debian
EmComm-Tools OS — Debian Edition
Explore. Connect. Respond.
Explorer. Connecter. Répondre.
A bilingual (FR/EN) Debian-based Linux distribution purpose-built for amateur radio emergency communications.
Boot from USB, connect your radio, and you are on the air — with JS8Call, Pat-Winlink, VARA, VarAC, YAAC, fldigi, and a YAAC SAR plugin ready to go.
Français | English
FrançaisDistribution Linux EmComm bilingue (FR/EN) basée sur Debian pour radioamateurs. Mainteneur : Sylvain Deguire (VA2OPS)
📖 Documentation |
EnglishBilingual (FR/EN) Debian-based EmComm Linux for Ham Radio. Maintainer: Sylvain Deguire (VA2OPS)
📖 Documentation |
✨ What’s New in 2.1.8
🏕️ POTA/SOTA Field Logger (et-logger)
New field logging application for Parks on the Air and Summits on the Air activations.
- Auto-QSY — Frequency, mode, and band update live when you turn the VFO knob
- Callsign lookup — Merged US/CA license database with autocomplete
- Map view — Leaflet map with contact lines, callsign labels, and distance
- Nearest POTA parks — 87,000 parks in SQLite with bounding-box filter and auto-zoom
- Park-to-Park (P2P) — Multi-park support for 2-fer/3-fer activations
- ADIF export — Per-park files with POTA naming convention
- Touch-friendly — Custom popup pickers for RST, Band, Mode (designed for 7” screens)
- GPS position, duplicate detection, QSO counter (10 for valid activation)
- Dark theme, bilingual EN/FR
📡 Persistent Radio Connection (rig-client)
All radio communication now goes through a single persistent TCP connection to rigctld — no more subprocess spawning, reducing relay clicks on older rigs like the FT-897D.
- Background polling — Radio state refreshed every 2 seconds silently
- QSY callback — Applications notified instantly when you change frequency
- Wine mode switching fix — Eliminates CAT control errors when switching from Wine modes to JS8Call/FT8
🐛 Bug Fixes
- JS8Call & WSJT-X — Save path fix for HDD installs (crash-on-launch resolved)
- Repeater Directory — FM mode programming fix for radios rejecting passband parameters
📻 Key Features
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| 🌐 Bilingual | French and English with language selection at first boot |
| 📧 Pat-Winlink | Email over RF with VARA HF/FM and ARDOP |
| 💬 JS8Call / VarAC | HF keyboard messaging and chat |
| 📡 APRS (YAAC) | Position tracking with SAR plugin for field evidence marking |
| 📟 BBS / Packet | LinBPQ server, QtTermTCP, Paracon clients |
| 🔭 WSJT-X / fldigi | FT8, FT4, PSK, RTTY, CW and more |
| 🏕️ POTA/SOTA Logger | Built-in field logger with ADIF export |
| 📻 Repeater Directory | Offline browser with RepeaterBook import and one-click radio programming |
| 🛰️ GPS Tracking | Real-time grid square updates with repeater distance refresh |
| 🗺️ Offline Maps | Navit navigation + MBTile server for offline mapping |
| 📖 Offline Reference | Kiwix with Wikipedia and encyclopedia ZIM files |
| 🔌 24+ Radios | Icom, Yaesu, Kenwood, Xiegu, Elecraft, QRP Labs and more |
| 💾 USB Persistence | Complete environment saved and restored across reboots |
| 🖥️ Web Dashboard | One-click mode launch with 16 operational modes |
📥 Quick Start
- Download the ISO from SourceForge
- Write to USB with balenaEtcher or Ventoy
- Boot from USB — select your language (FR/EN)
- Configure your callsign and radio
- Operate — select a mode from the dashboard and you’re on the air
Tip: Use Ventoy for multi-boot USB with a separate data partition for maps and Wikipedia files. See the full README on SourceForge for the complete Ventoy guide.
📻 Supported Radios
USB Direct
| Vendor | Model | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| BG2FX | FX-4CR | USB CAT + audio |
| Icom | IC-705, IC-7100, IC-7200, IC-7300, IC-9700 | USB CAT + audio |
| QRP Labs | QMX | USB CAT |
| Xiegu | X6100 | USB CAT + audio |
| Yaesu | FT-710, FT-891, FT-991A, FTX-1 | USB CAT + audio (varies) |
Via DigiRig Interface
Elecraft KX-2, Lab599 TX-500MP, Xiegu G90, Yaesu FT-818ND, FT-857D, FT-897D, and any radio with DigiRig Mobile or Lite.
Bluetooth KISS TNC
Kenwood TH-D74, Kenwood TH-D75, VGC VR-N76, BTECH UV-PRO
🏗️ Operational Modes
The dashboard provides 16 one-click operational modes:
| Category | Modes |
|---|---|
| Winlink | VARA HF, VARA FM, Packet, ARDOP |
| Chat | JS8Call, VarAC, Fldigi, Chattervox, Chattervox BT |
| BBS | Paracon, QtTermTCP, BBS Server (LinBPQ) |
| APRS | YAAC Client, YAAC BT, APRS Digipeater |
| Other | FT8/FT4 (WSJT-X), Direwolf KISS TNC |
🔗 Links
| 🌐 Website | emcomm-tools.ca |
| 💾 ISO Downloads | SourceForge |
| 🐙 GitHub | emcomm-tools/debian |
| 👤 Maintainer | va2ops.ca |
| ☕ Support | Buy Me a Coffee |
| 📧 Contact | [email protected] |
🙏 Acknowledgments
- Gaston Gonzalez (KT7RUN) — Original EmComm-Tools OS Community project
- The Debian Ham Radio Team — Maintaining excellent ham radio packages
- José Alberto Nieto Ros (EA5HVK) — VARA HF/FM modem development
- Irad Deutsch (4Z1AC) and the VarAC Development Team — VarAC
- Andrew Pavlin (KA2DDO) — YAAC (Yet Another APRS Client)
- Martin Hebnes Pedersen (LA5NTA) — Pat Winlink
- John Wiseman (G8BPQ) — linBPQ / QtTermTCP
- Martin F N Cooper — Paracon
- David Freese (W1HKJ) — fldigi
- Joe Taylor (K1JT) and the WSJT Development Team — WSJT-X
📄 License
This project is a derivative work of EmComm-Tools OS Community, licensed under the Microsoft Public License (Ms-PL). In compliance with Ms-PL Section 3(C), we retain all copyright, patent, trademark, and attribution notices from the origina