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TGIF Net Transcript 2025-10-03
DIR By: VE3RD
Date: October 7, 2025, 6:39 pm
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[center]TGIF Net Transcript 2025-10-03[/center]
Preamble
CQ CQ CQ, good evening. This is K4WZV. TGIF net at 8 30 p.m. est
on the TGIF server, tg 31665 for a pre-selected subject or
other amateur radio topics. Emergency traffic may be indicated
by a triple break and will be accepted at any time during the
net. Ladies and gentlemen, please remember that this is a
directed net, so please do not transmit unless you are directed
to do so by the net control station. When you check into the net
tonight, please say your call sign only and we need it
phonetically, too. For example, this is K4WZV, Kilo 4, Westy
Zulu Victor. All righty, do we have any stations that have any
announcements, any news, or any other type of traffic for the
net this evening? Please come now.
Check-in List
The following call signs checked in during the net, listed in a
fixed-width font for alignment:
--- Code ---
N6CZE KA1PIT K5OKE
NY2S
WA3ZHR KE2KL N4EJM
KC5LAA
WB3GCK N4ZWR K2OZ
N8MME
N9NJS KQ4IIV K2ANN
KD6AJG
K8LR W4EV KCAUKB
WA1WQC
K7DCE N3TJK KE8APO
KV9Q
KM9Q WC7V KA3CUW
KW0Z
WM3Q KE4TLZ VE6PLC
KB1PZS
W5GDC KJ4LWZ K9FEH
AD2CH
N2MRH KB3JQQ W1BET
WB3IHY
KA7DLB K1WMP N1XQX
KA2YED
N1TET VE3RD W2SHR
KD4BJA
N4XV N4LDB NG5EN
KF5KHS
K6GD KC8USA KD8KES
KC9SIO
NS8G WD9HGO KB9LIQ
AF7FS
NT9Q KB8PFL KB8M
J69FL
VP5FL KX4XR KF5MG
N9XR
K5GU N4HYK N2ISB
--- End Code ---
TGIF Trading Post
K4WZV: All right, this is Kilo 4 Whiskey Zulu Victor. Does
anybody have anything they want to sell? Anything that you want
to purchase? Or anything you want to trade? Or are you looking
for something? Now's your chance to get it listed on the net
this evening. Please come now.
KF5MG: Okay, this is going to be a multi-option issue here.
First of all, I still have that Cisco 5G phone that can be used
on the Hams Over IP and the second -- let's get the name of the
network. I have CS300 -- 3,000 handheld and a Kinect Systems 800
mobile. So what I'm looking for is a Motorola VHF mobile radio
in my vehicle, and I want to have any of those items or
multiples of those items, if somebody wants to shop on those,
purchase them. And I'm good on QRZ, KF5MG.
K4WZV: Okay, I think I got most of that. I probably missed
something up here. You threw it at me pretty quick. Mark, KF5MG
is good on QRZ. It's got a Cisco 504G, I think you said, one of
the Internet radios that you can use on a ham radio hotline.
It's got a Kinect Systems 3000, Kinect Systems 710, and a Kinect
Systems 800 radio; is that correct?
KF5MG: I apologize. Cisco is a voice-over IP phone for
hands-over IP, and it will work on that other network. I've got
actually one 508G on the two systems, but the 504 will do the
same thing. Yes, I'm good on QRZ and the radio CS800, CS710,
CS3000. The CS800 is a VHF, and the other two units are UHF,
KF5MG.
K4WZV: Right on, very good. We'll get ahold of you there, and
KF5MG, if you're interested in any of that, shoot him an e-mail,
and he can explain to you more in detail what he's got and what
he wants to do with them there. So just shoot him an e-mail. Oh
yeah, we got all that right, Mark, on QRZ, right?
KF5MG: Yes, sir, that's all good, KF5MG.
K4WZV: All right, very nice, very nice there.
Discussion
K4WZV: This is Kilo 4 Whiskey Zulu Victor. My name's Robert with
TGIFNet, and it’s a pleasure to be your net controller. Open
source software (OSS) offers many benefits, making expensive
proprietary software seem less appealing. However, OSS has
downsides, and IT leaders must weigh both to fit their needs.
OSS has freely available code, developed collaboratively by
communities. It began in the early days of programming, rooted
in academic traditions of open knowledge exchange. Today, OSS
allows programmers to use, deploy, or modify code freely, often
at no cost, but they must follow the governing open source
license. Examples include Apache, Audacity, Mozilla Firefox,
Linux, and WordPress. Vendors like Cloudera, Databricks,
Mozilla, Puppet Labs, and Red Hat support OSS. Proprietary
software, conversely, is commercial, with code controlled by its
owner, who sells, leases, or licenses it, also known as
closed-source or non-free software. OSS is widely used, with
70-90% of modern software incorporating it, per the Linux
Foundation. Over 50% of Fortune 500 companies use OSS for
mission-critical tasks, and 77% of surveyed organizations
increased OSS use in 2021, per the 2022 State of Open Source
Report by OpenLogic and Open Source Initiative. OSS is
cost-effective but may lack support and involves complex
licensing (e.g., GNU GPL, BSD, Mozilla, Creative Commons,
Eclipse). Companies must research restrictions, such as profit
or non-profit use, to ensure compliance. Does anyone want to
comment on open source?
