VAIL SUMMIT

A portable Morse code training device for ham radio operators, built on the ESP32-S3 platform with a modern UI.

Hardware Release: Planned for March/April 2026. Beta test units available now for $75 — contact Brett at ke9bos@pigletradio.org

Overview

VAIL SUMMIT is a standalone Morse code trainer designed for learning and practicing CW (Continuous Wave) communication. It features structured training curricula, interactive games, radio keying output, and a web-based interface for remote control and logging with many other Ham Radio Tools being added very regularly.

Key Highlights:

4.0" color LCD with intuitive card-based navigation
Multiple input methods: I2C keyboard, iambic paddle, capacitive touch
Training curricula (CW Academy, Koch Method, LICW)
Games for fun practice (Morse Shooter, Memory Chain)
Radio output for keying external transceivers
QSO logging
Connect to the Vail internet Morse repeater

Features

Training Modes

Mode	Description
CW Academy	Official 4-track, 16-session curriculum with copy practice, sending practice, and daily drills
Koch Method	Scientifically-proven method teaching characters at full speed with progress tracking
LICW Training	Long Island CW Club 9-carousel curriculum with Time-To-Recognize (TTR) methodology
Vail Master	CW sending trainer with Sprint/Sweepstakes formats, scoring, and problem character analytics
Hear It Type It	Configurable receive training with 5 modes: callsigns, letters, numbers, mixed, or custom
Practice Oscillator	Free-form keying with real-time adaptive decoder, WPM display, and prosign support
License Study	Ham radio exam prep for Technician, General, and Extra with question database and progress tracking

Games

Game	Description
Morse Shooter	Arcade-style game with falling characters, adaptive decoder, and high score tracking
Memory Chain	Progressive memory training with 3 game modes and 3 difficulty levels
Spark Watch	Maritime morse training with historical challenges (Titanic era) and campaign missions

Ham Radio Tools

Tool	Description
Band Conditions	Real-time solar/propagation data from hamqsl.com (SFI, K-index, MUF, Aurora)
Band Plans	Frequency allocations filtered by license class (Tech/General/Extra) and mode
POTA Integration	Parks On The Air park lookup, validation, and activation tracking
QSO Logger	Contact logging with ADIF/CSV export, map visualization, and statistics
Antennas	Reference information for antenna designs and specifications

Radio Integration

Feature	Description
Radio Output	Key external radios via 3.5mm jack with Summit Keyer or Radio Keyer modes
CW Memories	10 programmable message slots with prosign support and transmission queuing
Vail Repeater	Internet morse repeater connection via WebSocket to vailmorse.com

Bluetooth Connectivity

Mode	Description
BLE HID	Keyboard emulation for MorseRunner and CW training software compatibility
BLE MIDI	Standard BLE MIDI protocol for Vail repeater MIDI tools
BLE Keyboard Host	Connect external Bluetooth keyboards for input

Web Interface

Page	Description
Dashboard	Device status, battery, WiFi info, quick actions
QSO Logger	Contact logging with interactive map and export options
Practice Mode	Remote morse practice via WebSocket
Memory Chain	Browser-based game with device synchronization
Hear It Type It	Web-based training with Web Audio API
Radio Control	Remote morse transmission
Settings	CW speed, tone, volume, callsign configuration
Storage	SD card file browser with upload/download
System	Diagnostics, firmware info, memory stats

System Features

4.0" Color LCD - ST7796S 480×320 with LVGL card-based UI
Multiple Inputs - CardKB keyboard, iambic paddle, capacitive touch, straight key
Battery Monitoring - MAX17048/LC709203F auto-detection with percentage display
SD Card Storage - FAT32 with web-based file management
WiFi - Station mode or Access Point mode for field use
NTP Time Sync - Automatic time synchronization for QSO timestamps
Dual-Core Audio - FreeRTOS task management for glitch-free audio
Deep Sleep - Triple-ESC from main menu for power saving

Hardware Requirements

Core Components

Component	Description
MCU	Adafruit Feather ESP32-S3 (2MB PSRAM)
Display	ST7796S 4.0" 480×320 LCD (SPI)
Audio	MAX98357A I2S amplifier
Keyboard	CardKB I2C keyboard (address 0x5F)
Battery Monitor	MAX17048 or LC709203F (auto-detected)

Input Options

Iambic Paddle - GPIO 6 (DIT), GPIO 9 (DAH)
Capacitive Touch - GPIO 8 (DIT), GPIO 5 (DAH)
Straight Key - Supported in games and practice modes

Optional

SD Card - FAT32 formatted, for storage and logging
Radio Jack - 3.5mm TRS for keying external radios

For complete pin assignments, see docs/HARDWARE.md.

