The HamShack Expedition Console, an Introduction

    As mentioned in my previous post, I've been experimenting with remote deployed websites on a raspberry Pi using Python (Flask library), and Chat GPT. I've learned that most AI tools get you close, but not quite there, but with proper prompting, they get better. I give "Assistant" (the name i gave my instance of Chat GPT) feedback.

 Right now, I'm building an app i can use to track certain observations, and publish them out as they happen. My idea is to provide a dynamic experience that allows live tracking of an expedition for an experience that will be eventually included in a citizen science project. Then I will condense the experience to a video that will auto publish to YouTube. I want to document an experience in an interesting way, create valuable scientific data that I can share with a larger community interested in that data, make it entertaining enough that people regularly enjoy what I publish.

 I guess what I'm creating is a publishing app. It will have a web app driven front end, where content is generated and sent via API to the end project. After feeding Assistant some documentation about some of the radios and systems I had it create some documentation around this project. We're calling the project "HamShack" and it's what we refer to as an "Expedition Console". Here's what it looks like so far:

NOTE: Content below was generated with the help of Chat GPT.

Building the KG4GVL HamShack Expedition Console 

Rev 1.0 (Concept)

Purpose

Create a portable expedition console integrating amateur radio,

Raspberry Pi computing, GNSS navigation, imaging, and scientific field

observation into a modular platform.

Project Roadmap

1.  POTA field operating station

2.  Raspberry Pi4 field computer

3.  Nature/science observation platform

4.  Fully integrated KG4GVL Expedition Console

Design Philosophy

The Raspberry Pi is the mission computer. The QCX+ remains the

operator’s CW radio. The QDX serves as the digital-mode radio. Eventually there will be two radios: the primary will be A QRP Labs QMX, and a backup like the QCX+ 20m. 

The QLG2 provides authoritative time and location. When the radio changes, the GPS satellite receiver will change too. The system should continue

functioning even without Internet access. Power supply focuses on Battery operation with various charging methods.

Core Hardware

Mission Computer - Raspberry Pi4 - Flask web dashboard - SQLite

database - Python services

QCX+ - Manual CW operation - POTA - CAT integration where appropriate

QDX - FT8, WSPR and other digital modes - USB audio and CAT -

Computer-assisted operation. 

QLG2 - GNSS position - UTC time - Maidenhead grid - PPS for future

precision timing

Camera - Field documentation - Geotagged images - Wildlife observations

Suggested Software Layout

/******

--REDACTED--

******/

Mission Profiles

POTA: - QCX+ - GPS - Logging

Digital: - QDX - FT8/WSPR - Propagation experiments

Science: - GPS tracking - Photos - Species observations - Future

eBird/iNaturalist support

Guiding Principles

-   Modular design

-   Radios remain independently usable

-   Offline-first operation

-   Expandable architecture

-   Reusable software services

-   Flask provides the interface, not the application logic

Future Ideas

-   Offline maps

-   Battery monitoring

-   Solar integration

-   Weather sensors

-   SDR support

-   Expedition reports

-   Automated logging

Prepared collaboratively by KG4GVL and ChatGPT (Assistant) as a living

design document.

***END***

The App/overall system we develop will be something I hope the ham radio community will support. I've specifically redacted some details from this document so that readers will be curious enough to check out Github when we get the application far enough along that it's useable. 

What do you think? 

Finally, please consider supporting my blog via the paypal link in the upper right hand corner. This will allow me to get some of the hardware and ChatGPT services I'll need to feed this effort.

A special thank you goes to 

1. The SolderSmoke podcast for encouraging me in the design of radio systems.

2. The Ham Radio Workbench podcast for introducing me to some of the tools and design philosophy I'll be using to create this thing.

3. QRP Labs and Hans Summers, G0UPL. His phenomenal line of kits encourage experimentation and use. I love them. Every ham radio operator should own one of his radios. 

Finally, please consider supporting my blog via the paypal link in the upper right hand corner. This will allow me to get some of the hardware and ChatGPT services I'll need to feed this effort.

73,

GB Hoyt KG4GVL.

Different Things, Hamshack, AI Coding

 I've been slowly cleaning my shack, and doing very little operating. I turned the radio on Last Saturday, but all the real hams were at Hamvention, so I didn't hear nuffin'. I'm in the middle of re-finaling my QDX radio, and I did some testing on a 2m J-pole I have for my mobile radio. What I really need is a way to Charge my 10AH SLA battery, so I can power my radio off of that. I probably need a combo current meter and voltage meter.

Yet another project...

I did do some python coding using Chat GPT to help me get a raspberry pi camera to take a picture. My goal with that is to take a pic, post it to a web page, and notify interested parties, perhaps some widget on this blog to indicate that I'm live in the shack. Right now, I've got a script to take a picture, one to take a live video stream (no audio), and I'm working on a very simple app to take a picture and post it to a web page. Here's a couple pictures of my workbench. They are of a streaming video from my Pi Camera. At the bottom of the right corner of the monitor, you can see the Pi, and the camera. I have it pointed at the QRP Labs QDX I'm working on. You can see the empty final pads on the radio on the video monitor. The weird colors in the top image is because of the way the initial script interpreted the RGB values. Once I added a step to convert the RGB values, the colors came through correctly.

