The Ultimate Modern Ham Shack – Overview and Concept

Topic	Building the Ultimate Modern Ham Shack (Part 1 of 4 Articles)
Subtopic	The Ultimate Modern Ham Shack – Overview and Concept
Equipment Required	Computer + Internet
Costs	Nothing if you have a few Older PC’s hanging around or you can get your hands on
Document last reviewed and updated (reviewed each year)	1st November 2026 – Release of Article – (note awaiting final technical review)

So what does the above all do for me (and hopefully for you as well)

• Call Logging to the HamShackPC (using most of the data from the Transceiver – most you need to type in is your Readability and Signal)
• Call logs synchronised to the from the HamShackPC to the Cloud (basically your Backup)
• Extract logs for Contest (e.g. Cabrillo) or WWFF/POTA/SOTA (each with their appropriate formats) submission at your leisure or tp update your QRZ.com / LOTW, EQSL Logbooks
• POTA/SOTA/WWFF call logs logged onto your Tablet or Phone and Synchonised to the cloud and back down to other devices.
• Implements FLRIG connected via USB CAT Cable to the transceiver
• WSJT-X communicates via FLRIG
• Gridtracker connects to WSJT-X via UDP (yes if you are a digital connoisseur, you could have your Gridtracker on the WallBoardPC as well)
• Your home SmartTV could display a ChronAlert Screen, or your tablet if you are not using it for logging at the time.
• Got some ham radio apps that only work on a Windows PC, but can talk over the network, then connect them to FLRIG via your HamShackPC.

After many years of using and trialling various Shack applications and tools, I finally got motivated to “consolidate” these tools and products, with the secondary goal to reduce the cabling clutter, and different O/S systems.

Now one of the other issues was, I have used a number of Raspberry PI’s (of different models) over the years which has involved shoehorning server applications and graphic applications and making compromises to make sure it works reliably, by reducing memory footprint or CPU load. Going back a few years, the Raspberry PI made sense (small, low power, quick to setup, and generally a nice idea). However with the increase in RAM pricing and the general increase in Raspberry Pi pricing for the newer models, that quick,simple buying decision you may have made in years past, is no longer a simple decision. In the past, you might have bought a Pi for your immediate need, and added another for the next project, but with the price of close to $AUD300+ upwards (with P/S / cooling kit / case) for the Pi5 with 8Gb memory, it is not making financial sense any more. Couple this with the typical issues of the Pi’s with SD Card failures, not handling power failures well, trying to reduce constant writing to the SD Card (which is why I have mentioned 8Gb memory to avoid the swap file constantly writing).

So, I decided to look at older NUC units, including Dell’s Micro PC’s, and this included Dell All-in-Ones. There is constant stream (which is only going to increase with Windows 10 End of Life) of these type of used units, typically with 8Gb or memory, 256Gb hard drives (in some cases already with SSD or you can retrofit). Granted, many of these are 8-10 years old, but still extremely capable, especially loaded with a slimmer Linux operating system.Generally the only reason they were retired is that they wont run bloated Windows 10 fast enough or capable of running Windows 11 due for the need for the security hardware architecure. These PC’s are typically available for $160-$250 (or less) and make a lot of sense. If you are fortunate enough, and have the contacts, a lot of companies are throwing these out to E-Waste and going for nothing.

With this in mind, I changed my mindset and started buying these used units, and to a certain degree being selective, looking at footprint size as a serious criteria.

Honestly, these units with 8Gb of memory, and generally a 2.5GHz to 3.GHz i5 processor are absolutely brilliant with Linux Mint LMDE. Having worked with many distributions of Linux servers for over 20 years, and more so the desktop level for the last 6 years, I have settled on Linux Mint LMDE as the primary desktop distribution of choice, and not just for my needs, but something I can recommend to others that are keen to re-use an old PC, and these people are in no way technical (typically these have been Windows users all their lives and even struggled with Windows, and many of them are 40-80 years old) and have managed to get Mint LMDE setup, working and able to understand it (at least at the GUI level), with many taking the extra dive into the terminal/CLI interface.

