APRS: Position, Status and Short Messages
APRS sends small packets of data, like where you are, the weather at your station or a short text, so other operators can see them without a voice call.
What APRS is
APRS stands for Automatic Packet Reporting System. Instead of voice, your radio sends short data bursts: your position, a status line, a weather report or a brief message. Other stations and digital repeaters (digipeaters) pass those packets along, and Internet gateways called iGates feed them to the worldwide APRS network, where anyone can see them on a map.
In North America almost all APRS traffic is on one shared frequency, 144.390 MHz. Because everyone is on the same channel, packets are kept short and spaced out.
The local iGate: VE6YQL
VE6YQL is the APRS iGate here in Lethbridge, running since 2021. It listens to 144.390 MHz and passes every packet it hears up to the APRS Internet system. If you beacon from around town, VE6YQL is likely what puts you on the map. Gary (VE6CV) runs it alongside the VE6DOK repeater.
What people use it for
- Tracking on the road: family or club members can see where your truck or RV is on a map, handy on long trips and in areas with no cell service.
- Events and emergencies: net control can see where field teams are without asking everyone for their location over the air.
- Weather stations: home weather stations can report temperature, wind and rain over APRS.
- Short messages: send a quick text to another APRS station, and some gateways can pass short messages to email.
- Seeing who’s around: a quick look at the map shows which stations are active near you.
What you need
- An APRS-capable radio: many current mobiles and handhelds from Yaesu, Kenwood and others have APRS and GPS built in.
- Or a radio plus software: any 2 m radio with a sound card interface or a small TNC, and software such as Direwolf on a computer or Raspberry Pi, or an app on your phone.
- Your callsign and an SSID: the number after the dash says what kind of station it is. Common choices are -9 for a mobile, -7 for a handheld and no SSID for a home station.
Setting it up sensibly
- Path: use WIDE1-1,WIDE2-1 for mobiles in most areas. Longer paths just add load to the shared channel.
- Beacon rate: use smart beaconing if your radio has it. It sends more often while you’re moving and turning, and rarely when parked. A fixed station rarely needs to beacon more than every 30 minutes.
- Symbol and comment: pick the right symbol (car, RV, house) and keep the comment short.
- Remember it’s public: every position you send is shown on open websites. Don’t beacon your home position if you’d rather not share it, and turn the beacon off when you don’t need it.
Seeing it on the map
Websites like aprs.fi show APRS stations in real time. Search for a callsign, or zoom in on southern Alberta to see what VE6YQL and nearby stations are hearing.
Where to go next
Last updated October 2026.