HAMgpt

HAMgpt Help

HAMgpt is your personal amateur‑radio copilot. It answers one question: what can I do with my radio today? Tell it a little about your station, ask in plain English, and it uses live data to tell you what to actually do on the air.

In this guide:

Can I trust what it tells me?

Yes — more than a general chatbot — but you are still the operator in charge.

Unlike an ordinary AI, HAMgpt does not answer questions about band conditions, frequencies, repeaters or license limits from memory. It looks them up from live and official data and reads them back to you. When it does not have a solid answer, it is built to say so — not to make one up.

Still, radios transmit and the rules are the law. Always confirm anything you will act on — frequencies, band edges, and what your license allows — before you key up. Think of HAMgpt as a knowledgeable friend, not the official rulebook.

New to AI? Start here

Never used something like this before? It is simpler than it looks:

  • Just type in plain English, the way you would ask a friend. There are no commands or magic words to learn.
  • It is a conversation. Ask a follow‑up like “and what about 40 meters?” and it remembers what you were just talking about.
  • It already knows your station once you set it up, so the answers fit your radio and your location.
  • You cannot break anything. If an answer is unclear, just ask it to explain more simply — or in more detail.

Set up your station

First, tell HAMgpt a little about your station so its advice fits you:

  1. Open Profile (your name at the bottom‑left, or the Profile tab on a phone).
  2. Type your callsign and tap Verify — we will fill in your location for you.
  3. No callsign yet? Just enter your grid square (like CM87), or tap Use my location.
  4. Pick your license class — Technician, General, or Extra. Not sure? Pick Not sure.
  5. Tap Save. That is it.

Ask your first question

  • At the top of the Home screen there is a box that says “Let’s talk radio…”.
  • Type your question in everyday words and press send (or the Enter key). For example:
    • “What can I do on the radio right now?”
    • “Is 20 meters open to Japan?”
    • “How do I make my first FT8 contact?”
    • “What antenna works well for 40 meters in a small yard?”
  • There are no magic words — just ask the way you would ask a friend.

The “Live now” panel

Below the question box, HAMgpt shows what is happening on the air right now, for your location:

  • Conditions — the bands in plain words (for example, “good, quiet”).
  • Bands now — which bands are busy and who you can reach.
  • Repeaters — the closest repeaters to you.
  • DX — interesting faraway stations on the air.

Tap any card and HAMgpt will explain it or tell you what to do. (The time shown is in UTC — the standard “shack time” hams use all over the world.)

Find and program repeaters

  1. Open the Repeaters tab.
  2. You will see the repeaters closest to you, with their frequency and tones.
  3. Tap the star to save one for later.
  4. Tap “Program into my radio →” and HAMgpt will walk you through the settings, step by step.
  5. “Export for CHIRP” downloads a file you can load into the free CHIRP programming software.

More things you can do

HAMgpt is more than a chat box. You can also:

  • Practice for your license exam — ask for a practice question and it explains the answer.
  • Show it a photo — snap or upload a picture of your radio’s screen, an SWR meter or an antenna analyzer, and HAMgpt reads it and helps.
  • Keep your logbook — bring in your contacts and look back over them.
  • Chase DX and activations — see interesting faraway stations and nearby POTA / SOTA activity you can work.
  • Missions (for Technicians) — short, guided challenges to build your on‑air confidence.

Make it comfortable

In Profile you can set your antenna, switch units (km or miles), and make the text bigger. The sun / moon button switches between a light and a dark screen — pick whatever is easiest on your eyes.

Plans and how to change yours

HAMgpt comes in a few plans: Free, Basic, Plus, Pro and Supporter. Free lets you get to know HAMgpt; the paid plans help keep it running — it is built by one ham, independent and ad‑free.

To change your plan:

  1. Open the menu (your name, at the bottom‑left — or the account menu on a phone) and choose Plans.
  2. Pick the plan you want. To start a paid plan you go through a short, secure checkout handled by Stripe — HAMgpt never sees or stores your card.
  3. Already on a paid plan? From the same Plans screen you can switch to another plan, or cancel, at any time.
  4. If you cancel, you keep your plan until the time you already paid for ends, then move back to Free automatically — no surprise charges.

Your privacy

Your trust matters. HAMgpt uses your callsign, location, radio and antenna only to make its answers fit you — nothing more. We do not show ads, and we do not sell your data. You can read the details in our Privacy Policy.

Before you transmit

HAMgpt is a helpful assistant, but it can be wrong. Before you transmit, always confirm frequencies, band edges, and what your license allows against official sources (such as the FCC Part 97 rules and your radio’s manual). You are responsible for operating legally and safely.

Still need a hand?

Write to us — we read every message: . 73!