Customized Ham Radio Menu: Organize Your Raspberry Pi Shack

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Tired of searching for WSJT-X or WaveLogGate in messy submenus? Here is how to create a professional “Ham Radio” category in your Raspberry Pi menu.

Before you dive into this blog post, I recommend reading the following blog post first: https://dl1gkk.com/raspberry-pi-ham-radio-best-practice-2026

The “Messy Menu” Problem

As Ham Radio operators, we love to experiment. We install WSJT-X, Fldigi, JS8Call, and custom tools like WaveLogGate. Usually, these apps end up scattered across “Accessories,” “Internet,” “Other or have generally no shortcut.” Today, we’re going to fix that by building a dedicated “Ham Radio” drawer in your start menu—clean, organized, and professional.

Step 1: Create the Menu Category

First, we need to tell the system that a new category exists. We do this by creating a directory file.

sudo nano /usr/share/desktop-directories/HamRadio.directory

Paste the following content into the file:

[Desktop Entry]
Value=1.0
Type=Directory
Name=Ham Radio
Icon=network-wireless-symbolic

Tip: We are using the “network-wireless-symbolic” icon for a modern, sleek radio-wave look.

Step 2: Integrate into the Main Menu

Next, we must register this new “drawer” in the Raspberry Pi’s main application menu configuration.

sudo nano /etc/xdg/menus/lxde-pi-applications.menu

Search for the end of another menu block (e.g., look for </Menu> after “Internet” or “Games”) and paste the following block right below it:

<Menu>
    <Name>HamRadio</Name>
    <Directory>HamRadio.directory</Directory>
    <Include>
        <And>
            <Category>HamRadio</Category>
        </And>
    </Include>
</Menu>

Step 3: Adding Apps (Example: WaveLogGate)

To make an application appear in your new category, you need a .desktop file in the system applications folder. Even if you haven’t installed a specific app yet, you can see how the configuration works here.

Create a new shortcut file:

sudo nano /usr/share/applications/WaveLogGate.desktop

Paste this full configuration. Note the Categories line, which is the “magic” that moves the app into our new menu:

[Desktop Entry]
Name=WaveLogGate
Comment=Cloud Logging Gateway for WaveLog
Exec=/home/pi/bin/WavelogGate
Icon=network-server-symbolic
Terminal=false
Type=Application
Categories=HamRadio;Network;

Note: Make sure the Exec path matches your actual installation folder.

Step 4: Refresh and Enjoy

To see the changes immediately, restart the panel with this command:

lxpanelctl restart

Success! Click the Raspberry icon in the top left. You now have a brand new Ham Radio category with your tools perfectly organized.

Disclaimer: This setup was developed in collaboration with Gemini AI. While we’ve worked hard to make this guide as “bulletproof” as possible, tech is always evolving—errors may occur, or specific functions might need a bit of extra tweaking.

The solution? Don’t hesitate to ask Gemini yourself if you get stuck. Good luck with your build!


Guide to custom ham radio menu