APRSOn the Air.
On the Map.
APRS OTA combines the vibe of a POTA activation with a native APRS messaging bot and a website to show what’s happening. Find an operator on the air, send one message and a position report to work them, and your contact is logged, mapped, and scored here as it happens.
IO92oiHow it works
APRS OTA is an activity and an APRS messaging bot. One operator goes on the air from wherever they are by hosting an operation, which we call an op because it's shorter and easier to say. Other operators call in to work them, and the OTA bot relays the message exchange and logs every contact as it happens. There is nothing to install and no account to create. When you send APRS messages to the OTA bot, you're in.
Host
Runs an op. Goes on the air over RF from anywhere, and works chasers as they call in.
Bot
Sits in the middle. Relays messages between hosts and chasers and logs every QSO as it happens.
Chaser
Joins an op. Contacts the host through the bot to complete a QSO. RF optional.
Check your setup
You need to be able to send and receive APRS messages and send APRS position reports (sometimes called beacons). You can use a radio, or you can use a mobile app like APRSdroid or aprs.fi. The handbook has more details on various equipment setups.
Send an APRS message to OTA containing the word PING
optionally followed by any message you'd like. The OTA bot will send you a
PONG response.
W1XYZ-5 checks their APRS setup.
W1XYZ transmitted their message via RF, and roundtrip messaging is confirmed.
You now have your own page on this site at aprsota.org/YOURCALL where
all your future contacts and ops will be displayed.
Chase an op
When you chase an op you initiate contact with the person hosting the op. The completed contact is often called a QSO.
W1XYZ-5 finds an op and chases it by initiating a QSO.
Standard APRS position report, also known as a beacon
The OTA bot will notify the host of the op that you are chasing. When they
respond with a QSL, it will be relayed to you.
The bot relays the QSL from the host back to W1XYZ-5.
QSO complete.
Or run your own op
Hosting means going on the air yourself and working the chasers who call
in. Send HOST to OTA
with a short description of where you are, then beacon your position
within 5 minutes. You are on the
air for 60 minutes and every QSO
adds time. The one hard rule: a host transmits and receives over RF.
What you get
Every op on a map
The host's pin, every chaser who called in, and the host's trail if they move. Click a pin to jump straight to that contact in the log.
A live page for every op
The moment an op goes on the air it gets a permalink: a running timeline, the logbook of every chase, and a link the host can share from the field.
Your own operator page
Your callsign gets a dashboard: your callsign total, ops hosted, ops chased, every contact you have made, and the grid squares you have worked.
A QSL card for every contact
Each contact mints a digital QSL card at its own permanent URL, and it unfurls as an image when you post the link. No paper, no postage, no waiting.
Points for every QSO
Every QSO scores at least one point, with additional points given when both of you are on RF, if you are in different countries, or if either of you are on the water. The points for the op are the sum of the points on its QSOs. The points on each QSO also accumulate for both the host and the chaser.
Coming next
- Stamps for parks and summits
- Achievements
- Leaderboards
- A map of every contact you have worked
Latest radiogram
WB2EHG on Discovering APRS OTA
Eric WB2EHG interviewed me and wrote up how he has been using APRS OTA, including reaching the bot over DMR through BrandMeister.
Join the community online
Bug reports, questions, ideas, and stories from the field are all welcome.