Band 2 Meteor Scatter:
89.5 0437 D Bayern 2, Wendelstein (bay) D312 Bayern_2. AFs: 97.8 89.5 92.4 92.2 87.9
92.3 91.6 93.0 96.0 96.1 1024km
89.5 0806 F France Culture, Limoges/les Cars (87) F202 ______RE 835km
Good DX!
John Faulkner, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) <2m ASL.
Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD with Konrad i2c modification & XDR-GTK software.
Aerial:
Rooftop Körner 9.2, 8m AGL & Yaesu G-5500 azimuthal/elevation rotator
Triax FM5, one metre AGL
Monday, 20 January 2014
Skegness Log: 19-01-14 (FM)
Band 2 Meteor Scatter:
89.5 1230 E RNE Radio Nacional, Xistral most likely but two others listed.
Jingle and ID **
89.5 2316 D Bayern 2, Wendelstein (bay) D312 Bayern_2 1024km
** Personal Skegness 'First'
89.5 is a good frequency for MS! Lots of good signals.
Good DX!
John Faulkner, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) <2m ASL.
Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD with Konrad i2c modification & XDR-GTK software.
Aerial:
Rooftop Körner 9.2, 8m AGL & Yaesu G-5500 azimuthal/elevation rotator
Triax FM5, one metre AGL
89.5 1230 E RNE Radio Nacional, Xistral most likely but two others listed.
Jingle and ID **
89.5 2316 D Bayern 2, Wendelstein (bay) D312 Bayern_2 1024km
** Personal Skegness 'First'
89.5 is a good frequency for MS! Lots of good signals.
Good DX!
John Faulkner, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) <2m ASL.
Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD with Konrad i2c modification & XDR-GTK software.
Aerial:
Rooftop Körner 9.2, 8m AGL & Yaesu G-5500 azimuthal/elevation rotator
Triax FM5, one metre AGL
Saturday, 18 January 2014
Skegness Log: 18-01-14 (FM)
Band 2 Meteor Scatter:
87.7 0320 POL PR 1, Konin/Zólwieniec (WP) 3211 1211km
105.7 1415 D B5 aktuell, Wendelstein (bay) Frequent bursts, as web 1024km **
** Personal Skegness 'First'
After repositioning the garden FM5 this afternoon I noticed an even quieter FM band. The noise level is so quiet now that there is no difference in background noise whether the antenna is plugged in at the back of the XDR or if it is disconnected. An empty frequency produces a constant 4dB, though it looks less on the scale. The fact that signals as low as 10dB can be noise free just shows how quiet it is. The noise is reduced to a constant very smooth sounding mush, rather than that variable splattery hiss you often hear. Full RDS often forms with signals as low as 18dB. BBC nationals always require a few dB more.
This is quite a turn up after me moaning about the noise coming in on the 9.2, which is now up to 28dB on many frequencies at the bottom of the band, masking signals which would normally provide full RDS. It tapers off to about 10-14 dB once you get above 104 MHz, but still manages to produce increased hiss on what would otherwise be decent stereo signals.
Good DX!
John Faulkner, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) <2m ASL.
Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD with Konrad i2c modification & XDR-GTK software.
Aerial:
Rooftop Körner 9.2, 8m AGL & Yaesu G-5500 azimuthal/elevation rotator
Triax FM5, one metre AGL
87.7 0320 POL PR 1, Konin/Zólwieniec (WP) 3211 1211km
105.7 1415 D B5 aktuell, Wendelstein (bay) Frequent bursts, as web 1024km **
** Personal Skegness 'First'
After repositioning the garden FM5 this afternoon I noticed an even quieter FM band. The noise level is so quiet now that there is no difference in background noise whether the antenna is plugged in at the back of the XDR or if it is disconnected. An empty frequency produces a constant 4dB, though it looks less on the scale. The fact that signals as low as 10dB can be noise free just shows how quiet it is. The noise is reduced to a constant very smooth sounding mush, rather than that variable splattery hiss you often hear. Full RDS often forms with signals as low as 18dB. BBC nationals always require a few dB more.
This is quite a turn up after me moaning about the noise coming in on the 9.2, which is now up to 28dB on many frequencies at the bottom of the band, masking signals which would normally provide full RDS. It tapers off to about 10-14 dB once you get above 104 MHz, but still manages to produce increased hiss on what would otherwise be decent stereo signals.
Good DX!
John Faulkner, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) <2m ASL.
Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD with Konrad i2c modification & XDR-GTK software.
Aerial:
Rooftop Körner 9.2, 8m AGL & Yaesu G-5500 azimuthal/elevation rotator
Triax FM5, one metre AGL
Further Criminal Damage
Our neighbours are at it yet again. This time we were at home while they caused damage to the CCTV system and to cabling on our Sky dish.
This follows three further instances last week involving a freestanding aerial on the garden and slanderous comments posted to social media on the internet.
It's weird though, because the aerials are clearly not the issue. We were thinking about how this began three years ago. We were on holiday at the time and had house-sitters while we were away. That's when the problems began.
Understandably, people will say that we must have done something to aggravate the situation. What could we have done to deserve these problems? The facts is we have done nothing. We have only helped our neighbours over the years.
The local housing association are keen for us to take things further and to the court room so they can be evicted, but as far as I am concerned, that is for them to do. In any case, I don't fancy the physical violence he may use if we do. He has already rendered a friend unconscious.
So what is his problem? We simply haven't a clue. Maybe he suffers from PMT, my wife jokingly suggests.
More here: http://skegnessdx.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/psychopathic-neighbour.html
Hopefully we might find another property soon.
This follows three further instances last week involving a freestanding aerial on the garden and slanderous comments posted to social media on the internet.
It's weird though, because the aerials are clearly not the issue. We were thinking about how this began three years ago. We were on holiday at the time and had house-sitters while we were away. That's when the problems began.
Understandably, people will say that we must have done something to aggravate the situation. What could we have done to deserve these problems? The facts is we have done nothing. We have only helped our neighbours over the years.
The local housing association are keen for us to take things further and to the court room so they can be evicted, but as far as I am concerned, that is for them to do. In any case, I don't fancy the physical violence he may use if we do. He has already rendered a friend unconscious.
So what is his problem? We simply haven't a clue. Maybe he suffers from PMT, my wife jokingly suggests.
More here: http://skegnessdx.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/psychopathic-neighbour.html
Hopefully we might find another property soon.
Friday, 17 January 2014
Skegness Log: 17-01-14 (FM)
Band 2 Meteor Scatter:
87.6 0512 D NDR 2, Hamburg-Moorfleet (ham) Schönen guten Morgen - NDR2 Morgen .....
Tnx Philip W4WDX 650km
87.6 0803 CZE Radio Impuls, Brno/Kojál (JM) 2203 1219km
Band 2 Tropo/Scatter:
89.6 1731 BEL VBRO, Brugge/Walakker (vlg-wvl) Ads and ID 295km
105.5 1736 D WDR Eins Live, Bärbelkreuz (Eifel) (nrw) Peaking with 101.0, etc. 520km
91.2 1758 BEL RTBF Musiq'3, Bruxelles/Tour des Finances (bru) Classical, as web 377km
92.2 1813 HOL Omrop Fryslân Radio, Jirnsum/Rijksweg (fri) Fair signal. Jingle ID 365km
93.2 1825 HOL Waterstad FM, Jirnsum/Rijksweg (fri) RandB toon, As web 365km
105.5 1834 BEL Topradio, Staden/Stadenberg (vlg-wvl) Brief noise free peak 299km
Good DX!
John Faulkner, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) <2m ASL.
Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD with Konrad i2c modification & XDR-GTK software.
Aerial:
Rooftop Körner 9.2, 8m AGL & Yaesu G-5500 azimuthal/elevation rotator
Triax FM5, one metre AGL
87.6 0512 D NDR 2, Hamburg-Moorfleet (ham) Schönen guten Morgen - NDR2 Morgen .....
Tnx Philip W4WDX 650km
87.6 0803 CZE Radio Impuls, Brno/Kojál (JM) 2203 1219km
Band 2 Tropo/Scatter:
89.6 1731 BEL VBRO, Brugge/Walakker (vlg-wvl) Ads and ID 295km
105.5 1736 D WDR Eins Live, Bärbelkreuz (Eifel) (nrw) Peaking with 101.0, etc. 520km
91.2 1758 BEL RTBF Musiq'3, Bruxelles/Tour des Finances (bru) Classical, as web 377km
92.2 1813 HOL Omrop Fryslân Radio, Jirnsum/Rijksweg (fri) Fair signal. Jingle ID 365km
93.2 1825 HOL Waterstad FM, Jirnsum/Rijksweg (fri) RandB toon, As web 365km
105.5 1834 BEL Topradio, Staden/Stadenberg (vlg-wvl) Brief noise free peak 299km
Good DX!
