TomTom One GPS is running Linux

While doing some research on my TomTom One 3rd Edition and GeoCaching I discovered
the my little device is running Linux and appears to be very hackable. (Not that I
have anything that I really need to change on it)

http://www.opentom.org/Main_Page




http://www.opentom.org/TomTom_ONE_3rd_Edition

http://www.opentom.org/TTconsole

http://www.opentom.org/BTconsole






How to change the voice files:

http://stefans.datenbruch.de/tomtom/




Hacking the TomTom ONE through Open Source


http://www.itwire.com/content/view/13531/53/

TomTom Linux Project

http://www.slashgear.com/tomtom-linux-project-303219/

Geocaching with multiple GPS

When we go geocaching we have a couple of different GPS options depending upon which
vehicle we take.

TomTom One 3rd Edition

Mio Moov 200

Garmin 12 (no mapping)

Once we are out of the car we use an old Garmin 12. It is probably 10+ years old.
It is as basic a GPS as you can get with no mapping and no USB interface.

I am working on getting geocache locations loaded into all of the platforms so that
when we are out and about running around we can see all of the local caches and then
stop for a quick hunt if we have a little bit of time.



Here is an interesting solution for getting the locations imported as POI (Points
of Interest) into the TomTom. This will be a hack that I going to try as it looks
pretty simple.



http://www.bioneural.net/2006/01/13/geocaching-with-tomtom-a-solution-for-mac-palm/




Another option is using http://www.gpsvisualizer.com/gpsbabel/ to
import and export the files over the web. It looks like it supports all of the formats
that I will need.

A couple of the better software packages:

Geocaching Swiss Army Knife http://gsak.net/ 

GPS Babek http://www.gpsbabel.org/

Nice Geo calculator:


http://www.gpsvisualizer.com/calculators

Installing JBoss 4.0.5 on Ubuntu Server 8.10

We are doing some work with JBoss at work. It got me wondering about how to install
this and play with it at home on one of my Linux server VMs.

Here are the basic steps that I ran tonight.

Get a JDK


sudo apt-get install sun-java6-JDK 

Download a JBoss install


wget "http://internap.dl.sourceforge.net/sourceforge/jboss/jems-installer-1.2.0.GA.jar"

Make a place to store the install bits


sudo mkdir /home/jboss

Install the bits


java -jar jems-installer-1.2.0.GA.jar -installGroup default installpath=/home/jboss

Set the environment variables


sudo nano /etc/profile

JAVA_HOME="/usr/lib/jvm/java-6-sun-1.6.0.10

export"export JDK_HOME="${java_home}"

export PATH="${JAVA_HOME}/bin:${PATH}"

logout then back into pick up the path.

Manually start JBoss

cd /home/jboss/bin

sudo ./run.sh

Test the


http://server:8080

Default User

user: admin

pass: admin

Some of the places that I found notes on how to do this:



http://it.megocollector.com/?p=912

http://space.uwants.com/html/47/110947-188759.html

http://www.jboss.org/jbossas/docs/index.html

http://docs.jboss.org/jbossas/guides/installguide/r1/en/html/install.html

I have two minor issues to work out here:


1. The Java_Home info is not quite correct.

2. I think that I need to change the permissions on the /home/jboss directory so that
I can run this without using sudo. Not a big deal as I have only
been working on this for a few minutes.

Installing VMWare Tools on Fedora Core 10

I have been struggling to get VMWare Tools to properly install on Fedora Core 10 for
a few weeks. My initial searches had left me with little in the way of resolution.
I then found some excellent (link at the end of the posting)  notes that put
me on the right path.

Become SU

yum install make gcc kernel-devel


Say Yes to the prompt

uname -r


rpm -q kernel-devel


Compare the output of uname and the RPM info... if they don't match then run the YUM
upgrade step (next)

yum -y upgrade kernel kernel-devel

The next step is needed or your xwindows config may not work.

nano /etc/X11.xorg.conf

Section "Monitor"

Identifier "vmware"

EndSection

Save it (write out... then exit)

Now run the VMWare Tools install from the command line.

