===== FreeBSD Ham Radio =====

The Ham Radio on %%FreeBSD%% Project is an effort to make %%FreeBSD%% a great operating system for ham radio operators. Linux has captured attention due to such things as AX.25 being part of the network stack and better publicity. Our aim is to improve ham radio support in ports and advocate for %%FreeBSD%% amongst ham radio operators.

===== Porting =====

[[https://www.freshports.org/hamradio|List of Ham Radio FreeBSD Ports]]

Particularly for those less familiar with ham radio software, we may have apparently older but working versions of software in the tree. Due to the realities of the wider ham radio software ecosystem, **every change is a breaking change unless thoroughly dogfooded/ran and tested**. Not dissimilar to scientific software, many (solo at that) developers and maintainers are not software/release experts, but rather more versed in RF and the problems their programs aim to solve. The original efforts are more likely than not disproportionate to any compensation or remuneration; as a reminder ham radio is largely a hobby that discourages or disallows remuneration. There is no guarantee of version semantics representing API/ABI breakages, and older software paradigms may persist longer than usual. We can only do our best to respect the original software's wishes and intentions whilst offering working software to our users.

Submissions of new ports or updates through the various channels may take longer than usual or have additional questioning attached.

===== Advocacy =====

db efforts have been published here:
http://bsdtalk.blogspot.com/2007/05/bsdtalk111-freebsd-developer-diane.html

db gave a talk on Hamradio on %%FreeBSD%% to a local Ottawa club http://www.oarc.net
slides at http://www.oarc.net/presentations/hamradio_on_freebsd.pdf

Dru Lavigne has written about our porting effort here http://blogs.ittoolbox.com/unix/bsd/archives/ham-radio-on-freebsd-14564

===== Team Members =====

  * AdrianChadd
  * DianeBruce
  * MarkFelder
  * KyleEvans
  * GanaelLaplanche
  * PhilipPaeps
  * StephenHurd 
  * CharlieLi 
  * YuriVictorovich
  * SoerenStraarup

==== Contributors ====

  * <lambert@lambertfam.org>
  * <sunrychen@gmail.com>
  * <toyokun@gmail.com>
  * <akh@nobugware.com>
  * <takefu@airport.fm>
  * <baitisj@pcbsd.org>

===== Contact =====

There is a mailing list devoted to Ham radio operators on BSD in general, not just %%FreeBSD%%:

  * [[https://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/bsd-ham|BSD-Ham mailing list - Amateur Radio Software for BSD systems]]
  * [[https://mailman.qth.net/faq.htm|BSD-Ham Help & FAQ]]
  * <BSD-Ham@mailman.qth.net>

Four members of the porting team are on BSD-Ham - SoerenStraarup, DianeBruce, StephenHurd and CharlieLi .

Some members are available on [[irc://irc.geekshed.net/#BSD-hamradio|#BSD-hamradio channel on the GeekShed IRC network.]]

===== Future Work =====

  * Finish work on tcp/ip to ax.25 UI code
  * Find more volunteers to help (and get licensed)

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{{tag>Project Team Ports}}