John Faulkner, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) <2m ASL.
Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD with Konrad i2c modification & XDR-GTK software.
Aerial:
Rooftop Körner 9.2, 8m AGL & Yaesu G-5500 azimuthal/elevation rotator
Triax FM5, one metre AGL
Thursday, 16 January 2014
Skegness Log: 16-01-14 (FM) Es, Ts and MS!
Band 2 Meteor Scatter:
91.1 0859 CZE CRo Radiozurnál, Ceské Budejovice/Klet - CRa (JC) 232F R-ZURNAL 1084km
Band 2 Sporadic E:
87.6 1244 HNG MR 1 Kossuth Rádió, Györ - Szabad hegy (Gyo) Brief speech.
Confirmed by Józsi in Hungary 1368km **
Band 2 Tropo/Scatter:
88.9 1118 LUX RTL Radio Lëtzebuerg, Dudelange/Ginsterberg (gld) Noise free 574km
102.0 1124 BEL VRT MNM, Genk/VRT Zendmast (vlg-lim) Ads, as web 431km
100.1 1125 F France Bleu Haute Normandie, Rouen/Grand-Couronne (76) Discussion, over
Sutton Coldfield 426km
100.8 1145 D WDR 2, Aachen/Stolberg (nrw) OM, as web 484km
87.6 1215 D hr3, Sackpfeife (Biedenkopf) (hes) OM YL chat, as web 612km
91.4 1355 HOL Radio 4, Markelo/Alticom Toren (ove) Classical 425km
92.8 1402 BEL RTBF Musiq'3, Profondeville-Rivière/Sart à Soile (wal-nam) Sombre music,
as web 441km
96.1 1423 BEL RTBF La Première, Wavre (wal-bra) Peaking noise free 397km
98.1 1424 F France Culture, Chartres/Montlandon (28) OM YL, as 98.0 531km
99.0 1425 BEL Randstad FM, Mechelen/Douaneplein (vlg-ant) Regular on FM3.
IDs and pops, Virtually noise free levels 371km
90.6 1728 D WDR 5, Teutoburger Wald/Bielstein (nrw) YL, as web 591km
102.8 1824 BEL Zen FM, Gent/Opgeëistenlaan (vlg-ovl) Easy listening, as web 328km
98.7 1826 HOL Freez FM, Smilde/Alticom Toren (dre) Ad break, as web 408km
95.4 1828 HOL BNR Nieuwsradio, Gilze/Prinsenbosch (nbr) OM YL, as web 359km
95.2 1829 HOL Slam!FM, Alphen aan den Rijn/Alticom Toren (zho) Slamming tunes, as 91.1 313km
** Personal Skegness 'First'
Good DX!
John Faulkner, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) <2m ASL.
Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD with Konrad i2c modification & XDR-GTK software.
Aerial:
Rooftop Körner 9.2, 8m AGL & Yaesu G-5500 azimuthal/elevation rotator
Triax FM3 (Meteor Scatter)
91.1 0859 CZE CRo Radiozurnál, Ceské Budejovice/Klet - CRa (JC) 232F R-ZURNAL 1084km
Band 2 Sporadic E:
87.6 1244 HNG MR 1 Kossuth Rádió, Györ - Szabad hegy (Gyo) Brief speech.
Confirmed by Józsi in Hungary 1368km **
Band 2 Tropo/Scatter:
88.9 1118 LUX RTL Radio Lëtzebuerg, Dudelange/Ginsterberg (gld) Noise free 574km
102.0 1124 BEL VRT MNM, Genk/VRT Zendmast (vlg-lim) Ads, as web 431km
100.1 1125 F France Bleu Haute Normandie, Rouen/Grand-Couronne (76) Discussion, over
Sutton Coldfield 426km
100.8 1145 D WDR 2, Aachen/Stolberg (nrw) OM, as web 484km
87.6 1215 D hr3, Sackpfeife (Biedenkopf) (hes) OM YL chat, as web 612km
91.4 1355 HOL Radio 4, Markelo/Alticom Toren (ove) Classical 425km
92.8 1402 BEL RTBF Musiq'3, Profondeville-Rivière/Sart à Soile (wal-nam) Sombre music,
as web 441km
96.1 1423 BEL RTBF La Première, Wavre (wal-bra) Peaking noise free 397km
98.1 1424 F France Culture, Chartres/Montlandon (28) OM YL, as 98.0 531km
99.0 1425 BEL Randstad FM, Mechelen/Douaneplein (vlg-ant) Regular on FM3.