Before we move on, I will explain a term I used earlier which is Linux Mint LMDE. This is an important clarification. Standard Linux Mint (normally suffixed by a version number in the 20’s is built using Ubuntu as its underlying operating operating system, whereas LMDE stands for Linux Mint Debian Edition (normally suffixed by LMDE and a lower number e.g. 7) , which uses Debian as its underlying operating system. I can go on for hours on the differences, but ultimately LMDE utilises highly tested packages from Debian which may be older software versions, but provide predictabilty. The Mint Team (developers) hedged their bets on releasing and maintain both versions, one on Ubuntu and one on Debian. Ubuntu is essentially a fork of Debian, so the underlying structure is the same in that they both use .deb files for software installation (which if you look around at many software sites, you will find that many offer .deb files to download), but Ubuntu O/S tends to be more on the bleeding edge. One clear example of this is graphics drivers. If you are person that needs the latest hardware e.g. you are gamer, and wanted better frame rates, or latest support for new graphics cards, or you are keen to try one of the many desktop flavours of Ubuntu, then Ubuntu might be your choice. However, we are talking about using this as your choice as your Ham Shack computer(s), where you want predictability, does not need to be bleeding edge, simple to update, a huge amount of support and articles in forums and websites, then Linux Mint LMDE is the perfect choice.

Just think how simple is it to ask your question on a forum and just simply state you are using Linux Mint LMDE V7 “gigi” (as installed), and trust that the answers you receive are (in most cases) directly applicable to your version of Mint as many others are running the exact same version and have received the exact same updates.

To wrap that last paragraph up, the above statements in that paragraph are very simplistic in their “differences”. To try and explain in more detail, goes well outside the scope of this article. Likewise, it is not intended to bag Ubuntu, as it is the predominant operating system on Servers with faster update cycles and is used by public cloud environments like AWS, Google Cloud and Azure, where they need the latest O/S to support the latest hardware. Debian is also used for server environments as well but is well suited to Desktop PC’s, particularly those that want and need that stability and predictability. Another nice thing is that if you are coming from a Raspberry Pi environment, the Raspberry Pi OS is based on the Debian Linux Distribution, using a custom lightweight desktop environment call Pixel. So the best part is that you are already used to the Debian environment, and other than learning the new desktop (which is not all that different), you are good to go.

You might be wondering about my existing Raspberry Pi’s. These are not wasted, just now makes a few Raspberry Pi variants now available for projects where I do need low power / portable units that may or may not be used in the shack.

The other important point is that these articles are based standard available stock standard distributions (no special modifications), with the idea is that you can replicate what I have setup. You may have a lot of experience with Linux Desktop, and you are most welcome to follow your own path. The idea of these articles, is that someone who has played around with Linux on the Raspberry Pi or has played around with Linux of some flavour and work through these articles and get the same system up and running. I believe, even someone who has not installed Linux before can follow these articles (maybe with a bit of Googling) and have the same setup up and running (maybe take a little more time).

Let’s move onto the environment I have in the Shack. This will help you compare the equipment in your shack, and whether you need to upgrade or obtain some “low cost” pc’s to complete the project. Now I will state, it is possible, based on the figures (CPU/Memory) I am seeing on the PC,s that it might be possible to have some decent PI 4’s or Pi 5’s instead (with at least 4Gb memory / better with 8Gb), however I chose to replace them with PC’s so i can add additional software without fear of overloading. Similarly, you will have to navigate the installation using this as a guide, but their will be differences as the PI desktop environment is not exactly the same as Mint LMDE, so you will need to do your research on the differences, particularly with services and app startup scripts.

My Radio Shack Computer Environment

Wireless network + Wired Ethernet, however most equipment is connected wirelessly – and the first two main machines have static LAN IP addresses

(HamShackPC) Primary Shack Computer – Dell All-in One (AIO 9030) i5 16Gb RAM with full HD screen (built in Webcam)
(WallDisplayPC) – Kiosk Style PC – Dell 7040 Micro PC i5 8 Gb RAM with low cost TV combo type monitor
(DesktopPC) – My Main PC for all other work : Windows 10 16Gb Ram
(HamShackLaptop) – Primary (Ham Radio) Laptop – old HP Laptop –
(HamTablet) – Android tablet

Now you are probably thinking, I don’t have all the equipment listed here, and that is fine, the HamShackPC and the WallDisplayPC is all you need to get started, providing much of the functionality you need, and you might look at the others as you move along or a device becomes available or can be repurposed.

