What changed
APRS — edited Aug 31, 2026 by Unknown editor
This is the first recorded version, so every line is shown as added. Note: Imported from content/wiki
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The Automatic Packet Reporting System is a one-channel, unconnected packet network for short
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real-time data: where you are, weather from your station, a message to another call sign, or
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telemetry from a balloon.
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## How it works
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Stations beacon 1200 baud AX.25 packets on a shared frequency — **144.390 MHz** across North
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America, 144.800 MHz in most of Europe. Digipeaters repeat them, and internet gateways (igates)
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feed them to aprs.fi and similar sites, so a beacon from a car can appear on a public map seconds
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later.
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## What you need
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- **A radio with a built-in TNC** (many Kenwood and Yaesu mobiles) — simplest.
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- **A handheld plus a small TNC** such as a Mobilinkd or TinyTrak, driven by a phone app.
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- **A phone alone** — APRSdroid or similar over the internet, which is fine for messaging but is
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not radio.
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- A GPS source if you want to move; fixed stations beacon a set position.
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## Paths and courtesy
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The path setting decides how many digipeaters repeat you. `WIDE1-1,WIDE2-1` is the sensible default
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for a mobile; anything longer clogs the channel across several states. Fixed stations should use
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`WIDE1-1` or no path at all. Beacon every few minutes when moving, and much less often when parked
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— smart beaconing handles this automatically.
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## What people use it for
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- Tracking club events, parades and marathons in real time.
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- Sending short messages and SMS-style traffic where there is no cell coverage.
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- Weather stations reporting into the public network.
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- High-altitude balloon and rocket recovery.
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- Local bulletins and objects, such as marking a net or an emergency operations center.
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## Cautions
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APRS is public. Every beacon you send, with your call sign and coordinates, is on a permanent
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public map — think about beaconing from home, and consider a fixed position offset or no home
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beacon at all. It is also a single shared channel: it degrades quickly when everyone uses long
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paths and fast beacon rates.