HamAntCal vs PSKReporter Client
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
HamAntCal
This app helps amateur radio operators calculate the starting lengths for various antenna types. It supports both imperial and metric units and offers adjustable calculations for inverted vee antennas based on wire angle. Results require final trimming for precise tuning.
- Calculate antenna starting lengths
- Supports feet/inches and metric units
- Calculates for Dipoles, Inverted Vee, and Verticals
- Adjustable Inverted Vee angle calculation
- Frequency range 30 KHz to 500 MHz (Inverted Vee up to 60 MHz)
- Updated interface and settings
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HamAntCal Version 3.5 (Ham Antenna Calculator) will simply and intuitively calculate for you the starting length needed for constructing your antennas in feet/inches or in metric. It will calculate the starting length for "Dipole's", "Inverted Vee's", "Vertical's" and has a page for calculating 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, 5/8 and "Full Wave" length. In this update: ▪HamAntCal has been updated to 64 bit and iPhone X ▪New updated interface and settings menu ▪New in app purchase to update features ▪This update requires iOS 8.2 and above. --------------------------------------- ▪ HamAntCal works in feet/inches as well as metric. ▪ The easy to use and intuitive interface makes it easy to calculate starting lengths for building your antennas. It will calculate the starting length for "Dipoles", "Verticals" and "Inverted Vee" antennas. There is also a page for calculating 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, 5/8 and "Full Wave" length. ▪ I have come across a lot of different and conflicting information for calculating the length of an "Inverted Vee" antenna. Some say subtract 2 to 5 percent based on the angle of the wires. Others say to add a percentage based on the angle of the wires down from horizontal. I decided to test this before releasing this app. First I calculated for a "Dipole" using the "Dipole" calculator. Then I put together a "Dipole" with a support for the center insulator as well as the ends. I measured the resonant frequency with an antenna analyzer. Then I brought the ends down towards 45 degrees from horizontal. As the ends were lowered the resonant frequency increased. This means that the length of the "Inverted Vee" would need to be increased to stay resonant at the same frequency as the dipole. The "Inverted Vee" calculator has a slider that starts up with an angle of 45 degrees and can be adjusted down to 20 degrees continuously re-calculating as it is moved. This corresponds to about 4.5 to 2 percent added to the length of the "Inverted Vee". ▪ No antenna calculator can give exact results in every case. Much will depend on the wire used, the height above ground, the ground itself, nearby objects, etc…. It's always a good practice to add a little extra wire and then trim up to the desired frequency. ▪ This calculator will calculate from 30 Khz to 500Mhz for the "Dipole", "Vertical" and "Length" calculators. The maximum for the "Inverted Vee" calculator is 60MHz. ▪ This calculator does not give exact measurements and the results will need to be trimmed using an antenna analyzer or SWR meter to the exact frequency after installation. Leave some extra wire on each section for trimming and wrapping around the insulators. ▪ Keep in mind that there are a lot of factors that can affect the resonant frequency of an antenna. At VHF and above even a small change in the length or diameter of an element can make a large change in the resonant frequency of an antenna even more so than at lower frequencies. This calculator just provides the starting length for building an antenna and proper matching methods will need to be used. ▪ Please be safe while building your antennas. Always use the proper safety equipment. Never build your antenna where it can come in contact with power lines, this includes the supports as well as the antenna itself and feed lines. BE SAFE! ▪ Although I have had good results using this calculator the results are not guaranteed. Always add some extra length and trim the antenna to frequency (it's much easier to trim than it is to add wire to the antenna). Please feel free to contact me with suggestions, problems, compliments, ideas for improvements or additions to HamAntCal. Your ratings are appreciated.
PSKReporter Client
Visualize real-time digital radio reception reports on an interactive world map. Understand propagation patterns, band conditions, and compare your station's performance against others globally. Ideal for amateur radio enthusiasts seeking to optimize their setups and identify new contacts.
