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HamClock-Next v0.5B (Public Beta)
[!CAUTION] BETA RELEASE NOTICE: This is an early Beta release. While functional, it is still under active development and contains known bugs. Please report issues on GitHub.
Preserving the vision of Elwood Downey (WB0OEW) for a new generation of radio operators.
A Modern Reconstruction for the Future of Amateur Radio
Welcome to the v0.5B Public Beta of HamClock-Next. This release marks a major milestone in the reconstruction of the legendary HamClock, reimagined from the ground up for modern platforms, high-resolution displays, and AI-assisted development.
By the Numbers
This reconstruction has been an intensive journey to preserve and modernize every pixel:
- 6.5 Days of accelerated, high-intensity development.
- 155,928 Lines of Code written and refactored.
- 21+ Features ported and enhanced from the original code-base.
Key Highlights
High-Fidelity Rendering
- Pixel-Perfect Scaling: Implemented a custom 800x480 logical rendering engine with Super-Sampled Anti-Aliased Text, ensuring crisp visuals on everything from 7-inch Pi displays to 4K Retina Monitors.
- Dynamic Seasonal Maps: Automatically fetches high-resolution NASA Blue Marble imagery based on the current month, featuring persistent day/night shading and additive "City Lights" (NASA Black Marble).
AI-Assisted Development (MCP)
- HamClock Bridge: The first amateur radio project to ship with a dedicated Model Context Protocol (MCP) server. Contributors can now use AI assistants (Claude, Gemini, etc.) with deep, real-time knowledge of the codebase, feature parity status, and automated C++ scaffolding.
Deep Data Integration
- Space Weather Expanded: Live Aurora forecasts, D-Region Absorption (DRAP), Solar Wind (Spd/Den/Bz/Bt), and historical SFI/SSN charts.
- Interactive Spot Visualization: Real-time band activity via PSK Reporter and DX Cluster, featuring high-contrast great circle plotting and location dithering.
- Live NASA Imagery: Integration with NASA SDO for real-time solar wavelength imagery and high-precision lunar phase tracking using NASA SVS assets.
Platform Support
| Platform | Support Level | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Linux (Raspberry Pi / Desktop) | 🟢 Native | Supports both Console/KMSDRM and Desktop (X11) environments. |
| macOS (Apple Silicon) | 🟢 Native | Fully verified and optimized for M1/M2/M3 native performance. |
| Microsoft Windows | 🟢 Native | Standardized %APPDATA% persistence and Win32/SDL2 stability. |
Usage & Navigation
For a complete guide on the new interaction paradigm (Pane Management, Map Interactions, and Key-binds), see the included USAGE.md.
Roadmap: What's Next?
- Phase 6: Hardware Integration (Rotator control via Hamlib, BME280 sensors).
- World Map Overlays: Gray line refinements and CQ/ITU Zone overlays.
- Semantic API Expansion: Completing the REST API for total remote automation.
Created by the HamClock-Next team.
