Description
The Vail Summit is a little computer built for CW, in a black enclosure that folds closed like a clamshell, so the screen and keyboard are covered when you toss it in a bag. Turn it on and you can take a lesson, run a drill, play a game, log a contact, check band conditions, key your radio, or get on the Vail repeater and talk to other ops in code. It runs on its own, so there is nothing to install on a computer.
This is the public beta. The hardware is done. The firmware is where most of the work still happens, and I push updates often.
See it running
A quick preview and function test of some of the basics:
What the firmware does today
This is what is in the current firmware. It will change as the project moves along.
Learn and practice CW
- A full Learn CW course using the Koch method. You hear characters at full speed from day one, and it saves your place.
- Daily practice, copy practice, and send practice, where it decodes your sending as you go.
- Practice oscillator with a live decoder and a words per minute readout, so you can check your own fist.
- Games: Morse Shooter, Memory Chain, Spark Watch, Story Time, and CW Speeder.
- License study with practice exam questions.
On the air
- Key your radio from the 3.5mm output, as a keyer or straight through.
- CW memories for your calls and exchanges.
- QSO logger with ADIF and CSV export.
- POTA spots and activation tracking, plus a POTA recorder that logs contacts by decoding your own keying.
- Band conditions, band plans by license class, satellite pass predictions, and antenna reference and calculators.
Connected
- Vail repeater over WiFi, to send and receive real hand-keyed CW with ops around the world.
- Morse Mailbox, Summit Chat with other Summits, and Morse Notes to record and play back your sending.
- A web interface you can open from any browser on your network.
- Bluetooth: use it as a wireless keyer for software like MorseRunner, as BLE MIDI, or pair a Bluetooth keyboard.
- A built-in Self Check that tests the SD card, keyboard, sound, screen, and battery.
Hardware
- Black enclosure that folds closed
- 4-inch color display (480 x 320)
- Built-in keyboard
- Built-in speaker
- ESP32-S3 with WiFi and Bluetooth
- Power switch
- Volume control in settings, plus a quick settings shortcut (press V from any menu) for volume, brightness, speed, and tone
Ports
- USB-C: power, battery charging, data, and firmware updates
- Headphone jack (3.5mm): headphones or an external speaker for sidetone and audio
- Key input (3.5mm): plug in your own iambic paddle or straight key (standard TRS)
- Radio output (3.5mm): keys your radio, as a keyer or straight through
- microSD card slot: logs, recordings, and files (FAT32, up to 32GB)
- Battery connector: battery not included, but you can add one (see below)
Capacitive touch: the current case, PCB, and firmware all support capacitive touch keying, but the touch pads are not currently installed. Plan on using a paddle or straight key.
3D models are open too. The STL files for every case part are on GitHub, so you can print a replacement, modify the design, or make your own version: Summit 3D models on GitHub.
No battery included. It runs fine on USB power. If you want to take it portable, you can add your own LiPo. The Summit manual covers battery options and wiring: vailadapter.com/summit-manual.
What you are buying
Please read this part before you order.
The Summit is an open source project. I am the creator and current maintainer of the Summit firmware, but this listing is for the hardware only. Your Summit ships preloaded with the most recent firmware. After that, the features and the firmware will keep changing and improving, and some things may work differently later than they do today.
Buying a Summit does not come with software support or a promise that any feature will work a certain way, now or in the future. It is your hardware. Flash it, modify it, write your own code for it, do whatever you want with it.
The firmware, docs, and release notes live on GitHub: github.com/Vail-CW/vail-summit. Updates install from the web flasher at update.vailadapter.com.
Sold as-is, no warranty. Since you are free to modify it or fit your own battery, I cannot cover damage from modifications or battery installs.
Shipping
Free shipping, US only. Due to demand, Summit orders typically ship within 2 weeks of your order. You will get an email with tracking as soon as it is on the way.
