Not for Profit Administrative Tools

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Written by: Administrator
Category: Society
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Introduction

A not-for-profit society has a challenge before it in this modern technological age.  While a society could run in a traditional manner by keeping minute books, physical journals etc., we live in a world where we have computers.  For amateur radio, amateur radio operators are supposed to have some degree of technical proficiency. Yet the latest software and computing technology costs money and that is an issue for not-for-profit societies.  This webpage outlines some of the tools available to societies such as ours.  Our common aim is public service, not commercial profit. 

Hardware

 

Office Software

  • Libre Office [Windows, macOS, Linux] [Full open source office suite - word processor, spreadsheet, presentation software, database, etc.)]
  • LaTex [Not a word processor or desktop editor, but rather a full-fledged typesetting program]
  • OpenOffice [Full open source office suite - word processor, spreadsheet, presentation software]
  • Ghostscript - [Interpreter for PostScript (R) language and PDF files.]

Accounting Software

  • Libre Office [Windows, macOS, Linux] [Full open source office suite - word processor, spreadsheet, presentation software, database, etc.)]
  • GNU Cash [Full open source double-entry book-keeping software]

Organizational Management Software

Amateur Radio Software

  • WJSTX - Weak Signal communication by K1JT [Originally developed for radio astronomy and SETI, WSJT-X offers eleven different protocols or modes: FST4, FT4, FT8, JT4, JT9, JT65, Q65, MSK144, WSPR, FST4W, and Echo. Aimed at making QSOs including for meteorscatter and earth-moon-earth (i.e. moonbounce).  Also Weak Signal Propagation Reporter (WSPR)]
  • FLDIGI - Fldigi is a modem program for most of the digital modes used by radio amateurs today: CW, PSK, MFSK, RTTY, Hell, DominoEX, Olivia, and Throb are all supported. It can help calibrate a sound card to a time signal and do frequency measurement tests. 
  • N1MM+ - Ham Radio contest logging program

Scientific Software

  • Spectran and more - Several programs but we have used Spectran for frequency analysis.  There is a great usage of that program to listen to the beacon from a satellite's orbit decaying and burning up in the atmosphere.  Used for NDS reception (the Society has done this too).
  • linSmith - Smith Charting program.  For analysis of discrete components or transmission lines.

Operating Systems

Historical Software

  • Internet Archive - this is an incredible site and one can spend hours on it.  It is full of amateur radio material including software and literature.  It is also rapidly becoming a repository for scientific datasets that are currently being destroyed under the Trump administration - a safe-haven to preserve data on health studies, climate change etc.  For those using not-so current computers, one can still use them with all sorts of software.  This site has rejuvenated my "grave-yard of laptops" and brought them back into service both for amateur radio and for routine operations.  Of course security is a concern and generally I do not use old computers online - they are generally hopeless with the modern Internet infrastructure.  This is an area called "retro computing" or "retro futurism".  There is even some suggestion that the old technology may be more efficient than the new technology (i.e. "bloatware").  This is a route to computing on a budget...
    • Lotus SmartSuite 9.8.2 - Office suite including Lotus 1-2-3, WordPro, Freelance Graphics, Approach (database) etc. Abandoned ware.  Not current for Unicode.  Little online capability.  Security issues?
    • MS Office 2000 - Full MS Office Suite without required activation.  Abandoned ware.  Not current for Unicode.  Little online capability.  Security issues?
    • WordPerfect Suite 6.2 for DOS - Full Office Suite including WordPerfect 6.2, QuattroPro 5.6, Presentations etc. 
    • WordPerfect Office X3 Professional - Full Office Suite with WordPerfect X3 - including Paradox (database)

E-Trash Linux Machine Running WordPerfect v. X13 (Windows 7 in VM Box), v. 6.1 (DOSBox) and  and v. 8 (for Unix - more or less DOS version 4.2) Under Linux Mint

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