Campaign Summary
Linux in the Ham Shack is a podcast, a state of mind and a phenomenon.
Originally begun in 2008 to help amateur radio fans and everyday computer users move from proprietary computer operating systems and applications to Linux
and Free Software, the show has broadened its scope. Through a
bi-weekly audio podcast, live streaming Internet radio show, community event
sponsorship and general outreach, Linux in the Ham Shack (LHS) exposes users to Free Software, and amateur radio to everyone.
Since 2010, our co-hosts have received donations from listeners in order to purchase booth space at the Dayton Hamvention. Hamvention attracts more than 25,000 people, so it is the perfect place to provide our community outreach. The co-hosts give out free advice and technical support to convention goers, free informational materials about Free and Open Source Software, ham radio software and Linux, and free DVD copies of Linux distributions. All expenses other than the booth rental have been covered out-of-pocket by the hosts of the program.
What We Need & What You Get
We hope to continue our tradition of outreach by providing these benefits at no charge to attendees of Hamvention, but the current economic climate does not allow us to foot the bill personally anymore. However, with crowdfunding, we could provide even more benefit to the community than ever before. With a successful fund-raising campaign, we could:
- Provide more comprehensive informational and instructional materials for attendees to take with them when they leave the show.
- Provide everyone who visits our booth with a free copy of Linux on USB stick (see below).
- Give back directly to the community with future donations to worthy projects like the GNU Software Foundation and Accessible Computing Foundation.
We need $1,100 to fully fund our venture to Hamvention in 2014. This will cover all expenses, including the booth rental and all travel costs. Any donations received beyond the initial $1,100 will be used for educational materials and for the media and time to create free copies of Linux to give away. If we achieve $2,000 in funding, we will give a USB drive with Linux to all Hamvention attendees who visit our booth (up to 250).
Other Ways You Can Help
We understand that in times like these some people simply can’t contribute monetarily, but that doesn’t mean you can’t help!
Getting the word out to your friends and families is one of the best ways to make sure that our campaign is funded successfully. Please use the Indiegogo sharing tools and your own social media subscriptions to let everyone know about our fund-raising effort. The more people who hear about us, the more likely it is that we'll achieve our goal. Thank you for taking the time to look at our campaign, and we hope to see everyone at the Dayton Hamvention in 2014!
