HAM Exposition Hands-On Class

VU3CER GPS-NTP Stratum Zero

Improved from last year’s HAMX: a true, slick, no-solder Qwiic GPS timing, NTP, and frequency-standard project.
Presented by VU3CER / WQ6W and K1TE
You must purchase the equipment from Adafruit before the class. No parts will be offered for sale at the talk. Please place your order at least five days before the HAM Exposition class.

What We Will Build

Together we will assemble a compact GPS-disciplined Stratum 0 time source, a local NTP server, and a useful hertz and sub-hertz frequency standard. The hardware uses Qwiic / STEMMA QT connectors, so the physical assembly requires no soldering.

No soldering GPS disciplined Wi-Fi NTP 20 ns-class timing Frequency reference

Your Adafruit Parts List

$14.95Adafruit ESP32-C6 Feather — STEMMA QTPID 5933
$29.95Adafruit Mini GPS PA1010D — UART and I²C — STEMMA QTPID 4415
$0.95STEMMA QT / Qwiic JST SH 4-pin Cable — 100 mmPID 4210
$0.95CR1220 12 mm 3 V Lithium Coin CellPID 380
Parts subtotal shown: $46.80, before shipping and tax.

What Each Ham Should Bring

  • A cell phone, tablet, or notebook computer — bringing all three is perfectly welcome.
  • A USB cable suitable for the Feather board.
  • A charged USB power pack for the outdoor GPS test.
  • The four Adafruit items listed above.

Why We Are Excited

K1TE and project designer VU3CER / WQ6W remain in awe of the power of this software-defined ham-radio design. Last summer, ten out of ten participating hams succeeded — and, frankly, we were delighted and a little shocked.

This improved HAMX class keeps the successful idea and makes the build even cleaner: one small Feather board, one GPS module, one Qwiic cable, no soldering, and a shared outdoor first-fix experience.