PulseModem A vs Linesider

PulseModem A is the APRS client for licensed Amateur Radio operators on iPhone and iPad. Connect to the global APRS-IS network and watch nearby stations appear on a live map in real time — each one drawn with its authentic APRS symbol icon and a country flag derived from its callsign prefix. LIVE APRS-IS FEED - Connects to rotate.aprs.net with a geographic filter centred on your GPS location - Displays raw packets as they arrive, colour-coded by type - Auto-connect on launch — PulseModem A is ready before you finish your coffee - Decodes uncompressed, Base91 compressed, and Mic-E packets (common in Kenwood and Yaesu radios) INTERACTIVE MAP - Every station plotted with its real APRS symbol PNG — car, hiker, weather station, digipeater, and hundreds more - Tap any pin to see a callout; tap the callout to open the full station detail - Centres on your location at city level the moment a GPS fix is available - Your own beacon appears on the map immediately after sending STATION LIST - Full searchable list of received stations - Country flag next to every callsign, resolved from the standard cty.dat prefix database - iPad split-view: select a station on the left, see full details on the right - One tap to look up any callsign on QRZ.com — right inside the app, no browser switch GPS BEACONING - Send your position to the APRS network with a single tap - Choose your station symbol from a searchable visual grid of all APRS symbols - Add an optional comment to your beacon packet - Encoded in Base91 compressed format for maximum compatibility SETTINGS & COMPATIBILITY - Callsign and passcode stored securely in the Keychain - Upgrading from an earlier version? Your callsign, passcode, and preferences carry over automatically - Adjustable filter radius, fallback coordinates for GPS-denied environments - Supports receive-only mode (passcode -1) — no transmit license required to monitor REQUIREMENTS A valid amateur radio license is required to transmit on APRS. Anyone may receive and monitor. RF Receive and RF Transmit (direct audio-port TNC operation) are under re-development and will return in an upcoming update. APRS is a registered trademark of Bob Bruninga.

Linesider is the modern companion for transport spotting. Photograph a bus, train, tram, aircraft or ship and Linesider identifies it — cross-checking what it reads against live vehicle movements and your own catalogue before it fills in the details. What used to be a notebook and a lot of guesswork is a tap. See what's around you, live Open Around Me and Linesider shows the vehicles near you right now, with real fleet numbers, across a growing set of regions — today the UK, the Netherlands, Germany and the San Francisco Bay Area. Tap one and the spot is already half-written. Identify from a photo One photo is enough. Linesider reads the vehicle, matches it against the catalogue, and hands you a filled-in form to check rather than a blank one. Identification only ever runs when you ask it to. Whole-train spotting Spot one unit and, where formation data is available, Linesider knows the whole train — carriage numbers and consists land on the record automatically, locomotives and coaching stock included. Fleet lists with a memory Operators, classes and individual vehicles live in one catalogue. Every spot ticks off progress against the rosters you care about, and an importer builds a fleet list in minutes instead of an evening. Journeys and achievements Rode it rather than just saw it? Log the trip with its route and stops. Badges arrive as your collection grows. A shared catalogue, kept clean Publish operator fleets and lists for other spotters, or keep yours private. Shared sets are reviewed before they land, and rosters kept current from official sources are badged as such — so you know whose list you're ticking before you trust it. Your log is yours Your spots, photos and journeys are private unless you choose to share them. Location on a spot is optional. You can delete your account, and everything in it, from inside the app. Linesider covers buses, trains, trams, aircraft and ships. The bus and rail catalogues run deepest, refreshed from official sources; aircraft and ship fleets are lighter for now, and yours to build as you spot them.