Excellent notes found at:

http://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/fedora-4.html

Linux Patches and Upgrades

Here is a screen capture of a Ubuntu 8.10 VM and Fedora Core 10 VM running side by
as they download and install the latest updates after the initial installation.

Fedora Core 10 Workstation (left)               
Ubuntu 8.10 Workstation (right)

Initially I like the look of Ubuntu a bit more than Fedora. On the flip side a large
amount of the Linux world writes for RedHat/Fedora Core based systems with their RPM
format.

The Debian world does not seem to be as large. I still seem to manage to be pretty
successful with Ubuntu as there is a lot of great documentation resources on the web.

Virtual Machine Construction

Here is what my screen looks like as I am building some virtual machines.

In the background you see the VMWare Server 2 via it's web interface.

In the lower left you see a Putty/SSH to my Linux Host showing TOP stats.

On the right side of the screen you an Ubuntu 8.10 workstation install.

Kind of a geeky weekend. When it struggles to reach zero (outside temp) for one
or two weekends in the Minnesota winter it is ok to stay inside and geek out.



My 8 year old built his first PC this weekend while I was upgrading my VMWare server.
We will get rid of at least one PC... maybe more with the VM infrastructure.



I also managed to get the Windows and Linux machines integrated this weekend. I have
filesystems mounted between the systems. This might be be beginning of the end for
having Windows Server running at home now that I am sharing data between the systems
fairly transparently.



The goal is to move the workstations/laptops probably to Macs and use Linux as the
server environment. I actually envision the server environment going away over time
as well. I will probably move everything to VMs or NAS as I slowly down size our world.

OpenSSH and FreeNX

On all of my new Linux installs I am adding OpenSSH server and FreeNX.

Here are basic directions for getting it installed on an Ubuntu Machine.


(I am still working thru a couple of issues doing
this successfully on Fedora Core 10.)

Hint: try to copy/paste
these steps as much as possible.

Open a Terminal Window

sudo apt-get install openssh-server


---

Then via SSH/Putty from my Laptop

sudo nano /etc/apt/sources.list


---

add these lines:

deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/marceloshima/ubuntu intrepid
main

deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/marceloshima/ubuntu intrepid
main

deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/freenx-team/ubuntu intrepid
main

deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/freenx-team/ubuntu intrepid
main


---

then update the package lists:

sudo apt-get update


---

install FreeNX:

sudo apt-get install freenx-server


Select Yes / take the defaults

Now should be able to connect. If you need the client then go here:

http://www.nomachine.com/download.php




With the install steps listed above and a standard speed DSL/cablemodem/wireless connection you
should be able to have this up in running in less than 10 minutes.



Screen capture as seen from XP:


This is an Ubuntu 8.10 workstation VM running


across the network in a FreeNX session











Some interesting & helpful links for FreeNX:

http://blog.rubypdf.com/2009/01/21/installing-freenx-in-ubuntu-810-intrepid-ibex/

http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/8477

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=620057

Windows to Linux Conversion

I am a long time lightweight newbie Linux user.  I have been messing around with
Linux in various ways since 1993. Back then it was a Slackware install on an old 486SX
that was acting as my SLIP/PPP dial-up proxy for my OS2 and Windows machines. I have
been falling into and out of Linux for the past 15 years. It just did not have the
staying power for me to keep me hooked as a day-to-day user. It was fun and kind of
neat but most of my software needs were heavily based in the Windows world of corporate
America.

Over the past number of year my interest has grown but my available time has diminished.
I have Linux running on one of my laptops and in a couple of VMs (virtual machines)
on my Windows 2003 VMWare server. My server was an older clone based upon an AMD 1.4GHz
single core CPU with about 1.5gb of RAM. Not a power house but then again there was
nothing serious running there. I had a XP VM for download my podcasts, a domain controller,
a web server, and a couple of Linux VMs.... typically on 2 VMs were running.