- Real-time reception reports on a world map
- Digital mode activity visualization
- Band condition indicators
- Greyline and twilight propagation analysis
- DXCC tracking
- Station performance benchmarking
- Grid-based exploration
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Explore FT8, FT4, and other digital mode reception reports on an interactive world map. Instantly see where your signals are being heard and which stations you are receiving using real, publicly available reception data. Watch digital activity unfold globally with intuitive visual feedback: • Real time reception reports plotted geographically • Switch between I Heard Rx, Heard Me Tx, and Grid based views • Visualize propagation paths, distance, and bearing • Density visualization reveals propagation hotspots and patterns Designed to make complex propagation behavior immediately understandable. Band Conditions at a Glance Understand band activity instantly: • Traffic light indicators showing band status Active, Moderate, Quiet • Detailed per band activity metrics • Live band condition list with spots, transmitters, and receivers • Band activity graphs showing propagation trends over time Pro A fast and practical way to decide which band to operate. Greyline and Propagation Intelligence Go beyond simple day and night propagation with advanced twilight analysis: • Identify contacts occurring in daylight, night, or twilight • Detect paths crossing the greyline • Compare SNR and distance performance between propagation modes • Greyline Gain Index to evaluate twilight performance versus full daylight • Per band greyline statistics Understand not only where contacts occur, but why they occur. DXCC Tracking Pro Import your ADIF log and automatically detect unworked DXCC entities appearing in your current view. Even when your station is off the air, monitor activity in your grid and see if nearby operators are hearing or working countries you do not yet have. Identify real propagation opportunities and react faster when new DXCC becomes active. Benchmark Your Station Performance Pro Measure how your station performs compared to others in your grid. The Benchmarking view analyzes recent activity and compares it with nearby active stations: • Compare unique stations, distance, and SNR • View percentile ranking versus local peers • Understand whether your reach is above or below average • Distribution charts and leaderboard views • Works in both I Heard Rx and Heard Me Tx modes • Band and time window aware analysis Ideal for testing antennas, optimizing setups, and evaluating real world performance. Grid Based Exploration Go beyond individual callsigns with geographic insights: • Search and explore activity using Maidenhead grid squares • Grid View map showing stations active within your grid • Grid based statistics and charts • Compare propagation behavior across regions Ideal for studying regional propagation patterns and band openings. Advanced Statistics and Analytics PSKReporter delivers deep, band aware insights: • Statistics adapt to Callsign, Heard, and Grid views • Per band graphs and distributions • Signal to noise ratio SNR analysis • Distance and activity distributions • Band specific trends and comparisons Turn raw reception data into actionable propagation intelligence. Signal Aware Visualization Reception reports are color coded by signal to noise ratio SNR, reflecting real world digital mode performance including weak signals that still decode successfully. Powerful Filtering • Filter by band, time window, and SNR • Reduce noise in busy conditions • Tailor the view to your operating style PSKReporter Pro - Real Time and Advanced Features Upgrade to PSKReporter Pro to unlock: • Real time MQTT streaming with no polling delay • Benchmarking and station performance ranking • Band activity graphs and advanced analytics • Grid search and advanced grid analysis • Enhanced greyline statistics and visualizations • DXCC tracking with ADIF import and live new entity detection. Note PSKReporter is an independent client that visualizes publicly available reception data and is not affiliated with or endorsed by PSKReporter.info.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: HamAntCal at 90% against PSKReporter Client's 0%. HamAntCal also leads on rating (4.6 vs 1.0) and ratings volume (57 vs 2). PSKReporter Client's advantage is price (Free vs $0.99) and update cadence (every 4 days vs every 31 months). On ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
PSKReporter Client is free to download; HamAntCal costs $0.99 up front. HamAntCal sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and PSKReporter Client sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
HamAntCal holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: HamAntCal has 57 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 90% of HamAntCal's written reviews are positive against 0% of PSKReporter Client's.
HamAntCal ships an update every 31 months, PSKReporter Client every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | HamAntCal | PSKReporter Client |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.6 (57 ratings) — better | 1.0 (2 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 90.0% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 57 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 31 months | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 26.2 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 5 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | State Road 41 Apps LLC | Vasco Barreiros |
Customer experience
HamAntCal
PSKReporter Client
Bugs and requests
HamAntCal
Reported bugs
4 issues- No longer works with IOS 11 (historical)
- App is wrong on inverted V
- Inverted V issue: leg length calculation seems incorrect
- Calculation for inverted V seems incorrect
Requested features
10 requests- Add support for UHF frequencies and higher
- Add velocity factor and radiating element size as variables
- Add suggestion: input target and measured frequency to show trim/add amount
- Add Inverted Vee mode to calculate height to top and end-to-end distance
- Add trap calculations for common bands
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- Add full wave loop calculation
- Improve UI: one page for frequency entry, browse antenna options with more room for info
- Add 5/8 wave vertical calculation
- Show how to build a yagi antenna
- Add metric units
PSKReporter Client
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
HamAntCal
- Features upgrade$0.99
PSKReporter Client
- PSK Reporter Pro$4.99