Just one thing, whilst I have some decent RAM in these units above, you will be suprised that you do not need that much

(HamShackPC) Dell AIO 9030 running Linux Mint (LMDE) is consuming under 2Gb and less than 10% CPU load across all 4 cores
(WallDisplayPC) Dell 7040 running Linux Mint (LMDE) is consuming under 3Gb Ram under normal operation and typically sitting at 10% CPU load on all 4 cores

Typically all the All Mint units including laptop have X11VNC server installed allowing console access to each PC, but other than the setup and possibly updates, it is generally not needed. It’s main purpose is convenience, so I can work from a central point, which in this case is my Windows Workstation with multiple monitors, but also serves as a PC, where if I need to run a Windows application, I can.

What was my main reasons for the build of this project?

I had been a user of the original hamclock from Elwood Downey WB0OEW, SK, predominantly as a shack display providing a an instant guide of band conditions (amongst other information). With Elwood becoming a silent key, it prompted me to look at what other products are out there. I was aware of the flurry of products that provided a similar solution, including OpenHamclock Backend (OHB) etc, so instead of rushing into them, I tried quite a few of them, including looking at their options for integration. I also looked the options for running almost entirely locally, so if someone discontinued a service, I didn’t have to rethink everything, or if another better product came out, I could replace a component, again without major rethink of the project.

At the same time, in a similar flurry over the last year or two, there has been a marked increase in logging programs with some vastly improved features (game changers) and functionality. This logging change (as I used a Windows based logger), was sparked by a loss of a few years of logs (partly due to my own mistakes – ultimately), but also wanting to go to the next level and do a lot more pota/wwff/sota, and the logging solution I had in place was painful.

So lets look at the two critical components and the criteria for each

QSO Log software

• Cross platform – runs on Linux, Windows, Mac, Android, IOS
• Integration with Logs of the World (LOTW), integration with QRZ.com, if possible integration with eQSL, and any others would be a bonus
• Ability to Export QSO’s in various formats as per the need
• A logging solution that provided a single logging solution and repository, but allowed me to have separate logs e.g. separate operations e.g. a POTA Activation, a contest etc.Sandboxing your operations/contests also allows you to submit those logs in the format required for that Contest etc.
• Centralised (most likely Cloud based) backup solution (without relying on service like LOTW or QRZ.COM as centralised log of all my QSO’s and this was a big part of the decision.
• An offline portable solution for POTA/SOTA activations where internet connectivity may not be possible, but syncs back to the primary repository as soon as internet is available again
• CAT integration, preferably via IP, either via RIGCTL (Hamlib) or FLRIG. This is important as several apps need this information and generally USB/Serial access is exclusive (one app at a time), where as IP can share the data. The purpose of this is that it fills most of the details in your log as you log the QSO.
• Preferably Opensource if possible, at least the Logging software.

The primary software selected for QSO logging is Ham2K Power Logger. This is Sebastian’s next generation version of Ham2K Polo which has gained a strong (almost cult) following running on Android and IOS. Ham2K Power Logger is now available for Windows, MacOS, Linux, as well as Android and IOS.

Wallboard

• Cross platform – the primary application runs on Linux, and provides a web interface for all other O/S systems
• Boots up automatically showing a chosen panel or panels that automatically rotate. As a wallboard, I don’t want to interact with it, but I want it to show a summary of information.
• Can be accessed as a Web page from a variety of devices (another PC, Tablet, Smart TV or Firestick using a standard web browser) where I can interrogate in more detail if I need.
• CAT Integration showing my current QSO’s on the Map
• APRS information e.g. similar to APRS.FI
• PSK Reporter showing who is hearing my callsign for digital modes
• Reverse Beacon Network Information
• Ideally, if available, prefer to OpenSource if the features were available, but will consider a low cost solution

The primary software selected for the Wallboard functionality, is a product called Chronalert. Having tried and implemented many solutions over the years, this product is quite well done, and whilst some of its features are not necessarily within the Amateur Radio scope (and you can turn them off), it has all the features you need for a wallboard in your shack.