Getting Started

Pre-built Firmware

The easiest way to get started is with pre-built firmware:

Visit the web flasher
Connect your ESP32-S3 via USB
Select "VAIL SUMMIT" and click Flash
Follow the on-screen instructions

First Boot

Power on the device
Use arrow keys to navigate, Enter to select, ESC to go back
Go to Settings → WiFi Setup to connect to your network
Access the web interface at http://vail-summit.local/

Basic Navigation

Key	Action
↑/↓	Navigate menu items
←/→	Adjust values (sliders)
Enter	Select / Confirm
ESC	Back / Exit mode
ESC×3	Deep sleep (from main menu)

Web Interface

Access the device from any browser on your network:

mDNS: http://vail-summit.local/
AP Mode: http://192.168.4.1/ (when in Access Point mode)

Available Pages

Dashboard - Device status, quick actions
QSO Logger - Contact logging with map visualization
Settings - CW speed, tone, volume, callsign
Radio Control - Remote Morse transmission
Storage - SD card file management
System - Diagnostics and firmware info

Access Point Mode

If WiFi connection fails or for field use:

Go to Settings → WiFi Setup
Press 'A' key to enable AP mode
Connect to VAIL-SUMMIT-XXXXXX (password: vailsummit)

Building from Source

Prerequisites

Windows PC (build scripts are Windows-specific)
USB cable for ESP32-S3

Quick Build (Windows)

Due to Windows path length limitations, use the short-path method:

One-Time Setup:

# Create junction for project
New-Item -ItemType Junction -Path 'C:\vs' -Target 'C:\Users\YOUR_USERNAME\path\to\vail-summit'

# Copy arduino-cli to short path
Copy-Item -Path 'C:\vs\arduino-cli\*' -Destination 'C:\acli' -Recurse -Force

Compile:

cd C:\acli
.\arduino-cli.exe compile --config-file arduino-cli.yaml --fqbn "esp32:esp32:adafruit_feather_esp32s3:CDCOnBoot=cdc,PartitionScheme=huge_app,PSRAM=enabled,FlashSize=4M,USBMode=hwcdc" --output-dir C:\vs\build --export-binaries C:\vs

Upload (replace COM31 with your port):

cd C:\acli
.\arduino-cli.exe upload --config-file arduino-cli.yaml --fqbn "esp32:esp32:adafruit_feather_esp32s3:CDCOnBoot=cdc,PartitionScheme=huge_app,PSRAM=enabled,FlashSize=4M,USBMode=hwcdc" --port COM31 --input-dir C:\vs\build C:\vs

Alternative: build.ps1 (may fail on long paths)

Command	Description
`.\build.ps1`	Compile firmware
`.\build.ps1 upload COMx`	Upload to device
`.\build.ps1 monitor COMx`	Serial monitor
`.\build.ps1 list`	List available ports
`.\build.ps1 clean`	Clean build directory

For detailed build instructions, Arduino IDE setup, and library information, see docs/BUILDING.md.

Documentation

Document	Description
BUILDING.md	Build setup, compilation, firmware updates
ARCHITECTURE.md	System design, state machine, audio system
HARDWARE.md	Pin assignments, I2C devices, hardware interfaces
FEATURES.md	CW Academy, games, radio mode details
WEB_INTERFACE.md	Web server, REST API, QSO logger
DEVELOPMENT.md	Development patterns, troubleshooting

Project Structure

vail-summit/
├── vail-summit.ino     # Main sketch
├── src/
│   ├── core/           # Config, morse code, hardware init
│   ├── audio/          # I2S audio, morse decoder
│   ├── lvgl/           # UI screens and theme
│   ├── training/       # Training modes (CW Academy, Koch, etc.)
│   ├── games/          # Morse Shooter, Memory Chain
│   ├── radio/          # Radio output, CW memories
│   ├── settings/       # WiFi, CW, volume settings
│   ├── qso/            # QSO logging
│   ├── web/            # Web server and API
│   ├── network/        # Vail repeater, NTP
│   └── storage/        # SD card management
├── docs/               # Documentation
├── build.bat           # Build script (Windows)
└── build.ps1           # Build script (PowerShell)

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please:

Fork the repository
Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
Open a Pull Request

Acknowledgments

CW Academy for the training curriculum
Vail Morse Repeater for internet connectivity
LVGL for the UI framework
LovyanGFX for the display driver

Support

Issues: GitHub Issues
Discussions: GitHub Discussions

73 de KE9BOS Brett Hollifield ke9bos@pigletradio.org

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 339 Commits
.github		.github
3d prints		3d prints
docs		docs
firmware_files		firmware_files
src		src
tools		tools
web		web
.gitignore		.gitignore
LICENSE.md		LICENSE.md
README.md		README.md
build.bat		build.bat
build.ps1		build.ps1
lv_conf.h		lv_conf.h
vail-summit.ino		vail-summit.ino

License

Vail-CW/vail-summit

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VAIL SUMMIT

Overview

Features

Training Modes

Games

Ham Radio Tools

Radio Integration

Bluetooth Connectivity

Web Interface

System Features

Hardware Requirements

Core Components

Input Options

Optional

Getting Started

Pre-built Firmware

First Boot

Basic Navigation

Web Interface

Available Pages

Access Point Mode

Building from Source

Prerequisites

Quick Build (Windows)

Alternative: build.ps1 (may fail on long paths)

Documentation

Project Structure

Contributing

Acknowledgments

Support

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