IDs and pops, Virtually noise free levels 371km
90.6 1728 D WDR 5, Teutoburger Wald/Bielstein (nrw) YL, as web 591km
102.8 1824 BEL Zen FM, Gent/Opgeëistenlaan (vlg-ovl) Easy listening, as web 328km
98.7 1826 HOL Freez FM, Smilde/Alticom Toren (dre) Ad break, as web 408km
95.4 1828 HOL BNR Nieuwsradio, Gilze/Prinsenbosch (nbr) OM YL, as web 359km
95.2 1829 HOL Slam!FM, Alphen aan den Rijn/Alticom Toren (zho) Slamming tunes, as 91.1 313km
** Personal Skegness 'First'
Good DX!
John Faulkner, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) <2m ASL.
Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD with Konrad i2c modification & XDR-GTK software.
Aerial:
Rooftop Körner 9.2, 8m AGL & Yaesu G-5500 azimuthal/elevation rotator
Triax FM3 (Meteor Scatter)
Wednesday, 15 January 2014
Skegness Log: 15-01-14 (FM)
Band 2 Meteor Scatter:
91.1 2359 G BBC Radio 3, Llangollen, Oban and Les Platons most likely. Initial ping from
something else, then trailing out with BBC R3. Weak **
** Personal Skegness 'First'
Another superb night of MS. Plenty of pings and lots of bursts. This was heard live. No way of knowing which tx it was. Still using the FM3, although I am hoping to swap this for an FM5 later today when the coast is clear.
Good DX!
John Faulkner, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) <2m ASL.
Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD with Konrad i2c modification & XDR-GTK software.
Aerial:
Rooftop Körner 9.2, 8m AGL & Yaesu G-5500 azimuthal/elevation rotator
Triax FM3 (Meteor Scatter)
91.1 2359 G BBC Radio 3, Llangollen, Oban and Les Platons most likely. Initial ping from
something else, then trailing out with BBC R3. Weak **
** Personal Skegness 'First'
Another superb night of MS. Plenty of pings and lots of bursts. This was heard live. No way of knowing which tx it was. Still using the FM3, although I am hoping to swap this for an FM5 later today when the coast is clear.
Good DX!
John Faulkner, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) <2m ASL.
Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD with Konrad i2c modification & XDR-GTK software.
Aerial:
Rooftop Körner 9.2, 8m AGL & Yaesu G-5500 azimuthal/elevation rotator
Triax FM3 (Meteor Scatter)
Rare Low Power Meteor Scatter DX - 103.0 Ö3, 40 Watts Or Less!
This January, my eyes have been opened to DX I wouldn't have believed was possible on the FM broadcast band. Low power 'community strength' transmitters, propagating via meteor scatter. We know that many high power transmitters can propagate well and are often strong enough to produce RDS data on our radio's displays, but how low in power will propagate? Of course that depends on many factors relating to the meteor itself. Meteor scatter is relatively simple via digital modes on the ham bands using low power, but I never expected this ...
On January 9th at 07:15, I was alerted to the fact that I had received a low powered transmission from Austria. This was in response to a video I had uploaded to my YouTube page. I thanked Peter, "pe1etr", for identifying this but regretted to tell him that I was unable to hear the ID he could hear. Then I received a message from Philp, W4WDX in the USA. He is an Austrian DXer but lives in the US now. He had heard my recording and reported that there was definitely an Ö3 identification in the recording. He stated that he was very familiar with the Ö3 network and there was no mistaking this identification. I still couldn't hear it.
Here lay a problem. I didn't want to dispute what Peter and Philip were saying, but I just wished I could hear this identification myself. When we listen to weak signals it is always the case that some people hear things better than others. I needed to be 100% sure of this ID, not for the sake of agreeing with Peter and Philip, but to be able to state, without doubt, that this DX claim was accurate and could be proven to other DXers who might also be sceptical.
