diff --git a/tests/Makefile.am b/tests/Makefile.am
index 9b51f6a53..9a0400a25 100644
--- a/tests/Makefile.am
+++ b/tests/Makefile.am
@@ -4,15 +4,17 @@
 # AUTOMAKE_OPTIONS = dejagnu
 # DEJATOOL = testfreq testbcd testloc rigctl
 
-DISTCLEANFILES = rigctl.log rigctl.sum testbcd.log testbcd.sum
+BUILT_SOURCES = hamlibdatetime.h
+
+DISTCLEANFILES = rigctl.log rigctl.sum testbcd.log testbcd.sum datebuilt.h
 
 bin_PROGRAMS = rigctl rigctld rigmem rigsmtr rigswr rotctl rotctld rigctlcom ampctl ampctld
 
 check_PROGRAMS = dumpmem testrig testtrn testbcd testfreq listrigs testloc rig_bench cachetest cachetest2
 
-RIGCOMMONSRC = rigctl_parse.c rigctl_parse.h dumpcaps.c sprintflst.c sprintflst.h uthash.h
-ROTCOMMONSRC = rotctl_parse.c rotctl_parse.h dumpcaps_rot.c uthash.h
-AMPCOMMONSRC = ampctl_parse.c ampctl_parse.h dumpcaps_amp.c sprintflst.c sprintflst.h uthash.h
+RIGCOMMONSRC = rigctl_parse.c rigctl_parse.h dumpcaps.c sprintflst.c sprintflst.h uthash.h datebuilt.h
+ROTCOMMONSRC = rotctl_parse.c rotctl_parse.h dumpcaps_rot.c uthash.h datebuilt.h
+AMPCOMMONSRC = ampctl_parse.c ampctl_parse.h dumpcaps_amp.c sprintflst.c sprintflst.h uthash.h datebuilt.h
 
 rigctl_SOURCES = rigctl.c $(RIGCOMMONSRC)
 rigctld_SOURCES = rigctld.c $(RIGCOMMONSRC)
@@ -94,5 +96,11 @@ testloc.sh:
 	echo './testloc EM79UT96LW 5' > testloc.sh
 	chmod +x ./testloc.sh
 
+# If we have a .git directory then we will update the hamlibdate.h file
+hamlibdatetime.h: FORCE
+	test ! -x ../.git || echo // This date time is from the last commit to hamlib > hamlibdatetime.h 
+	test ! -x ../.git || echo "#define HAMLIBDATETIME "\"`git log -n 1 | grep Date:|cut -c9-`"\"" >> hamlibdatetime.h
+
+FORCE: ;
 
 CLEANFILES = testrig.sh testfreq.sh testbcd.sh testloc.sh
diff --git a/tests/ampctl.c b/tests/ampctl.c
index 8da1925b9..eb9f4da76 100644
--- a/tests/ampctl.c
+++ b/tests/ampctl.c
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@
  *   51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA.
  *
  */
+#include "hamlibdatetime.h"
 
 #ifdef HAVE_CONFIG_H
 #  include "config.h"
@@ -272,7 +273,7 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
 
     rig_set_debug(verbose);
 
-    rig_debug(RIG_DEBUG_VERBOSE, "ampctl, %s\n", hamlib_version);
+    rig_debug(RIG_DEBUG_VERBOSE, "ampctl %s\nLast commit was %s\n", hamlib_version, HAMLIBDATETIME);
     rig_debug(RIG_DEBUG_VERBOSE, "%s",
               "Report bugs to <hamlib-developer@lists.sourceforge.net>\n\n");
 
diff --git a/tests/rigctl.c b/tests/rigctl.c
index a47c8efbd..fedb0405b 100644
--- a/tests/rigctl.c
+++ b/tests/rigctl.c
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
  *   51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA.
  *
  */
+#include "hamlibdatetime.h"
 
 #ifdef HAVE_CONFIG_H
 #  include "config.h"
@@ -428,8 +429,8 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
 
     rig_set_debug(verbose);
 
-    rig_debug(RIG_DEBUG_VERBOSE, "rigctl, %s %s\n", hamlib_version,
-              __DATE__ " " __TIME__);
+    rig_debug(RIG_DEBUG_VERBOSE, "rigctl %s\nLast commit was %s\n", hamlib_version,
+              HAMLIBDATETIME);
     rig_debug(RIG_DEBUG_VERBOSE, "%s",
               "Report bugs to <hamlib-developer@lists.sourceforge.net>\n\n");
 
diff --git a/tests/rotctl.c b/tests/rotctl.c
index b565502b1..d0d16f21a 100644
--- a/tests/rotctl.c
+++ b/tests/rotctl.c
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
  *   51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA.
  *
  */
+#include "hamlibdatetime.h"
 
 #ifdef HAVE_CONFIG_H
 #  include "config.h"
@@ -298,7 +299,7 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
 
     rig_set_debug(verbose);
 
-    rig_debug(RIG_DEBUG_VERBOSE, "rotctl, %s\n", hamlib_version);
+    rig_debug(RIG_DEBUG_VERBOSE, "rotctl %s\nLast commit was %s\n", hamlib_version, HAMLIBDATETIME);
     rig_debug(RIG_DEBUG_VERBOSE, "%s",
               "Report bugs to <hamlib-developer@lists.sourceforge.net>\n\n");