VE6PLC: I think over the years, the amateur radio community has
certainly benefited from the people who have really developed
programs for our use, whether it's open source or minimal cost,
but most of it's been free. We've certainly benefited from it.
Ham's collaborating with one another. You get groups of Ham's
working on a project, developing this and that, and then someone
comes along and does some documentation for it. Somebody adds
this and somebody adds that. My word, where would Ham Radio be
without PyStar and WSJTX and some of these other software that
we take for granted but use almost every day? Back to you,
Robert, from V6 PLC.
K4WZV: Absolutely, open source has greatly benefited the Ham
Radio community with tools like MMDVM and others. Some, like Ham
Radio Deluxe, have shifted to paid models, but much remains
free. Developers often need to recover costs. Ensure you
understand license terms, as seen in past issues like OpenGD77.
Licensing can be complex, with options like GNU GPL, BSD,
Mozilla, and others, so research is key. Any comments or
questions on open source?
NT9Q: Okay, thank you, Robert. It's open source. It's become
very popular with people that use computers a lot. I'm not real
sure, but I think that they created the open source because of
Trojans and viruses that get into the equipment. If you get a
piece of software and you're using it, you have no way of
knowing whether it's taking information from your computer or
taking information that you type in or any of the likes. In any
case, open source, you can actually open the program up and go
through the code, and you can tell if there's a Trojan embedded
in there or a virus embedded. I think that's why open source has
become very popular. Back to you, K4WZV, NT9Q.
K4WZV: You’re right, but even with open source, security risks
remain, as hidden issues can persist. Be cautious with any
software, including Microsoft or Apple. Freeware and shareware,
like OpenOffice, offer great alternatives to paid software like
Microsoft Excel. Always research before use. Any further
comments?
KB1PZS: Yeah, I just wanted to mention that, you know, I started
out using freeware and shareware for Windows-based operating
systems. And, you know, obviously one of them was the Mozilla
Firefox that used to be the Netscape Navigator. And there was a
whole bunch of it. And eventually I ended up moving to Linux
because I was on XP at the time. And XP kept -- I kept getting
viruses and malware, and I had all kinds of -- I had malware
bytes on there. I had all kinds of antivirus. I watched where I
went. I didn't go to any sketchy sites or anything like that. I
was still getting it. And I would have to dump my operating
system and reload Windows every time and get all my drivers
working and all that and get everything back to the way I had
it. And I had to do that numerous times, and I think it was -- I
think I told myself, "Oh, if this happens one more time, I'm
going to switch to Linux." And it happened. So I switched to
Linux. And when I went to Linux, I found that a lot of these
freeware and shareware software packages were all on Linux. In
fact, I learned that they were all written for Linux and for
other open source and non-proprietary OSes like BSD. And so it
was my surprise that everything that I was already using on
Windows I could use on Linux, and that would include OpenOffice,
LibreOffice, all kinds of Office suites that you don't have to
pay Microsoft a million dollars for. As well as a lot of other
software packages that covered a lot of what I was doing on
Windows. So I pretty much was able to move everything over to
Windows for the most part, except for a few specialized programs
that I still needed to use. And then you don't have to worry
about all those viruses and anything. If you get a virus on your
virtual machine, you just delete it and re-instate a new
instance of it. Then you don't have to have antivirus and all
that junk. Anyways, hopefully I didn't time out. Back to
NetControl. KB, one piece of this.
K4WZV: Great points. I plan to try Linux myself soon. Any other
experiences with open source or proprietary software? We’re now
moving to questions and answers on any amateur radio topic. No
question is too small—ask away!
N2ISB: November 2, India Sierra Papa. Can you check me in,
Robert? N2ISB, got you checked in, Charlie. 100. Got you checked
in there, Charlie. Don't know what's going on here.
KW0Z: Thank you, Robert. On behalf of all the stations logged in
to the TGIF amateur radio network tonight, I welcome you back to
the show. It's been a long time. Great to hear you. (inaudible)
For the amateur radio licenses. So don't hesitate to continue to
study for your exam. Take your exam. And when the government
opens back up, we'll see those licenses processed there. So
we'll stay tuned on that. And keep up your good work there,
Robert. Great to hear you on the radio. K4WZV, this is KW0Z.
K4WZV: Thanks, Steven. I was a bit rusty tonight and
underprepared due to personal matters. Open source is complex—I
got in over my head researching it.
KW0Z: Yes, sir. Copy on that. And, you know, I went back and
looked up the invention of open source software. I forget the
feller's name. I think it was John Stoller developing the GNU
project, which was G-N-U. That's Gulf November Uniform. Bell
Labs, Bell System, I believe. And so GNU, that took off in 1983,
as I recall. And then everything else has followed. I remember
working around the University of Kansas. There were some open
source games and it seems like maybe Oregon Trail was one of
them. I'm not sure. But I know a few developers way, way back in
the day when bits were bits and bytes were bytes. But that's
another story. Hey, you're doing a great job there, Robert. Keep
up the good work. Toss it back to NetControl.