So I took the additional step of getting in touch with three other DXers, two of whom spoke German, in order to further confirm this reception. Jurgen could hear part of the ID but couldn't be sure. Günter was clear on the "3" part of the ID and, being Austrian himself, could also confirm an Austrian pronunciation. He commented that the sound and the voice accentuation was part of a jingle or "claim" ID, perhaps the last part of "Hitradio Ö3" and not part of a plain studio moderation ID. It was not the number three as pronounced in a discussion or talk either. Furthermore, he commented that, as a possible alternative to Ö3, the powerful Grünten SWR3 tx on 103.0 would have been a strong contender, but the "3" did not sound how they would pronounce it. I must also thank Andrew Webster for listening. He too was also clear on the identification, short of being able to confirm the Austrian pronunciation. Suddenly, I could hear the jingle ID myself. I had mistakenly been listening to the German male speech prior to this and didn't spot the brief female vocal jingle drop-in. At last, I could hear it!
Only one more thing to do, to follow Günter's suggestion of recording Ö3 overnight at the same time to get a good idea of their jingle identification and hopefully catch the very jingle itself. So, after listening through six hours of Ö3's overnight programming, I have isolated several Ö3 jingle identifications. Although I did not hear what I could be sure was the actual Ö3 jingle in question, I heard several others which used the same female voice and with the same type of audio effects processing.
Here is a recording of seven identifications. The first six were obtained from the Ö3 web stream. The seventh is my off-air meteor scatter ID. I repeat this twice. Then you hear more of the actual meteor burst itself.
Note: YouTube appears to have blocked access to this video from certain countries due to copyright infringement. Please let me know if you are having difficulties seeing/hearing this.
On January 9th at 07:15, I was alerted to the fact that I had received a low powered transmission from Austria. This was in response to a video I had uploaded to my YouTube page. I thanked Peter, "pe1etr", for identifying this but regretted to tell him that I was unable to hear the ID he could hear. Then I received a message from Philp, W4WDX in the USA. He is an Austrian DXer but lives in the US now. He had heard my recording and reported that there was definitely an Ö3 identification in the recording. He stated that he was very familiar with the Ö3 network and there was no mistaking this identification. I still couldn't hear it.
Here lay a problem. I didn't want to dispute what Peter and Philip were saying, but I just wished I could hear this identification myself. When we listen to weak signals it is always the case that some people hear things better than others. I needed to be 100% sure of this ID, not for the sake of agreeing with Peter and Philip, but to be able to state, without doubt, that this DX claim was accurate and could be proven to other DXers who might also be sceptical.
So I took the additional step of getting in touch with three other DXers, two of whom spoke German, in order to further confirm this reception. Jurgen could hear part of the ID but couldn't be sure. Günter was clear on the "3" part of the ID and, being Austrian himself, could also confirm an Austrian pronunciation. He commented that the sound and the voice accentuation was part of a jingle or "claim" ID, perhaps the last part of "Hitradio Ö3" and not part of a plain studio moderation ID. It was not the number three as pronounced in a discussion or talk either. Furthermore, he commented that, as a possible alternative to Ö3, the powerful Grünten SWR3 tx on 103.0 would have been a strong contender, but the "3" did not sound how they would pronounce it. I must also thank Andrew Webster for listening. He too was also clear on the identification, short of being able to confirm the Austrian pronunciation. Suddenly, I could hear the jingle ID myself. I had mistakenly been listening to the German male speech prior to this and didn't spot the brief female vocal jingle drop-in. At last, I could hear it!
Only one more thing to do, to follow Günter's suggestion of recording Ö3 overnight at the same time to get a good idea of their jingle identification and hopefully catch the very jingle itself. So, after listening through six hours of Ö3's overnight programming, I have isolated several Ö3 jingle identifications. Although I did not hear what I could be sure was the actual Ö3 jingle in question, I heard several others which used the same female voice and with the same type of audio effects processing.
Here is a recording of seven identifications. The first six were obtained from the Ö3 web stream. The seventh is my off-air meteor scatter ID. I repeat this twice. Then you hear more of the actual meteor burst itself.
If I were completely honest, I would still be slightly sceptical were it not for Philip's first-hand knowledge of the language and the station identification, plus Günter's detailed analysis, which seem to confirm that this catch is 100% definite. I might personally put that down to 99% as we are looking at the briefest of signal fade-ins which is chopped a little at either end, but please decide for yourself. If you wish to post your views below, whether you agree or disagree, then please do so. All opinions are equally valid.
Finally, here is a link to the actual YouTube video, with all the meteor scatter and troposcatter signals. You will hear the Ö3 ID at 2 minutes and 14 seconds into the recording.
