Comparison

Ham Satting vs HamRadar

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Ham Satting

Track amateur radio satellites in real-time, predict passes, and log QSOs. Features include live APRS mapping, AR tracking, and multi-satellite comparison. Offers a unique music broadcast service and SSTV decoding.

Highlights
  • Real-time satellite tracking
  • Pass predictions with quality indicators
  • Interactive footprint mapping
  • AR Tracking with device sensors
  • Multi-satellite tracking
  • SSTV Decoder
  • APRS Live Map Layer
Read full description

Track amateur radio satellites in real time, predict passes, log QSOs, hunt grid squares — with a live APRS map layer and the new Music Broadcast service. Built by a fellow ham (A41UX) — free of analytics, ads, and tracking. CORE FEATURES • Real-time tracking for FM/SSB linear birds (e.g. ISS, SO-50, etc.), digipeaters (e.g. GRBBeta, Foresail-1p, etc), SSTV + SSDV image birds (e.g. Lobachevsky, GEOSCAN 1-6 , etc.), Weather LRPT (Meteor-M N2-3 / N2-4), and Music Broadcast (e.g. BALKAN-1, Flamingo-1, etc) • Pass predictions with quality indicators (Excellent, Good, Fair, Poor), AOS / LOS, max elevation, duration, azimuth • Interactive footprint mapping with live position + great-circle bearing lines • Compass dialog with theme-aware export image and watermark • AR Tracking (iPhone / iPad) using device compass + accelerometer • Multi-satellite tracking and side-by-side pass comparison • Five-mode AR audio recording (iPhone / iPad): SSTV, SSDV, Digital, Weather, Music — Doppler-corrected RX labelling; consistent WAV naming NEW IN APRIL 2026 • Music Broadcast: 4 satellites transmit short music tones as an RF identifier instead of CW Morse — T.MicroSat-1 plays Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" on 401.025 MHz; BALKAN-1, Flamingo-1, OTP-2 use classical / video-game themes. RX-only on UHF 400-402 MHz; brown toggle on AR page records the pass. • Scheduled Service Events: register a temporary frequency override for SSTV, SSDV, Digital, or Weather (Meteor-M rotation, ARISS channel shifts, etc.) • APRS digipeater added on SONATE-2 (DP0SNX) and NO-44 (PCSAT, W3ADO-1) on 145.825 MHz simplex • IO-86 SSDV downlink added on 145.880 MHz • AMSAT Live Activity Indicator: every prediction card carries a 24-hour activity dot in AMSAT cell colors, sourced from the AMSAT Live OSCAR Satellite Status page. Tap for a 48-hour popup with individual reports per cell (callsign + grid + UTC slot), attribution, and a compact share-image. • 10 new satellites with permanent NORADs: TO-108, GRBBeta, Foresail-1p, Horizon, 239Alferov, Luca, BALKAN-1, Flamingo-1, OTP-2, T.MicroSat-1 • APRS Live Map Layer: read-only APRS-IS feed, age-fading trails, 40+ symbol mappings, SSID filters, heard-by via aprs.fi • SSTV Decoder: multi-mode (Robot 36, PD 120 / 180, Martin, Scottie, Wraase, AVT, etc.) • Q1 2026 batch: 8 new satellites added (HADES-SA, PARUS-T3, HYPERVIEW-1G, MAGNARO-II Piscis, ARICA-2, FSI-SAT2, ZERO-II, OrigamiSat-2) • UI: long sat names auto-fit at any Font Scale; filter pills always one row; (i) info icons; 125 in-app tips LOGGING + AWARDS + EXPORT • Full QSO logbook: callsign, grid, mode, freq (TX / RX), satellite, RST, distance, bearing • Grid Hunters VUCC tracking with worked-grids map + great-circle paths from QTH • Per-QSO QSL card export — themed PNG ready to share or print • Export to ADIF (LoTW / TQSL), JSON, or CSV • Maidenhead 4 / 6 / 8-character grids • DXCC + VUCC dashboards, distance + bearing stats, worked-by-band charts • Calendar integration; smart pass notifications with min-elevation filter TECHNICAL • Available on iPhone, iPad, and Mac (Apple Silicon + Intel). AR Tracking and live audio recording are iPhone / iPad features; pass prediction, logging, exports, mapping, and the AMSAT indicator run on every Apple device. • N2YO API for orbital data (free key required for non-ISS satellites) • Cached satellite catalogue works offline • Privacy-first: data stays on device, no analytics SDKs, no advertising IDs, no tracking. APRS-IS, N2YO, AMSAT Live OSCAR Status, and the optional aprs.fi REST are the only network calls PERFECT FOR • Amateur radio operators pursuing satellite communications • AMSAT members and CubeSat / PocketQube enthusiasts • Contest participants and award hunters (DXCC, VUCC, satellite awards) • SDR listeners curious about Music Broadcast on 400-402 MHz 73 — A41UX (Unixeer, Oman)

