This week, we revisit the Web sites from past weeks and tie up some loose ends.

Joe Eisenberg, K0NEB, updated his Web site with a slideshow about the 2007 installment of the Dayton Hamvention.

Write a column like this every week and you collect a lot of loose ends, so this week, I revisit the loose ends from previous weeks and bring you up to date.

Telling the Pacific Radio Story recalled the history of radio in and on the Pacific Ocean. George Mann, KJ4UW, wrote, “There is a book titled Pacific Microphone. It is not about ham radio, but ham radio is mentioned. William Dunn, a CBS reporter, wrote this book. This book is an interesting story about trying to cover the World War II in the Pacific by radio.”

It’s Only Software told about the buzz at the Dayton Hamvention regarding SDR (Software-Defined Radio). Dean Davis wrote, “What you missed is that Hendricks QRP Kits offers the FireFly, a full-function 20 or 30 meter transceiver for $60. This kit is a perfect way to enter the exciting world of SDR.”

Having a Hamvention previewed the Hamvention® in Dayton. Joe Eisenberg, K0NEB, whom I met briefly at the Dayton show this year, reminded me that his 2007 Hamvention slideshow is ready for viewing on his Web site.

Hamming on the Go dealt with operating ham radio from your motor vehicle. Matthew Hinman, NA5K, wrote, “I posted this video of how I did my FT-7800R installation in my new car nearly drill-free. It might bring out some ideas. After shooting this video, I added fusing at the battery and a battery ground wire.”

X Marks the Spot on APRS Maps discussed a Web site that deals with an APRS application for Linux. Jim Cour, K1ZC, wrote, “When I saw your most recent regarding Xastir, I was reminded that many hams may assume (wrongly) that the world of Linux applications is off-limits to users of Windows boxes. In your article, you note that Xastir runs on several different operating systems, but you might want to dedicate a future column to how that is accomplished.

“In case you are not familiar with it, Xastir runs under Cygwin. This is a Linux emulator that creates an X Windows environment running under control of a Windows session; this means you can access your favorite Linux applications by clicking an icon in Windows. There is no need to install a dual boot environment or anything else, just the Cygwin environment. Once installed, most Linux applications should run inside with no problem, which means that the whole world of Linux software is available to the many hams running Microsoft boxes.

“Like most software based on the GNU license, installing it is not as easy as inserting a CD. The various bits and pieces need to be downloaded and compiled into a working whole, but most hams are savvy enough to manage that, provided they don’t make too many typing errors in the command line environment! Once installed, the upgrades are easy to handle and daily chores can easily be managed with batch file commands. The main message here is that just because you have a Windows box does not mean that you can't run Linux software.”

Until next time, keep on surfin’.

Editor’s note: Stan Horzepa, WA1LOU, says that some ends are better off loose, like The Sopranos, for example. To communicate with Stan, send him an e-mail or add comments to his blog. By the way, every installment of Surfin’ is indexed here, so go look it up (whatever it may be).

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