Note: YouTube appears to have blocked access to this video from certain countries due to copyright infringement. Please let me know if you are having difficulties seeing/hearing this.
Tuesday, 14 January 2014
Skegness Log: 14-01-14 (FM)
Band 2 Meteor Scatter:
99.0 0803 AUT Hitradio Ö3, Salzburg 1/Gaisberg (ORS) (sal) Austrian weather report.
Thanks again W4WDX 1081km **
** Personal Skegness 'First' via this mode
Good DX!
John Faulkner, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) <2m ASL.
Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD with Konrad i2c modification & XDR-GTK software.
Aerial:
Rooftop Körner 9.2, 8m AGL & Yaesu G-5500 azimuthal/elevation rotator
Triax FM3 (Meteor Scatter)
99.0 0803 AUT Hitradio Ö3, Salzburg 1/Gaisberg (ORS) (sal) Austrian weather report.
Thanks again W4WDX 1081km **
** Personal Skegness 'First' via this mode
Good DX!
John Faulkner, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) <2m ASL.
Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD with Konrad i2c modification & XDR-GTK software.
Aerial:
Rooftop Körner 9.2, 8m AGL & Yaesu G-5500 azimuthal/elevation rotator
Triax FM3 (Meteor Scatter)
Linux & Radio Related Software
I am becoming increasingly frustrated with Microsoft and their Windows operating system. After buying several versions of Microsoft Windows over the years I am becoming ever more of its limited lifespan. This was highlighted last week when I came to install XP Professional on an old laptop. After 'validating' Windows I discovered that support for XP (security updates, etc.) was being discontinued in a few weeks. It has also bee impossible to access current updates.
I have to ask why we allow ourselves to buy software which has unreasonably restrictive time limitations? We wouldn't buy other products which had these kinds of limitation. You wouldn't buy a car if you knew it was going to reject spare parts because they were too old.
I have to ask why we allow ourselves to buy software which has unreasonably restrictive time limitations? We wouldn't buy other products which had these kinds of limitation. You wouldn't buy a car if you knew it was going to reject spare parts because they were too old.
The forced move to Windows 7 two years ago was unwanted and I quickly discovered that some of my radio and audio production software could no longer be used under this system. Compatibility Mode was not always helpful and some drivers were not supported under Windows Virtual Machine. Thanks Microsoft!
A computer-literate friend suggested I try Linux and one of its countless interfaces. He recommended Debian and Ubuntu as a good place to start. My immediate concern was that I wouldn't be able to run my radio software under Linux, but he pointed out that the XDR-GTK software was actually written for Linux. Then he proceeded to show me how Perseus SDR software could be run under Linux - and could even be modified and re-programmed via the open source coding. Suddenly I found myself in a rather bewildering but exciting new world of opportunities where I might need to learn about computing all over again, starting from scratch in some respects, but hopefully moving to a system which: Has enormous potential and offers some useful improvements over Windows; Still runs the same software; Runs it more efficiently and Allows greater user control. I also understand that there are less security issues outside Windows, less likelihood of contracting some malware or virus, etc. There are many other advantages and, most surprising of all, it's FREE!
I have already had a play with Debian and Ubuntu on an old laptop. It was very nice to see all drivers, i.e. video card, sound card, all being installed automatically. The user interfaces were in fact very similar to Windows, so there was no problem with understanding how to get started.
There didn't seem to be any unnecessary bloat of the kind you might get with Windows. The installation was quicker, simpler and the laptop was faster as a result. It also means I can use other, older laptops with more minimalist Linux installations, depending on the software I intend to use of course. It is even possible to run the operating system from a CD or USB pen.
So there is lots to learn and I am sure it will take me a while. I appreciate that I may still need to run Windows for certain applications, but it would be nice to get rid of some of those annoying Windows quirks.
I have already had a play with Debian and Ubuntu on an old laptop. It was very nice to see all drivers, i.e. video card, sound card, all being installed automatically. The user interfaces were in fact very similar to Windows, so there was no problem with understanding how to get started.
There didn't seem to be any unnecessary bloat of the kind you might get with Windows. The installation was quicker, simpler and the laptop was faster as a result. It also means I can use other, older laptops with more minimalist Linux installations, depending on the software I intend to use of course. It is even possible to run the operating system from a CD or USB pen.
So there is lots to learn and I am sure it will take me a while. I appreciate that I may still need to run Windows for certain applications, but it would be nice to get rid of some of those annoying Windows quirks.
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