This document outlines the future direction of EmComm-Tools OS Debian Edition, a fork of the original EmComm-Tools OS Community project by Gaston Gonzalez (KT7RUN / TheTechPrepper).
Maintainer: Sylvain Deguire (VA2OPS)
Ham radio has always been about community, sharing knowledge, and helping each other. Most of us are part of a club or community where we share our experiences, learn from one another, and build together.
This project was born from that spirit.
The goal of this “Vanilla” EmComm-Tools Debian Edition is to create a foundation that can be reused and personalized by:
This isn’t meant to be a closed, finished product. It’s a starting point - a vanilla base that you can flavor to your own needs. Fork it, customize it, make it yours. That’s the ham radio way.
Share the knowledge. Build the community. 73.
This fork includes full French/English bilingual support - something not offered in the original EmComm-Tools OS.
Why this matters:
In Quebec, language laws (Loi 101 / Bill 101) have specific requirements for French language availability. As an individual ham radio operator, using English-only software is a personal choice. However, for radio clubs and legal entities in Quebec, promoting or officially adopting an English-only solution can create compliance issues.
This Debian edition addresses this by providing:
Technical Implementation:
The overlay scripts from the original EmComm-Tools project have been modified to support bilingual operation. These modifications respect the original Ms-PL license while extending functionality for Francophone users.
This is not a criticism of the original project - TheTechPrepper built an excellent solution for his community. This fork simply extends that work to serve the Francophone ham radio community in Quebec and other French-speaking regions.
The original EmComm-Tools project was built on Ubuntu with the philosophy of creating a self-contained “appliance” - a frozen-in-time system where everything works together perfectly. While this approach has merit for certain use cases, the ham radio and emergency communications software landscape evolves rapidly.
The problem with the appliance approach:
A Brief History:
Debian is one of the oldest and most respected Linux distributions, founded in 1993 by Ian Murdock. The name combines his then-girlfriend (later wife) Debra with his own name Ian - “Deb-Ian.”
Ubuntu’s Relationship to Debian:
What many users don’t realize is that Ubuntu is built on top of Debian. When Mark Shuttleworth created Ubuntu in 2004, he didn’t start from scratch - he took Debian as the foundation and added:
In practical terms, Ubuntu takes Debian’s package repositories, modifies some packages, adds their own, and releases it with Ubuntu branding. The underlying system - the package manager (apt/dpkg), the file system structure, the core utilities - all come from Debian.
What this means for EmComm-Tools:
Moving from Ubuntu to Debian isn’t a radical change - it’s going back to the source. Most of what worked on Ubuntu works identically on Debian because Ubuntu inherited it from Debian in the first place. The main differences are:
Long-Term Stability with Active Maintenance: Debian Stable provides a 3-5 year support cycle with continuous security updates. Unlike Ubuntu’s 6-month release cadence that can break things, Debian prioritizes stability while remaining actively maintained.
No Trademark Restrictions: The original EmComm-Tools project is licensed under the Microsoft Public License (Ms-PL) - a permissive open-source license that explicitly allows derivative works and distribution. However, the base operating system creates a problem.
Ubuntu’s trademark policy restricts redistribution of modified Ubuntu ISOs. This is why the original project states “You must build your own distribution” and “Please do not distribute pre-built images.” It’s not the EmComm-Tools code that’s restricted - it’s the Ubuntu branding underneath.
Debian has no such restrictions. By building on Debian instead of Ubuntu, we can freely distribute pre-built ISOs while still honoring the Ms-PL license terms. Users get a ready-to-boot image without legal complications.
Ham Radio Software Availability: Debian repositories contain most ham radio applications that required manual compilation on Ubuntu. The Debian Ham Radio Pure Blend includes js8call, wsjtx, fldigi, direwolf, and many others - all properly packaged and maintained.
My Commitment: I will not sit on my hands. This project will always provide the best up-to-date LTS (Long-Term Support) operating system, ensuring your EmComm station remains secure and functional.
One of the biggest barriers to ham radio digital modes is the complexity of setting up a Linux environment. Our pre-built ISO files eliminate this barrier entirely.
Benefits of Pre-Baked ISOs:
VARA HF/FM - Pre-Installed with Permission
VARA HF and VARA FM modems are pre-installed in the ISO with written permission from José Alberto Nieto Ros (EA5HVK), the developer.
Important: Users must still purchase their own license directly from EA5HVK to unlock full speed. The pre-installed version runs in demo mode until registered. Visit rosmodem.wordpress.com to purchase your license.
We are committed to keeping VARA updated with new releases as they become available.
VarAC - First-Boot Installation
VarAC is not pre-installed in the ISO (permission pending). At first boot, the system will offer to download and install VarAC for you:
wget05-backup-wine-install.sh script (TAR file), you can restore it directly. This method preserves your existing configuration.Note: An internet connection is required for the fresh install option. Plan accordingly if you’re setting up for field deployment.
Two ISO versions are available for download:
| Version | Size | Maps Included | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small | ~3 GB | No | Users with good internet, storage-constrained devices |
| Full | ~8 GB | Yes (US, Canada, World) | Field deployment prep, offline-first setups |
Small ISO - First Boot Map Options:
If you download the small ISO, the first-boot wizard will offer to:
External Drive / USB Storage:
For devices with limited internal storage (like Panasonic Toughpads), maps can be hosted on an external drive or USB thumb drive instead of the internal disk. This keeps your system partition lean while still having full offline map capability.
This flexibility lets you choose the right balance between ISO size, download time, and storage usage for your specific deployment scenario.
The only software you need is a USB boot creator. Here are the most reliable options by platform:
| Tool | Description | Download |
|---|---|---|
| Rufus | Fast, reliable, open-source. The gold standard for Windows. | rufus.ie |
| balenaEtcher | Simple 3-step process, validates writes, cross-platform. | etcher.balena.io |
| Ventoy | Multi-boot capable - put multiple ISOs on one USB. | ventoy.net |
| Tool | Description | Download |
|---|---|---|
| balenaEtcher | Best choice for Mac - simple, reliable, native app. | etcher.balena.io |
| UNetbootin | Cross-platform, works well for Linux ISOs. | unetbootin.github.io |
| dd (Terminal) | Built-in, powerful but requires care. | sudo dd if=image.iso of=/dev/diskN bs=4M |
| Tool | Description | Install |
|---|---|---|
| balenaEtcher | Same simple interface as other platforms. | AppImage available |
| Ventoy | Install once, then just copy ISO files to USB. | ventoy.net |
| GNOME Disks | Built into most GNOME desktops, “Restore Disk Image” feature. | Pre-installed |
| dd | Classic Unix tool, fast and reliable. | sudo dd if=image.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress |
For beginners: balenaEtcher - Works on all platforms, impossible to accidentally overwrite your hard drive, validates the write.
For advanced users: Ventoy - Install it once on your USB drive, then simply copy ISO files to it. You can have EmComm-Tools, a Windows installer, and system rescue tools all on one USB.
This is an open-source project. Contributions, bug reports, and feature requests are welcome.
Repository: github.com/emcomm-tools/debian
ISO Downloads: sourceforge.net/p/emcomm-tools
| Website: emcomm-tools.ca | emcomm-tools.com |
Contact: info@emcomm-tools.ca
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 original software.
What the Ms-PL allows:
What we honor:
The switch from Ubuntu to Debian eliminates the Ubuntu trademark restrictions that previously prevented distribution of pre-built images, while fully respecting the Ms-PL terms of the original EmComm-Tools project.
73 de VA2OPS