Node-Red!!

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Node-Red is a flow-based programming environment created by IBM to control devices using APIs for machine-machine communications.  Node-Red provides a browser based development environment and JSON (javascript object notation) programming structure to create low code applications like dashboards.  

There are a bunch of templates developed by Flexradio users that can be imported and customized to create your own dashboards and control panels.   Just about anything with a serial port or ethernet connection can be monitored and controlled using Node-Red.

There are many online resources that teach how to use node red.  Some knowledge of computer programing is essential - especially when you need to convert objects to JSON formats,  access attributes withing that object, to parse (listen) for responses from the radio, and create flows that can be used to control the radios, amplifiers, rotors etc that are in your shack.

N1SH Stephen Houser maintains the node-red-contrib-flexradio nodes nodes that provide everything you need to get started with flexradio, including tutorials and how to guides.   Once you have the basic functions working check out the other hamradio flows and examples shared on groups.io.

Node-Red is quite fun and addicting to tinker with.  My goal is to have a fully developed dashboard where I can control not only the radio, but my amp, antenna rotor, router, and web enabled power switches remotely.

As of 6/2/24 I'm running Node-Red locally on my mini-PC using version 3.1.9, Node.js vs 20.13.1and npm 10.5.2.   Here is a simple flow and set of dashboards I created to display the radio information, frequency, transmit power, SRW and several monitors.    






Resources:
https://groups.io/g/nodered-hamradio
https://flows.nodered.org/node/node-red-contrib-flexradio
https://nodered.org/docs/getting-started/

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