Complete Feature Guide

Introduction

APRS Vector is a high-performance APRS client designed for serious radio operators. It combines the power of modern vector mapping with robust TNC protocols to provide real-time situational awareness on the go. This guide walks through every feature in the app — what it does and exactly how to turn it on and configure it.

Connection Modes

APRS Vector talks to the APRS network over any of four connection types, all managed from Settings > Connection Type.

1. APRS-IS (Internet)

Direct connection to global APRS servers via mobile data or Wi-Fi. This is the easiest mode to set up and does not require external hardware.

• Enter your callsign and SSID (e.g., SP3LSN-9) and your APRS-IS passcode in Settings.
• Set your query radius — how far around your position the server sends station traffic.
• Highly efficient for tracking when within cellular coverage.

2. Bluetooth TNC (KISS)

Connect your phone via Bluetooth to a dedicated TNC (Terminal Node Controller) like a Mobilinkd TNC3/TNC4, or over network KISS / USB-serial to a Dire Wolf-style modem.

• Enable Bluetooth on your device and pair with the TNC in system settings.
• In Settings, set Connection Type to Bluetooth, network KISS, or USB-serial as appropriate, then pick the paired device from the TNC Bluetooth Device dropdown.
• Allows for RF-only operations where internet is unavailable.

3. AFSK Modem (Soundcard)

Uses your phone's processor to decode and encode 1200-baud packet radio signals directly through the microphone and speaker — no TNC hardware required.

• Place your phone's microphone near the radio's speaker (and speaker near the radio's mic for transmit).
• Set your radio to 144.390 MHz (USA) or 144.800 MHz (Europe).
• Ensure the volume is sufficient for decoding (indicated by the signal bar in-app); 75–80% radio volume is usually optimal to avoid over-modulating.

Automatic Reconnect

APRS-IS, Bluetooth Classic, BLE, and KISS-over-TCP connections all watch for a dropped link and reconnect on their own, with an increasing back-off between attempts.

• Always on — there's nothing to configure.
• No more manually toggling the connection back on after your phone loses Bluetooth in a pocket or a car.

Connection Profiles

Save a full connection setup (type, device, credentials) under a name and switch between them instantly — e.g. "Car KISS TNC" vs. "Handheld Bluetooth".

• Configure a connection the way you want it, then tap Save Connection Profile in Settings and give it a name.
• Tap a saved profile's chip to switch to it immediately; use its pencil icon to rename it, or the X to delete it.
• A snackbar confirms each save, switch, or rename.

Map Operations

The map is the heart of APRS Vector. It uses MapLibre vector tiles for smooth interaction, rotation, and station tracks.

• Station Selection: Tap any station icon, then "More Info", to view telemetry, frequency, and last beacon time.
• Tracking: Tapping the "Trace" button on a station card will draw their historical movement on the map.
• Dead-Reckoning: A faded, color-coded line projects where a moving station likely is between beacons, based on its last known speed and heading. This is automatic and needs no setup.
• Compass Calibration: If the compass indicator is red, use the calibration tool in the main menu. Move the device in a figure-eight motion.

Map Marker Size

Resize every station icon on the map to taste, independent of the automatic zoom-based scaling.

• Open Settings and drag the Map Marker Size slider between 0.5x and 2.0x; the readout chip and preview icon update live.
• Tap the symbol preview thumbnail next to it to open the graphical symbol picker for your own station icon.

PHG Range Circles

Draw a station's advertised power-height-gain radio range as a circle on the map — useful when planning digipeater or iGate coverage.

• Enable Show PHG range circles in Settings. Circles then appear automatically for any station beaconing PHG data.

GPX Route Import

Load a planned route or track as a purple overlay on the map before setting out.

• From the map's menu, choose Import Route (GPX) and pick a .gpx file.

Track Export (GPX/CSV)

Export this run's recorded GPS positions for after-the-fact analysis in another tool.

• From the map's menu, choose Export Track, then pick GPX or CSV in the dialog.
• Positions are recorded in memory for the current app run only, not persisted across restarts.

