A free, community-operated backend server so your HamClock keeps working past June 2026. Point it here and forget about it.
HamClock was created by Elwood Downey, WB0OEW — an engineer who built one of the most popular shack displays in amateur radio and gave it away for free. Elwood became a Silent Key on January 29, 2026.
I first reached out to Elwood back in August 2019. I told him I thought HamClock had real potential beyond the shack — that it could be a product, a service, something bigger. He wrote back:
"No, it's not exclusive at all. You could use my source and do the same thing if you want, no problem. That's the weird thing about open source software. You don't make money from the code itself. You make money by adding value."
That conversation stuck with me. I registered hamclock.com that same year.
Life got in the way. Years passed. When Elwood became a Silent Key and the June 2026 shutdown was announced, I knew it was time to act. This backend server — keeping your existing HamClock running — is and will always be a free community service. That's a promise. Down the road, we may build new products and features on top of Elwood's foundation, exactly the way he encouraged. But HamClock Classic will never stop working because of a paywall.
Elwood's final release, version 4.22, included the -b flag — a backend override that lets any HamClock point to an alternate server. He gave us the tool and the time.
This server exists because of Elwood. We intend to keep his work running for as long as there are hams who depend on it.
Your HamClock already has everything it needs. Just add the -b flag when you start it. No software changes, no reflashing, no firmware updates.
Stop your running HamClock.
Restart it with the backend flag pointing to this server:
That's it. Your HamClock will pull all data from hamclock.com instead of clearskyinstitute.com. It will survive the June 2026 shutdown.
The -b flag is available in HamClock version 4.22, the final release. If your HamClock auto-updated, you already have it.
Just add the flag when you launch:
If your Pi runs HamClock as a systemd service (most common), edit the service file:
Find the ExecStart line and add the -b flag:
Then reload and restart:
Run these commands to find it:
Once you find the line that launches HamClock, add -b hamclock.com:80 to the end of the command.
If your Pi starts HamClock from crontab:
Find the HamClock line and add the flag:
If HamClock launches automatically when your Pi desktop loads:
Find the Exec= line and add the flag:
Reboot your Pi and HamClock will pull from hamclock.com on every start.
The Quadra runs HamClock from a startup script. SSH into your Quadra and find the launch command:
Edit whatever file that returns and add -b hamclock.com:80 to the HamClock command. If you're stuck, use the DNS redirect method below — it works without changing any files.
The ESP8266 firmware cannot be changed with the -b flag after flashing. Use the DNS redirect method in the next section instead.
We're building a ready-to-flash Raspberry Pi image with HamClock pre-configured to use hamclock.com. Write it to an SD card, boot your Pi, and you're done — no command line needed. Check back here or email bedrich@citrinet.com to be notified when it's available.
If you're not comfortable editing config files, forward this page to a tech-savvy friend or local ham club member. All they need to do is find the line that starts HamClock and add -b hamclock.com:80 to it. Or email me at bedrich@citrinet.com with your setup details and I'll walk you through it.
If you can't modify your startup command — like on an ESP8266 or Inovato Quadra with a locked config — you can redirect traffic at the network level instead. Add this line to your router's local DNS or your device's /etc/hosts file:
This tells your HamClock that clearskyinstitute.com lives at our server. No client changes needed at all.
This server replicates the data feeds your HamClock expects. Current status:
hamclock.com is operated by Bruce Edrich, W4BAE — a cybersecurity consultant and ham radio operator based in South Florida. The backend runs on open-hamclock-backend (OHB), an open-source project built by Brian, KO4AQF and Austin, KN4LNB, who reverse-engineered the original server API from scratch.
This is a community effort. No ads, no tracking, no paywall. Just a server that answers when your HamClock calls.
Questions, problems, want to help? Reach out.
This server runs on AWS and costs real money every month. If HamClock matters to you, consider helping keep it online. Every dollar goes directly to hosting costs.
Support hamclock.com via PayPalPayPal: paypal.me/bruceedrich