To save this being everything on one page, I have broken it into sections. Now if you want a likely outcome of success (and satisfaction), I do recommend following the articles step by step, treating each part as a separate part of the project. It also makes it easier for me to slot a component in or out of the project and update the specific article, keeping this project relevent over some years at least. This will help if a major piece of the software becomes unavailable, or the author stops developing, or hikes his charges unreasonably, or something else comes out that blows another app out of the part in terms of features and needs to be integrated.

I will go into a little more detail on why I selected these products on the actual (HamShackPC and WallBoardPC) software installation pages, but if you have not used these products, I do recommend having a look at their Web Pages

• Ham2K Power Logger – https://ham2k.com/
• ChronAlert – https://chronalert.com/

These pages will whet your appetite, and you can actually download the products on any platform really, and run it before committing yourself to the project. However do not just look at the flashy lights and colours, or just look at the initial screens. These products have some unique features and support the integration that this project is all about. It was also about looking at the developers direction, development philosophy, product direction, possible product longevity, and the low ongoing costs associated with their products.

Preparation

Now this might seem like basics, especially for someone that is comfortable with networking, and even Linux. However it is good prep to do a table like this one, especially as we move into the software integration side, where some commands are relying on login names, and/or my instructions point to a PC name to avoid confusion. Ten minutes of work now, could avoid hours of frustration wondering why something does not work, only to find a directory with login name was incorrect, so good planning now is worthwhile.

Remember the integration and use of multiple applications is a key part of this project and implementation is using the names will make your task so much easier and replicable.

Device	Workstation Name	Login Name	IP Address (will depend on your network	Password
HamShackPC	HamShackPC	HamShackPC	192.168.1.201 (example) or x.x.x.201*Static*
WallDisplayPC	WallDisplayPC	WallDisplayPC	192.168.1.202 (Static) or x.x.x.202 *Static*
DesktopPC	Your Choice	Your Choice	DHCP or Static
HamShackLaptop	Your Choice	Your Choice	DHCP or Static
HamTablet	Your Choice	Your Choice	DHCP or Static

If you have skimmed through to see if it is for you, you are probably thinking this is not a project you can complete on a Sunday afternoon. I can tell you, that I have rebuilt this whole project in about 4-6 hours, however I have been working on it for 2-3 months in my spare time, done it multiple times, and understand it very well and I have Mint distribution images already written to USB. However, someone who is very familiar with Linux, setup of workstations, has no issues with commandline, could actually complete this in a similar time frame (with plenty of cups of coffee)

The way these articles are broken up are a good way to approach it, good bit size chunks

• Part 1 – The Ultimate Modern Ham Shack – Overview and Concept – YOU ARE HERE
• Part 2 – The Ultimate Modern Ham Shack – Prepare and Setup your HamShack PC
• Part 3 – The Ultimate Modern Ham Shack – Prepare and Setup your WallBoard PC
• Part 4 – The Ultimate Modern Ham Shack – Configuration – Bringing it all Together (with a slight diversion to an article released earlier)

Really, I could have broken it up further, but after review, it was becoming hard to follow. The sections above whilst a little long, make it easy to follow.

I will make a clear note, that a lot of testing has taken place, a lot of note writing, a lot of rebuilds to test everything, however now that it is published, I will be blowing it all away again, and rebuild using the notes exactly from the ground up. This will allow me to make sure the notes are not missing anything. This will take place within a week of the published date of this article. Once this is done, I will remove this notice and update the header stating that it has undergone technical review.

This should not stop you from starting, and if you feel something is wrong or missing, the post a comment. I will try and reply as soon as possible, and would appreciate the comment.