About

HamRadar

Instantly find and connect to amateur radio repeaters with a comprehensive database and an aircraft-style radar interface. View detailed information for over 62,000 active repeaters across all U.S. states, with offline access and Apple Watch complications.

Highlights
  • Offline repeater database
  • Aircraft-style radar sweep
  • Integrated compass
  • Configurable scan range
  • List view sorted by distance
  • Apple Watch complications
Features
Read full description

HamRadar makes finding and connecting to amateur radio repeaters a breeze. Instantly see nearby repeaters at a glance—online or offline. The app includes a database of over 62,000 active repeaters across all 50 U.S. states. Every listing provides: Callsign Frequency CTCSS/PL tone Distance & direction from your location HamRadar features an aircraft-style radar sweep animation with integrated compass bezel, configurable scan range up to 25 miles, list view sorted by distance, and Apple Watch complications showing nearby repeater count, frequency, tone, direction, and distance. Perfect for mobile operators, hikers, travelers, and anyone needing fast situational awareness of local repeater activity. Subscription & Free Trial Information HamRadar offers an optional HamRadar Annual Subscription, which unlocks full access after the trial period. Title: HamRadar Annual Subscription Length: 1 year (auto-renewing) Price: $9.99 per year Free Trial: Try all features at no cost during the trial period. After the trial ends, your subscription will automatically begin unless canceled at least 24 hours before the trial expires. Payment will be charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase (or after the trial ends if applicable). Subscription automatically renews unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel your subscription anytime in your App Store account settings. Privacy & Terms By using HamRadar, you agree to our policies: Privacy Policy: https://www.gridbase.net/pages/privacy-policy Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Ham Satting4 screens
HamRadar4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: HamRadar at 67% against Ham Satting's 0%. HamRadar also leads on update cadence (daily vs weekly) and rating (4.0 vs 3.7). Ham Satting's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On price, ratings volume, ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. HamRadar sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $9.99 per year. Ham Satting asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

HamRadar holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 5 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of Ham Satting's written reviews are positive against 67% of HamRadar's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Ham Satting ships an update weekly, HamRadar daily. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Ham Satting versus HamRadar: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHam SattingHamRadar
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.7 (3 ratings)4.0 (5 ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews66.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings35 — better
Update frequencyWeeklyDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS15.6 — better16.2
Further details — not scored
Size30 MB16 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperYousif AL BalushiJacob Knight

Customer experience

Ham Satting

All ratings3 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

HamRadar

All ratings5 ratings
Positive60.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative20.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral33.3%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Ham Satting

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

HamRadar

Subscriptions1
  • United States$9.991 Year

Questions

Is Ham Satting free?
Ham Satting is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is HamRadar free?
HamRadar is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Ham Satting or HamRadar?
HamRadar is rated higher. Ham Satting averages 3.7 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while HamRadar averages 4.0 from 5 ratings.
Do Ham Satting or HamRadar have ads?
Neither Ham Satting nor HamRadar shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Ham Satting or HamRadar?
Ham Satting ships an update weekly, and HamRadar daily. Most recently, Ham Satting was updated on October 16, 2026 and HamRadar on October 10, 2026.

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