HamClock is kind of like a poor man’s Geochron. There are some differences – HamClock is free, Geochron is around $400. Geochron requires a 4K TV more than 32 inches. HamClock requires a computer (could be a Raspberry-Pi) with Linux and some type of display, though there are ways to get the display on to a Windows PC.
The features comparisons would be hard to go over in detail. Safe to say, both have advantages and disadvantages. If you like the concept of a Geochron but don’t want to spend the money or don’t have the wall space for a TV in your shack, a HamClock might be an option.
I have had HamClock running for several years, but it was on a Raspberry-Pi that is for my weather station. It is near my shack, but somewhat behind me and to my left. So it was inconvenient for viewing to say the least. Because of that, I never really even explored all the options that were available.
I have 3 other monitors in my shack. Two were for logging, WSJT-X, Ham Radio Deluxe and usual Windows PC stuff. The 3rd monitor was for a larger display for my FTDX-101D. Thing is, I seldom really used it. I just always looked at the radio display. So I thought maybe I would utilize that 3rd monitor for HamClock.
I had a couple of Raspberry-Pi’s around, but didn’t want to use them for this purpose. So I ordered a Raspberry-Pi Zero 2W and loaded the latest image on to an Micro SD card. I wasn’t 100% sure it would handle the task, but I had no plans to run anything else on it. My monitor is an older 19″ model, has no HDMI, and is not a 16:9 type. But I had a HDMI to DVI adapter, so I thought I could get it to work at least temporarily.
I’m no Linux expert, but can usually find the information and commands I need by searching the web. One thing that surprised me was that HamClock is not the simplest install procedure, and I had a few hiccups in the process, but worked it out. A Raspberry-Pi Zero 2W had limited ports, so I happen to have a USB hub that has a micro-usb to 4 standard usb ports, which I needed for keyboard and mouse.
But I got HamClock installed and running. I noticed as it installed and went through a setup that it sensed my monitor size and resolution and picked the biggest size that would fit. In my case, it was 800 x 480. On my monitor, it only takes up about half of the available screen area. HamClock only has 4 sizes available:
- 800×480
- 1600×960
- 2400xx1440
- 3200×1920
So going to a newer monitor would probably get me a bigger HamClock display, but I am OK for now. Here is how it looks on mine:
There are a lot of options on what can be displayed – here are some of them:
- customized VOACAP predictions for MUF, TOA and path reliability
- trend plots and predictions for solar flux, solar wind, sunspot, XRay, Kp index and DRAP
- short and long path antenna beam heading and distance to any DX location
- display future satellite rise/set times and next overhead pass (not just global track)
- hamlib and flrig rig and rotator control for chasing DX spots
- display DE time in digital, analog or calendar formats
- list upcoming weekend contests
- azimuthal world maps centered on any location
- local weather, time, grid square, prefix and sun rise/set times at any DX location
- live display of DX Cluster, WSJT-X and JTDX FT8 contacts
- live solar images from Solar Dynamics Observatory and STEREO-A
- live quantitative Lunar data and EME planning tool
- live NCDXF beacon location, time and frequency schedule
- live RSS feeds from popular ham web sites
- live listing of POTA and SOTA activators
- live D layer absorption map
- live auroral map
- several map projections including Azimuthal, Mercator and Robinson
- Display headings from either true north or magnetic north
- Optional time scales including sidereal, Julian date and UNIX
- stopwatch and station ID count-down timer with optional color LED and switch control
- adjust time forward or back to explore Moon, gray line, satellite orbits etc
- Elecraft KX3 transceiver frequency control from DX Cluster spot
- 2 BME280 sensors for temperature, pressure and humidity real-time and 25 hour trend plots
- Personalized WSPR, PSKReporter and RBN spot maps
- photosensor to adjust display brightness with changes in room lighting
- “On The Air” indicator controlled by GPIO pin from radio
- RESTful API remote control functions from any browser or curl command line
- can display on and be controlled from any web browser
- can become just a simple old fashioned time-and-temperature clock
I will take some time and read through the documentation and see what things I’d like to see.
It could be a fun project for most hams. The Linux part of it might be intimidating, but with any technical background most can overcome it. A Raspberry-Pi Zero 2W costs between $20 and $45 depending on what accessories you need, and a Raspberry-Pi 4 is a bit more. HamCLock is free, and can be found at:
https://www.clearskyinstitute.com/ham/HamClock
There are a number of YouTube videos also that feature HamClock and are likely helpful. Just go there and search.
But, if you would like a simpler solution, https://inovato.com/ has a ready made solution for under $50, you’ll just need a monitor. See the website for all the details. This YouTube video also has a good review of it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1MRli-6_i8
