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Linux Ham Radio KISS Serial Driver Being Modernized In 2026 (www.phoronix.com)

submitted 2 days ago by cm0002@europe.pub to c/amateur_radio@lemmy.radio

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Here's something that wasn't on my bingo card for this year of the "MKISS" driver for ham radio being modernized in 2026 as opposed to just being dropped. The MKISS code hasn't seen much driver activity since the original Git import of the Linux kernel more than twenty years ago.

Posted to the Linux kernel mailing list this Sunday by open-source developer Mashiro Chen is modernizing and cleaning up the MKISS ham radio driver. This is a serial port KISS protocol driver for exchanging data between a computer and terminal node computer for AX.25 amateur radio "ham radio" connections.

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[–] Treczoks@lemmy.world 4 points 2 days ago (2 children)

As KISS is a difficult term to google, could someone with insight into this topic post a link to some more detailed information?

[–] DragonBard@ttrpg.network 3 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

It's a serial protocol to talk with a Terminal Node Controller so that you can use a computer to control and send AX.25 packets, rather than rely on the firmware in the TNC.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KISS_(amateur_radio_protocol)

Most hams these days are using soundcard modems and not using TNCs.

[–] Treczoks@lemmy.world 1 points 14 hours ago

OK, thanks, both for the key information (AX.25) and the link. I'm still stuck in the times where HAM radio was just speech, although I know that you guys do data somehow, but i thought it was more like a peer-to-peer system. That you've got a real network infrastructure there is new to me.

[–] pastermil@sh.itjust.works 2 points 2 days ago

look up "kiss radio protocol" instead

[–] fullsquare@awful.systems 2 points 2 days ago

dropped as cleanup-only, not allowed by their policies

i suspect that it might be vibecoded, too