A pocket-sized Morse code (CW) trainer and ham radio tool. Learn code from scratch, keep your skills sharp, and use it on the air. It has a color screen, a built-in paddle and speaker, and runs on its own battery, so you don't need a computer.
Now in testing. Official release is planned for July 2026. You can get one early during the testing phase at shop.ke9bos.com, or email me (Brett, KE9BOS) at ke9bos@pigletradio.org.
VAIL SUMMIT is a standalone device for learning and practicing Morse code. New to CW? It will take you from your first character to real copy. Been at it a while? Use it to warm up, log contacts, and get on the air.
Turn it on and you start at a home screen with your training progress and the day's band conditions. From there you can take a lesson, run a quick drill, play a game, key a real radio, or hop on the internet Morse repeater and ragchew with other ops in code.
It does two jobs:
- It teaches CW with a structured course that starts at full character speed.
- It works as a portable ham tool for logging contacts, POTA, propagation, keying your rig, and storing CW messages.
One course that takes you from your first character to solid copy. It uses the Koch method: you hear letters at full speed from the start, so you learn the sound of each character instead of counting dits and dahs. Each lesson moves from a quick intro to solo practice, then mixed copy, then real words and callsigns. It saves your place, so you pick up where you left off.
Three ways to practice once you're going:
- Daily practice: a short warm-up that mixes in everything you've learned.
- Copy practice: open-ended listen-and-type, for as long as you want.
- Send practice: key the paddle and the device decodes your sending as you go.
There's a practice oscillator with a live decoder built in. Key on the paddle (or a straight key) and the device shows your Morse as text on screen, along with your speed in words per minute. It's a handy way to check your own fist.
A few games to make practice less of a chore: Morse Shooter (arcade-style falling characters), Memory Chain, the maritime-themed Spark Watch, a speed challenge, and more. Each one keeps score.
- Key your radio: a 3.5 mm jack keys an external transceiver, either as a keyer or a straight-through key.
- CW memories: store your common calls and exchanges and send them with one button.
- QSO logger: log contacts on the device or in your browser, view them on a map, and export to ADIF or CSV for your main logging program.
- POTA: Parks On The Air lookups and activation tracking for portable operating.
- Band conditions and band plans: live solar and propagation numbers, plus frequency privileges by license class, so you know where and when to call CQ.
Connect over WiFi to the Vail Morse repeater (vailmorse.com) and send and receive real, hand-keyed Morse with other operators around the world. It's an easy way to get on the "air" when you don't have a radio in front of you.
- WiFi web interface: open the device in any browser on your network to practice, log contacts, manage files, and change settings on a bigger screen. It's password-protected, and your password shows on the device under System Info.
- Bluetooth: works as a wireless keyer for software like MorseRunner, speaks standard BLE MIDI, and can connect to a Bluetooth keyboard.
No software to install:
- Open the web flasher in Chrome or Edge.
- Plug the device into your computer with a USB cable.
- Pick VAIL SUMMIT, click Flash, and follow the prompts.
- Power on. You'll land on the home screen.
- Move with the arrow keys, select with Enter, go back with Esc.
- Pick Learn CW to start your first lesson, or look around the menus.
- For WiFi (needed for the repeater, logging, and the web interface), go to More > Settings > WiFi and join your network.
- Quick settings: press V from a menu to adjust volume, brightness, CW speed, and tone without leaving what you're doing.
- Web access: once you're on WiFi, open
http://vail-summit.local/from a browser on the same network. - Start over: there's a factory reset under Settings > Device Settings, or hold both paddle levers while you power on.
A small, battery-powered computer set up for CW:
- 4-inch color LCD with a card-style menu
- Built-in speaker, plus a real iambic paddle and capacitive touch pads (straight key works too)
- Rechargeable battery with a charge readout on screen
- WiFi and Bluetooth built in
- microSD card slot for logs and files
- 3.5 mm jack for keying an external radio
- Buy a Summit (testing phase): shop.ke9bos.com or ke9bos@pigletradio.org
- Questions or ideas: GitHub Discussions
- Found a bug? GitHub Issues
VAIL SUMMIT runs on an ESP32-S3, and the firmware source is open for noncommercial use. If you want to build it, change it, or just look around:
- Building from source: toolchain setup and compiling
- Hardware reference: board, pins, and interfaces
- Architecture and development notes
Copyright (c) 2025 Brett Hollifield (KE9BOS) / Vail-CW.
The firmware is licensed under the PolyForm Noncommercial License 1.0.0 (see LICENSE.md). You're free to use, modify, and share it for noncommercial purposes. Selling devices that run this firmware needs a license from me. It's built with several open-source libraries; see THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md for credits.
- The Vail Morse Repeater community for the internet CW connection
- morse-pro by Stephen C Phillips for the decoding foundation
- The CW clubs and Elmers who keep new hams getting on the air
73 de KE9BOS, Brett Hollifield, ke9bos@pigletradio.org