APRSgo is a simple mobile application from Greek radio amateur George, SV2AGW, who has been developing software for radio amateurs since 1987. The application is intended exclusively for licensed radio amateurs and its sole purpose is to automatically broadcast your position to the APRS-IS network while on the move.
You will read in the article
What does APRSgo do?
APRSgo beacons (broadcasts) your location to APRS servers (APRS-IS) in the background, while you're moving, even when your phone screen is off or you're working in another app. Unlike more complex APRS clients, APRSgo is intentionally designed as a lightweight and simple application that only displays GPS coordinates and the time of the last broadcast beacon. The application does not include a map display - if you need a more sophisticated tool with full map functionality, the author recommends his other product AGWTracker.
The location broadcast interval can be set in two ways. Fixed Timing sends positional beacons at regular, fixed intervals. Smart Beaconing, on the other hand, adjusts the transmission interval according to the current speed of movement – at a higher speed, the application transmits more often, which is a standard approach known from other APRS clients, which ensures more accurate tracking of the route when moving quickly without unnecessary load on the network when standing still.
Application configuration includes several basic fields. MyCall represents your call sign in the CALL-SSID format, where the SSID is a number from 1 to 12. Password is the password required by the APRS servers to verify your identity - it can be obtained from the local APRS coordinator, or directly from the author via the contact form on the sv2agw.com page. If you do not have a password, the value -1 can be used, which will show your location to all users connected to that particular server, but not to the entire APRS-IS network. Next, you need to choose the APRS Server according to the continent (Asia, Europe, North America, etc.) and the icon according to the type of your activity (car, running, horse, etc.).
If you use other programs connecting to APRS servers concurrently with APRSgo, conflicts may occur. To minimize this risk, the author recommends choosing an APRS server located on another continent - for example, if you are located in the USA, choose a server in Asia (asia.aprs2.net).
To connect to APRS servers that require a verification password, it is necessary to request it directly through the form on the author's website, while it is necessary to attach a copy of the amateur radio license to verify that the applicant is a truly licensed operator. APRSgo is available for both Android and iOS, with an installation package size of approximately 11.19 MB on Google Play. The application does not store or collect personal data - all it transmits is your location and/or status to the APRS-IS network.
Overview of SV2AGW programs and applications
George, SV2AGW, is behind a wide portfolio of software for Packet radio and APRS operation, developed continuously since 1995. The flagship of his portfolio is Packet Engine Pro - a universal tool for packet radio operation that works with any TNC and sound card and has long been considered the standard in this field.
AGWTracker is an advanced APRS client with support for a wide range of map sources - from static bitmap maps to topographic TIFF files to a format compatible with Garmin devices, as well as online maps from Google, Microsoft, OpenStreetMap or OVI. The program offers alarms with notifications and saving each received packet in a real database. A web version of AGWTracker OnLine is also available, which offers almost the same functionality as the desktop version directly in the browser, especially suitable for mobile use.
Another product is AGWUIDigi - a program designed to set up your own station as an APRS digipeater, which can also function as a cross-port APRS digi, if you have more radio ports available, or as an Internet gateway (Gateway) for two-way data transmission between the radio network and the Internet.
Mimo oblasti packet rádia a APRS ponúka SV2AGW aj DxDozer, rozsiahly denník (logbook) s integráciou LoTW, špeciálnymi pohľadmi pre nadšencov módu FT8 a tlačou QSL lístkov. DxCluster Online zobrazuje DX spoty na mape aj v zozname s možnosťou filtrovania podľa pásma alebo digitálnych módov. DxCalendar onLine poskytuje prehľad prebiehajúcich a plánovaných DXpedícií. Portfólio dopĺňa aj iRepeaters.com – interaktívna mapa prevádzačov (repeaterov) s informáciami o prístupe, pokrytí a prípadných linkoch medzi prevádzačmi, a stránka ft8.gr s praktickými radami pre nastavenie príjmu a vysielania v móde FT8.
Summary
APRSgo is a simple and undemanding tool for radio amateurs who need to reliably broadcast their position to the APRS-IS network without unnecessary burden on the phone's battery and without a complex interface with maps. With a choice between fixed interval and Smart Beaconing, it can be adapted to different types of movement, from walking to driving. If you need a full-fledged APRS client with map functions, SV2AGW also offers a more extensive AGWTracker solution, or its web version.
You can download the APRSgo application directly from Google Play or the App Store, or download the APK file directly from the site sv2agw.com/aprsgo. You can get the password to connect to APRS servers requiring verification through the contact form on the same page, along with a copy of your amateur radio license.