Quick Start
Goal: install, finish the seven-step wizard, get APRS-IS to “verified” and receive your first packet.
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Install#
- Grab the build for your platform from GitHub Releases: Android →
*.apk; Windows → installer. - Android builds have used the official release signature since v1.5.2, so install over the old one; coming from a much older build, uninstall first (mismatched signatures refuse to install).
- Before you tap anything: prepare your Passcode — without it you can connect, but you will receive no messages.
The desktop build is portable: find APRSlocus in the Start menu, or run aprslocus.exe from the unpacked folder.
First launch: seven steps#
Every step can be revisited, and the wizard can be re-run any time from Settings → Advanced without losing the current setup.
- Language — Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, English, Japanese, Indonesian, Spanish.
- Agreement — you must accept the Terms and GPL-3.0; APRS data is public: once sent it may be received and relayed worldwide.
- Welcome — live map, GPS reporting, APRS messaging, APRS-IS.
- Callsign & SSID — full callsign including the SSID (e.g.
BG7LZQ-3); it cannot be left empty. - Station symbol — states your station type and travels with every beacon.
- Receive area — tick the countries/regions you want; nothing ticked = receive everything.
- Server & Passcode — the server defaults to
rotate.aprs2.net; Passcode next.
Done when: after the last page the link status card at the top reads connected. A yellow “unverified” banner means the Passcode is still wrong — next section.
Passcode & background#
The Passcode is the APRS-IS login validator for your callsign.
Left empty or at the default -1 you can only connect — no messaging, no groups.
Generate one for your full callsign at the
APRS Passcode generator
and put it into Settings → Connection → Passcode. A wrong value shows the yellow
“unverified” banner on the home page.
- Save after editing: connection changes apply only with “Save & apply”.
- Keep beaconing: allow background running, disable battery optimisation and allow auto-start in your system settings; the notification offers a one-tap Exit.
Verify: first packet#
- The link status card at the top reads “connected” and the RX counter climbs.
- Open the Packets tab: raw packets appear within seconds (monospace, long-press to copy).
- Never seen one? Here is a real position frame taken from the project’s tests, taken apart:
BG7LZG-9>APALOC,TCPIP*:!3904.25N/11624.44E>123/045/A=000100 Bat:88% APRSlocus v1.6.67
| Part | Meaning |
|---|---|
BG7LZG-9 | sender callsign (with SSID) |
APALOC | destination / tocall — APRSlocus’s software ID |
TCPIP* | path: over the internet, asterisk = last retransmitter |
!3904.25N/11624.44E> | position: latitude / longitude / station symbol (car) |
123/045 | course 123°, speed 45 knots |
A=000100 | altitude 100 ft |
Bat:88% … | comment: battery and version (directly after the position, no space) |
Done when: the Packets tab shows frames and the counter grows. Still zero? Go to Troubleshooting.