Duplicate Packet Detection

Copies of the same packet arriving via multiple digipeater paths are recognized and visually collapsed instead of listed as separate entries.

• Fully automatic — nothing to configure. Look for a "(×N)" badge in the raw packet log where duplicates were merged.

Automatic APRS-IS Filter Management

The connect-time server-side filter that limits which stations you receive is kept in sync with your position and preferences as you go.

• Set your query radius in Settings once; the filter re-sends automatically whenever you move past the update-distance threshold, the radius changes, or your favorites list changes. There's no separate "filter" toggle to manage.

Pinned-Station Quick View

Keep a single station's position, course/speed, and last-heard age reachable at a glance without leaving the map.

• Tap a station, then choose Pin to quick view from its menu.
• The pinned card stays on screen; open the same menu and choose Unpin from quick view to remove it.

Messaging

Exchange text messages with any APRS station world-wide.

• APRS Vector uses the standard APRS messaging protocol.
• Messages are threaded by callsign for easy conversation tracking.
• Acknowledgements (ACKs) are automatically sent/received to ensure message delivery, with automatic retry.

Objects & Object Manager

Beacon a trailhead, rally point, hazard, or any other point of interest as a real APRS object — and keep it running for as long as it's useful.

• Create: Long-press anywhere on the map, or tap the pin button, to drop an object at that point or at your current position. Give it a name, symbol, and comment.
• Manage: Open "Manage Objects" from the menu to see every object you've created — edit, enable/disable, or delete any of them at any time.
• Session-only or persistent: Choose whether an object survives an app restart, or is forgotten once your session ends.
• Resend schedule: Have an object start beaconing automatically every time you connect, or start it by hand — either way, it keeps re-sending on the interval you set so it doesn't expire on other stations' maps.
• Deleting: Removing an object you've already beaconed sends a kill packet first, so other stations know it's gone.

Proximity Alerts

Get a push notification the moment a favorite station enters a radius you set — useful for keeping track of a group while hiking, or knowing when a mobile station gets close.

• Enable proximity alerts and set your radius in Settings.
• Alerts fire only for stations you've marked as favorites.

Voice Alerts

Have incoming messages and proximity alerts read aloud via text-to-speech — hands-free, and a natural fit alongside the Android Auto integration.

• Enable "Voice alerts" in Settings, under Notifications.
• Speaks each incoming directed message and every proximity alert as it fires; proximity alerts still require proximity alerts to be enabled and a radius set.
• Phone-app only for now: it doesn't route through the car dashboard audio path, so it won't duck or conflict with nav or media audio there.

Auto-Reply

Automatically respond to incoming directed messages when you can't answer by hand — while driving, climbing, or otherwise occupied.

• Enable auto-reply and set your message in Settings (truncated to 67 characters when sent).
• Replies to the same station are throttled to a minimum interval you choose, so you don't flood the channel.

Bulletins & Announcements

Compose a bulletin or announcement directly from the new-message dialog — no need to type a BLN*/ANN* recipient by hand.

• Start a new message and choose "Bulletin" or "Announcement" instead of a direct recipient.
• Pick a bulletin group (BLN0–BLN9) if you're posting a bulletin.

Severe Weather Alerts

Get an in-app notification the moment the National Weather Service issues an alert for your current location.

• Enable severe weather alerts in Settings.
• Each alert is shown once and won't repeat once you've seen it.

Telemetry Graphing

Telemetry packets get a real decode instead of just storing the raw payload: analog channels are parsed and scaled through a station's metadata (channel names, units, linear equations), then charted as a time series — battery voltage, GPS satellite count, custom sensor values, whatever the station reports.

• Tap a station, then "More Info", to open its Station Detail screen.
• Scroll to find charts for Speed, Altitude, and, where the station reports them, weather fields (Temperature, Humidity, Barometer, Wind Speed/Gust, Rain) and any numbered telemetry channels.
• Nothing to configure — charts appear automatically once enough data points are received.

