Connect to the global APRS-IS network. Watch nearby ham radio stations appear on a live map. Transmit your own beacon — all from iPhone or iPad.
APRS (Automatic Packet Reporting System) is an amateur radio protocol for broadcasting real-time data — primarily GPS coordinates — over radio and the internet. Think of it as Twitter for ham radio operators, minus the character limits.
APRS-IS is the internet backbone. Digipeaters and igates bridge RF transmissions and the internet, creating a worldwide mesh of hundreds of thousands of visible stations. APRSBeacon plugs directly into this via TCP.
Stations broadcast weather telemetry, messages, objects, and more. A single weather station packet carries temperature, wind speed and direction, gusts, humidity, barometric pressure, and rainfall — all in one transmission.
A native MapKit map renders all received stations as colored, typed pins. Digipeaters, weather stations, mobile units, and more — each with distinct icons derived from the full APRS symbol table.
Tap any pin for a bottom sheet showing callsign, coordinates, and comment. Weather stations go further — showing a full atmospheric snapshot sourced directly from the raw APRS packet.
Enter your callsign, pick an SSID from 0–15, choose from 25 APRS symbols, and add a comment. The APRS-IS passcode is automatically calculated — no lookup tables or manual computation needed.
Set a timer or movement threshold and APRSBeacon handles the rest — even in the background. Ideal for SOTA activations, portable operations, and mobile tracking. Drops and reconnects automatically.
SwiftUI scales naturally across devices. The same codebase delivers a focused iPhone interface and a spacious iPad form — no compromises.
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A scrollable monospaced log captures every incoming and outgoing APRS packet in real time. Watch your beacons transmit and confirm server acknowledgement — all timestamped.