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Pile-Up Control System
27 October 2025 | by PUCS: Take control of the pile-up!
Every special event station (SES) operator knows the thrill — and the chaos — of a true pile-up. The excitement of dozens of stations calling you simultaneously can quickly turn into frustration when QRM, doubles, and missed calls clutter the frequency. Wouldn’t it be great if there were a way to bring order to that chaos without losing the fun of real-time operating?
Enter PUCS, the Pile-Up Control System, a fully open-source, web-based platform designed by and for radio amateurs. Born from the ingenuity of the Radio Scouting Fellowship PA3EFR/J, PUCS elegantly blends traditional ham ingenuity with modern AI-assisted software development. The result is a modular, flexible system that any club or individual can tailor to their own operating style — from large-scale SES activities to small club field days.
PUCS can be seen operational at pucs.pa3efr.nl
From Normandy to the Netherlands
The idea for PUCS was sparked during an SES operation on the beaches of Normandy, where operators of TM80DDAY overheard multiple Australian colleagues discussing a private sign-up system for QSOs. Intrigued but unable to obtain the software, Erwin PA3EFR and his team decided to build their own version — and then share it freely with the world. With the help of AI tools and some Python wizard Barry, PC1K, PUCS was born. It was much later when Erwin decided to develop PUCS within his own environment.
Today, PUCS is freely available, fully documented, and open to anyone willing to experiment. It’s more than just software — it’s an invitation to collaborate, learn, and contribute to a smarter way of managing pile-ups.
What Makes PUCS Unique
At its heart, PUCS is a distributed system consisting of two parts:
- Frontend (commercial hosting): This is the public entry point where operators register their callsigns to join the queue. Think of it as a digital “waiting room” — transparent, fair, and visible to everyone.
- Backend (local PC): Here’s where the magic happens. The backend checks QRZ.com logbooks every minute, automatically removes callsigns that have already been worked, and provides an admin dashboard to manage the queue, export logs, and adjust settings on the fly.
Open Source, Open Spirit
PUCS is more than a tool — it’s a philosophy. The creators explicitly invite others to modify, enhance, and restyle the system to their own preferences. Whether you want to change the interface colors, add logging features, integrate digital modes, or redesign the operator dashboard, the code is yours to explore. There’s no hidden agenda, no locked components — just open code and open collaboration.
All scripts, examples, and documentation are available on GitHub:
https://github.com/PA3EFR/PUCS
Why You Should Try It
PUCS is a perfect project for your club’s next technical workshop. It offers practical lessons in networking, APIs, databases, and web hosting — all wrapped around a real amateur radio application.
Beyond that, it promotes fairness in pile-ups, gives weaker stations a chance to make contact, and even allows SWLs to log their participation.
So fire up your soldering iron if you must, but this time, your “kit” is made of code.
Download PUCS, make it your own, and bring calm to your next pile-up.
As Erwin, PA3EFR, says: “Ask AI as your friend for support — and enjoy your own moments of challenge!” On behalf of the Radio Scouting Fellowship PA3EFR/J we look forward to see you on our PUCS screens at a next special event occasion.
~ Sander PD9HIX
Yet another loss to the Amateur radio market!
Richard, VE2DX back in January 2020 started a company called VE2DX Electronics design. that wanted to provide innovative products for the Amateur radio community, and that he did. I have been following his product line up, and it has progress throughout the years. He seemed to be always advancing his product line with quality and creative projects. His product line was picked by DX Engineering in the U.S. which is a major in road to a very large Amateur radio market. Below, Richard explains in an honest, upfront release as to the direct reason for his departure from his dream come true adventure.
VE2DX ELECTRONICS DESIGN MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT!!!!
1- Shipping to the USA:
Please be advised that we can not and will not ship anything to the USA as of September 19th, 2025, because the shipping companies in Canada will NOT take any shipment unless WE pay YOUR tariffs in advance.
These Tariffs are from US Customs, and there have been many administrative errors, such as the fact that our products are covered under USMCA and should not be subject to any tariffs AT ALL!
As a result, US Customs is requesting that transport companies pay in advance for US citizen tariffs. Consequently, these transport companies are charging our company tariff fees, making it almost impossible to collect the payments from our customers, many weeks or months after the fact.
Let's be very clear: we are not charging anyone any tariffs, nor is Canada. These tariffs are imposed by US Customs and are to be paid by the importer, not the Canadian exporter.
Bottom line, we will no longer be able to ship anything to the USA. We invite you to contact our US-based resellers if you need any products.
2- HamCation, HanVention, HamXposition, and other US Hamfests.
We will be cancelling our presence at ALL US hamfests for 2026 (See Point 4).
3- Is VE2DX Electronics Design for sale
YES! Please contact us if you are interested (See Point 4).
4- Are we going to close?
Yes, :( Many of you have been following and supporting us from the very beginning.
No later than last week, I was in NH to discuss a potential US partner and initiate some manufacturing in the USA, but the numbers just aren't there. :(
I am very sorry to inform you that, as of November 2025, VE2DX Electronics Design Inc. will no longer exist.
We continually strive to develop innovative approaches and technologies that can assist our fellow ham operators at a fair price. As a result, it took us far too long to become profitable. This, combined with the August 2024 floods and US Customs tariffs, makes it impossible to develop further. As a result, we must consider selling or closing our beloved company. And for those of you who heard my awful jokes in the past, YES! I will now have to do the dishes ;P
I will continue working on designs and software updates, but will no longer be marketing them. I will be happy to help as an Elmer, localy or not as I have often done.
I want to thank everyone for their support over these GREAT six years. And I hope for a QSO over the air soon...
