-files.com/cty/ || ctyAUR

- dxcc — Tiny utility to resolve DXCC entity of a callsign.

  https://fkurz.net/ham/dxcc.html || dxccAUR

- hamclock — Full-screen clock + solar data + band-plans.

  https://clearskyinstitute.com/ham/HamClock || hamclockAUR

Categories:

- Networking
- Lists of software

Amateur radio
Add topic