Xastir is the about the only program in active development for Linux. If you want to just check it out, there's a binary build in the Ubuntu software center (Synaptic), but to really use it you'll need to build from source. The biggest problem seems to be getting maps to work properly.

http://www.xastir.org/wiki/Main_Page

The problem I have with D-star is the focus on digital voice. It seems like that's all anyone is interested in. The only radio I'm remotely interested in is the ID-1, and it looks like it won't talk to any other radio unless going through a D-star gateway, or another ID-1. Yes, voice quality is fairly good. Yes, you're digital from the radio out. But who cares? To me, voice is just another data stream. We should be spending our time and money on digital networks that are just there for moving bits around, not for a complex (mostly) manual routing system and Internet tunneling. Boot up a PC/phone/whatever, tune to the local node and be done with it. You want to talk? Great, use Skype (or the Ham equivalent). Traffic nets? Dump the message into the network and done. APRS? Sure, easy.

As it is, it took so long for the standard to be implemented that 128Kbps (on 1.2GHz) isn't enough to be worth the time. 4800bps (2M/70cm) could be useful for some low bandwidth applications but since 3.6Kbps is used up by the voice channel we're not much better off than we were with packet.

I'd be all over D-star if it were 1) 1Mbps or better, 2) used IP protocols and routing, and 3) used some of the unused bandwidth like the 1.2GHz band and up. If we're not using it, someone else will.

D-star was designed to solve a problem unique to Japan. Namely, a lack of bandwidth on 2 Meters.

http://www.stealth.ae/plugins/custompages/detinf.php?id=372&id_categories=136

If I had an SUV I'd consider it (or homebrewing something like it).

I usually just chalk those up to quantum mechanics.

I used sandbags to hold down a tripod for a while, but the sun eventually damaged the bag so much that they just fell apart. 5 gal buckets worked much better, just put sand/etc in them.

I like the water idea though. May need to try it when camping.

I got back into ham radio because of a local store. I'll never forgive them!

Seriously though. Mix it up. Big ticket items don't have the same margin as the small stuff. Buy the big stuff online, but get the coax, DC cable, and some other accessories at the local store. After all, I'm sure you forgot something when you were setting up the shack.

And BTW, most states have an online sales tax form that you are supposed to fill out (and pay) when you do your state income taxes.

And just look at what electronic musicians are doing with the iPad now. Everything from "sketch pads" for composing and practicing, to stomp boxes, drum machine docks and amplifier simulators. There are several companies introducing workstation docks that look a lot like the digital mixers of a few years ago, but with iPad interfaces.

Of course, most of these add-ons cost more than the iPad itself.

That seems to me like a little bit of overkill. You should be able to find a single band 2 meter mobile radio for next to nothing. Seems to be a shame to use an 857d for a basic task like that.

But yes, it will work. I did something similar (with an old Radioshack 2 meter mobile) when I lived in a fringe area. I used an MFJ sound card interface and the paid-for AGW Packet Engine, which seemed to work better than the free one (the author said they are completely different). Ran that through UI View and it worked great.

One advantage to the FT-857d might be a more sensitive receiver than an old mobile.

One interesting thing I found is that the newer units add a "frequency" field. This is the Freq/offset/PL/etc of the other band. I think other manufacturers support this field as well. This along with a "tune" button makes it easy to QSY to make a voice contact. The D710 also does smart beaconing instead of every x minutes beaconing no matter what has changed. I think there's an aftermarket GPS that just clips on the back of the head unit that simplifies installation and cabling.

Anyone else have anything? I'm looking at upgrading my D-700 if I can find enough good reasons.

If you were asking TH-d7 vs TH-D72 it would be a no-brainer. The D72 is a huge improvement over the D7 (which is the main reason I'm thinking of updating the D700 too).

The KX3 beats it two (and that's about it) ways: 1) digital IF filtering/advanced DSP decoding and 2) ergonomics.

I've looked at the FT-817 as a downlink radio to match my FT-897d for a while, and every time I do I can't get over how terrible it would be to use portable. There's no reason to jam all the controls and display on the short end of the unit and leave all that real estate on top going to waste. I have the same complaint about the 897d as well, but at least it's big enough to use.

However, at this price I would be hard pressed to take a KX3 out in the woods while hiking and risk damage. If I were to get one it would be used more as a hotel/vacation rig, not a last line of bear defence. I have a feeling it will be used more as an entry level K3 instead of a backpack portable rig.

Well, if we're counting CB, Smokey and the Bandit. Most of the dialogue between Cledus and Bandit happened over the chicken band (and at some surprisingly long distances).

How about Star Trek 2, Wrath of Kahn? Kirk and Kahn were never in the same room, but they communicated the entire time over the sub-space band.

Are you able to connect the GPS to a PC (using the same cable with some adaptation)? If so, you should be able to use hyperterminal to see the NMEA data. As long as you have serial port settings correct (4800/n/8/1), you should see a line of data once per second. If you are getting gibberish or nothing at all, it might not be sending data in the correct format.

I seem to remember being able to pass-through GPS data on the D-700, which should tell you the same thing. But looking directly at the serial output would be best.

In fldigi make sure you have the "use rigcat" checkbox unchecked and the "use hamlib" checked.

Depending on how you installed fldigi you might need to add the hamlib libraries. In software center or Synaptic, look for libhamlib. There's a lot of stuff there you don't necessarily need, but for sure on Ubuntu 10.04 you'll need libhamlib2 at a minimum. I'd also install libhamlib-utils and -doc if you're interested in using hamlib to control other devices (for example, Gnome Predict will control radios and az/el rotators for satellite operation).

Most USB to serial converters show up as ttyUSB(x). After plugging in the adapter open a terminal. type "ls /dev/tty*" and you should see it. In fldigi's rig control screen, put the full path to the USB adapter (/dev/ttyUSB0). Remember that case counts, too.

I use Hamlib for rig control, it seems to be better supported. I've also noticed that if I disconnect/reconnect my adapter adds 1 to the ttyUSB number. this isn't a big deal for me, but if it becomes a problem for you there are fixes online that involve setting up udev rules.

"Sticky" threads might help. I see them in other forum software for frequently cited or well written articles that are useful for newcomers.