September 2020 – loga.us

CQRLog Install on FreeBSD

There are several very good logging programs in the FreeBSD Package Repository such as KLog, Xlog, KB, and Yfklog but none of them are as feature rich as CQRLog in my humble opinion! Some amateur radio operators prefer simple logging programs, however, my preference is a logging program which can connect to other services such as qrz.com, eqsl.cc and Log Book of the World as well as other programs such as WSJT-X.

CQRLog uses MYSQL as the default backend database. Normally, installation of CQRlog from FreeBSD’s Package Repository would be straight forward. However, installing MySQL first, provides a little flexibility when installing CRQLog from the FreeBSD Package Repository.

Changing a Let’s Encrypt Certificate’s Domains

Did you ever configure a piece of software or service and spend a great deal of time doing so, without documenting it, only have to modify it in the future. Let’s Encrypt is one of those pieces of software I had configured in the past and recently had to modify then spend an inordinate amount of time trying to figure out my initial configuration. This post is an attempt to piece together and document what is needed to update the domains in my Let’s Encrypt Certificate

NetLogger Install using FreeBSD’s Linux Binary Compatibility

As an active Amateur Radio Operator, I utilize NetLogger on a daily basis. Nearly all of the Amateur Radio Applications I use have native FreeBSD packages with the exception of NetLogger. NetLogger is a Net Management Tool for Ham Radio. It’s a great QT Application available for Windows, MacOS, and Linux. NetLogger is available as a free application but the source code is not open source which is unfortunate. In any case, a Linux Binary and associated dependency libraries are available.

NetLogger can be downloaded at https://netlogger.org. I chose the Stable Version 3.1.5 Linux Tar Archive — 32 Bit.

FreeBSD and WSJT-X Configuration

Recently, I configured WSJT-X on my IBM ThinkPad running FreeBSD 12.1 with the Lumina Desktop. Although it’s working just fine, the road traveled was challenging to say the least. Enclosed are my notes on the actions needed to properly configure FreeBSD and WSJT-X on my Laptop.

For those not familiar with WSJT-X, it is amateur radio software for weak signal communications. Please follow the link for additional information regarding WSJT-X: https://www.physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/k1jt/index.html

Install TrustedQSL on FreeBSD

From the LoTW website, the Logbook of the World (LoTW) is an online service that enables you to:

electronically submit contacts (QSOs) for confirmation
view your submitted QSOs and resulting confirmations online
view your DXCC, VUCC, WAS, WAZ and WPX award progress online
electronically submit confirmations for credit toward DXCC, VUCC, WAS, WAZ and WPX awards

Although there are several services to log contacts such as QRZ and eQSL, LoTW is the Gold Standard of logging contacts in the author’s humble opinion!

Avahi in FreeBSD

Introduction:

After installing CUPS, I noticed avahi-app was installed as a dependency. Also, while digging around a bit in /usr/local/etc/rc.d, I notice two files of interest: avahi-daemon and avahi-dnsconfd. As a result, I wanted to configure the Avahi on my system provide local hostname resolution using the hostname.local naming scheme as well as the discovery of avahi aware services.