#acars

Lincoln Town Car... in town

By Stian Håheim

Skywave Linux 3.0 is released. This version has a different look, now using the MATE desktop environment. It is efficient and has visual appeal. We're now on the Xanmod Kernel 4.13, which makes for a responsive and stable base system. Audio now starts as a plain PulseAudio system, without plugins, for greater hardware compatibility. More wifi drivers are also included in Skywave Linux 3.0. Multiple desktops are enabled, so users can de-clutter and organize their activities on the system. As to the software defined radio applications, we now have four sources of remote servers: WebSDR, OpenWebRX (KiwiSDR), QtRadio/HPSDR, and RemoteSDRClient (SDRAnywhere). The latter is the newest and connects to shared RFSPACE radios. RTLSDR applications are now moving into new capabilities: simultaneous multichannel monitoring, data logging, and ability to stream audio to shoutcast servers. ACARS and VDL Mode 2 are now decodable, with logging. Bleeding-edge support for ADALM-PLUTO devices has been added. Kodi has received some updates and continues to offer streams from thousands and thousands of sources. Those stations sound great with the dynamics and EQ processing in PulseEffects. Overall, this version of Skywave Linux does more, makes better use of system resources, and is a joy to use.