Ham Satting vs DigiDecoder
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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)
DigiDecoder
This application decodes and encodes various ham radio digital modes in real-time. It automatically recognizes signals, displays them with an animated waterfall, and supports sending SSTV images, CW, FT8, and Packet messages.
- Real-time digital mode decoding
- Automatic signal recognition
- Animated waterfall display
- SSTV image encoding
- CW, FT8, and Packet message encoding
- Bluetooth and network TNC support
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DigiDecoder is a universal ham radio digital modes decoder and encoder. Use the built-in microphone or connect an audio cable directly for better input quality. One app for all the signals! The correct digital mode is automatically recognized and decoded in real time with an animated waterfall display. Quickly encode and send beautiful SSTV images, plus CW, FT8, and Packet messages. Bluetooth and network TNCs for Packet are supported as well. Try DigiDecoder free for 7 days. After the trial, continue with an affordable monthly subscription, or unlock lifetime access with a one-time purchase (a few months' worth). Nothing is charged during the trial and you can cancel anytime. Currently supported modes (more to come): SSTV: Robot 8 BW - 160×120 Robot 12 BW - 160×120 Robot 24 Color - 160×120 YCrCb Robot 24 BW - 320×240 Robot 36 - 320×240 YCrCb Robot 72 - 320×240 YCrCb Scottie S1 - 320×256 RGB Scottie S2 - 320×256 RGB Scottie DX - 320×256 RGB Martin M1 - 320×256 RGB Martin M2 - 320×256 RGB PD50 - 320×256 YCrCb PD90 - 320×256 YCrCb PD120 - 640×496 YCrCb PD180 - 640×496 YCrCb PD240 - 640×496 YCrCb PD160 - 512×400 YCrCb PD290 - 800×616 YCrCb Packet: AX.25 1200 - AFSK Bell 202, 1200/2200 Hz FX.25 1200 - AX.25 + Reed-Solomon FEC AX.25 300 - AFSK 1600/1800 Hz FX.25 300 - AX.25 300 + Reed-Solomon FEC IL2P 1200 AFSK - Bell 202 + RS FEC IL2P 300 AFSK - 1600/1800 Hz + RS FEC IL2P 300 BPSK - 1500 Hz DBPSK + RS FEC Weak Signal: FT8 - 8-tone GFSK, 15s periods FT4 - 4-tone GFSK, 7.5s periods JS8 - Keyboard-to-keyboard, FT8-based modulation Narrowband: RTTY - 45.45/50/75 Bd CW/Morse - 5-55 WPM Olivia - 8/250, 8/500, 16/500, 16/1000, 32/1000 Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: DigiDecoder at 50% against Ham Satting's 0%. DigiDecoder also leads on rating (4.4 vs 3.7) and update cadence (every 3 days vs weekly). Ham Satting's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). 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
Both are free to download. DigiDecoder sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Ham Satting asks for nothing beyond the download.
DigiDecoder holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 7 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of Ham Satting's written reviews are positive against 50% of DigiDecoder's.
Ham Satting ships an update weekly, DigiDecoder every 3 days. Both last shipped on September 11, 2026.
| Parameter | Ham Satting | DigiDecoder |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.7 (3 ratings) | 4.4 (7 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | 50.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 3 | 7 — better |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 34 MB | 12 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Yousif AL Balushi | Lukasz Skierkowski |
Customer experience
Ham Satting
DigiDecoder
In-app purchases
Ham Satting
No in-app purchases
DigiDecoder
- DigiDecoder Monthly7 Days trial$2.991 Month
- DigiDecoder TrialFree
- DigiDecoder Lifetime$8.99





