12.04 - How do I get an Atheros AR242 / AR542 wireless card working?

I am brand new to ubuntu as a laptop platform. As a developer I've used it as an app server but with minimal interaction.

So, I recently took my windows laptop and installed the latest 12.04 package. Most everything works great and I'm very happy. however, the wireless is very choppy. (You can see the button that enables the wireless flash on and off.)

I have tried several steps mentioned in other posts but, being a newbie, I'm afraid I'm doing more harm than good. the information I can provide follows. any help would be greatly appreciated.

lspci

01:00.0 Ethernet controller: Atheros Communications Inc. AR242x / AR542x Wireless Network Adapter (PCI-Express) (rev 01)