Imperial Units

Switch every distance, speed, altitude, temperature, and rain reading in the app from metric to imperial — feet/miles, mph, °F, and inches — for operators who think in those units.

• Enable Imperial Units in General Settings, next to Dark Mode.
• Applies everywhere a measurement is shown: station distance/direction, the Station Detail header and its Speed/Altitude/Wind/Rain charts, weather chips, SOTA spot altitudes, the satellite tracker's range and altitude, the line-of-sight profile chart, and the proximity alert radius.
• Takes effect immediately — no need to restart or reconnect.

Android Auto

APRS Vector includes a native Android Auto interface for safe driving.

• Connect your phone to your car's head unit.
• Open the APRS Vector app from the launcher.
• View the station list on your dashboard map.
• Note: For security reasons, the list is limited and uses pagination to avoid driver distraction.

RF-to-Internet iGate

Turn your phone into a gateway: forward packets heard on RF to APRS-IS, and gate messages from APRS-IS back to RF for stations you've heard locally within the last 30 minutes.

• Enable the iGate toggle in General Settings.
• Requires an active RF connection (Bluetooth/KISS/AFSK) alongside your APRS-IS connection — the phone bridges the two.
• Outgoing RF-heard packets are tagged with your callsign and the qAR q-construct, the standard igate messaging-gate convention.

DX Cluster, POTA & SOTA Spotting

See live DX cluster, POTA, and SOTA activation spots alongside your own station traffic on the map.

• Open the DX Cluster, POTA, or SOTA screen from the main menu.
• Each list has Band and Mode filter dropdowns at the top; POTA and SOTA also add a Country filter.
• Spots refresh automatically while the screen is open.

Digital Logbook

Keep a station log as you operate, with ADIF import and export for your existing records.

• Open Logbook from the main menu to view and add entries as you work stations.
• Use the toolbar's Import ADIF button to bring in an existing .adi log.
• Use Export ADIF to save your logbook out for use in other software.

Satellite Tracking

Real-time AOS/LOS pass tracking for the ISS and other amateur satellites, plus a multi-pass forecast to plan around an upcoming pass.

• Open the AMSAT Tracker from the main menu to see the current or next pass live.
• Tap the Upcoming passes button in the app bar to open the forecast sheet, which lists each above-horizon pass with predicted AOS/LOS time, peak elevation, and AOS/LOS azimuth.

CW Trainer

Learn Morse code with a Koch-method trainer, including USB HID keyer output for external gear.

• Open CW Trainer from the main menu. The Practice tab has a "Practice Target" dropdown to pick a lesson, plus mode chips for Koch, Q Codes, Callsigns, or Free copy.
• The Statistics tab tracks your accuracy and progress over time.
• To key an external radio or oscillator, go to the Settings tab, choose the serial port under CWhid USB Device, tap Detect Device, then Read WPM / Save WPM to sync speed.

Handheld Radio Control

Direct VFO and frequency control for supported Benshi handhelds, right from your station view.

• In Settings, set Connection Type to "Benshi BLE (Radio Control)" or "Benshi Bluetooth (Radio Control)".
• Pick your paired radio from the TNC Bluetooth Device dropdown.
• Open the radio control panel from the map screen to change frequency and VFO settings live.

Frequently Asked Questions

My beacons aren't being tracked?

Ensure you have correctly set your SSID and that your path is set to WIDE1-1,WIDE2-1. If using APRS-IS, verify your internet connection. If using RF, check that your radio's squelch is open enough to hear incoming packets but closed enough to not trigger the PTT continuously.

Is my radio damaged if I use AFSK?

No, the soundcard output from your phone is within standard audio levels. However, do not leave your phone at maximum volume to avoid over-modulating the transmitter. 75-80% volume is usually optimal.

How do I improve GPS accuracy?

Keep your phone near a window or with a clear sky view. Deep indoor operations may result in "stale" location reports which will be ignored by APRS Vector to prevent clutter.

Can I download map tiles for offline use?

Not yet — pre-fetching a region's map tiles for offline use is planned but not available in the current release. Today the map only shows what's already cached from prior viewing.