:(
73
De Richard G. Desaulniers Sr., VE2DX
Mike Weir, VE9KK, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from New Brunswick, Canada. Contact him at ve9kk@hotmail.com.
LHS Episode #598: Fake Ham Radio
Hello and welcome to the 598th installment of Linux in the Ham Shack. In this short topics episode, the hosts discuss a revived zombie satellite, tracking the next NASA moon mission as a ham, flatpak updates, KDE's birthday, ham radio in flight simulators and much more. Thanks for listening and have a great week.
73 de The LHS Crew
Russ Woodman, K5TUX, co-hosts the Linux in the Ham Shack podcast which is available for download in both MP3 and OGG audio format. Contact him at russ@bluecows.com.
New Pi4B up and running.
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I got around to purchasing a Pi and settled on the Pi4b I did not want to splurge on the Pi5 as I only use the Pi for HamClock. The package I ordered was the iRasptek Pi4B, 4GB, 64GB micro SD card, 2 monitor cables, cooling heat sinks, case, cooling fan and 3.5 amp power supply with an on/off switch.
I did not need 2 monitor cables, but that is
what
it came with. Also, it came with 2 cooling fans. Not sure why, unless
the
fans have a habit of failing. The SD card was loaded with Noobs, which
easily allowed me to install the Pi OS and did some configuring and update downloads. I then
downloaded HamClock, and I was once again good to go. 
Pi 4B in the case and fan connected
Up and running HamClock
Mike Weir, VE9KK, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from New Brunswick, Canada. Contact him at ve9kk@hotmail.com.
Three Useful HT Accessories
Here are three affordable accessories that can help round out your VHF/UHF handheld transceiver (HT) kit. These items can significantly improve the performance of your radio and make it more useful.
1. A Halfwave Antenna for 2m
I’ve already written about the RH660 antenna, which is a huge improvement over a typical rubber duck antenna. Make sure you get the version with the proper connector for your HT.
2. A Compact Magmount Antenna
Another handy antenna is a small magnetic-mount antenna for the 2m and 70cm bands. The primary usage of this antenna is on the roof of a vehicle, connected to your HT inside your vehicle. This puts the antenna on the roof, outside of the vehicle, working in concert with the effective ground plane of the metal roof. Note that for the magnet to hold, the roof needs to be made of a ferrous metal, not aluminum, fiberglass, fabric, etc.
This antenna can also function as a portable/temporary antenna by placing it on a steel object such as the top of a refrigerator, a cookie sheet, metal door frame, filing cabinet, metal folding chair, etc. The antenna is about 19 inches in length, so it packs well for travel. There are many models available, including this one on Amazon.
3. A Few RF Adapters
It seems that we often encounter incompatible RF connectors, so it is good to have a few adapters available to make the connection.
SMA Male/Female Adapters
These days, handheld transceivers have SMA antenna connectors, but some models provide a male connector, while other radios have a female connector. Having a few SMA adapters can deal with this issue.
SMA to BNC Adapters
BNC connectors often show on on various radios and cables, so it can be handy to adapt this popular connector to an SMA.
SMA to PL-259 Adapters
The PL-259 and its companion SO-239 are the most popular RF connectors for ham radio use, so you may encounter one of these. (I try not to call them UHF connectors: see About That UHF Connector.) They are not used on HTs, but you may find an antenna cable with one of these attached. Again, an adapter or two can help you make the connection to an SMA connector.
These are some handy devices to have along with your HT.
Any other suggestions?
73 Bob K0NR
P.S. If you are having trouble identifying the connector on your HT, take a look at this article: What’s That Connector On My HT?
The post Three Useful HT Accessories appeared first on The KØNR Radio Site.
Bob Witte, KØNR, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Colorado, USA. Contact him at bob@k0nr.com.
ICQPodcast Episode 468 – Portable Power
In this episode, we join Martin Butler M1MRB, Chris Howard (M0TCH), Martin Rothwell (M0SGL), Frank Howell (K4FMH), Bill Barnes (WC3B) and Leslie Butterfields (G0CIB) to discuss the latest Amateur / Ham Radio news. Colin Butler (M6BOY) rounds up the news in brief, and the episode's feature is Portable Power.
We would like to thank our monthly and annual subscription donors for keeping the podcast advert free. To donate, please visit - http://www.icqpodcast.com/donate
- FCC Denies Approval of 4 Chinese-Owned Electronics Labs
- What ChatGPT Would do to Attract Young People to Amateur Radio
- Do we even need QST?
- Satellites Are Leaking the World’s Secrets: Calls, Texts, Military and Corporate Data
- Japanese CubeSats Deployed from ISS
- Zoe Rodriguez Named 2025 Craigie Memorial Educator
- ARRL Year of the Club Newsletter Contest - Call for Submissions
Colin Butler, M6BOY, is the host of the ICQ Podcast, a weekly radio show about Amateur Radio. Contact him at info@icqpodcast.com.
AmateurLogic 210: 20 Years of AmateurLogic.TV
AmateurLogic.TV Episode 210 is now available for download.
It started back in 2005 as one of the first Internet television experiments and is still going strong 20 years later. Join your AmateurLogic friends as we look back on some of the memorable moments of the past two decades. We also announce the winner of the IC-705 transceiver from Icom and the accessory package from Gigaparts.
George Thomas, W5JDX, is co-host of AmateurLogic.TV, an original amateur radio video program hosted by George Thomas (W5JDX), Tommy Martin (N5ZNO), Peter Berrett (VK3PB), and Emile Diodene (KE5QKR). Contact him at george@amateurlogic.tv.
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