Checking Winlink email on Raspberry Pi

By Dave (W5CWT) - I've been wanting to find ways to check my Winlink email other than having to use a Windows machine. I dug out an extra Raspberry Pi and went to work with it. Surprisingly, the Direwolf soundcard program is so good these days that outperforms nearly every hardware TNC. (Here's a nice discussion on Direwolf.) And it's getting better all the time. It, combined with a Signalink (or other external soundcard), a radio and a power supply make up a great little digital station.

This is not a plug and play system. It takes a little effort and tweaking to get it right. Every set of instructions I found assumed more than I knew, it took some time for me to piece it all together. But in the end, I could check my email without a Windows machine in sight!

Here is my attempt to detail what I did.

"Thank You" from the Rusk Co. Library

As many of you know, the club recently donated more than a dozen books to the Rusk County Library. The books covered topics such as amateur radio, basic electronics, antenna systems, digital and emergency communications, as well as study guides for all three classes of amateur radio licenses. The total cost for the club was just over $200.

This week, the club received a Thank-You card from the library in appreciation for the donation. As noted in the card, the library has already seen some interest in the new books.

Tech Class begins with 11 students

Students take practice exams

Eleven students, raging in age from 9 to over 60, began their journey to becoming radio amateurs Saturday, the first day of the RCARC's current new ham course. Keith (KN5G) and David (W5CWT) lead the class as the students learned about the vast aspects of ham radio, how to use an HT and a little bit of wave theory.

Out of the four women and seven men who made up the class, most said they were drawn to amateur radio because of its role in emergency communications and public service.

the class runs each Saturday, 8 a.m. to noon through April 30th. At the end of the last session, students will have an opportunity to take the FCC's Technician Class License test administered by a local volunteer examiner team.

Longview club to host sidewalk sale

The Longview East Texas Amateur Radio Club is hosting a sidewalk sale this Saturday on the campus of LeTourneau University. While the website says the sale runs from 8 to noon, several folks (with apparently nothing better to do in the wee hours of the morning) will forgo sleep an arrive closer to 7 am. (I'm sure the college students would prefer the later time!)

Anyway, it's always a fun time and typically there are lots of good deals to be had. There's also some nice door prizes throughout the morning. The exact address is the Glaske Center Parking Lot, 2100 S Mobberly Avenue, Longview, TX 75602.

For more info, visit their website, which includes a map.