I have continued to work on this app. This was a labor of love, really, to help me in my pursuit of ATNOs and band/slots for DXCC awards and endorsements. I have shared it in several venues hoping that other hams with similar pursuits would find it helpful. I have also received some excellent feedback to add features and improvements.
Author: allendmarshalljr
I Vibe-Coded a Web App!
LoTW DXCC Credit Analyzer
I’ve been reading a lot about vibe-coding, and thought I would give it a try. I have been off-and-on trying to learn Python. Maybe someday I will get it.
I have always wanted an app that would perform analysis of the DXCC Award Credit Matrix from Logbook of the World. There is no option to download the table as a spreadsheet. So, I thought I would try to cook something up myself using AI coding.
I used Lovable, which is an AI-powered, no-code app builder designed to create web applications and websites from simple text prompts. It enables users to rapidly build functional, production-ready apps—such as project management tools, calculators, or landing pages—by generating code and UI through conversational AI.
I create a web app called “LoTW DXCC Credit Analyzer” for DXCC entity, band-slot and mode analysis. The analysis does not include deleted entities. Also, I could not completely automate the process because of the way LoTW displays the DXCC Award Credit Table (no option to download the table as a spreadsheet or CSV file). I included instructions in the app for creating a spreadsheet from LoTW’s DXCC Award Credit Table, which can then be loaded into the app. Feel free to give it a try!
Finally Got 150 Confirmed on Phone
I have been working a lot more SSB since I added the hexbeam and amplifier to the station. The majority of my confirmed DXCCs has been on digital modes FT8, and before that JT65), so I have been making more of an effort to confirm DXCCs on CW and phone. DXpeditions over the past few months have helped tremendously. I have reached 273 DXCCs on LoTW, so the going will be very tough from here. Hopefully I can continue to add to the CW and phone totals!
Signed up for World Radio League
My preferred logging software is N3FJP’s Amateur Contact Log. It is easy to use, and integrates well with my IC-7610, and with WSJT-x/JTAlert. It can also automatically upload contacts to several online logging/QSL platforms (LoTW, QRZ, CLubLog, and eQSL). I have been very happy with this workflow, and it covers my logging and verification needs.
At the recommendation of a trusted friend, I decided to check out World Radio League (WRL). It is a cloud-based application that is sort of a mashup of a logbook and social networking for ham radio operators. The team that designed and built the application also created Ham Radio Prep, which is a web-based application that prepares hams for license exams.
WRL is available as a web application, as well as apps for Android and Apple phones and tablets. You can sign up for WRL for free, with limited features. There are also three paid levels (Basic, Premium, and VIP) that offer more features and capabilities. I chose the Premium level for $60/year.
I have only started to explore the options in the WRL web application. I was able to create a profile with my station information, and uploaded an ADIF file (from ACLog) with all of my contacts. Those two processes went smoothly.
Here are a few screenshots showing some of the key pages and features in the WRL web app:
Each of the pages on the web app have a multitude of configurations and display options. There are also several other functions that I haven’t explored yet. I also need to check out the app on my tablet and phone. Time will tell whether WRL will replace any of the other applications in my workflow, or supplement them. I’ll post an update after digging deeper into WRL.
Tower Flyover Video
Just for fun, I took drone footage showing the view from the top of the tower. To get the video, I used a DJI Mini 4K drone, and did some light editing in Microsoft Clipchamp. I am still learning to fly the drone and edit videos. This is a first attempt, and hopefully I will get better with more experience.
Completed My Station Upgrades!
It has been a long journey, but I have finally completed all of the station updates that were started over a year ago. Several of my ham friends came over to pull coaxial cables through conduit, connect coax to the entry panel, and align the rotator. I had some additional work inside the shack to set up a new amplifier and computer. After double-checking every connection and configuration, everything is working great and I am very happy with my (mostly) new station!
Outside I have a U.S. Tower MA-40 tower with Yaesu G-800DXA rotator turning a K4KIO hexbeam antenna with elements for 20-6M. I also have a MyAntennas 80-10M end-fed halfwave antenna, and a discone antenna for my scanner. These are all fed through underground conduit to a KF7P entry panel with Morgan Systems lightning arrestors for the coaxial and rotator cables.
Inside the shack, my station consists of a Icom IC-7610 transceiver and SPE Expert 1.5K-FA Taurus amplifier for HF. For CW, I use a UR5CDX paddle with a WinKeyer USB and MRP40 decoder software. For digital, I primarily use WSJT-X, but sometimes dabble in RTTY and other digital modes. I have a ERC Mini DX as a USB interface with the Yaesu control box, along with PstRotatorAZ software.
For VHF and UHF I have an Icom IC-97oo, as well as an Alinco DR-06TA for use on the local 6M repeater. I use a Uniden SDS-200 scanner to monitor various communication in the local area.
I also updated the TV I had over my station with a 43″ 4K Smart TV. It has 4 HDMI inputs so I can switch between displaying GeoChron and HamClock, or as a third monitor for the computer. I upgraded my trusty Windows 10 shack computer with a new Windows 11 computer. I have Raspberry Pi touchscreen display running WeatherFlow PiConsole software to display weather data from a WeatherFlow Tempest station. I have two MMDVMs, an OpenSpot 4 Pro and a TGIFSPOT 3.5 inch Nextion. Finally, there is a Google Nest Hub that I use as a photo frame and for streaming music and monitoring security cameras.
I am looking forward to many years of good DXing!
Learning About Meshtastic
At Orlando HamCation, I ran across the booth for Spec5. They sell some very cool Meshtastic devices. I briefly experimented with Meshtastic a couple of years ago, but it had not really taken off in my area, so I didn’t get very far. More recently, several people in the area have installed nodes, so it is more interesting and useful now. In fact, there is a group working to install nodes to connect communities across the region. This will make Meshtastic more useful as an option for grid-down communication.
