You're welcome Fred.
And as you can see I am a huge Linux proponent.
So just get it going and look around. Try some apps. Stuff like Dave W1HKJ's stuff is all available (Fldigi, Flrig, Flcluster, etc.) and WSJTX is also, and so is GridTracker. So for FT8 and digital that's all there. QSSTV for SSTV is there. And the WSJT variations are all there too along with Hamlib.
I think logging might be the one thing you will need to investigate. Take your time and see what is there. You can do that on the web before you even install Linux.
And again, I'm not telling you not to use an emulator, just that it would not be my first choice and that it might not work exactly as expected or it might break someday.
The main thing is to have fun and get the right distro and then stick with it. Don't go distro hoping. Linux is mostly Linux. Any mainstream distro should have all the stuff you need. Look rather for a good mentor, locally if possible. That'll be important as you get going.
And ask many questions :)
Rick Kunath, K9AO
