Installing HamClock on Raspberry Pi

I was introduced to HamClock when a friend gave me an Inovato unit after he “de-cooled” his shack.  At first it seemed like an interesting gadget with a lot of mysterious information.  But the more I understood it, the more useful it became.  HamClock brings together an amazing array of data for evaluating and predicting propagation.  It is especially useful for DXers, but even as a ragchewer I am finding it helpful.  For example, the VOACAP map and propagation predictor is very useful and often parallels the information I get when I run my WSPR Beacon.

The Inovato model came ready to go.  That is no longer available due to the maker’s health, however.  I gave mine to a friend and decided to build one myself with a Raspberry Pi.  That turned out to be very easy.    The instructions are below.

Needed:

A.       Raspberry Pi; versions 3B or 4B work well.  (Some come with a power supply and others require you to provide one.)

B.       Monitor/display

C.      HDMI cable (4B requires a mini HDMI connector on one end)

D.      Mouse

E.        Keyboard during setup

In the above photo I am using a version 3B, in a case. A case is optional - some hams mount them on a board. The version running in the top photo is on a version 4B and I added a fan that fits the case, although I don't know if that is necessary.

Steps:

1.         Install Raspberry Pi Imager on computer from this source:  https://www.raspberrypi.com/software/

2.        Insert 32GB microSD card into computer card reader and open the PI Imager software.

3.        Choose the OS that is appropriate for your version of the Raspberry Pi (3, 4, 5).  Among the choices offered, make sure you choose the one that includes Bookworm (not Trixie).

4.        Click on it to start install.  It will take quite a bit of time to complete and verify.

5.        When complete, remove from reader and insert into the Raspberry Pi.  Start the Raspberry Pi and follow instructions/answer questions.   It will probably download updates and restart.

6.        When it is back up, open the browser (Globe, upper left) and go to https://www.clearskyinstitute.com/ham/HamClock/

7.        Click on the “Desktop” tab

8.        Open Terminal in the Raspberry Pi (upper left), then enter the commands under the Desktop tab by copying them line by line and pasting them into Terminal.  (I tried entering them from the keyboard but couldn’t get it to work that way.  Copying and pasting worked fine.)

9.        Answer the series of questions that follow in Terminal.

10.  When HamClock starts, you will be in setup pages that allow you to enter your call, your latitude/longitude, and make other selections (5 pages; page selections upper right)

An excellent introduction to HamClock and the information it provides can be found here: https://www.vkhamradio.com/ham-clock-and-a-quick-guide-to-propagation/

A detailed user guide is here:  https://inovato.net/ham/HamClockUserGuide.pdf