One of the devices I bought at HamCation is the Spec5 Ranger. It is a cool Meshtastic device with a keyboard, so messages can be sent directly through the device. You do need a phone, tablet or computer to configure it initially, but once it is set up it can be used alone.
I had this homebuilt Meshtastic device from my earlier experimentation, so I flashed it with the most recent firmware and configured it with my phone. This one does require a bluetooth connection to a phone or tablet to send messages. It is a LILYGO T-Beam ESP32 LoRa board with OLED display and 18650 battery.
I knew I would have limited range with the handheld devices and small 915 MHz antennas, so I wanted something that could extend the range. I ended up getting another Spec5 device, the Spec5 Relay to set up outside. It was very easy to assemble, and also easy to configure using the Meshtastic application on my phone. I have it mounted on a 15 foot mast at the edge of my property. It transmits and receives over a greater distance due to the better antenna, and placement outside. It has a solar panel to keep the 18650 batteries charged. I will be putting it on a 25 foot mast soon to extend the range even further. While the Relay can be set up in a repeater mode, I have it set up in client mode, which is the best setting for this location.
This is a screenshot from the Meshtastic Android app on my Google Pixel phone It is connected to my S5 Ranger by bluetooth. This is a view of all of the different configuration settings.
This is a view of the most recently connected nodes that my device can see. You can see my other two device on there (they are very close), but through the S5 Relay it is connected to several other nodes that are further away.
This is the map view from the Meshtastic application, showing several nodes that my S5 has seen from my house and while traveling around the area.
This view shows messages that have been received by and sent from my nodes.
I have one of my nodes connected to an old iPhone. The iPhone Meshtastic app seems to be functionally the same as the Android app, but it looks different.
So, what’s next. I will continue to learn more about the functions and utility of Meshtastic, and will try to help local users extend the mesh to reach more communities.
Raising the Tower
I have not posted any updates for a long time. Since my last post, the new tower has been raised. There is still some work to do. Mainly, running the cable and installing an entry panel. There was steady progress until hurricane Helene came through our area at the end of August. Here are some pictures of the construction and the finished tower. Most of the construction took place during the Summer of 2024.
It all starts with digging a hole. This one is 5 feet deep by 3 feet wide.
After the hole was dug, the rebar cage went in.
The forms for the concrete base were then added. I also added some trenches to lay conduit for coax. I have a wire antenna on the mast at the fence. The conduit will route that coax to the tower, then coax from all antennas will come from the tower to an entry panel at the shack.
The concrete for the foundation was poured, and after a few days of curing, the tilt base and tower were bolted onto the foundation.
Then the rotator and a tilt plate for the hexbeam were installed onto the tower.
Several friends came over for an antenna party to build the hexbeam.
After it was built, we tested the SWR and it was excellent on all bands, 20M to 6M.
A few days later, the hexbeam was attached to the rotator, and the tower and antenna were raised.
I mentioned that hurricane Helene introduced some delays in finishing the project. I had the tower fully lowered. The hurricane force winds came from the south, and the tower is on the north side of the house, so the tower and hexbeam were not damage. The biggest holdup is that the winds bent the mast and the eave mount for my VHF/UHF vertical on the roof of my house. The vertical is now hanging over too far for me to fully raise the tower. I need to get a lift to either remove or repair the vertical mount.
I also still need to install the entry panel, which will involve drilling through the wall to route the coax from the panel into the shack. I hope to get those things done in the next few weeks.
The Tower Finally Arrived!
I recently purchased a U.S. Tower MA40 crank-up tubular tower. The ordering process through the Ham Radio Outlet store in Atlanta was fairly easy and straightforward. I was told there could be a 20+ week lead time when I ordered it, but it arrived earlier than expected. If you are considering buying a new tower, be sure to include the cost of freight in your expense calculations. The cost of freight from California to Georgia was close to a third of the price of the tower itself.
This is a relatively small free-standing tower at 40 ft high, and it’s really more of a super heavy-duty mast. It can be cranked down to 21 ft in the event of high winds or bad weather. I also bought the MAB-40 tilt-over base, which will allow the tower to be completely lowered for very bad conditions or to perform maintenance on the antenna or rotator.
I will be using a K4KIO hexbeam antenna with elements for 20M through 6M, and a Yaesu G-1000DXA rotator. I also need to start work on an entry panel with lightning protection for the coax and rotator cables. I will also route the cables for my existing wire antennas through the entry panel, and leave room for a few more.
I am very excited about the significant improvement the tower and antenna will make to my station. It will take some time to get the tower installed. The town I live in requires a Conditional Use Permit to install any type of tower on residential property. It definitely pays to learn about the municipal codes in your jurisdiction when planning to install a tower. I received some excellent advice through the ARRL Volunteer Counsel program. Fortunately, the Planning Department is supportive and giving me a lot of help to prepare the application, but the soonest it can be presented to the Board of Zoning Appeals is June.
For now, the tower is resting peacefully on the ground at the side of my house. There’s lots of work still to do, but I am getting closer to my dream of adding a directional antenna to the shack! More to follow as this project progresses.
AI Generated Ham Radio Images
I have been learning about how to use ChatGPT and some other AI models to enhance my participation in the Amateur Radio hobby. I am also starting to learn how to code in Python, to hopefully create some code that will be useful to me in the hobby. ChatGPT is especially helpful for learning Python and optimizing code.
Just for fun, I started using the image generation models in Dall-E to make some interesting pictures featuring my Louisiana Catahoula Leopard Dog sidekick Luke. Here are a couple that turned out really well. They don’t look exactly like Luke, but they are amazingly good for pictures created only with word prompts.
