[VHFcontesting] Maidenhead grid locating for Rovers

[Pete K0BAK]

I use two apps on iPhone from the same developer "KramStuff": "Ham Square" I think was free, displays 6-digit maidenhead and lat/long with 6 digits after the decimal point, updates rapidly while driving. "Ham Tracker" was inexpensive, displays current location but also optionally sends APRS packets over the Internet with your location, callsign, and text (like "contest rover"); so you can be displayed on a map in a contest for instance. The APRS feature requires your APRS passcode of course.
As K1DS mentioned, it's not clear that these two are still being updated since iOS complains about them. At minimum, it appears the apps do not account for running in the background so you can only give permission to access your phone location "Never" or "Always"; there should be a "while using" option. Nonetheless, they still seem to work OK.
-- Pete K0BAK


      From: Mark Spencer <mark at alignedsolutions.com>
 To: vhf contesting <vhfcontesting at contesting.com> 
 Sent: Friday, May 12, 2017 9:53 AM
 Subject: [VHFcontesting] Maidenhead grid locating for Rovers
   
Hi.  I'm just curious how other rovers are determining their Maidenhead grid locations while roving.  

I'm delivering a presentation on VHF contesting and would like to be able to make some recommendations on simple ways rovers can easily determine their Maidenhead grid locations.  Another local ham also asked me about this during the microwave sprint which requires the use of six character grids.  

I'm fortunate that I own a hand held GPS that has the ability to display Maidenhead grids (I'm told this is a fairly rare feature) and I also previously down loaded a program for my IPhone called "hamLocator" which works very well for me but appears to be no longer available (at least in Canada.)  As a result I believe neither of the options I use are really viable for many hams.  I recall looking at other iPhone apps in the past that didn't seem to work as well for me as hamLocator did.

Thanks in advance for any comments.

Mark S
VE7AFZ

mark at alignedsolutions.com
604 762 4099
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