I decided to purchase some additional ram to improve the performance of the machine
since was playing around with some new Linux distro versions. I soon discovered that
it was not worth investing the money into old DDR memory. I ended up buying another
inexpensive motherboard, 4gb of RAM, and a Sata hard drive.



Old Compaq case

Since I had several older PCs laying around I decided to cannablize an old Compaq
to become the newer/faster/better VMServer for my network. After removing the old
motherboard, PCI cards, and hard drives I ran into trouble at 9pm on Saturday. I discovered
that the new motherboard needed a 4 pin 12vdc connection and that Compaq power supply
did not have it. I then ended up backing up some data on a slightly newer (read still
pretty old) clone and gutting that machine.



Old mother boards & cards







Lots of connections except for what I really need

Since I am making the jump I left myself some room on the motherboard to add some
additional ram. I still have two DDR2 slots open with the intention of adding another
4gb of ram to the server. The new box is an AMD single CPU, dual core 2.6GHz, 4gb
of RAM, 80gb Sata, 500gb Sata, and 320gb IDE drives.

Since I want to go beyond 4gb of RAM I decided to abandon Windows Server 2003 and
move to Linux. I was torn between the popularity of RedHat/Fedora Core and my success
with Ubuntu. In the end I chose Ubuntu even though it seems like a high percentage
of the software in the wild leans towards RPMs I have had great success with Ubuntu
and sealed the deal.

I was able to load Ubuntu 8.10 x64 server with no issues. I then downloaded VMWare
Server 2 and installed that with No issues after a bit of googling for info. I was
then able to move my VMWare guests from my Windows Server 2003 host into my Ubuntu
based host with no issues.

To be honest for a Linux newbie this has been a great experience. I have been able
to work thru mounting filesystems and installing software without too much pain. The
new Ubuntu based VMWare Server 2 host rocks! The performance of the VMs is awesome
compared on the older hw/sw stack that I was running before the upgrade.

Great directions on how to install VMWare Server 2 on Ubuntu 8.10 server:

http://www.howtoforge.com/how-to-install-vmware-server-2-on-ubuntu-8.10




VMWare Server 2:

http://www.vmware.com/products/server/




Where I buy my hardware in Minnesota:

http://www.nanosys1.com/

Ubuntu Distro:

http://www.ubuntu.com/

K2 SSB Module - Night Four

I finished up the installation of the header pins and mounted the board in the radio.
Looking at the picture it really blends in unless you notice the slightly darker green.

I went thru the basic filter and BFO configurations. I can now hear SSB signals with
good clarity. I am not ready to hookup a mic to it for a while so I will put the final
configuration on hold for a while. (The SSB module will be tied to the transverter
operation once I order & build the transverter module.)

The SSB module was about 3-4 hours of work without pushing too hard. 30 minutes of
that was probably spent just sorting parts. Another 30-45 minutes trying to figure
out the menu system for adjusting the filters and BFO.

I have the internal ATU kit sitting on my desk next to my keyboard as I type this.
It looks like a more involved project than the SSB module. I hope to start it in the
next few days depending on work and family commitments & conflicts.

2009 ARRL January VHF Contest

Another January VHF contest has come and gone.

Wow... conditions were bad. It was a struggle to work beyond the metro ring. It seemed
like there were quite a few less stations on the air then I would expect.



It was a nice to work a contest where I did not need to build anything for the station
nor make any repairs. I turned everything on 2 hours before the event began.

I have to be honest and say that I did not play very hard. It was a pretty slow event
so I had CNN on in the office and I was messing around on the other computers as well.
I let the voice keyer running pretty actively on the run radio/band while listening
on the second rig.



Hopefully the for the next contest I will have the K2 integrated into the station.
I am also looking at adding a SDR rig to drive the high bands.



My goal was 10,000 points but there were not enough stations on air, band openings,
or high band qso's to make that happen.

Grids Worked on 144MHz