K4WZV: Yes, Roger that. I did find some history. The actual open
source software began in the 1950s and 60s as a period when
software and its source code were often shared freely with
hardware. And then the mid-1980s saw the free software movement
launch with Richard Stallman creating the GNU project,
emphasizing software freedom. The term open source was coined in
1998 by a group including Christine Peterson, Eric Raymond, and
others who wanted a business-oriented alternative to the free
software philosophy. So a lot of different events happened there
and I started reading into it and man, it got really involved
there. So I kind of gave a brief thing this evening there
because we could have talked about it for hours. Over.
KW0Z: Copy that, Robert. And each and every one of us is
standing on the shoulders of a developer from way back when. And
we've all contributed to that literature being written, too. One
way or another, we are all beta testers. Some of us more so than
others. So it's been quite a ride, quite an amazing evolution in
the world of electronics and communications there. Toss it back
to NetControl. K4WZV, this is KW0Z.
K4WZV: Yeah, it absolutely has. Especially with radios from
China, hams are often beta testers, which saves money and
leverages our troubleshooting skills.
N4HYK: Yes, sir. This is N4HYK, one of the older amateur radio
operators. I should say licensed operators, which is quite
different today than it was 30, 40, 50, 60 years ago and so
forth. And I said that to say this. Are we, as amateur radio
operators today, are we into more computer stuff than hardware
stuff? Now, when I got into it, it was mostly hardware stuff.
There was no computer stuff yet in the hobby. Not yet. Now, the
reason I'm asking that question, I think someone on the network
here looked it up one time. The average age of the amateur radio
operator, licensed operator that operates here in the United
States was about 68 or 69. And in some countries, the average
age is 70 years old. So, now, I understand the younger people
and a lot of younger people only do what we are doing right now.
Is using this technology that takes computer software and so
forth and so on. But, does the average ham think of that? Or
even care about the computerizing of the system? All they know
is they got an HD in their hand and it works. I'm going from
self-experience yesterday and today. I just wanted to throw that
out for food for thought for the ones who are still listening.
Although, I know from experience, most of the people that
checked in are gone. They're called check-inners. They check in
and they're gone to the next place they check in. Those are my
final thoughts. NetControl, this is N4HYK73.
K4WZV: Okay, Doc. Thanks for your comments there. Always
appreciated there, for sure. You have a great evening there.
Acknowledgements
K4WZV: I want to thank a few people that are very important.
First of all, I want to thank Mr. Mitch Savage, EA7KDO. Mitch
started the TGIF network on a Raspberry Pi back in the day.
Unfortunately, Mitch is a silent key. He did the Nextion
screens. Just a great guy. It was a pleasure to be his friend.
He'll always be in our hearts and our memories for as long as
we're around there. Thank you, Mitch. Rest in peace, Mitch.
K4WZV: I want to thank James KF6S. James did the RADxA boards
and the Nextion screens with Mitch. So, the RADxA and the
PiStar. Just a great guy. He's also a silent key, and his
memories will always be there.
K4WZV: I want to thank Mr. Ty Weaver, KG5RKI, for everything
he's done with all the code writing to keep our servers and
everything running as they do. Everything's running just
absolutely fantastic. And thank you, Ty.
K4WZV: And I also want to thank Andy G7LRR for everything Andy
does. Andy's a Tizer Iron Man. Those guys work together, keeping
the dashboard. Andy did all the mesh boards and many other
things in the backend to keep everything up and running and
stuff there. So, thank you so much there, Andy.
K4WZV: I want to thank Glenn N3MEL that did the forum, and he's
since retired. So, thank you, Glenn.
K4WZV: I want to thank Mark 82CH and Joe WP3IHY and everybody
else that's involved. Doug KE5CDK that helped with the forum
page, answering questions. Sending people in the right direction
and all that. So, appreciate everybody's involvement with the
network. Very much appreciate it.
K4WZV: And I can't keep forgetting, I can't forget Phil VE3RD
and Vic VE3JAR for all the great documentation on NXIVM screens.
And Phil with the NXIVM takeover and improvement of all the
NXIVM screens and the recordings. The list goes on and on. Just
everybody helping out. It's very much appreciated. So, thank you
everybody.
Close
K4WZV: Okay, Doc. Thanks for your comments there. Always
appreciated there, for sure. You have a great evening there.
We're going to go ahead and close the net here. We've got some
stuff to take care of. Appreciate everybody that checked in
tonight. Very much appreciated. It was a pleasure being a
NetController this evening. It's a pleasure to be part of TGIF
network, and I hope everybody enjoys the network. And thank God
it's Friday. This is K4WZV, and the net is now closed. TGIF Talk
Route 31665 is now returned to regular amateur radio use. This
is K4WZV. The Talk Group TGIF 31665 is now returned to regular
amateur radio use. 73. Thank you.
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