First Image, Funky Colors

Ahhh That's better!

I'll probably have to migrate my shack computer to something more heavy duty than the RPI 2b that I've had for about 10 years i guess. I got it from my dad on a trip home for the 4th of July one summer. This has been the most interesting thing I've done with it. I have a RPI 4b now, with 2gig ram. There's a good chance I might do a "cyberdeck" type build in my portable shack box with that one. That's still in the design phase. I think I know what I want with it, to include a bluetooth keyboard, close to full size, battery operation for all the things inside, built in antenna with tuner/feedline. Once I have a system set up, I think it will get easier to make another. The key to what I want is to build around the radio. I've considered building a radio dedicated to this, perhaps 3 band (40/20/15m) all mode (not an optional feature), the on board computer needs to do digital coms and logging for all modes at the same time. 

I sense an Uber Project coming on....

WSPR Fun/Radio Woes

 My shack is an evolving mess. 

I've got several things going on, and plans for the future.

One of these plans involves taking my QRPLabs radios to the field. I have 2 QCX+ radios assembled, one for 40m one for 20m, both are relatively unmodified. The 40m one has a TCXO module installed to help with frequency stability. I have a TCXO for the 20m radio as well. In addition, I have an unmodified (yet)  QDX that I'm working on. I have a bad habit of blowing finals in this radio after about 20 contacts or so, not sure if it's the finnicky nature of the BS-170 finals due to over voltage from my "12v" gel cell battery (measures about 12.8 fully charged), or the finnicky nature of the BS-170 finals due to mismatched swr, even if just a teeeeeny bit. I'm considering a couple mods, one of which is to double up on the BS-170s. the idea being that the strange voltages are better handled  by 8 transistors than 4. People using the QMX series of radios especially seem to like this mod. Another involves installing a diode across L14 to help suppress transient voltages generated during the transmission cycle. Me, I'm thinking of taking my 8xAA battery holder, removing one of the AA batteries, and replacing it with a wire. Should keep me below 12 volts. QDX doesn't do too bad on the current draw department, but it is finnicky when it comes to those finals! The best idea may be to implement Barb, WB2CBA's solution, and just change the final transistor scheme all together. I can solder SMT stuff.... 

All of this is so that I can finally activate a Parks On The Air (POTA) station. My plan is to take  the QCX twins and the QDX to the field, activate a park, and work on fine tuning a station from that. I got a buddy from Church who's also a ham, and who also wants to try POTA in the field too. He's also a boy scout troop leader, and wants to tie that in as well. 

Once I know what I'm doing in the field, I'll get a QMX+ for POTA/general use. I'd even consider selling all my other radios to get it. SSB/CW/DIGI all in one radio, and it's a kit to boot!! Also, I'm waiting for Hans to decide to start shipping them with the 8 BS-170 finals, as opposed to the 4 (please?). 

I did use the QCX twins on WSPR over night, produced some excellent results:

20m WSPR Reports from EL98aa

40m WSPR Reports from EL98aa

I used my QLG-2 GPS satellite receiver to keep my QCX+ 20 in sync with the time. Both stations were set to run from about 11:30 PM local time to 8AM local time (2026-02-07 04:30 to 13:00 UTC). After 8 hours of operation, the QCX+ 40 was ahead of the time disciplined QCX+ 20 by about 8 seconds. Here's a picture, right before I halted operations 40's on the bottom, 20's on the top:

QCX+ 40 Lives IN THE FUTURE!

So I guess I'll need to figure out how to get two wires from the QLG-2 to the radios to sync the time.

Speaking of the QLG-2, it's a neat bit of cheap kit! I did make one mistake though, and soldered the header connector for the LCD display on the wrong side of the board. After asking the QRP Labs Group.IO guys, I figured out how to desolder the header and reset on the correct side. now it's good to go! Just need to figure out a case for it so i can pack it in the POTA station. 

Anyway,

ham radio priority 1 is a POTA activation.

ham radio priority 2 is to repair my Kenwood TS-140s station, starting with the Power Supply. My high power power supply is broken, and it looks like it's beyond me as far as fixing it goes right now. It pops fuses. I think that means something is wrong with the huge MOSFETS attached to the back or maybe it's as simple as a failed MOV. Not sure, and I don't think i have all the tools i need to check it out to fix anyway. I'll probably just buy a new Power supply, because I need stable 13.8 volts at 20Amps for my base radios at minimum. Once I have power again, I'll  need to replace all the electrolytic capacitors in my TS-140s. It's a great radio, but it's gotten squirrely on me. All indications indicate it needs new capacitors. And a new memory battery. Both of those are easy, if tedious fixes. Battery may be the hardest things to fix, it's a CR2025, but the OEM replacement needs two thick wires tack welded directly to the battery, which then gets soldered onto the board. I don't think i need to do all that, I mean, I can buy a replacement off ebay fairly inexpensively. Old solder can be stubborn though... Someone please buy me some chipquik solder to help these stubborn old joints flow.

I have other ham radio plans too, but until these two priorities are met, Everything else is on the way back burner.