HAMSHACK DASHBOARD – VERSION 2.4
©2023-2024 BY DAVE N2MXX
WINDOWS APPLE RASPBERRY PI
Hamshack Dashboard is offered as freeware; it may be used and distributed freely without modification and provided that copyright information is not removed.
This document contains 3 sections:
- Purpose (What it does and why)
- What You Need To Know (How to download and configure for minimal operation)
- What Is Nice To Know (How to fully customize the application)
Purpose:
This application is an HTML file with embedded JavaScript and CSS, designed to display a series of predefined images/animations which facilitates simultaneous monitoring of multiple weather maps, radio propagation, or other data which is available online as an image/animation file URL. A date/time/UTC clock is also provided.
All functions can be accessed with only a mouse. Multiple amateur radio resources (band plan, grid squares, etc.) are available instantly by clicking speed buttons on the bottom of the screen.
What You Need To Know:
The HAMSHACK DASHBOARD is located here: https://nject.us/HAMSHACK-DASHBOARD-O.html
Note: This project is hosted on the New Jersey Emergency Communications Team (NJECT) website. The HAMSHACK DASHBOARD is not affiliated with or endorsed by the NJECT; the NJECT does not own nor shall be responsible for the HAMSHACK DASHBOARD.
How to save the file to your computer:
Method #1: Right-click and “save link as…”
Method #2: Open in a browser, right click on any black area (not an image), and select “Save as”…then make sure to save it as a “Webpage, HTML Only”
How to add your Call Sign, UTC Clock Offset, and Local Doppler RADAR Image (USA):
After you download the file, or even if you use the online version, add the following at the end of the URL:
?callsign=<callsign>&utc=<offset>&state=<state>
<callsign> = Your Amateur Radio Call Sign
<offset> = Your UTC offset in hours
<state> = Your state abbreviation followed by a number (1,2,3,etc) because many states have multiple Doppler radar sites
An example is: …HAMSHACK-DASHBOARD-O.html?callsign=N2MXX&utc=5&state=NJ1
How to use the HAMSHACK DASHBOARD:
View the .html file with a web browser such as Chrome, Edge, Safari, or Chromium. It is best viewed in ‘full screen” mode. In Chrome:
Features:
- The display can simultaneously show multiple real-time images/animations on one screen
- A clock with UTC/Local time is updated every second, displayed with users’ amateur radio call sign
- Click the refresh icon to the left of the date to reload the page
- The images will automatically refresh every 5 minutes by default; countdown to refresh is shown by the bar in the lower right of the screen
- Click on any image to view a large version, then click again to return to the dashboard (or click the refresh/home button)…the image will automatically revert to the dashboard after 20 seconds
- Hover over the grey bar on the bottom for reference and website quick buttons
- The UTC offset and refresh frequency is customized by editing the html text document as described in next section
- All images/links are customized by editing the .html document text as described in next section
- Website quick buttons are customized by editing the HTML text document as described in next section
What Is Nice To Know:
How to change Image URLs:
An example of an image URL are the NOAA Satellite Images/animations:
https://www.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/goes/conus.php?sat=G16
Right click on an internet image/animation, and select “Copy image address”:
Open the HAMSHACK DASHBOARD .html file using a text editor (like Windows Notepad):
Images on the dashboard are assigned A-L:
Decide which image (by letter) you want to replace and paste the URL (which was placed on the clipboard by using “Copy image address”) between the quotes on that image assignment. Then change the text on the next line to whatever text you want to appear at the top of the image for identification. Save the file, and your changes will appear on the dashboard when you reload the page. Image files will work, including animated .gif files; however, movies and entire web pages will not work.
Each image URL also includes a “….addCacheString” and “….scale” configurable parameter:
- Set the “….addCacheString” value to “true” if the image does not seem to change when the dashboard is refreshed. This can happen with some images, depending upon browser settings, when the computer saves a copy of the image and then will use that image when refreshed without contacting the URL to load a new image.
- Change the “….scale” value for each image URL to modify the horizontal compression display scale. Some images will look better (ie round circles, images of the sun, maps) when compressed horizontally.
Quick button links and text is defined the same way:
Some other configurations include:
RefreshMinutes defines the number of minutes between screen refresh. The entire dashboard re-loads together – there are not individual timers for each image.
TwelveImages is set to either true or false. When false is selected, only 6 images are displayed (A, B, C, E, F, G). This is useful if you are using a smaller monitor to display the HAMSHACK DASHBOARD.
height Scale adjusts the height of all dashboard images….reduce this number (slightly) if the dashboard displays past the bottom of the screen.
Thank you for using the HAMSHACK DASHBOARD!
73,
Dave N2MXX
Version 2.2 Release Notes: AM/PM corrected, added ability to append date/time value to URL to avoid browser cache issues.
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HAMSHACK-DASHBOARD-DOCUMENTATION.pdf