Hello i have mint 19.1 installed and working really well ,i would like to use the programmes contained in Skywave but would prefer to keep Mint as my preferred choice for daily use Is there a step by step guide that will help me achieve this given i am a complete novice ?. Would it help if i purchased a pre. loaded copy of Skywave ,any help would be most useful. Dave C.

I have not used Skywave linux and not familiar with the list of software except as posted on their website but yes it should be possible to install the same in Mint. The advantage for the novice is that they are already installed,configured and would assume work "out of the box"

As a step by step guide you would need to look at the list of installed software, go to their website or search for others that have installed the same and follow their install instructions assuming they are available. While there are many Hams (including me) on LQ I would suggest finding a local club in your area.

As a novice I probably would run Skywave from a USB drive until I am more comfortable with linux.

https://skywavelinux.com/skywavelinux-iso-to-usb.html