Some features that may help going forward

[tjbray]

Ham PI / PC seems to be a great tool box but organizationally it is a bit messy. Making it into a customizable tool box where you can find what you need easily may make up for not having every Ham Radio package possible.

I haven't gone through all the features that HAM PI provides. I have set it up several times and tried running various SDR packages and Ham Radio digital modes with reasonable success. So some of my recommendations may already exist, I just haven't found them. It is a lot less work than starting with a PI image and adding the various components.

Potential Audiences:

1. STEM Teacher / Prof who we will assume is a Ham. This should also address students interested in Ham Radio and some of the other Research such as HamSCI and such
2. Average Ham. Can flash, with directions, an SD card or USB from a downloaded image. Wants the core ham radio software such as FLDigi and WSJTX along with other stuff
3. Computer nerd.

Making the package be easily customized for the STEM environment should be a high priority and will help make a case for grant money. I am not sure what features are important for this but support for SDR radios, GPS positioning and timekeeping, will probably be appropriate. Make sure Python is installed and everything necessary to interface with GNU Radio is available.

Make sure all parts are in place for AX25 and 44NET (grant support)

Get rid of the QSL request and replace it with a register / donate option. Don't make the package annoying, that is a good way to have someone give up before they learn the virtues of the package.

Give the user the option to give $0, $1, $5. Get the users email addresss and maybe call sign at a minimum if they don't want to donate, that way you have a contact to tell them about updates.

A critical need is to create and support a real website that can support routing interested parties to the appropriate repositories for download and give them another option to donate. If there is a way to download updated and pre-built HAM PI specific packages that would be a plus.

Don't enable any background activities. They can be installed but the user has to activate them.

Make sure all the Linux router software is installed so that it is easy to create a bridge, hotspot, or time server.
A GPS time server is critical for digital modes when a cell phone is not available.
Make sure the configuration to use a phone as a hot spot is supported (through USB)
For 44Net, if there are apps to find nodes / DNS, that would be appropriate.

There needs to be documentation. The advantage of having targeted audiences is that the docs can focus on what they need without having to attempt to document everything.