The Linux User Net
A weekly amateur radio net about Linux, open source, and the places they meet radio. On the air since long before this site — the weekly link list lives at kd7swh.com/lun.
- When: Mondays, 8:10–9:00 PM Pacific
- Where: the Amateur Radio Relay Group's K7RPT repeater system, Oregon
- Net manager: Russ, KC7MM
- Band conditions: space weather and propagation, before you get on the air
Repeaters
The net runs on these linked K7RPT machines. Program the PL tone — the sub-audible tone that tells the repeater to listen — along with the frequency; frequency alone is not enough.
| Frequency | PL tone | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 147.320 MHz | 100.0 | EchoLink K7RPT-L |
| 147.040 MHz | 100.0 | IRLP node 7959 |
| 442.325 MHz | 100.0 | |
| 444.400 MHz | 100.0 | |
| 444.125 MHz | 100.0 | |
| 146.720 MHz | 114.8 | Wickiup Mountain |
One caution: there is more than one K7RPT machine on 147.040 — a site near Prineville runs PL 114.8, not 100.0. If the repeater will not open, check your tone first.
This table carries what the net needs and nothing more. For the full system — coverage, status, and everything else — the authoritative source is arrg.org/nets/.
Checking in from anywhere
No radio in range? The system can be reached over the internet three ways:
- AllStarLink node 551581 — in Forest Grove, part of the K7RPT network (node details). The route that has worked best for me personally.
- IRLP node 7959 — the Internet Radio Linking Project, tied to 147.040.
- EchoLink K7RPT-L — tied to 147.320.
The infrastructure
The Amateur Radio Relay Group is a volunteer-run nonprofit that operates the K7RPT system at no cost to its users. The net exists because their repeaters do — if the net is useful to you, arrg.org is where to support it.
Between nets
The conversation doesn't stop when the net closes Monday night.
- The forum: the-linux-user-net on groups.io — announcements, story suggestions, and the discussion that didn't fit in fifty minutes.
- On digital voice: talkgroup 50352 on the TGIF Network — a DMR (Digital Mobile Radio) talkgroup for casual chats. Quiet most days, but there when you need it.
Suggesting a story
The best place is the groups.io forum, where the net already talks between sessions. GitHub users can also open an issue. What runs is an editorial call — the short version of the bar: a story has to change what someone can do, and give the net something to discuss.