Activate License

HAM-Tools uses an offline license system (Ed25519-signed). No server check, no online requirement after activation.

Request a License

A short email to hb9hji@funkwelt.net with:

• Name
• Callsign (1–3 possible, if you have several)
• Optional: how you heard about HAM-Tools

You'll get a ~300-character license string in reply, in this format:

ham1.eyJjYWxscy...Q.SGVsbG8...4

Apply the License

1. Cmd+, → License tab
2. Paste the license string into the text field (Cmd+V or the "Paste from Clipboard" button)
3. Click "Apply License"
4. The status should jump straight to "Full version active" (green)

Model: Lifetime with 12 Months of Updates

• One-time purchase — the license technically never expires
• Updates included for 12 months from the issue date
• Old app versions stay fully functional for life with the original license
• For versions beyond the update window: request a renewal (cheaper than a new purchase)

TIP

On startup the app checks whether the build date of the current app version is before the updates_until date of your license. If so → full mode. If not → demo mode with a note about renewing updates.

Demo Mode

Without a valid license:

• 50 QSOs cumulative across all logs combined
• After that read-only: all QSOs remain readable, ADIF + Cabrillo export works, but no new logging
• A banner at the top of the app shows the current status at any time

Multiple Macs

You can use one license on multiple Macs as long as they all use the same callsign. The license model checks the callsign in the app settings against the 1–3 callsigns stored in the license.

Problems?

Error	Meaning
"Invalid signature"	The license was truncated when copied, or is from a different build key pair
"Call doesn't match license"	The callsign entered under Settings → Station is not stored in the license
"Update renewal required"	The app version was built after the updates_until date — either install an older app version or request a renewal

Report a bug → or email hb9hji@funkwelt.net.

Third-party components from 1.41

HAM-Tools itself is proprietary, but it ships four standalone helper programs. They run as separate processes — HAM-Tools calls them via the command line, files or the network and does not link their code into the app.

Component	What for	Licence
ardopcf (fork of pflarue/ardop 1.0.4.1.3)	ARDOP modem for Winlink over radio	MIT
rigctld and rotctld from Hamlib 4.7.1	CAT control and rotator	GPL-2.0-or-later (programs), LGPL-2.1-or-later (library)
nec2c 1.3 by Neoklis Kyriazis 5B4AZ	Compute core of the antenna simulator	see below

The overview and the full licence texts are in the app under Settings → License → Third-party components; the texts live inside the app bundle, so they are available offline.

nec2c: two licence statements in the same package

The author writes in README section 7: “nec2c is Public Domain, same as the original FORTRAN source” — with a request to keep derived software open. The package also contains a COPYING with the GPLv3, while the source files carry no GPL headers. Both files are shipped unchanged. The underlying NEC2 FORTRAN code comes from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and is in the public domain as US government work.

All three are unmodified builds of the public sources; the build scripts in the project document version, tag, checksum and configure flags. If you want the source for a shipped build, request it from hb9hji@funkwelt.net.