[aprssig] New aprs client available for windows - xastir

[Wes Johnston, AI4PX]

Ok, now that I have your attention..... here's an easy way to run xastir in
windows.  Seriously easy.


This is the procedure to install and run Xastir from within windows.  This
will work with XP, Vista and Windows 7.  Although this document may look
long, in a nutshell there are really only two steps.  You will simply be
installing a program called andLinux and once it’s running you will install
and run Xastir.



Prerequisites:

You will need administrator privileges to install this program.



Make sure you do not access the internet through 192.168.11.x network.  If
you do, please change the sub net to 192.168.12.x or other.  This may
require making changes to your router and rebooting all PCs in the
house.  There
is a workaround which requires editing 3 files, but generally it is easier
to change your network settings.  We’ll cover that later if needed.



Enable windows file sharing.  You’ll want to be able to allow xastir to
access maps you get from CD or USB drives.  You can use the Shared Documents
folder to allow this.



Download the andLinux program.  Go to
http://www.andlinux.org/downloads.phpand download the approximately
200meg file.



Installation.

You will be installing a linux application that runs in the background of
your PC.  You will use a sort of remote desktop to access this background
application via a fake TCP/IP connection.



Run the installer and accept all defaults.  When the installer asks you for
a username and password for linux choose one.  It is OK to use the same
password you use for your windows login or you can choose another.  At the
next screen select SAMBA file sharing and press next.



At the shared folders setup, choose SharedDocuments from the pulldown.  Enter
your windows username and password.  This will allow the andLinux background
application to swap files in the shared documents folder with windows.



Accept the defaults for the remainder of the options.



Reboot your PC.



When you log in again, you will be asked to unblock Xming Server and
Pulseaudio server.  Press the unblock buttons.



Test your internet connection to see if it is still working.  Go to a web
site such as cnn or google to test it.  If your PC used an address in the
range of  192.168.11.x, you may have problems getting to the internet.  Do
not uninstall andLinux!  See
http://www.andlinux.org/wiki/index.php5?title=Howto:_change_andLinux_network_configurationfor
more information if your internet has stopped working.



Notice there is a little black and white yin yang symbol in the taskbar near
the clock now.  Right click on it and choose Synaptic.  A “dos” window will
pop open and ask you for a password.  Use the password that you used when
the setup program asked you for a linux username and password.  Make sure
you click in the “dos” window before typing to give it focus.  It may not
show your keystrokes for the password.



If this does not launch or you get an error about not able to connect to
192.168.11.150, you will need to add an exception to your firewall for the
Xming server.



Installing XASTIR.

If everything worked above, you will have launched Synaptic.  It is used to
install additional programs.  Scroll through the list on the right and look
for xastir.  Yes, there are a lot of programs listed.  Click the box beside
xastir and select “mark for installation”.   It will popup with a number of
additional programs that will need to be installed.  Simply check “mark for
installation”.



Once you have selected all the programs you wish to install, click “Apply”
on the menu bar of Synaptic.  It will download and install xastir for you.  You
must be online when you click apply.



Synaptic will verify that you want to download files.  Do NOT check the box
that says download only…. You want Synaptic to install the files for you,
right?  Leave the box unchecked.  The installation of xastir will require
about 10.5megs of files be downloaded.



When it is done, close Synaptic.  You can now run xastir, but let’s generate
your APRS internet password first.



Right click on the yinyang and run terminal window.



In the “dos” window, type      callpass y0urcall  .  It will respond with a
4 or 5 digit number which you need to write down.  This number is unique to
your callsign and will be used when you setup internet access later.



Now run xastir by typing xastir in the “dos” window and pressing enter.



Xastir will run and prompt you to put in your call and location.  You can
rough in the location and set it exactly later using the mapping screen.  You
may wish to turn off your numlock key.



Congratulations, you have xastir running on windows!  The next time you want
to run xastir, open a terminal window and type xastir <enter>.  If you type
xastir &<enter> you will be able to close the terminal window while xastir
continues to run.



If you are feeling frisky, you can download the source code for xastir and
install it to have the latest version but that is beyond the scope of this
document.  If you need to connect to a locally attached TNC, use AGWPE on
the windows machine and connect xastir to it.


Wes
---
God help those who do not help themselves.
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