APRS Knowledge and Resources

APRS is much more than dots moving on a map.

It is a radio-based information network that allows amateur radio operators to see where other stations are, exchange short messages, transmit telemetry, weather data, objects and local information.

APRS communication between a hiker, a city, vehicles, an aircraft and a satellite.

APRS in practice

In real use, APRS can be extremely useful.

You can see that another amateur radio operator is only a few kilometres away and immediately find out which frequency to call them on. You can follow friends during a trip, a mountain activity or an outing on the water. You can receive local information, observe radio traffic in your area, or build your own iGate, digipeater or weather station.

Most importantly, much of this can work directly over radio, without a mobile network and without a central server between users.

APRS combines position, radio and information into one system.

If you think APRS is only about position tracking, you have probably seen only a small part of what it can do.

What will you find here?

This site was created to show both what APRS can be used for and how it works technically.

You will find, among other things:

practical APRS use cases,
protocol and packet format descriptions,
configuration of home, mobile and handheld stations,
information about iGates and digipeaters,
APRS software,
hardware and devices,
good operating practices.

If you are just getting started, the best place to begin is the Applications section.

If you already use APRS and are looking for technical details, continue with the protocol, software and hardware sections.